40. The Protestant Reformation: On Coins, Monks, and Books

16th century Germany was an era of radical change and disruption. Many before had attempted to reform the church, but none were successful. Until a monk named Martin Luther came along and developed new ideas about Scripture, the clergy, the sacraments, and justification, among many other things. With the help of the late medieval’s equivalent to the internet - the printing press - Luther’s ideas sparked a wildfire that the papacy could not possibly hope to contain. And the world began to change. The Protestants had arrived.