The one hundred years between the 15th and 16th centuries was a turbulent era. With the destruction of the Byzantine Empire, a large number of Greek refugees sought refuge in Central and Western Europe. They brought with them a large number of ancient Roman and ancient Greek works.
The writings of these ancient sages astonished the Europeans at that time. They had been trapped in religion for a long time and did not know that such a great era existed in ancient times.
New architecture, new art, new knowledge, new system...
Ancient wisdom was rediscovered in Italy, and Italian scholars continued to discuss the unheard of wisdom of the sages. Then, following the footsteps of scholars such as Leonardo da Vinci, these new ideas continued to spread throughout Europe. Venice
, Milan, Austria, Prague, Luxembourg, Hamburg, Paris, London... More and more people are coming into contact with this knowledge, and eventually, new ideas brew up a brand new thing...
new religion.
…
"The righteous will have eternal life by faith..."
On September 21, 1517, in a church in Wittenberg, Germany, a middle-aged man close to 40 years old was patiently explaining the words of the Bible to the believers in front of him. Many believers listened attentively, but some
He was not very focused and looked around. Although the middle-aged man saw it, he did not get angry. It is common sense that ordinary people are always impatient with the Holy Word.
After the sermon and Holy Communion are over, according to local custom, it is the time for confession. According to custom, the middle-aged bishop must listen to the confessions of believers in a secret room. The believers can talk to the priest one by one about their sins that they cannot usually talk about.
Even if the priest knows it, he cannot tell it to others, because when the believer tells his sin, he has already confessed it and God has forgiven it. The priest cannot inflict sin on a believer who has been forgiven by God.
Just like the usual confessions, it is filled with many sins that would stun ordinary people, such as adultery, incest, theft, robbery, rape, murder... The crimes are large and small, and the believers may be restless and shed tears.
Or they were at a loss, not knowing what to do, and hearing the numerous crimes, the priest could only sigh and comfort them.
Confession proceeds step by step, and when a person comes to confess to the priest and asks the priest whether he can go to heaven, the priest comforts him by saying that as long as he repentes of his sins, he can be atonement. However...
"Father, I bought an indulgence."
The wide-eyed believer said to the priest, but the middle-aged priest was speechless for a moment.
At the beginning of this year, the Pope ordered the sale of "Indulgence Coupons" on the pretext of repairing St. Peter's Basilica. As long as people are willing to buy Indulgence Coupons, no matter how big or small their crimes are, they can escape from hell and enter heaven as soon as possible.
"The coins jingle when they fall into the bottom of the coin cabinet, and the soul instantly escapes from purgatory and ascends to heaven."
The priests who sold indulgences promoted it even more vigorously. Out of fear of hell, many believers bought indulgences. Of course the priests also knew about this.
The church is the mediator between God and believers, and the pope has the right to interpret doctrine. Since it is what the pope says, it is naturally what God says. Even if many priests are dissatisfied, they can only approve it.
Listening to the believers' words, the middle-aged priest blushed and didn't know what to say.
…
Late at night, the priest was still thinking about what happened during the day.
This kind of thing has happened more than once. Every time there is a confession, there will be more or less believers who take out the atonement coupons. He cannot deny the atonement coupons because this is the meaning of the church, but he also cannot recognize the atonement.
Couple, this completely deviates from the meaning of the Bible.
"what should I do……"
Lying on the bed, the priest tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
Half a month later, he received another news through his own channels. Cardinal Albrecht von Brandenburg of Mainz was selling indulgences on a large scale. The bishop spent a lot of money in order to ascend to the position of cardinal.
A large amount of money was used to bribe the election, so the debt was high and funds were urgently needed to repay it.
This incident itself is not uncommon in the church, because even the Pope openly has a mistress and an illegitimate child, and tries every means to find a position in the church for his illegitimate child. Indulging in sexual activities between bishops and nuns is also a secret.
The church is already rotten, so vote-buying is not surprising, but what is really surprising is...
This is a secret message from the Pope himself...
When he heard the news, the priest was silent for a long time, and just waved weakly to signal the messenger to leave.
That night, the priest couldn't sleep.
On the bookshelf next to the bed, there are many Greek and Roman works, "heresies" that are expressly prohibited by the church, but no matter how banned, scholars can always find various ways to preserve them, and the priest is no exception.
After a long time, the priest sat up from the bed, silently put on the monk's robe, solemnly put on the cross, and then walked to the church, he wanted to find an answer...
In the empty church, the dome was covered with classic stories from the Bible, but none of the many stories could explain the confusion in the priest's heart.
In the past few years, he has read many Greek works, learned ancient Greek writing, and been influenced by the philosophers of ancient Greece and Rome. Just like his silently changing signature, from Luder to Luther, the small difference makes a difference.
But it is extremely huge. Luther originates from ancient Greek, meaning "liberated person" or "free person". The dissatisfaction and resistance in it are evident.
Raising his head and looking at the many classic stories on the dome, the priest felt more confused and hesitant in his heart.
