Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
of any age. Most accounts of it are simplified, and it is usually taken out of
nearly every aspect of life for all classes of society in the centuries after the
fall of Rome and before the Reformation. As Peter Wallace (2012) describes,
most secular governments, and even had its own system of justice that
the textbook my 9th grade students use for world history followed the pattern
terrifying implications of what Jan Hus, Martin Luther, John Wycliffe, John
Calvin, Huldrych Zwingli, and other reformers were proposing regarding the
executed, and even Martin Luther had to escape religious authorities with the
age of exploration, and the court intrigues and political maneuvering of state
building and absolute monarchy. Having sampled from a small fraction of the
abundant literature on the subject, I now am fully convinced that the period
is anything but boring, and that in fact there is significant scholarly and
that I put together for this lesson is a scholarly article that holds up Calvin as
Martin Luther is the best known of the Reformation leaders, but he too
student texts. The Stanford History Education Group lesson on Martin Luther
much the same way that the John Smith lesson does (two pieces of writing
by the same person during different periods of that persons life that
another and having students decide which one was the bigger rebel. The
CHQ for this lesson is, Who was a bigger rebel: Martin Luther or John Calvin? I
find this question particularly appealing because to answer it, students must
first understand basic information about the Catholic Church at the time of
the Reformation, then they must understand that church reformers had
different platforms and approaches to church reform, and then they must
this lesson, was more radical and rebellious. The other aspect of this
question that I like is that there is no clear answer. As Johnson and Johnson
begin. Again, these are 9th grade students in my world history class, and at
the time we are engaging in this SAC, they will have read the two textbook
sections of the chapter on the Renaissance and Reformation. They also will
have completed the Stanford History Education Group document-based
lesson on Martin Luther and the way his doctrine changed over time from his
relatively obscure youth to his more established middle age. I will begin the
unit on the Reformation with a slide presentation that sets the stage for the
aspects of Medieval life, and by giving a very brief overview of the waves of
church critique and church reform going as far back as the early Middle Ages
to show that the Reformation did not come out of nowhere. Since students
will already have a pretty good understanding of who Martin Luther was by
the time they begin this SAC lesson, I will focus my attention in the short,
order to help students understand why it was so radical to defy the Church.
One schema that students will hopefully have from our previous unit on the
Thomas More, among others, which would influence both Luther and Calvin
read the documents, why the concepts described in them were radical and
rebellious for their time. For example, it might be hard for students to
understand why its radical to say that people should study the scriptures
and try to understand them better, but what I want students to realize is that
the Catholic Church at the time didnt want just any person to study the Bible
and believed that only clergymen, and higher up ones at that, had the
religious authority to study and interpret the scriptures. What I will do to help
rebels for their time. The main skill I want students to focus on during this
Works cited:
Beck, R., Black, L., Krieger, L., Naylor, P., Shabaka, D. (Eds.). (2010). World
History: Patterns of Interaction. Dumfries, North Carolina: Holt McDougal.
Calvin, J. (1539). Letter to Cardinal Sadoleto. In Olin, J.C. (Ed.) (2000) A
reformation debate: Sadoletos letter to the Genevans and Calvins reply.
New York, NY: Fordham University Press. (pp. 57-59).
Johnson, D.W. & Johnson, R.T. (May 1988). "Critical Thinking Through
Controversy." Educational Leadership.
Little, D. (2012). Calvins Theology of Church and Society: Modern Reception
and Contemporary Possibilities. In Billings, T. B. & Hesselink, I.J. (Eds.)
Calvins Theology and its Reception (216-240). Louisville, KY: Westminster
John Knox Press. (p. 220)
Luther, M. (1520). Freedom of a Christian, Part Two. In Thornton, J.F., &
Varenne, S.B. (Eds.) (2002) Faith and Freedom: An Invitation to the Writings
of Martin Luther (3-16). New York, NY: Vintage Spiritual Classics.
Wallace, P. (2012). The Long European Reformation, 2nd ed. New York, NY:
Palgrave Macmillan. p. 74.
Hannah Carney
SAC on the Protestant Reformation
Lesson Plan
Central Historical Question: Who was a bigger rebel: Martin Luther or John
Calvin?
3. [15 min.] Ask students to read with a partner documents A and B, the
two textbook passages on Luther and Calvin, respectively. Students will
answer the guiding questions those two documents. Elicit 2-3 student
responses to the questions.
