Out Of The Flames By Lawrence And Nancy Goldtone

Out of The Flames

Out of The Flames, by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone, talks about the Protestant Reformation and historical figures, such as Michael Servetus, who stood up against the giant that was the Catholic Church. In the 1500s, the Catholic Church was very powerful and they controlled everything. Rebellious individuals used to come out with books against the Catholic Church. For example, Michael Servetus came out with a book called “The Errors of Trinity” which criticized the ideas of the Catholic Church. The punishment for standing up against the Catholic Church was very severe and often resulted in brutal death. These individuals cared more about their ideals than the consequences given for putting their rebellious rebellious ideas

The Ninety-Five Theses criticized the practices of the Catholic Church, including the selling of indulgences. Leading up to the Protestant Reformation, advances in writing and book producing took place. Scribes used to write original books and make the copies by hand. Then, in the mid- 1450’s, Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press. He made this invention secretively, so no one knew his failures, or what he was thinking when he made it. He influenced bookmaking in other ways in addition to making the printing press. In the book, Out of the Flames by Lawrence and Nancy Golstone states, “ He not only created the design of the type, he invented the mold used to make the actual letters.”(15). The first mass produced book was the Bible which was translated from Latin to German. Then, in the 1480’s, a scholar named Aldus Manuitus, made books smaller and portable. Both of these inventions helped advance ideas and spread information across

Like other people involved in the Protestant Reformation such as Martin Luther and John Calvin, Michael Servetus despised the Church’s ideals. At the age of 13, he worked for a friar named Juan de Quintana. With Quintana, he read and studied the entire Bible. He was frequently getting caught making books, so he was forced to flee and jump from city to city. He was essentially a fugitive of the Church. Since he was a wanted man, Servetus enrolled in the University of Paris under the name Michael de Villanueve. Another reformer, John Calvin despised Servetus, because his books were in competition with his. Servetus was eventually arrested in Geneva by John Calvin. After a court trial, Servetus was sentenced to death for committing heresy. However, other individuals such as William Olser, a physician, enjoyed Servetus’ writing. After the Reformation, people went searching for Servetus’ work. Later, people set up libraries containing Servetus’