"what should I do……"
Although he was confused in his mouth, there was a bright light shining persistently in his heart. It was the answer that he understood but did not dare to understand, because the answer was too heavy and made him afraid and unable to bear it. However, it seemed to be burning in his heart.
With a ball of fire, the nameless anger prompted him to try to do something, at least write something.
Clench your fist tightly, then slowly release it after a long time, then clench it again after a moment, and then hesitantly release it...
Finally, he picked up the pen and tried to write something down. However, his usually ordinary movements became extremely heavy. The pen was so heavy that he could hardly hold it.
"call……"
Unknowingly, his breathing began to become rapid, and he was panting heavily. It was obviously the cold autumn, but there was an inexplicable layer of fine sweat stains on his forehead, and his hands couldn't help shaking.
St. Peter, St. Basil, St. Cornelius, St. Ambrose, St. Andrew, St. Bartholomew, St. Francis, St. Gregory I, St. John, St. Jerome.
...as well as Justin, Clement, Origen, Ambrose, Augustine, Gregory, Thomas Aquinas... Under the pressure of that answer are the famous saints and theologians of all ages.
.
At this moment, many saints and scholars seemed to appear in front of his eyes. What he had to face was not a pen, but countless saints and scholars from ancient times to the present, many predecessors he admired.
The eyes of the saints and scholars who were kind or serious in the past seemed to have become extremely sharp at this moment, like sharp swords, which made him try to dodge.
"What are you doing! Stop it! This is blasphemy!"
The saints scolded angrily.
He bit his lower lip tightly, unconsciously drawing blood from it. He tightened his grip on the pen in his hand, knowing that he could drop it at any time but he still dared not drop it.
"Why do we need indulgences?"
There seemed to be a confused voice in my heart.
"The church is the spokesperson of God, and the pope is God's apostle on earth. You must not judge God's will arbitrarily."
The saints replied, no, it was not the saints who were answering him, but his heart was telling him, but another voice was telling him.
"The church is rotten and it needs to change."
Those two voices tore at him, almost tearing him apart, while he wailed and screamed in pain. One of the two voices must be wrong, so who was wrong? The church? Or himself?
In a daze, he seemed to see the believer again, the believer who confessed to him but looked at him with wide eyes.
"Father, but I bought indulgences..."
Is this the church I see? Is the church really right? Is the church really not wrong?
The church that sells priesthoods, the church that has a lot of wealth, the church that has a big belly, the church that hates the poor and loves the rich, the church that sells indulgences, the church that has fornications with noble ladies, the church that indulges in lewdness with nuns, the church that competes for secular power,
A church in which the pope has an illegitimate son, a church that instigates believers to rebel against the king, a church that uses animal bones to pass off the relics of saints...
Is this really the church I see?
After a long time, the pen in my hand was no longer heavy and fell down unconsciously. This time, there was no trace of hesitation in my heart.
…
A few days later, on October 31, 1517, Halloween, the church in Wittenberg, Germany.
At dawn, the sweepers came as usual. This was not a heavy job, and you could get a certain amount of relief if you paid it to the church. It was an enviable job.
However, just when he was about to clean it, he saw a long notice posted on the door of the church. He was a little confused. The illiterate young man did not understand what was written on it, so he went to find the scholars in the castle.
After the scholar arrived, he first looked at the words written on it carefully. After he read it, he was stunned for a moment. Then he couldn't help but take a few steps back, almost falling to the ground, with a look of horror and panic on his face.
"Ninety-five theses..."
…
In the evening of 1575, on the outskirts of Florence.
"Jingle Bell……"
On the wild road, in the setting sun, a convoy of several carriages is slowly driving forward. The carriages behind are filled with things, and the bells on the horse bridles ring from time to time, making a sweet sound.
ringtone.
The window of the carriage was slightly raised, and a lady whispered something to the steward beside the carriage. Then the steward understood and asked the driver.
"Alessio, madam asked me to ask you how far it is to Florence."
The coachman did not dare to be negligent and hurriedly bowed his head and replied.
"We are almost there, my lord."
Although he is just a butler of a down-and-out noble family, a noble is a noble after all. The butlers of aristocratic families are also called lord in awe by the common people. This is a common practice. In the carriage, the lady who heard their conversation turned to the side.
The little boy, who was listless due to the fatigue of the carriage, said warmly.
"We're almost there. I'll find a doctor for you in a moment."
"It's just a little uncomfortable. Why bother to find a doctor? The children of the Galilei family are not so delicate."
On the other side, a stern-faced gentleman looked out the window and said in a deep voice. He was dressed meticulously. Even if he moved to Florence by carriage, this old-fashioned old aristocrat was unwilling to let go of his reserve.
A corner of the clothes was messed up.
The lady glared at him dissatisfiedly, then turned to look at the child beside her, with a look of distress on her face.
Looking out the window, the old gentleman thought that the day would just go by, and that he might be able to enter the city just in time to avoid spending the night outside. However, something unexpected happened that disrupted his plan... and even the future of the entire family.
destiny.
"Master Galilei! Here lies a man."
