History: Martin Luther

1483- 1546 - Martin Luther was an educated man who dedicated himself to monastic life at the age of twenty-two. Luther became obsessed with a simple question: What is the minimum one must do to attain salvation? Luther believed that church doctrine set an impossible task before anyone wishing to attain salvation, and resolved to find a new interpretation of church doctrine that resolved the question. Luther's answer, known as the Protestant Reformation revolutionized the Christian religion and created a new church doctrine that was rapidly adopted. However, Luther's view was not accepted by all. The catholic church excommunicated him, and the Holy Roman Emperor made him an outlaw. Nonetheless, Luther's view had caught hold of the people, and attempts to stifle Luther couldn't stop the rapidly advancing religious reform.

1466- 1536 - Desiderius Erasmus was one of the most important Christian humanists. Erasmus was determined to reconcile faith and reason through the common themes of classical ethics and Christian morality. He published a book known as Handbook of the Christian Knight, in 1503.

Erasmus' book espoused a 'philosophy of Christ' over restrictive church doctrine. Erasmus also published a revised and edited edition of the Bible in 1516. Though Erasmus' reforms did not become widely accepted, it is thought that these reforms paved the way for the Protestant Reformation.