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Martin Luther as Priest, Heretic, and Outlaw: The Reformation at 500
Luther the Heretic
In the years following his Ninety-five Theses, Luther not only persisted in his critique of the church but expanded it to practically all areas of church authority in civil society and Christian faith. Meanwhile the German presses could barely keep up with the demand for Luther's works, many of which became the first "bestsellers" in history and known throughout Europe. The Catholic Church therefore faced not only a fundamental challenge to its institutions and practices, but one backed by the force of a new technology. Having failed in its efforts to move Luther to recant, the church would meet this threat by branding Luther a heretic and rendering him up to the Holly Roman Empire for trial and punishment. |