Reformation Day
Today is the 494th anniversary of Luther posting his 95 Theses on the door of Wittenberg Cathedral:
95 Theses - Luther What were the economic implications of the 95 theses? How did money start moving differently around Europe after the Reformation? Did money that once would have gone to Rome, end up going to the newly formed multi-national corporations like the Dutch East India company? How much money did the Catholic church lose on a yearly basis once Protestantism began flourishing and how was that money spent differently? |
Do you really think money and power were any part of Luther's motivation?
Why bring it up? |
What's the relevance of Luther's motivations? It's the effect of Luther's policy ideas that intrigues me. But if you want to raise the issue of motivations, lots of those theses are concerned with $$$.
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You were the one who asked the question about the economic implications. What other reason to ask the question than to imply that there were economic reasons?
His issues with the Church were theological. To imply anything else is to besmirch Luther's motives. |
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As an analogy, marriages are infrequently based on economic motivations nowadays yet there are huge economic implications. |
Perhaps, I owe you an apology. You are generally quite verbal against anything that resembles orthodox Christianity. I expected that your question was simply a way to undermine Luther's contribution to the Reformation.
If that was not your motivation, I apologize. |
Religion and money always go hand in hand. It was as true 500 years ago as it is today. You can bank on it.
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I understood the question I think. I didn't take it to mean that Luther was economically motivated. I took it to mean, what were the economic results of the reformation?
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After a lot of googling, this is the best I've been able to come up with:
H-Net Reviews It doesn't quantify the system of indulgences in $$ terms but does talk about projects funded with indulgences. |
From what I gather Martin Luther was annoyed at how the church ran things and was so involved in everything so he did this to bring attention to it.
This subject requires a lot of studying. |
The more I think about this, the more intrigued I am. Was the Reformation a giant stimulus package for northern Europe, spurring it's economic development over southern Europe for the next few hundred years? Certainly there was some economic effect. The fact that salvation became free means that whatever money was being spent for salvation became available for other purposes. How much was that? I have no idea. Perhaps some northern European cathedrals kept records of their indulgences prior to the Reformation and some actual $$ figures might be teased out of that. But in addition to the effects of salvation becoming free, Protestants abandoned monasteries. Monasteries are expensive both in supporting them from church $$ but also in broader social terms. Well educated monks and nuns spend their lives doing non-productive work in monasteries. Once this monastic class was abolished these same educated young people could turn to other lines of work, expanding social capital. Did the monastic class morph into the class of scientists, mathematicians and engineers? Did Protestant countries develop these classes earlier than Catholic ones? Scotland, that most Protestant country certainly jumped ahead in these fields pretty quickly.
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Luther's 95 Thesis eventually got whittled down to what the Reformers called "The solis " ( alone) Christ alone, ( as opposed to Christ plus the Church Fathers) Faith Alone, ( as opposed to Faith PLUS works) Scripture Alone ( as opposed to Scripture PLUS whatever the Pope decreed.) I am certain that the Reformation had an marked economic impact. Look at what the concept that believers could read the Bible for themselves did for Gutenberg and other printers. Add in that the Pope, and his minions were not the actual keepers of the gates to heaven, and a lot of people, and their money, get diverted from the attempt to purchase salvation. |
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It is one thing to ask people to give, another to use it as a means to "sell" salvation or pardon from past sins. Luther originally objected to the attitude of the money raisers, not the fact that they were soliciting money for the bulding of a church. He also added that, when compared to the good that could be done by using that money to feed the hungry, the two actions needed to be putinto perspective. But the business men didn't see it that way. Just like now. Mow down the opposition. Any way you ca., Ends justify the means. Then as time went on, two sides became entrenched, Pope Leo X wrote papers condemning "Lutheranism" the Catholic princes declared Luther " vogelfrei" meaning that he could be killed on sight with no punishment to the killers, and the whole game became political, economic, social and linguistic! Prince against prince Italian Rich against German rich Roman Catholics against "Protesting ones (FR>: Protestants)" Poor Germans against rich Catholic foreigners Latin-speaking Church officials against German-speaking peasants and burghers/princes This later sets the stage for one of Monty Pythoin's greatest achievements: The sketches about the Spanish Inquisition! :D |
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