A history of mediaeval and modern Europe for secondary schools (1914) (14804322053)

Identifier: historyofmediaev00davi (find matches)
Title: A history of mediaeval and modern Europe for secondary schools
Year: 1914 (1910s)
Authors: Davis, William Stearns, 1877-1930 McKendrick, Norman Shaw, 1876- jt. auth
Subjects:
Publisher: Boston, New York (etc.) Houghton Mifflin Company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress



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pular German.3 In two great 1 It is perfectly true that Luther laid great stress upon the teachings of theBible as against the decrees of the Church: seeming simply to substitute oneauthority for another. But the Bible is by no means a book to be received with-out careful study and interpretation; and then comes in the personal element —every man must make his own interpretation of the Bible, if he will not let theChurch do it for him. 2 See p. 200. 3 Luthers friends and enemies alike have admitted that a large part of hissuccess came from his matchless literary and argumentative gifts. He is justlycriticized for extreme violence of statement and invective, but no one has denied 234 HISTORY OF EUROPE pamphlets, — The Appeal to the German Nobility and On the Babylonish Captivity of the Church, —he denouncedthe alleged abuses of Rome in unmeasured terms. No othertheological pamphlets ever had such an effect. Public opinionrallied to him — a pious German friar attacked by worldly
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MARTIN LUTHER BURNING THE POPES BULL OF EXCOMMUNICATION Italians. When the papal bull against him was published(1520), a very large fraction of Germany was ready to applaudLuthers action, as, upon a great public bonfire at Wittenberg,he cast this notice of excommunication, and proclaimed hiscontempt for Anti-Christ (the Pope) and all his power. 131. Luther at Worms and the Wartburg (1521-22). Leonow demanded of the newly elected Emperor, Charles V,that he arrest and punish the man whom the law of the Churchhad condemned. But a great majority of the Germans seemed that his trenchant pen made his arguments carry double weight. He knew hiscountrymen thoroughly, and had a marvelous power of appealing to their hopes,fears, prejudices, and patriotism. THE PROTESTANT REVOLT 235 to be on Luthers side. A powerful prince — Frederick theWise of Saxony — was his protector. It was impossible tocondemn him without a hearing. Although Charles Vx (Flemingborn and of Spanish descent) was a devout