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Women during the 16th century reformation
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The Reformation is typically characterized by the groundbreaking work done by men like Martin Luther and John Calvin, yet many people forget the lesser-known individuals who made enormous contributions. Peter Matheson, a Reformation teacher and researcher of thirty years, uncovered what historians for centuries have missed in the life of Argula von Grumbach. Argula was at the forefront of the Reformation controversy, and her eight pamphlets were circulated all over Germany thanks to the explosion of the printing press. She, much like Martin Luther, defied the lords and rulers of the day through her exceptional knowledge of Scripture, becoming a revered and well-known figure in a time where women were seen as second-class citizens. Matheson describes her as an extraordinary woman, a humble believer, and mother of four who became an inspiration to many and a nuisance to others through her bold work that changed the course of Christian history (xii).
Argula grew up in an affluent home, and received her first Bible at the age of ten. Through persistent study she learned the Scriptures well, and in her early twenties she appeared on the political scene when the theologians of the University of Ingolstadt ridiculed
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Women were supposed to be submissive to their husbands, and she defied her husband openly for the sake of Biblical truth. Most women in this time were considered second-class citizens with a minimal capacity to comprehend the world, and she challenged this idea through her knowledge and exegesis of Scripture. Argula’s pamphlet, the first of eight, rebelled against Duke William’s ordinance that forbade religious dissent, and her ideas gained ground in spite of a society that had been groomed to overlook women (48). Matheson correctly portrays Argula as a popular figure in the public eye, and validates his thesis by showing her as a polarizing Reformation
This theory contends that the reason Anne Hutchinson was such a threat was that she was uniting an increasing number of women to learn more about themselves and make religion meaningful in their lives. A God of love and mercy was much more appealing to them than one who condemns all sinners but the chosen few. She understood
The Enlightenment is known as the revolution that brought to question the traditional political and social structures. This included the question of the woman’s traditional roles in society. As the public sphere relied more and more ?? and the advances in scientific and educated thinking, women sought to join in with the ranks of their male counterparts. Women held gatherings known as salons where they organized intellectual conversations with their distinguished male guests. Seeking to further their status, enlightened women published pamphlets and other works advocating for educational rights and political recognition. Even with this evolution of woman in society, many still clung to the belief that the role of the woman was solely domestic. The females that spoke up were usually deemed unnatural. However these women used the time period of reason and science that allowed them the opportunity to break away from their domestic roles and alter the view of women in society.
Literary historicism, in the context of this discussion, describes the interpretation of literary or historical texts with respect to the cultural and temporal conditions in which they were produced. This means that the text not only catalogues how individuals respond to their particular circumstances, but also chronicles the movements and inclinations of an age as expressed in the rhetorical devices of its literature. Evaluating the trial of Anne Hutchinson within such a theoretical framework means speculating on the genesis of her theological beliefs with recourse to prevailing theories of gender, class, and interpretation. Because texts are self-contained spheres of discourse, nuanced interpretations of them can be undertaken with greater assiduity than in the case of individuals whose private experiences remain largely concealed from the interpreter's knowledge. A historical analysis of Anne Hutchinson herself is hence, in the present discussion, secondary to the analysis of how she comes across in textual discourse as a palimpsest of seventeenth century gender controversy.
Kittelson effectively composed the book and created the biography to be an interesting look into the life of Martin Luther. His successful usage of primary source documents and information compounded with his personal literary explanation of Luther’s journey toward reformation and peace with God. Kittelson’s book is not without humor either, he includes direct quotes and dialogue between Luther and Zwingli debating the Lord’s Supper. The insults and demonstrative behavior show Luther as he was, a reformer, who wished to convince others of the power of the gospel. This engaging study is both informative and engaging. Luther the Reformer is a good biography for anyone interested in Martin Luther’s life and interested in learning more about why his journey impacted not only the Roman church then, but the entirety of the Christian Church to this
Looking back through many historical time periods, people are able to observe the fact that women were generally discriminated against and oppressed in almost any society. However, these periods also came with women that defied the stereotype of their sex. They spoke out against this discrimination with a great amount of intelligence and strength with almost no fear of the harsh consequences that could be laid out by the men of their time. During the Medieval era, religion played a major role in the shaping of this pessimistic viewpoint about women. The common belief of the patriarchal-based society was that women were direct descendants of Eve from The Bible; therefore, they were responsible for the fall of mankind. All of Eve’s characteristics from the biblical story were believed to be the same traits of medieval women. Of course, this did not come without argument. Two medieval women worked to defy the female stereotype, the first being the fictional character called The Wife of Bath from Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. The second woman, named Margery Kempe, was a real human being with the first English autobiography written about her called The Book of Margery Kempe. In these two texts, The Wife of Bath and Margery Kempe choose to act uniquely compared to other Christians in the medieval time period because of the way religion is interpreted by them. As a result, the women view themselves as having power and qualities that normal women of their society did not.
