While Martin Luther was not the first person to want to change the Catholic Church, he became the first leader of a major religious order to secede successfully from the western Catholic Church. The Protestant Reformation, led by Luther, began in 1517 and ended in 1555. Since Luther’s order broke away from the Catholic Church, the Protestant Reformation should more accurately be called the Protestant Revolution. While lecturing on the Bible, a revelation appeared to Luther and changed his life. Luther realized that despite one’s strict upkeep of established Catholic law or ceremony, God’s love cannot be gained based upon mere action. He suddenly understood and believed that God’s love is received through faith itself, not actions. Luther and his followers began to use the phrase “sola fide” (“by faith alone”) as their motto, taking to heart their new interpretation of the Bible. …show more content…
The 95 Theses, which were courteously written to the Pope, denounced the sale of Papal Indulgences and attracted the attention of German aristocrats who were tired of paying so much to the Church. Due to the printing press, Luther’s 95 Theses were printed quickly and translated into many different languages so that his writing became available and popular throughout Germany. The Pope responded to Luther’s accusations by mandating that Luther recant. Luther then realized that the Church was far more corrupt than he thought, so he announced that the Pope and Catholic Church had been wrong in the past and were wrong again at that time. Luther’s 95 Theses and accusations against the Church began events that would later be known collectively as the Protestant