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THE GREATEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN AGAIN, & AGAIN PART 4

  During the Middle Ages, a period between the fall of ancient Rome in 476 A.D. and the beginning of the 14th century, Europeans made few advances in science and art.  Also known as the “Dark Ages,” the era is often branded as a time of war, ignorance, famine, and pandemics such as the Black DeathRenaissance” is a French word meaning “rebirth.” The period is called by this name because, at that time, people started taking an interest in the learning of ancient times, in particular, the teaching of Ancient Greece and Rome. The Renaissance was seen as a “rebirth” of that learning.  Humanism was started. The Reformation began in 1517 when a German monk called Martin Luther protested about the Catholic Church. His followers became known as Protestants. Many people and governments adopted the new Protestant ideas, while others remained faithful to the Catholic Church. This led to a split in the Church. The Protestant Reformation that Martin Luther sparked continued into the next century. The Catholic Church eliminated the sale of indulgences and other abuses that Luther had attacked. Catholics also formed their Counter-Reformation that used both persuasion and violence to turn back Protestantism.  The most outstanding leaders of the Reformation undoubtedly were Martin Luther and John Calvin. Martin Luther precipitated the Reformation with his critiques of both the practices and the theology of the Roman Catholic Church. John Calvin was the most crucial figure in the second generation of the Reformation, and his interpretation of Christianity, known as Calvinism, profoundly influenced many areas of Protestant thought. Other statistics included Pope Leo X, who excommunicated Luther; the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, who essentially declared war on Protestantism; Henry VIII, king of England, who presided over establishing an independent Church of England; and Huldrych Zwingli, a Swiss reformer.
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