Give reasons for the following:

Martin Luther was in favour of print and spoke out in praise of it.

Martin Luther in favour of print: Print made Martin Luther able to publish his ideas as a religious reformer. Through the publications of his protestant ideas, he challenged the orthodox practices and rituals. In 1517, he wrote ninety five Theses in which he criticized many of the practices and rituals of the Roman Catholic Church. He challenged the Church to debate his ideas. Luther’s writings were immediately reproduced in vast numbers and were widely read. This led to a division within the church and led to the beginning of the protestant reformation. He also translated the New Testament of which 5000 copies were sold within a few days. These were impossible without the printing technology. Luther expressed his gratitude to print, by saying. ‘Printing is the ultimate gift of god and the greatest one. ‘Several scholars, In fact, think that print brought about a new intellectual atmosphere and helped spread the new ideas that led to the reformation. This is the reason why Luther was in favour of print and spoke out in praise of it.


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