Unit 12: The Protestant Reformation(Cont’d)

■ Warm-Up Q:– Look at this

image: What is the main idea of the Protestant Reformation?

Overview: Historical Division of the Church

■1054 - Great Schism – Roman Catholic & Eastern Orthodox

■1309-1376 – Babylonian Captivity – Roman & Avignon Papacies

■Secular lives of clergy - $$$, immoral

During the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church was the dominant religion in Western Europe

Without a common government in Europe, the Catholic Pope became

an important political leader

On the manor, priests were powerful because the controlled peoples’

access to heaven by delivering the sacraments & absolving sins

The Catholic Church taught that people could gain access to heaven (called salvation) by having

faith in God & doing good works for others

The church taught that Christians could gain more of God’s grace through a series of

spiritual rituals called the Holy Sacraments

Sacraments included Baptism, Confirmation,

Communion, Confession, Marriage, Ordination of Priests,

Last Rites for the Dying

Practices of the Catholic Church

But, the church was also growing corrupt

Clergy members took vows of chastity to

abstain from sex…but some church leaders

fathered children Priests were required to go through rigorous

training in a monastery…but some church positions were

sold to the highest bidder called simony

Sometimes, feudal lords would use their

influence to have friends or children named as priests,

called lay investiture As a result, some clergy members were

poorly educated

One of the most corrupt church

practices was the selling of indulgences

Indulgences began as a way for people to repent for their sins through good works

But rather than requiring good deeds, church leaders began

selling indulgence certificates as a way

of raising money

These practices went unquestioned during

the Middle Ages

In the 1300s, Reformers like John Wycliffe & priest Jan Hus attacked corruptions like indulges, said that the Bible (not the Pope) was the ultimate authority on Christianity, & wanted church teachings in the

vernacular (local language) not Latin

Title■ Text

Catholic leaders responded to these criticisms by executing Wycliffe & Hus

By the time of the Renaissance, some Christians began

criticizing church corruptions & questioned Catholic teachings Christian humanists

like Thomas More and Desiderius Erasmus believed that they

could help reform the Catholic Church

In 1509, Christian humanist Erasmus

published Praise of Folly which called for an end

of corruptions

As a result of Johann Gutenberg’s invention of the moveable-type printing press in 1453, Erasmus’

book spread throughout Europe & increased calls for church reform

Attack on IndulgencesBy the early 1500s, the Catholic Church was in turmoil over the controversy of corruption & its unwillingness to adopt reforms

Johann Tetzel, a German priest, was sent to Central Europe to sell citizens indulgences to raise money for Pope Leo X to finish building St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome.

In Germany, a Catholic monk named Martin Luther became involved in a serious dispute with the Catholic Church

“As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, a soul from purgatory rings.”

Martin Luther - BackgroundAfter studying the Bible as a

monk, Martin Luther became a priest & scholar

During his studies of the Bible, Luther became

convinced that salvation could not be achieved by

good works & sacraments

Instead, Luther was inspired by St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans: “A person can be made good by having faith

in God’s mercy”

Martin Luther - Background

Martin Luther believed that salvation was gained

though having faith in God;

He called this idea Justification by Faith

Martin Luther was also deeply troubled by the

church’s selling of indulgences, which he saw as false salvation – “buying your way into

heaven”

In 1517, Martin Luther wrote a list of arguments against church practices called the

“Ninety-Five Theses”

He posted the Ninety-Five Theses on the church door in

the town of Wittenberg & welcomed debate of his ideas

Martin Luther’s break from the Catholic Church began the Protestant Reformation & inspired a

series of new Christian denominations

During the Protestant Reformation, reformers protested church corruptions &

practices in hopes of reforming Christianity

Protestant ReformationProtest Reform

The “Ninety-Five Theses” spread quickly through Europe causing an incredible controversy

Many people, especially in Northern Europe, were

excited about his ideas

But the Catholic Church condemned Luther &

rejected his ideas

3 Main Ideas of the 95 Theses• People could win salvation only by faith in

God’s gift of forgiveness. The Church taught that faith and “good works” were needed for salvation.

•All Church teachings should be clearly based on the words of the Bible. The pope and church traditions were false authorities.

•All people with faith are equal. Therefore, people did not need priests to interpret the Bible for them.

In 1521, Luther was called before the Diet of Worms, a meeting of church & political leaders

The Church demanded that Luther take back

his teachings

Luther refused, arguing that the Bible was the only source of

religious authority, & encouraged Christians to study the Bible for

themselves

At the Diet of Worms, Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Catholic Church

“I cannot and will not recant anything, for it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. God

help me. Amen.” – Martin Luther

Holy Roman Emperor Charles V•Devout Catholic• Issues Edict of Worms-No one was to give Luther food or

shelter.- Luther’s books were to be burned.•Prince Frederick the Wise of Saxony

disobeyed the edict and sheltered Luther•Luther translated the New Testament

into German.

