“Nothing is more difficult for the modern student to comprehend than an age of slow communication.… we are so bombarded with words that come at us… out of the air…so loaded down with books and newsprint and advertising” that the “slow and silent” past is on the far side of “a gulf across which we can no longer see…”

(Burlingame, 1938)

Moore’s Law:Chip transistor capacity doubling every two years for past four decades

Luther called the printing press "God's highest and extremest act of grace, whereby the business of the Gospel is driven forward."

“The press created the modern world—a place where debates among scholars and leaders are referred to the court of public opinion.”

(p. 380 in THE WEST)

1. Writing—3000 BC--“more important than all the battles ever fought and all the constitutions ever devised.” (Breasted, 1926)

2. Paper—c. 200 BC---“Paper is the instrument of liberty….There is no liberty without paper…”

(H. Voorn, 1968)

3. Printing Press—1450—”No technological development in any field is credited with a greater social and political impact than the invention of the printing press….”

(Hanson 2008, p. 14)

• Individual Freedom of Conscience

• First Mass Media Event (printing press) and propaganda

The splendor of Rome (left) contrasted with a bare Protestant Chapel in colonial Virginia, reflects vastly different interpretations of the Word of God.

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Click on the links below to view two film versions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xQsCtpcj_E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5P7QkHCfaI

“He shattered faith in authority, because he restored the authority of faith.

“He transformed parsons into laymen, because he transformed laymen into parsons….”

(A CRITICISM OF THE HEGELIAN PHILOSOPHY OF RIGHT)

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/master/pnp/cph/3a10000/3a18000/3a18700/3a18737u.tif

“…95 sledge-hammer blows directed against the most flagrant ecclesiastical abuse of the age.”

(T.M. Lindsay, Britannica, 1911)

”If I Had a Hammer” 1517 Wittenberg—

http://thecalloftheland.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/martin_luther_9.jpg

Major source of church income since 13th

century, but “indulgence hyper-inflation” by 1500

Engravings like the “Mass of St. Gregory” were sacred objects themselves; the inscription promised relief from 20,000 years in Purgatory—later increased without approval to 45,000 years!

In 1500 estimated 1,064,037 years of indulgences were available (while earth itself only 6,000 years old)

The Pope—with a devil in his stomach—counting money, while his beastly cardinals sell indulgences amid dancing flames (British Museum)

http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/search_object_image.aspx?currentpage=17&toadbc=ad&objectid=3127298&asset_id=681816&images=on&orig=%2Fresearch%2Fsearch_the_collection_database.aspx&partid=1&searchtext=apocalypse&fromadbc=ad&numpages=10

“Christianographie; or, The description of the multitude and sundry sorts of Christians in the world, not subject to the Pope…”

http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc2.ark:/13960/t3hx18r5j

Luther man of the Book and the Pen

Pamphlets, books, essays, prayers, hymns

“A Mighty Fortress is Our God” click the link below to view the video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Y-_TsRjm5Y

http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/search_object_image.aspx?objectId=1448873&partId=1&searchText=luther&fromADBC=ad&toADBC=ad&orig=%2fresearch%2fsearch_the_collection_database.aspx&numPages=10&currentPage=6&asset_id=84433

http://pages.uoregon.edu/dluebke/Reformations441/LutherinPrint.html

To hear an editor from the ECONOMIST talk about how the parallels

between the way Luther used the new printing press and other

communications methods, to the leaders of the “Arab Spring” in 2011.

Click the link below read the article.

http://www.economist.com/node/21541719

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•Interpreted Bible literally, not metaphorically

•Though his poetic translation required abandoning literal meanings of Hebrew words.

•Luther’s vernacular Bible most important book in history of German language

•Key to creating a common tonguehttp://ora-web.swkk.de/digimo_online/digimo.entry?source=digimo.Digitalisat_anzeigen&a_id=4792&p_ab=0

“even shoemakers and women and every kind of unlearned person…read it most eagerly as the font of all truth….In a few months… they did not blush to dispute about the faith and the Gospel…with priests and monks…even with Masters and Doctors of Sacred Theology.”

(Johannes Cochlaeus)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/Johannes-Cochlaeus.jpg

Johannes Cochlaeus, Luther’s bitter adversary

Devil defecates into the mouth of Cochlaeus, he in turn defecates papist books and pamphlets consumed by the kneeling priests, delighting dancing devils and horrifying the faithful.

(Yale University)

http://divdl.library.yale.edu/dl/OneItem.aspx?qc=AdHoc&q=3100

Luther as apocalyptic monster with seven heads.

Left to right:

Doctor,

Satanic monk

Turkish infidel

Mob preacher

Fanatic (hornets in hair)

Pretend Pope

Wild man with club Title-page to Cochlaeus, 'Septiceps Lutherus',

Leipzig: Valentin Schumann, 1529. Woodcut and letterpress

http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/search_object_details.aspx?queryAll=Terms%2F!!%2FOR%2F!!%2F16590%2F!%2F%2F!%2Fmonk%2Fnun%2F!%2F%2F!!%2F%2F!!!%2F&objectId=1434835&partId=1&searchText=europe&fromDate=1500&fromADBC=ad&toDate=1750&toADBC=ad&numpages=10&images=on&orig=%2Fresearch%2Fsearch_the_collection_database.aspx&currentPage=1

The monster Pope and his other six heads—monks, bishops and cardinals—ooze out of a locked indulgence chest, underneath which is the Devil himself.

Inscription on the indulgence certificate hanging from the cross reads: “A sack full of indulgences for cash.”

http://www.zeno.org/Kunstwerke/B/Deutscher%20Meister%20der%201.%20H%E4lfte%20des%2016.%20Jahrhunderts:%20Siebenk%F6pfiges

“The dead pope and clerics lying amongst the rubble of a collapsing church” with devils building, the emperor and merchants looking on from the left.”

(British Museum)

http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/search_object_image.aspx?objectId=1435914&partId=1&searchText=Sebastian+Meyer&fromADBC=ad&toADBC=ad&orig=%2fresearch%2fsearch_the_collection_database.aspx&numPages=10&currentPage=2&asset_id=83134

Cardinal, Devil, Pope and Monk at the foot of the table try in vain to blow out the flame of the Reformation.

Luther writing at the head of the table, with other Protestant leaders.

http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/search_object_details.aspx?objectid=1673223&partid=1&output=People%2f!!%2fOR%2f!!%2f116563%2f!%2f116563-1-7%2f!%2fRepresentation+of+Martin+Luther%2f!%2f%2f!!%2f%2f!!!%2f&orig=%2fresearch%2fsearch_the_collection_database%2fadvanced_search.aspx&currentPage=7&numpages=10

Implicit in Luther’s decree of “by faith alone” is the right of every human being to control their own spiritual and personal destiny

Who had the right to call another a heretic, if the ultimate test of salvation was in the heart?

Every man a pope, every man a king!

“…individualism and civil rights were in the DNA of Protestantism, in which redemption depends on personal response to the mighty acts of God in Christ….”

(Fernandez-Armesto and Wilson, 1996, p. 288)

Martin Luther King, Jr., 1929-1968

http://rolexblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/martin-luther-king-jr-day-in-usa.html