World Cultures

Comparing Erasmus and Luther on Reform

· Be sure to discuss both men’s views on this issue. Assess ‘In Praise of Folly’ by Erasmus, who stressed that while the Catholic Church had problems that were obvious, they could be fixed and Luther’s ‘95 Theses’ which outlined similar issues but stressed that the Catholic Church was irrevocably broken and only a new church could succeed. Discuss which of these men you would most likely have sided with and why

The role of the Printing Press and the German Princes

· This is a critical part of the discussion. Without the Printing Press, how successful would the Reformation have been? If the German Princes had not protected Luther from the Inquisition and the Catholic Church, would the Reformation have occurred? Talk about these issues and give your opinions

The printing press was created by Johann Gutenberg and  used by Protestants to get their ideas out in Europe in pamphlets. With the invention of the printing press, it helped to take away control of written material by the Catholic church. Without the use the of printing press Martin Luther would not have been successful in challenging the Catholic church. The printing press was used to publish propaganda against Rome and alerted people of debates and raillies held by the Augustian monk.

The Reformation and the Arts

· The Reformation had a big impact on the arts, in some cases expanding artistic creativity, and in some cases reducing the impact of art (many new Protestant sects did not use a lot of visual art and imagery in their churches)

What would I have done in a similar current situation?

· Well, this should be fun, put yourself in a situation where you almost have to decide to leave your job if you thought the company was corrupt (like Luther does) or try to work from within to fix an issue (like Erasmus does). Provide some good details here