Editing Reformation (section)

=== Literacy ===
[[Image:Lutherbibel.jpg|thumb|right|[[Modern High German]] translation of the [[Christian Bible]] by the Protestant reformer [[Martin Luther]] (1534).<ref name= "Lobenstein-Reichmann">{{cite encyclopedia |author-last= Lobenstein-Reichmann |author-first=Anja |date=29 March 2017 |title=Martin Luther, Bible Translation, and the German Language |url= https://oxfordre.com/religion/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.001.0001/acrefore-9780199340378-e-382 |encyclopedia=Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion |location= [[Oxford]] |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |doi=10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.013.382 |url-access=subscription |isbn= 978-0-19934037-8}}</ref>  The widespread popularity of the [[Luther Bible|Bible translated into High German by Luther]] helped establish modern Standard High German.<ref name= "Lobenstein-Reichmann"/>]]

The Protestant Reformation was a triumph of [[literacy]] and the new [[printing press]].<ref name= Cameron>{{cite book|author=Euan Cameron |title=The European Reformation|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=_6a3kgsbkBIC|date=1 March 2012|publisher= OUP Oxford|isbn= 978-0-19-954785-2}}{{page needed|date= March 2015}}</ref>{{refn|group=note|In the end, while the Reformation emphasis on Protestants reading the Scriptures was one factor in the development of literacy, the impact of printing itself, the wider availability of printed works at a cheaper price, and the increasing focus on education and learning as key factors in obtaining a lucrative post, were also significant contributory factors.{{sfn|Pettegree|2000a|p= 543}}}}<ref name= Rubin270>Rubin, "Printing and Protestants" Review of Economics and Statistics pp.&nbsp;270–86</ref><ref name= ":1">{{Cite web|url= http://cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/download/dp1367.pdf |archive-url= https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/download/dp1367.pdf |archive-date= 2022-10-09 |url-status=live|title= Media, Markets and Institutional Change: Evidence from the Protestant Reformation}}</ref> [[Luther Bible|Luther's translation of the Bible into High German]] (the [[New Testament]] was published in 1522; the [[Old Testament]] was published in parts and completed in 1534) was also decisive for the [[German language]] and its evolution from [[Early New High German]] to Modern Standard German.<ref name="Lobenstein-Reichmann"/> Luther's translation of the Bible promoted the development of non-local forms of language and exposed all speakers to forms of German from outside their own area.<ref>Birgit Stolt, "Luther's Translation of the Bible." ''[[Lutheran Quarterly]]'' 28.4 (2014): 373–400.</ref> The publication of Luther's Bible was a decisive moment in the [[History of Germany#Culture and literacy|spread of literacy in early modern Germany]],<ref name= "Lobenstein-Reichmann"/> and stimulated as well the printing and distribution of religious books and pamphlets. From 1517 onward, religious pamphlets flooded Germany and much of Europe.{{sfn|Edwards|1994}}{{page needed |date=March 2015}}{{refn|group= note|In the first decade of the Reformation, Luther's message became a movement, and the output of religious pamphlets in Germany was at its height.{{sfn|Pettegree|Hall|2004|p=786}}}}

By 1530, over 10,000 publications are known, with a total of ten million copies. The Reformation was thus a media revolution.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-08-19 |title=Media, markets and institutional change: Evidence from the Protestant Reformation |url=https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/media-markets-and-institutional-change-evidence-protestant-reformation |access-date=2025-02-10 |website=CEPR |language=en}}</ref> Luther strengthened his attacks on Rome by depicting a "good" against "bad" church. From there, it became clear that print could be used for propaganda in the Reformation for particular agendas, although the term propaganda derives from the Catholic ''[[Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples|Congregatio de Propaganda Fide]]'' (''Congregation for Propagating the Faith'') from the Counter-Reformation. Reform writers used existing styles, cliches and stereotypes which they adapted as needed.{{sfn|Edwards|1994}}{{page needed|date=March 2015}} Especially effective were writings in German, including Luther's translation of the Bible, his [[Luther's Small Catechism|Smaller Catechism]] for parents teaching their children, and his [[Luther's Large Catechism|Larger Catechism]], for pastors.

Illustrations in the German Bible and in many tracts popularised Luther's ideas. [[Lucas Cranach the Elder]] (1472–1553), the great painter patronised by the electors of Wittenberg, was a close friend of Luther, and he illustrated Luther's theology for a popular audience. He dramatised Luther's views on the relationship between the Old and New Testaments, while remaining mindful of Luther's careful distinctions about proper and improper uses of visual imagery.{{sfn|Weimer|2004|pp = 387–405}}