The Papal Antichrist: Martin Luther and the Underappreciated Influence of Lorenzo Valla

@article{Whitford2008ThePA,
  title={The Papal Antichrist: Martin Luther and the Underappreciated Influence of Lorenzo Valla},
  author={David M. Whitford},
  journal={Renaissance Quarterly},
  year={2008},
  volume={61},
  pages={26 - 52}
}
  • D. Whitford
  • Published 20 March 2008
  • History
  • Renaissance Quarterly
In 1520, Martin Luther's view of the papacy shifted dramatically and permanently. While the events of 1519 played a role in his evolving view of the papacy as the Antichrist forecast by St. Paul in 2 Thessalonians, those events alone cannot account for the suddenness and the totality of Luther's change of opinion. This essay argues that Lorenzo Valla's Discourse on the Forgery of the Alleged Donation of Constantine played a significant and too-little-appreciated role in Luther's new stance… 
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