Martin Luther’s stand against the Catholic Church led to the formation of a new Christian denomination known as Lutheranism

Lutheranism was the first of a series of “Protestant” Christian faiths that broke from the Catholic Church

Lutheranism

■Priests dressed in ordinary clothes and called themselves ministers.■The led services in German, not Latin.■Ministers had the freedom to wed.

Peasants’ Revolts• Peasants began to apply Luther’s

revolutionary ideas to society.• The revolt horrified Luther.• Luther disavows the Peasants’ Revolt, calling

them “filthy swine”.

Protestant Reformation Peace of Augsburg

(1555)

German princes meet in Augsburg and agreed that the religion of each German state in the Holy Roman Empire was to be decided by its ruler.

John Calvin and Calvinism• French priest and lawyer• 1536 – Institutes of Christian Religion – sets forth his

religious beliefs/organizes Protestant Churches

Teachings:1) God is all powerful/humans by nature are sinful.2) God alone decides who receives salvation.3) Predestination – God had long ago determined who

would be saved.4) Calvin’s followers referred to themselves as the

“Elect”.

Calvin established theocracy at Geneva, Switzerland.Stressed hard work, discipline and thrift/ strict moral code.

“Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.”

Calvinism spreadsFrance – called Huguenots

Netherlands – Dutch Reformed ChurchScotland – John Knox – becomes known

as Presbyterian Church

Radical Reformers-Anabaptists- reject infant

baptism/separation of church and state/ Most were tolerant.

Lutheranism spread to ScandinaviaSweden, Norway, Denmark – Monarch

leads religious reformation

English Reformation

• King Henry VIII – married for 20 years to Catherine of Aragon

• 1 living child Mary Tudor (Catholic) – Henry was seeking a male heir asked Pope for an annulment Pope denied the annulment.

• Henry decided to break from Catholic Church and started his own religion called the Church of England (Anglican)

The Church of England• The Act of Supremacy made Henry the head of Church• Henry dissolved monasteries and confiscated Church lands• Required oath of allegiance – Thomas More refused/beheaded.• Traditional Catholic practices with Monarch as head of Church.

Changes in England after Henry VIII• Henry married many times and had many children.• Henry’s male heir – Edward VI – Protestants gain power.• Mary Tudor (Bloody Mary) – attempts return to Catholicism• Elizabeth I – requires outward conformity to Church of England

How did leaders of the Catholic Church respond to the Reformation?

■ Assume the role of a Catholic bishop attending the Council of Trent in 1545 & develop a response to the Reformation–Brainstorm solutions to

this problem– Identify positive & negative

consequences of each possible solution–Rank order your solutions–Be prepared to discuss

The Catholic ReformationThe response of the Catholic Church to the

Protestant Reformation became known as the Counter-Reformation (or the Catholic Reformation)

One of the first reformers in the Catholic Church was

Ignatius of Loyola who formed the Society of Jesus in 1540

Members of the Society of Jesus were called Jesuits &

focused on three goals:

Jesuits formed schools to

better educate Catholic priests

Jesuits tried to stop the spread of

Protestantism

Jesuits sent missionaries around the world to convert non-Christians to Catholicism

New Religious Orders■Ursuline nuns – education for

women/training future wives and mothers.

■ Spread to France and North America■ Strong international role – missionaries

and schools.■Obedience is central – special vow to

Pope – ultramontanism■Bring many people to Catholic Church

In 1545, Pope Paul III created a committee of Catholic leaders to review church practices,

known as the Council of Trent

Over the next 18 years, the Council of Trent

made a series of reforms

The Catholic Church stopped selling false indulgences .

End to simony

New schools were created to educate priests

The Council of Trent also reaffirmed several core Catholic beliefs & practices

The Church’s interpretation of the Bible is final & all others who interpret the

Bible are heretics (non-believers)

Salvation is gained through faith in God

& good works

All seven Holy Sacraments are legitimate means to

gain God’s grace

To enforce these beliefs, the Church used the Inquisition to accuse, hold trials, & punish heretics

The Church under Pope Paul IV banned & burned all offensive books, including Protestant bibles called

the Index of Forbidden Books.

The Impact of the Reformation The Protestant

Reformation left Europe religiously divided

Numerous religious wars were fought between

Catholics & Protestants

Missionaries converted

non-Christians throughout the

world

The weakened authority of the

Pope helped kings gain power & form

nations

The Reformation encouraged education & the questioning

of long-held beliefs

Long-term Effects of Reformation•Religious wars in Europe for more than

100 years.• Increased wave of witch hunts.• Jewish people forced to live in ghettos;

led to the migration of Jews to Eastern Europe• Increased anti-Semitism to Jews who

do not convert.