“Had I desired to forment trouble. I could have brought great bloodshed upon Germany. Martin Luther (1483-1546) A discussion of Authority and the Protestant Reformation in Germany.”

This essay will focus on the above epigraph from On Images sermon, which was one of eight written in 1522 by Reformation reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546).  It will be used as a springboard to discuss the theme of authority during this period, and how it was challenged during the Protestant Reformation in Germany. First it will bring out the significance of the quote by exploring the background in which it was written. This will be followed by looking closely at the text of the sermon On Images and the epigraph within it, discussing to what degree it challenged authority. Next it will consider the reason the Sermons were written and if they achieved their aims. Finally this essay will look at the impact of Reformation developments and the authority of images elsewhere in Europe.

To put the sermon in which the epigraph was written in context this essay will begin with ev…(short extract)