Similarities Between Luther And John Calvinism

The religious schism of the sixteenth century following the Edict of the Worms created a disintegration of western Christendom. Figures of Martin Luther and John Calvin heralded the new religious transformation in Europe, creating the protestant reformation. Both Lutheranism and Calvinism much alike appealed to the nobles and peasants from their decentralization of religious power from the crowns and break in status quo. In aim to reform the church however, the two followings disagreed on certain religious sacraments. Including, predestination, episcopal organization, transubstantiation and approaches to women and family. Both Calvinism and Lutheranism heavily impacted the European landscape in every facet of life. Peter Marshall scholar on …show more content…
Some have argued that Luther’s work was a liberal, revival for women and their roles within society. Particularly with reference to German scholars who have a positivist approach to Lutheran ideology and approach on women. The new prominence on the importance of marriage and the status that comes with it, largely improved the way in which women were respected for their role in society . No more were they simply ‘wives’, it was now an equal two-way partnership between man and wife. Women as children of God could be saved by faith as Luther argues, man and women were equal spiritually now, and further, Luther put added emphasis on the role of women in both the old and new testament. In light of this, appearances suggest Luther was a progressive in terms of women’s determination and status. However, outside of Germany, critics expose that Luther’s teaching were not completely liberal and progressive. In agreement with Aristotle’s analysis of women’s inherent weaker nature to man, furthered by Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden, Luther proposes that women’s faith would not have political or social consequence; bible examples of women’s teachings and preaching to not be taken seriously or as an affirmation of contemporary women’s role . Similarly, by looking at Calvin we come to see the similarities of sexist …show more content…
The Consistory, not a tribunal as some have argued was a place of judgement for religious crimes. Tough new criminal justice laws on fornication were put in place in 1566 and led to some lamenting over the cruelty of these laws. Some argued that following Calvinist rule ‘Geneva’s ministers are the cruellest in the world’ and more tellingly, peasants argued that the new Consistory had created a ‘paradis des femes’ (paradise for women) . With initial success the Consistory created an equally fair court with men making up fifty-five percent of those who were excommunicated for their crimes . However, the creation of the religious court, highlighted the prevalent sexism under Calvinist rule. After twenty-seven months’ after the introduction of the Consistory, men made up half of the cases from which most misdemeanours were handled in terms of illicit behaviour and fornication. While more men appeared in the court for any number of reasons, women made up fifty-five to sixty percent of who were questioned on their faith, either by reciting prayers or creeds to prove their devotion . Moreover, the court was judged solely by males who decided the fate of women. The double standard of males and women’s actions being treated differently continued despite earlier promise at the inception of the Consistory. Instances of