Reformation Propaganda

1
Reformation Propaganda

• The Fight for your Soul

2
Origins

• The use of visual media to promote ideas is not
  new.
• Ancient Rome built monuments that promoted the
  power of the emperor or the state.
• The Christian Church did the same to label their
  detractors as evil or to promote the message they
  wanted.

3
Change

• In 1439, a local printer from the town of Mainz
  developed a machine that allowed him to print
  using movable type
• This replaced block printing which was expensive
  and cumbersome.
• The printing press was able to recreate books and
  pamphlets in batches of hundreds in a short
  period of time.
• This promoted the idea of literacy in the
  vernacular for all people.
• The invention broke the hold over information
  held up to then by the church through monks who
  copied many ancient books by hand.

4
Luther as Saint

• The image shows Luther receiving the insight from
  God through a dove.
• The halo indicates his saint hood something
  Calvinists would outright reject.

5
Pope as Infallible

• This Protestant compares the Pope to a Donkey /
  Ass.
• It infers that the Pope can interpret the word of
  god as well as an Ass can play the bagpipes.

6
Pope as the Devil

• This little item is a playing card that flips to
  show the image of the Pope as he wants to be seen
  as what he really is.
• The monster is proclaiming I am the Pope

7
Martyrdom

• This print shows a disfigured monk leading the
  crowd in the execution of Cranmer in England.

8
The Multi-headed Beast

• This print compares the Pope to the 7 headed
  beast in the Book of Revelation.
• Each if the heads represents a hierarchy in the
  church.
• The sign on the cross reads For Money, a sack
  full of Indulgences

9
Multi-Headed Beast II

• This print is a Catholic portrayal of Luther as
  the 7 headed beast from Revelation.
• The heads represent him as a thief, fanatic,
  hypocrite, etc.