Unit 4 The Reformation

Old Western CultureA Christian Approach to the Great Books

Year 3: Christendom

Unit 4

The ReformationPost Tenebras Lux

Workbook and Answer K ey

Version 1.0.0

Roman Roads Media is a publisher of classical Christian curriculum. Just as the first century roads of the Roman Empire were the physical means by which the early church spread the gospel far and wide, so Roman Roads Media uses today’s technology in print and media to bring timeless truth, goodness, and beauty into your home. Roman Roads Media: classical education, in your home.

About old Western CultureOld Western Culture is a literature curriculum covering the Great Books of Western Civilization. It is a classical curriculum, based on the great books of western civilization. It is a Christian curriculum, which sees the history and literature of the West through the eyes of the Bible and historic Christianity. It is an integrated humanities curriculum, bringing together literature, history, philosophy, doctrine, geography, and art. And it is a homeschool oriented curriculum, made by homeschoolers with the needs of homeschooled in mind, including flexibility, affordability, and ease of use.

Year 1: The GreeksUnit 1: The Epics—The Poems of HomerUnit 2: Drama and Lyric—The Tragedies,

Comedies, and Minor PoemsUnit 3: The Histories—Herodotus, Thucydides,

and XenophonUnit 4: The Philosophers—Aristotle and Plato

Year 2: The RomansUnit 1: The Aeneid—Vergil and OtherRoman EpicsUnit 2: The Historians—From Idea to EmpireUnit 3: Early Christianity—Clement, Ignatius,

Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, and EusebiusUnit 4: Nicene Christianity—Athanasius,

Augustine, and Boethius

Year 3: ChristendomUnit 1: Early Medievals—The Growth of

European ChristianityUnit 2: The Defense of the Faith—Scholastics of

the High Middle AgesUnit 3: The Medieval Mind—Dante and AquinasUnit 4: The Reformation—Post Tenebras Lux

Year 4: Early ModernsUnit 1: Rise of England—Metaphysical Poets,

Milton, Shakespeare, and BunyanUnit 2: The Enlightenment—Liberal Thought

and the Sparks of RevolutionUnit 3: The Victorian Poets—Neoclassical Poetry,

Victorian Poetry, and Romantic PoetryUnit 4: The Novels—Austen, Dickens,

Dostoevsky, and Lewis.

Published by Roman Roads Media121 E 3rd St, Moscow, Idaho 83843 | 509-592-4548 | www.romanroadsmedia.com | [email protected] Old Western Culture: Christendom, Copyright 2017 by Roman Roads Media, LLCCover Design: Rachel Rosales and Daniel Foucachon. Copyediting and Interior Layout: Valerie Anne Bost and Daniel Foucachon. Edited by W. Bradford Littlejohn, with Andrea Pliego and Lydia Foucachon. General Editor: Daniel Foucachon. All rights reserved.

M E D I AR O M A N R O A D S

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Table of Contents

Introduction and Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Lesson 1: Introduction to Renaissance and Reformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Lesson 2: Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Lesson 3: Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Lesson 4: Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Lesson 5: From Premodern to Modern Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Lesson 6: Predecessors to the Reformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Lesson 7: Luther and 16th Century Reform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Lesson 8: International Calvinism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Lesson 9: The Reformation in England . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Lesson 10: Spenser’s The Faerie Queene I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

Lesson 11: Spenser’s The Faerie Queene II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Lesson 12: Spenser’s Mutabilitie Cantos, Amoretti, and Epithalamion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66

Old Western Culture Year 3: Christendom Unit 4: The Reformation

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Introductionand Overview

If you could take only ten books to a deserted island on which you were to be marooned for the rest of your life, what would they be? As Mortimer Adler says, this is no game—we are all in

precisely that position. We are simply unable to read all the books there are; therefore, we had better choose well. Some books exercise our minds by their rigor and move our spirits by their beauty with every reading. Some books help us communicate with our culture because they have been a common element in education for centuries. Some books aid our understanding of the physical world by a clear exposition of careful observations by powerful minds. But very few books do any of these things well. And as C. S. Lewis says, old books give us a radically different perspective on life and our assumptions, and no modern books can do this at all, no matter how good they are.

As Christians, we understand that ours is an historical faith, one that originated, developed, and grew in certain times at certain places. To study and understand the long stream of history and thought and to comprehend our place in that stream is to increase our appreciation of our cultural inheritance, our ability to use wisely and build faithfully upon that inheritance, and our ability to understand and respond to God’s work in history.

The conclusion we may draw from all of this is that the old books are best, and the best of the old books are the best of all. That is why we read the great books. Join us in Old Western Culture as we explore the best of the old books from a Christian perspective!

