A comparison of the writings of Luther and MontaigneMartin Luther was born on November 10, 1483. He was a German monk, priest, teacher, theologian, and church reformer. His teaching helped inspire the Reformation and influenced the doctrines of the Lutheran and Protestant traditions, as well as the course of Western civilization. Luther's works and writings contributed to the end of the Middle Ages and the advent of the modern era of Western civilization. His translation of the Bible promoted the development of a standardized German language. Thanks to the development of printing, his teachings were widely read and influenced many reformers and thinkers. (Peterson 1) On the Liberty of a Christian was written by Martin Luther in mid-November 1520. It was the third of three documents describing his beliefs. Luther was convinced by Roman diplomats to write a letter in order to ease tensions between Luther and Pope Leo X. This was before Luther learned of Exsurge, Domine, the document that contained Luther's excommunication. After learning of his excommunication, Luther hesitated to write this letter. However, he agreed to write it with a small booklet which would become the document On the Freedom of the Christian. (Goebel, ed. 156) In the letter to Leo X, Luther gave an account of his struggles with the Roman Catholic Church. He said he never personally attacked Leo. Luther addressed Leo as an equal and expressed his views fully. Luther singled out Johannes Eck as the main instigator of all the problems. Johannes Eck was a theologian and defender of Catholicism. Luther declared Eck an enemy of the Catholic religion. Luther said he was forced to constantly defend himself against Eck's attacks on his beliefs. On the Freedom of the Christian is in fact a synthesis of what Luther would have wanted to study, but was unable to do so because he was still defending the Church. (Goebel, ed. 156)Michel de Montaigne was one of the most influential writers of the French Renaissance. He is famous for inventing the essay. He compiled 107 of his essays in the book titled Essays. In the introduction to his book, Montaigne says: “I am myself the subject of my book.” (Goebel, ed. 179) Many of his essays are about himself, however, in some cases he strives to understand the world around him. In Des Cannibales, Montaigne seeks to understand the “barbarians” of the New World.