“The Protestant Reformation had a lot to do with the printing press, where Martin Luther’s theses were reproduced about 250,000 times, and so you had widespread dissemination of ideas that hadn’t circulated in the mainstream before.” ~Nate Silver, author and statistician Analyze what the quote above says about the spread of Lutheranism.

Question

“The Protestant Reformation had a lot to do with the printing press, where Martin Luther’s theses were reproduced about 250,000 times, and so you had widespread dissemination of ideas that hadn’t circulated in the mainstream before.” ~Nate Silver, author and statistician Analyze what the quote above says about the spread of Lutheranism.

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a. Luther spread his teaching by forcing people to convert using force
b. New technology allowed Luther to quickly spread his teachings
c. The kings and queens encouraged their followers to convert to Lutheranism
d. Lutheranism quickly spread along the European trade routes

Answer 1

The correct answer is b. New technology allowed Luther to quickly spread his teachings. The quote highlights the significant role of the printing press in the spread of Lutheranism. By reproducing Martin Luther's theses about 250,000 times, the printing press facilitated the widespread dissemination of ideas that had previously not circulated in the mainstream. This suggests that Luther's teachings were able to reach a wider audience and contribute to the growth of Lutheranism.

Answer 2

The quote above suggests that the spread of Lutheranism was facilitated by the existence of the printing press. Specifically, it highlights that Martin Luther's theses were reproduced numerous times (around 250,000 copies), which allowed for the widespread dissemination of his ideas. This implies that option b, "New technology allowed Luther to quickly spread his teachings," is the most accurate assessment of the quote.