Question

Which of the following best describes the origins of the reformation?

1) Erasmus of Rotterdam and Martin Luther teamed up to convince people to leave the Catholic Church.
2) For the first time in the sixteenth century, scholars began to speak out about problems in the Catholic Church.
3) Luther successfully built on more than a century of other scholars' ideas, causing more people to speak up and leave the Catholic Church.
4) Luther's excommunication made large numbers of people unhappy with the Catholic Church.

Answer 1

The Reformation originated with Martin Luther's criticisms of the Catholic Church, culminating in his posting of the "95 Theses" and advocating for faith and scripture as the sole authorities for Christians, leading to the Protestant Reformation.

Step-by-step explanation:

The origins of the Reformation can best be described by stating that Martin Luther built upon more than a century of other scholars' ideas and criticisms about problems in the Catholic Church, which led to people speaking up and leaving the Church. Luther sparked the Protestant Reformation in 1517 by posting his "95 Theses" on a church door in Wittenberg, Germany, challenging the Church's practices, mainly the sale of indulgences. His ideas, which emphasized that faith alone was needed for salvation and that scripture should be the sole authority for Christians, spread rapidly due to the printing press and eventually led to the division of European Christianity and the formation of the Protestant faith.