religion frederick iii
___MASK15___ is a major branch of Protestant ___MASK57___ which identifies with the theology of Martin Luther ( 1483 - 1546 ), a German friar , ecclesiastical reformer and theologian . The theology of Martin Luther was instrumental in influencing the Protestant Reformation , specifically topics dealing with Justification by Faith , the relationship between the Law and the Gospel ( also an instrumental component of ___MASK24___ theology ), and various other theological ideas . Although Luther never wrote a " systematic theology " or a " summa " in the style of St . Thomas Aquinas , many of his ideas were systematized in the Lutheran Confessions . A ___MASK21___ ( or ) is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity , an Abrahamic , monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ . " ___MASK21___ " derives from the Koine Greek word " Christós " (  ), a translation of the Biblical Hebrew term " mashiach ". Huldrych Zwingli or Ulrich Zwingli ( 1 January 1484  11 October 1531 ) was a leader of the ___MASK86___ . Born during a time of emerging Swiss patriotism and increasing criticism of the Swiss mercenary system , he attended the University of Vienna and the University of Basel , a scholarly center of Renaissance humanism . He continued his studies while he served as a pastor in Glarus and later in Einsiedeln , where he was influenced by the writings of Erasmus . The Thirty Years ' War was a series of wars in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648 . It was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history , as well as the deadliest European religious war , resulting in eight million casualties . Initially a war between various Protestant and ___MASK95___ states in the fragmented Holy Roman Empire , it gradually developed into a more general conflict involving most of the great powers . These states employed relatively large mercenary armies , and the war became less about religion and more of a continuation of the France  Habsburg rivalry for European political pre - eminence . In the 17th century , religious beliefs and practices were a much larger influence on an average European than they are today . During that era , almost everyone was vested on one side of the dispute or another , which was also closely tied to people ' s ethnicities and loyalties , as religious beliefs affected ideas of the legitimacy of the political status of rulers . A pilgrimage is a journey or search of moral or spiritual significance . Typically , it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person ' s beliefs and faith , although sometimes it can be a metaphorical journey into someone ' s own beliefs . Many religions attach spiritual importance to particular places : the place of birth or death of founders or saints , or to the place of their " calling " or spiritual awakening , or of their connection ( visual or verbal ) with the divine , to locations where miracles were performed or witnessed , or locations where a deity is said to live or be " housed ", or any site that is seen to have special spiritual powers . Such sites may be commemorated with shrines or temples that devotees are encouraged to visit for their own spiritual benefit : to be healed or have questions answered or to achieve some other spiritual benefit . A person who makes such a journey is called a pilgrim . As a common human experience , pilgrimage has been proposed as a Jungian archetype by Wallace Clift and Jean Dalby Clift . Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to deprive , suspend , or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it , in particular receiving of the sacraments . The term is often historically used to refer specifically to ___MASK95___ excommunications from the ___MASK13___ , but it is also used more generally to refer to similar types of institutional religious exclusionary practices and shunning among other religious groups . For instance , many Protestant denominations have similar practices of excusing congregants from church communities , while Jehovah ' s Witnesses , as well as the Churches of Christ , use the term " disfellowship " to refer to their form of excommunication . The Protestant Reformation , often referred to simply as the Reformation ( from Latin " reformatio ", " restoration , renewal "), was a schism from the Roman ___MASK13___ initiated by Martin Luther and continued by John Calvin , Huldrych Zwingli , and other early Protestant Reformers in 16th century Europe . Timing most commonly used for this period is from 1517 ( the Ninety - five Theses are published by Martin Luther ) to 1648 ( Peace of Westphalia ends the Thirty Years ' War ). The pope ( from " pappas ", a child ' s word for " father ") is the Bishop of Rome and , therefore , the leader of the worldwide ___MASK13___ . The primacy of the Roman bishop is largely derived from his role as the traditional successor to Saint Peter , to whom Jesus is supposed to have given the keys of Heaven and the powers of " binding and loosing ", naming him as the " rock " upon which the church would be built . The current pope is Francis , who was elected on 13 March 2013 , succeeding Benedict XVI . A shrine (" case or chest for books or papers "; Old French : " escrin " " box or case ") is a holy or sacred place , which is dedicated to a specific deity , ancestor , hero , martyr , saint , daemon , or similar figure of awe and respect , at which they are venerated or worshipped . Shrines often contain idols , relics , or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated . A shrine at which votive offerings are made is called an altar . Shrines are found in many of the world ' s religions , including ___MASK57___ , ___MASK84___ , ___MASK3___ , Buddhism , Chinese folk religion , Shinto , and Asatru as well as in secular and non - religious settings such as a war memorial . Shrines can be found in various settings , such as churches , temples , cemeteries , or in the home , although portable shrines are also found in some cultures . Martin Luther ( 10 November 1483  18 February 1546 ), O . S . A ., was a German professor of theology , composer , priest , monk and a seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation . Luther came to reject several teachings and practices of the Roman ___MASK13___ . He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God ' s punishment for sin could be purchased with money , proposing an academic discussion of the practice and efficacy of indulgences in his " Ninety - five Theses " of 1517 . His refusal to renounce all of his writings at the demand of Pope Leo X in 1520 and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms in 1521 resulted in his excommunication by the Pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the Emperor . In the teaching of the Roman ___MASK13___ , an indulgence is " a way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for sins ". It may reduce the temporal punishment after death , in the state or process of purification called Purgatory . This temporal punishment would not be considered " time ", as Purgatory , like Heaven and Hell , is said to exist " outside of time ". The Ninety - five Theses or Disputation on the Power of Indulgences are a list of propositions for an academic disputation written in 1517 by Martin Luther , professor of moral theology at the University of Wittenberg , Germany . They advance Luther ' s positions against what he saw as abusive practices by preachers selling plenary indulgences , which were certificates believed to reduce the temporal punishment for sins committed by the purchasers themselves or their loved ones in purgatory . In the " Theses ", Luther claimed that the repentance required by Christ in order for sins to be forgiven involves inner spiritual repentance rather than the system of sacramental confession of the ___MASK13___ . He argued that indulgences lead Christians to avoid true repentance and sorrow for sin , believing that they can forgo it by purchasing an indulgence . They also , according to Luther , discourage Christians from giving to the poor and performing other acts of mercy , believing that indulgence certificates were more spiritually valuable . Though Luther claimed that his positions on indulgences accorded with those of the pope , the " Theses " challenge a fourteenth - century papal bull stating that the pope could use the treasury of merit and the good deeds of past saints to forgive temporal punishment for sins . The " Theses " are framed as propositions to be argued in debate rather than necessarily representing Luther ' s opinions , but Luther later clarified his views in the " Explanations of the Disputation Concerning the Value of Indulgences ". A ___MASK11___ is someone who follows or practises Islam , a monotheistic Abrahamic religion . Muslims consider the Quran ( Koran ), their holy book , to be the verbatim word of God as revealed to the Islamic prophet and messenger Muhammad . They also follow the teachings and practices of Muhammad (" sunnah ") as recorded in traditional accounts (" hadith "). " ___MASK11___ " is an Arabic word meaning " one who submits ( to God )". A saint , also historically known as a hallow , is a term used for a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness or likeness to God . Depending on the context and denomination , the term also retains its original ___MASK21___ meaning , as any believer who is " in Christ " and in whom Christ dwells , whether in Heaven or on Earth . In Anglican , Roman Catholic , Eastern Orthodox , Lutheran , and Oriental Orthodox doctrine , all of their faithful deceased in Heaven are considered to be saints , but some are considered worthy of greater honor or emulation ; official ecclesiastical recognition , and consequently veneration , is given to some saints through the process of canonization in the ___MASK13___ or glorification in the Eastern Orthodox ___MASK20___ . Frederick III ( 17 January 1463 -- 5 May 1525 ) , also known as Frederick the Wise ( German `` Friedrich der Weise '' ) , was Elector of Saxony ( from the House of Wettin ) from 1486 to his death . Frederick was the son of Ernest , Elector of Saxony and his wife Elisabeth , daughter of Albert III , Duke of Bavaria . He is notable as being one of the most powerful early defenders of Martin Luther , ___MASK15___ and the Protestant Reformation although he had little personal contact with Luther himself . Fredericks ' treasurer Degenhart Pfaffinger ( a German dynasty ) , spoke on behalf of him to Martin Luther . Pfaffinger supported Frederick since the joint pilgrimage to the holy land . He is considered to have remained a Roman ___MASK95___ all his life , yet gradually inclining toward doctrines of the Reformation . Frederick III is commemorated as a ___MASK21___ ruler in the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church -- Missouri Synod on 5 May . His court painter from 1504 was Lucas Cranach the Elder . John Calvin (; born : 10 July 150927 May 1564 ) was an influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation . He was a principal figure in the development of the system of ___MASK21___ theology later called ___MASK59___ , aspects of which include the doctrines of predestination and of the absolute sovereignty of God in salvation of the human soul from death and eternal damnation , in which doctrines Calvin was influenced by and elaborated upon the Augustinian and other early ___MASK21___ traditions . Various Congregational , Reformed , and Presbyterian churches , which look to Calvin as the chief expositor of their beliefs , have spread throughout the world . The Holy Land ( Hebrew : , ; Arabic : ) is an area roughly located between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea that also includes the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River . Traditionally , it is synonymous with both the biblical Land of Israel and historical Palestine . The term usually refers to a territory roughly corresponding to the modern State of Israel , the Palestinian territories , western Jordan , and parts of southern Lebanon and southwestern Syria . It is considered holy by Jews , Christians , and Muslims . ___MASK57___ is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ , who serves as the focal point for the religion . It is the world ' s largest religion , with over 2 . 4 billion followers , or 33 % of the global population , known as Christians . Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God and the savior of humanity whose coming as the Messiah ( the Christ ) was prophesied in the Old Testament .