Thesis Statement: These key events reforming religion are what shaped the world for good and for bad in the 14th to the 19th century.
Defense herself presented her trajectory in the path of knowledge. Argument: her inclination to study coming from God.
The Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century is one of the most complex movements in European history since the fall of the Roman Empire. The Reformation truly ends the Middle Ages and begins a new era in the history of Western Civilization. The Reformation ended the religious unity of Europe and ushered in 150 years of religious warfare. By the time the conflicts had ended, the political and social geography in the west had fundamentally changed. The Reformation would have been revolutionary enough of itself, but it coincided in time with the opening of the Western Hemisphere to the Europeans and the development of firearms as effective field weapons. It coincided, too, with the spread of Renaissance ideals from Italy and the first stirrings of the Scientific Revolution. Taken together, these developments transformed Europe.
The renaissance and the reformation were two of the most significant changes in history that has shaped our world today. Both of these great time periods are strikingly similar in some ways and totally different in others. This is because the renaissance was a change from religion to humanism whether it is in art or literature; it is where the individual began to matter. However, the reformation was,” in a nutshell,” a way to reform the church and even more so to form the way our society is today. The first half of this paper will view the drop in faith, the economic powers, and the artistic and literary changes during the renaissance, while the second half will view the progresses and changes the church makes during the reformation.
...tism because she had made a stand for it by starting the English Protestant Church, she wished to keep peace in England, and also most likely because she had been greatly influenced by many Protestants in her youth. So once again, even though the English Reformation did not have any great reformers, it still managed to succeed due to the hard work of Thomas Cranmer, and the support of many rulers during the English Reformation.
Russell, L. M. (1985). ‘Authority and the Challenge of Feminist Interpretation’. In: Russell, L. (ed.). Feminist Interpretation of the Bible. Oxford. Basil Blackwell. pp.137-146.
John Calvin was one of the reformers who would bring reformation to the city of Geneva and help establish the Protestant faith among the community of Geneva and throughout Europe. His strength in the reformation was his ability to organize.
The Reformation was the religious, political, intellectual, and cultural rise that separated Catholic Europe of the 16th century, this set beliefs that would define the era today. In northern and central Europe, reformers like Martin Luther and John Calvin challenged the authority, and questioned the Catholic Church’s ability to back up there practices. The change that the reformation started was characterized by the notion of souls being saved without the cycle of penitence or confession, but rather by the grace of God and faith. A new church structure arose from this. Instead of needing a central hierarchy, a group of believers just gathered around a preacher. The separation started wars, killings, and what they called The Counter-Reformation.
The Protestant Reformation of the 16th century was a religious revolution that occurred within the Christian Church, which resulted in the establishment of Protestant Churches, who began breaking away from the Roman Catholic Church. Originally the movement was started by Martin Luther, who was a monk, a priest and a Professor of Biblical study at the University of Wittenberg (Fisher 335). Luther, with his great political influence as well as his prolific writing, most notably his 95 Thesis, began a movement intended to address the abuses of wealth within the church. Although there were many people who realized that the church needed reformation, at the time, Luther really had no intention to split the church. The Protestant Reformation was an intellectual, cultural, religious, and political, upheaval that would separate Catholic Europe and set in place the structures and beliefs that would define the continent. In Christianity’s history, the Protestant Reformation was one of the most significant religious revolutions.
Different interpretations led to disagreements among the religious people. Near the 16th century, the protestant movement emerged in reaction to medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices. Protestantism influenced social, economic, political, and cultural life in any area that it gained a foothold (Nelson, E. C.).