The Difference between Luther and Muntzer...

The Reformation was a reaction to the Catholic Church and ways of connecting the people to God. Many of the reason for the reformation had to do with the religious side of following the seven sacraments and having the Pope is the bridge for the soul to God but some use the social reasons and political reason to start a revolt. Many of the peasants during the Reformation could not read but instead had wood carving to understand what Luther was preaching; Luther would preach that peasants and clergymen were no different in the eyes of God and they should have the same respect and surroundings. Peasants took this a step further and demanded that they enjoys the spoils of life, where they took it into their own hand a rioted and saying that it was in the name of God.

Thomas Muntzer uses the bible as a way to spread the demand for equal rights among the lords, nobles, and peasants; he preached that the lords and nobles would have nothing if it was not for the peasants. So he and peasant took it to violence where they would destroy what they thought was wrong and took anything that they wanted. Luther who wanted equal rights among people, was with them as first but soon after he learned of the bloodshed and how God name was used in the blood revolt then turned his back. Luther said that God did not want his name used for selfish greed but only for the saving of one’s soul.

The revolt quickly fizzled away since there was no help for the peasants, over a hundred thousand peasants were taken to their deaths.

A Large Come back!

Where there is a Reformation there has to be a Counter Reformation and that is where the papal took the next step in the counter attack on the Protestant. The Council of Trent (1545 – 1563)proposed by Pope Paul III to look into the Protestant heresies by going back to the scriptures and tradition that were implied by the bible to work against the Protestant. It was mainly used to answer the Protestants’ disputes and look into their own dealing to fix what had faltered from the Rules of Benedict.

The Council of Trent wanted to go back to the words of the Bible to demonstrate that their way was the way of God and that the teaching of the cardinals and fathers were the words of God, they decreed “that they themselves shall personally, each in his own church, announce the Scared Scriptures and the divined law, or, if lawfully hindered, have it done by those whom thay shall appoint to the office of preaching” (Janz, 421). They also looked into the path of the clergy men were following, the Council wanted to emphasize the Rules of Benedict again; some official had stray away from it, they had mistresses and lived a life of luxury, “they shall forthwith and always wear the tonsure and the clerical garb”; in other words give up all worldly possession and only have a relationship with God.

The Council of Trent did not just “attack” the Protestant but look in the Catholic System itself and try to fix what was broken before they started to preach and reach out to others.

Reference
Janz, Dennis R. A Reformation Reader. Fortress Press. MN. 2008.