White Robe, Black Robe: Pope Leo X, Martin Luther, and the Birth of the Reformation

by Charles L. Mee Jr.

In 1517, Martin Luther, the Germany theologian, tacked his ninety-five theses to the door of the Wittenberg church, thereby setting off the theological revolution that gave birth to the Reformation. Luther confronted a papal establishment headed by Leo X, the pleasure-loving son of Lorenzo de Medici who made the Vatican the glittering center of the Italian Renaissance and whose driving ambition was the completion of St. Peter's Cathedral.

This book is, in part, a brilliant study of Luther and Pope Leo X, revealing two men of vastly different backgrounds, outlooks, and philosophies. The split in the Christian Church that was the inevitable result is dramatically portrayed. Written sure-handedly and in a lively fashion, the entire world of the Italian Renaissance comes alive.

Charles L. Mee Jr., Harvard scholar and biographer, brings the Reformation into sharp new focus as he presents Luther as the typical revolutionary and Leo X as his establishment protagonist. He gives us an immensely illuminating, informed, lively, and gossipy account of history's pivotal figures and the turbulent times in which they lived. Altogether, this book offers an engrossing, biographical history.

Genres: History, Religion, Nonfiction, Spirituality

212 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 29, 2018

About the author

Charles L. Mee is an American playwright, historian and author known for his collage-like style of playwriting, which makes use of radical reconstructions of found texts. He is also a professor of theater at Columbia University. (Source: Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Diane Wachter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pope Leo X, Martin Luther and the Birth of the Reformation. EBk-M, Kindle, @ 2018, read 8/23/20. Non-fiction, Catholicism, Papacy, Reformation. I was excited to read this, but as I got into it, my excitement left by leaps and bounds. A difficult read, very dry, and seemed like the author was heavily into name dropping. Although I know a little about a lot of stuff, many names did not mean a thing, and I spent a good portion of my reading time looking up these names, and many of the Catholic Latin terms found in the text. 2☆'s = Okay, slogged through, would I read it again, No, would I recommend it, No. I'm just glad I'm done!

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing up Lutheran, I learned the basic outline of what Martin Luther did, but I never saw it strongly in the context of European events of the time. Mee does a great job here of sketching the lives of Leo X and Luther. Leo, intent as he was on politics and artistic triumphs - the likes of Raphael, Michelangelo, even Leonardo passed through Rome at the time. I'm most fascinated by some of the asides Mee throws up - apparently, the modern concept of femininity was developed by courtiers connected to Leo in honor of a particular woman at the time.
Meanwhile, there's Luther, not at all interested in art, mostly interested in shitting in the mouth of the devil and making him eat it (that's not far off from the German translation of Luther's words). He wasn't seeking to split the church in two, but his interpretation of the Bible itself, divorced from any interest in political events, effectively ended the Renaissance as we know it. Luther made rebellion possible, and pretty quickly - not covered here, as the narrative ends with Leo's death in 1521 - Europe was changed completely.
Mee tells these stories with a firm grasp of detail and a wonderful sense of humor. He's aware when he talks about painful subjects, but he also refuses to put any of these people on pedestals. It's a breezy, informative, and entertaining book on a huge subject in history.

[Bob Rosenbaum · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this book represents most of my knowledge about Martin Luther and the Reformation, it left me unfulfilled. I'd say it's about 80 percent Pope Leo X and 20 percent Martin Luther. The decline of the Holy Roman Empire figures deeply into the story but is addressed only at the surface - as one of several factors that distracted Leo from his handing out of religious offices and sale of indulgences. And the story of Luther's rise to prominence is ignored almost entirely; the conditions that prompted it are well explained, but the way his scriptural understanding reached ordinary people to the point that it sparked violent peasant uprisings (mentioned in the epilogue) is not. I learned he was a deep thinker who entered monastic life out of resentment toward his father - a narrative that MUST be an over-simplification - and a prolific writer. But the means by which an anonymous monk became a popular force that transformed Christianity is left almost untouched. The only part of the story that is adequately addressed - the real focus on the book - is the greed of the Renaissance papacy and the politics that prevented Leo from crushing him at the outset.

[Phillip Manson]

This is what happens when theology and politics intertwine. Pope Leo X enjoys hunting because he thrills with the kills. Martin Luther is a hermit in a monk's cell, trying to figure out whether an individual can be pals with God and save himself from eternal hell. The two men never meet but the correspondence between the two is voluminous because their arguments are like on two different planets. In the end, Leo dies and we must wonder what is his standing before God. Martin Luther becomes entangled with the German princes and the Holy Roman Emperor and finds himself leading Europe into a huge social change greater than what Machiavelli and other reformers ever dreamed of or proposed. The power of the individual is freed from the recriminations of his conscience in his search for his faith as long as Scripture illumines the way. Leo, as a Medici, practiced that but denied that was the way for others to follow. That's why he and Luther quarreled.

[Lyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

My information regarding this period of time was predominately in the realm of the painters and artworks of the period, so I was anxious to learn more. I found the story riveting. One reviewer stated that the information was cursory, but as an individual who was just wandering into learning about Leo X and Luther it was perfect. I found the information clear, sequential and well presented. I appreciated that Mr. Mee did not meander off into details of supporting documentation, as what was presented was effective enough for the narrative. The book wet my appetite to read more about the Medici family and the popes of the Roman Catholic Church.

[Karen Koppy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly fascinating account of the contrast of interpretation of Christian ethics and moral behaviors and practices between Martin Luther and the Pope at that time. Luther wasn't a perfect human but he certainly had more compassion and concerns for the believers than the Pope who was mainly concerned with maintaining his exorbitant lifestyle than being a representative of Christian leadership. Well written and amusing at times.

[Eurydicegirlgmail.Com · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful read

A fresh approach for interpretation of the great religious upheaval of the early 16th century.
By contrasting the papacy of Leo X and Martin Luthor's confrontation with living in accordance with Biblical scripture, Dr. Mee provides an extraordinary historical synthesis . Highly recommended

[Margie Dorn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a difficult book for me to rate, because it is well written with fascinating details I’ve not read elsewhere, especially about Pope Leo and the Medici. Yet the author seems to misunderstand or at least to secondarize that which was central to Luther while mourning the loss of the spendthrift Renaissance world fostered by Leo X.

[Jaap Earle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A scholarly thorough presentation of the theological divide instigated by Luther but probably inevitable given the Catholic abuses of. the scripture at that time. Some aspects are still ongoing.
Jaap Earle

[Cora P Bartemes · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book Catholics Should Read

The biographys of Pope Leo X and Martin Luther are given in a powerful,well written, story of their conflict and of the conflict of the age. Understanding the history of the 15th and early 16 centuries is critical from all Christian people.

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining and well-researched expose of the bitter conflict between Martin Luther and Pope Leo X in the early decades of the 16th century.

[Timothy Beauchesne · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting history showing how dominant the Church of Rome was back in those times and to challenge the Church as Luther did usually resulted in a death penalty.... a good read

[Ivan Whitehall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful

An excellent review of our very roots tracing much of what we experience today to what was then. Well written, easy to read yet full of facts - thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Jeannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent synthesis of the politics and the theology of Luther's Reformation. For example, I especially enjoyed the overview of the Holy Roman Empire in Chapter XI

[Cindy]

Learned quite a bit from this one.

[cameron ross paton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book. Have read several books about Martin Luther and the Reformation. This one gives a greater perspective from the Pope and Catholic hierarchy that is very enlightening.

[Lorne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good insight into the Catholic history at this time and the origins of Protestant Reformation.