Suddenly, the coachman said in surprise.
people?
Galilei frowned, and then got out of the carriage. He saw a man covered in blood lying quietly in the grass not far in front of the carriage. There were wounds everywhere on his body, some of which were deep, and there were also wounds scattered around him.
A package. Walking over, he looked carefully at the man covered in blood, shook him gently,
"Hey! Can you answer me?"
After shaking it for a few times, just when the old gentleman thought the man was dead, he heard an imperceptible groan.
"Here, bring me the water bag."
The old gentleman was also unusually calm, and then he called the servant, who quickly brought him a water bag. The old gentleman helped the man up and slowly poured the water into his mouth. After a while, the man slowly opened his eyes, and his pupils seemed to be a little confused.
.
"Are you okay? We saw you lying on the roadside here."
The man listened to the old gentleman's words as if he hadn't heard anything. Suddenly his eyes showed eagerness. He didn't care about the wounds on his body. He turned his head to look around with difficulty. When he looked at the package not far away, he
His face immediately showed rejoicing and joy, and he struggled to get rid of the old gentleman and crawled towards the package.
"Wait a minute, you're still injured."
However, the old gentleman quickly grabbed him and said hastily.
At this moment, the weak man was unable to break free from the old gentleman's strength. He could only give up the struggle and panted slightly. Then, he seemed to have calmed down and remembered something again. He looked around, with a deep look on his face.
Fear and worry.
"Hurry... take..."
He opened his mouth and tried to say something, but it seemed as if his throat had been injured and he couldn't finish the sentence even after struggling.
The old gentleman frowned, looked at his expression, and said tentatively.
"You mean the package?"
The man's eyes suddenly showed strong eagerness and hope. His weak body didn't know when and where it gained strength. His hands tightly clenched the old gentleman's clothes. His strength was incredible. He opened his lips, but he insisted.
Speechless.
"……escape……"
In the end, only one word came out of his mouth with difficulty.
Quickly, take, escape...
These three words confused the old gentleman. Seeing the confusion on the old gentleman's face, the man's face became more and more anxious, and finally even showed a look of despair and regret. However, just these few words, the old gentleman really
It was difficult to understand what the man meant.
Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind, and he couldn't help but ask.
"You want me to take the package and run away?"
The old gentleman could never forget the meaning in the man's eyes at that moment. It was like the feeling of a drowning person who finally came to the surface and breathed the first breath of fresh air. The excitement and joy were simply beyond words.
The hand that gripped his clothes became harder and harder. The old gentleman already understood and just nodded.
"Don't worry, I will leave with that package."
But the hand on his chest did not let go. The old gentleman looked at the man in front of him, and then realized that the man's pupils had lost their luster. He was already dead. It was just the obsession and unwillingness in his heart that made him die.
He couldn't let go of his hand. In fact, he didn't hear the old gentleman's words before he died...
After taking a lot of effort to get the hand off, the old gentleman's clothes were already stained with blood, but the old gentleman who always liked to be tidy didn't care about it at the moment, but looked at the man in front of him in silence.
It's hard to imagine what kind of obsession it was that made this man burst out with such powerful power before he died.
The contents of the package have also been handed over by the servant. It is a small statue less than one foot. The girl who looks very heroic is wearing military armor. Her flying expression and lifelike look are something the old gentleman has never seen before. However,
What's a bit strange is that it has been painted with various strange patterns, which seem to be some religious symbols.
The old gentleman didn't understand this. He couldn't understand it. He just raised his head and looked at the sunset sky, his stern face gradually frowning.
"Walk!"
Without saying too much, the old gentleman said decisively.
"But...Master, this man's body is still lying here."
A servant said in confusion, but the old gentleman flatly refused.
"There's no time, let's go."
The old gentleman is not stupid. A man covered in blood, a statue that is particularly valued, and an obsession that cannot be reconciled before dying. This is definitely not an ordinary incident, and it is definitely not appropriate to stay for a long time at this moment.
Without even having time to bury the body, the group of people hurriedly left the place in a carriage and disappeared into the skyline.
After a while, the sky became dusk, and suddenly thick dark clouds came over, making the sky become terrifyingly gloomy.
Along with the gloomy weather, numerous bat swarms appeared under the cover of dark clouds, and their shrill screams resounded all around. Then the bat swarm hovered over the man's body for a while, and then turned into a group of men and women and landed next to the body. These men and women
They have different temperaments, and their only characteristic is that their faces are extremely pale and bloodless.
When one of the leading men looked at the corpse and found that he did not find what he wanted, his face was particularly cold, with a hint of anger emerging, and finally he raised his head to the sky and let out an angry owl cry.
…
At this moment, in a manor in Florence, a little boy was sitting on a high stool, looking at the gloomy weather outside the window with a bored expression on his face.
The fatigue on the carriage did not affect the little guy too much. His active nature quickly restored his energy and he clamored for playmates. However, the adults who were busy moving ignored the little guy, which made him very discouraged.
.
"Galileo..."
Listening to his mother's call, the little boy immediately turned his head...