5. [15 min.] Students silently read Document C and D and then should
work in pairs to answer the questions together.
9. [10 min.] Organizing the evidence: students will now fill out their
graphic organizer with evidence supporting the side they were
assigned. Team A is arguing that Martin Luther was the bigger rebel,
and Team B is arguing that John Calvin was the bigger rebel.
10. [10 min.] Team A presents to Team B, while Team B takes notes.
Team B repeats Team As main points back to them.
11. [10 min.] Team B presents to Team A, while Team A takes notes.
Team A repeats Team Bs main points back to them.
These two theses seem to contradict each other. If, however, they
should be found to fit together, they would serve our purpose
beautifully.
It is evident that no external thing has any influence in producing
Christian righteousness or freedom, or in producing
unrighteousness or servitude. A simple argument will furnish the
proof of this statement. What can it profit the soul if the body is
well, free, and active, and eats, drinks, and does as it pleases? For
in these respects even the most godless slaves of vice may
prosper. On the other hand, how will poor health or imprisonment
or hunger or thirst or any other external misfortune harm the
soul? Even the most godly men, and those who are free because
of clear consciences, are afflicted with these things.
It does not help the soul if the body is adorned with the sacred
robes of priests or dwells in sacred places or is occupied with
sacred duties or prays, fasts, abstains from certain kinds of food,
or does any work that can be done by the body and in the body.
The righteousness and the freedom of the soul require something
far different, since the things which have been mentioned could
be done by any wicked person. Such works produce nothing but
hypocrites. On the other hand, it will not harm the soul if the body
is clothed in secular dress, dwells in unconsecrated places, eats
and drinks as others do, does not pray aloud, and neglects to do
all the above-mentioned things which hypocrites can do.
Furthermore, to put aside all kinds of works, even contemplation,
meditation, and all that the soul can do, does not help. One thing,
and only one thing, is necessary for Christian life, righteousness,
and freedom. That one thing is the most holy Word of God, the
gospel of Christ.
vice: bad behavior or habits
Source: Martin Luther wrote The Freedom of a Christian, of
which the above passage is an excerpt, in 1520, three years after
the publication of his 95 Theses and the widespread reaction that
followed.
Document F: Letter from John Calvin to Cardinal Sadoleto
Of ceremonies, indeed, you have more than enough, but for the
most part so childish, and contaminated by multiple forms of
superstition, as to be utterly ineffective for the preservation of the
Church. None of these things, you must be aware, have I
exaggerated unfairly.
Ceremonies we have in a great measure abolished, but we were
compelled to do so; partly because by their multitude they had
degenerated into a kind of Judaism, partly because they had filled
the minds of the people with superstition, and could not possibly
remain without doing the greatest damage to the piety which it
was their duty to promote.
I would have you again consider on what grounds you can blame
our people for studying and trying to understand the Scriptures.
For you are aware that by this study they have shed such light on
the Word of God, that they should be praised rather than
criticized. You are dishonest when you say that we have seduced
the people by thorny and subtle questions. What? Do you
remember what kind of information priests learned in the schools
before the reformers started calling for changes in the Church?
You yourself know that it was mere sophistry, and sophistry so
complicated and puzzling, that the study of Christianity might be
described as a type of secret magic. The denser the darkness in
which a clergyman hid a subject, and the more he puzzled himself
and others with ridiculous riddles, the greater his fame was for
intelligence and learning.
Before the reformers began their work, what one sermon was
there from which old wives might not carry off more foolish lies
than they could come up with at their own fireside in a month?
piety: devotion to God
scriptures: books of the Christian Bible
thorny: very difficult or complicated
sophistry: the use of reasoning or arguments that sound correct
but are actually false
old wives: in this context, ignorant old (probably peasant) women
Document B:
1. (Sourcing): What are some of the benefits of reading a textbook
passage as evidence? What are some of the downsides?
Document C:
1. (Sourcing): is Document C a reliable source of information on
the Protestant Reformation? Why or Why not?
Document D:
1. (Sourcing): Who wrote Document D, and what was their
purpose for writing it?
Document E:
1. (Sourcing): Who wrote Document E, and what was their
purpose for writing it?
Document F:
1. (Sourcing): Who wrote Document F, and for what purpose?
John Calvin was a bigger rebel: list the 4 main points/evidence that
support this side.
1) From document ____:
Consensus
You may now abandon your original position and argue for either side.
Use the space below to outline your groups agreement. Your agreement
should address evidence and arguments from both sides.