We usually refer to â??the Reformationâ? as if the European movement of the sixteenth century was a unique phenomenon. As I have suggested, though, events fitting this model quite well have occurred repeatedly through history, both within Judaism and Christianity.
What other examples might we cite? Looking globally, a Western reader might be surprised how often, and how plausibly, scholars draw Reformation analogies and refer to particular reformers as â??the (X) Martin Luther.â? Now, the fact that people offer these interpretations might chiefly reflect the habit of Western scholars to fit things into their own familiar pattern, no matter how slim the evidence. In many cases, though, the resemblances are provocative.
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