HIS109Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Theocracy, Protestantism, John Calvin
Document Summary
Erasmus and moore provided alternative models for how life should be led. He called into question the ideology of the church (the church really hadn"t been challenged before) Individuals were not the cause of these major changes. Rather they provided the last push to changes that were already happening in society. Luther claims in his autobiography to have been struck by lightning and then vowing to become a monk (ordained into the priesthood) Luther was obsessed with his own sense of sin. He thought it was impossible to achieve salvation because he always had sinful thoughts. His spiritual quest was shared by hundreds of thousands of europeans. Faith was the only thing you needed to go to heaven. Saints had extra merit that goes into the treasury of merit, which could be distributed by the pope. Purgatory: you could buy off years on your wait to get into heaven.