About tHe instruCtors

Wesley Callihan grew up on a farm in Idaho and earned a bachelor’s in history from the University of Idaho in 1983. He has taught at Logos School, the University of Idaho, and New Saint Andrews College, all in Moscow, Idaho, as well as Veritas Academy in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Wes is a co-author of Classical Education and the Homeschool and the founder of Schola Classical Tutorials, through which he teaches online classes on the great books, astronomy, church history, Greek, and Latin. Wes and his wife, Dani, have six children and a growing brood of grandchildren.

Chris Schlect is a fellow of history and director of the graduate program at New Saint Andrews College. He has

“A Reading of Homer,” Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, 1885

Wes Callihan Chris Schlect

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also taught at Washington State University in Pullman, where he earned a PhD in history in 2015, and serves Christian schools through consulting and teacher training. Schlect’s research on early twentieth century Protestantism has earned eleven competitive awards. He is the author of A Critique of Modern Youth Ministry and has contributed chapters to Repairing the Ruins, the Omnibus series, and the Latin Alive series. He and his wife, Brenda, have five children and one grandchild, and live in Moscow, Idaho.

HoW to use tHis Course

Old Western Culture is a four-year curriculum covering the great books of Western Civilization. The four years are divided into The Greeks, The Romans, Christendom, and Early Moderns. For centuries, study of the great books lay at the heart of what it meant to be educated. It was the education of the Church Fathers, of the Medieval Church, of the Reformers, and of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Old Western Culture is a classical and Christian integrated high school (grades 9–12) humanities curriculum created with the purpose of preserving a knowledge of the books and ideas that shaped Western Civilization.

reCommended sCHedule

Old Western Culture is designed to accommodate a traditional nine-week term (for a thirty-six–week school year). A recommended schedule is provided below. We expect the average student to spend one to three hours per day on this course: first completing the assigned readings and answering the workbook questions under the “Reading” header, and then watching the lectures and answering the video questions under the “Lecture” header.

mAteriAls

• Video Lessons. The instructors’ deep knowledge of the classics and decades of teaching experience are a rich resource for homeschool families. Each unit is divided into twelve lectures.

• The Great Books. Old Western Culture immerses students in reading the classics themselves rather than just reading about them. Families have two options for acquiring the texts:

1. Use or purchase your own texts. Chances are, you already own at least some of these classics, so feel free to use your own copies. Specific translations or editions are not required.

2. Use the Old Western Culture Readers. The Old Western Culture Reader Series gathers all the assigned reading for each unit into one volume. Purchase the physical readers from romanroadsmedia.com or amazon.com, or purchase the Kindle edition through Amazon.com.

• The Student Workbook. Purchase a hard copy, or visit romanroadsmedia.com/materials to download a PDF included with your purchase of the course. The workbook questions allow students to test their understanding of the reading assignments and the lectures. The Answer Key at the end of the workbook provides very concise answers to the essay questions. They are not intended to be comprehensive. In many cases entire papers could be written in response to an essay question from this workbook, and students are encouraged to pursue questions which spark their curiosity. Use the short answers as a baseline for further conversation and expanded answers.

• Exams. Two exams are available (Exam A and Exam B) for download from the Materials page on romanroadsmedia.com. Students may use one for practice, or for retake. The Teacher’s Edition of


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the Exam (seperate PDF) includes answers as well as notes on grading.

• Additional Resources. Visit romanroadsmedia.com/materials for an up-to-date list of additional resources.

Note: Throughout all materials, we have avoided referencing original works by edition-specific page numbers. We instead provide location identifiers such as book, chapter, section, and line numbers in order to maintain the flexibility to use multiple translation options.

AdditionAl Assignments

In addition to the reading, lectures, and workbook questions, students will complete the following:

• Term Paper. Students may choose a paper topic from the discussion questions at the end of each lesson, expand on an essay question from any lesson, or choose a topic of their own based on the works or themes of this term. The term paper should be 750–1,200 words long and should persuasively articulate a thesis while drawing on examples from the original works.

• Final Exam. Visit www.romanroadsmedia.com/materials to download the most recent final exams. Two options, Exam A and Exam B, are provided. The exams are similar in style and difficulty, but the content varies. Students who score lower than 90 percent on Exam A should take Exam B two days later to help reinforce subject mastery.

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Lesson 1Introduction to the Renaissance & Reformation

reAding

No reading for this lesson.

leCture

Watch Lecture 1, and then answer the following questions.

1. Rather than considering the Renaissance as its own era, in what larger era should we place this period? (05:10) What else should we keep in mind as we study the Renaissance?

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2. According to C. S. Lewis, what occurred during the Renaissance? (06:15)

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3. Why was John Wycliffe called the “morning star” of the Reformation? (08:50) Which two other people referenced in the lecture also had a profound influence on the Reformation?

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4. Why were the 1300s one of the most tumultuous centuries in this age? (10:35)

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5. What two significant events occurred in the 1400s? (15:45)

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6. What three councils were convened during this period and what did they attempt to accomplish? (19:00)

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7. What part of John Huss’s teaching disrupted the Catholic Church? (24:10)

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8. What key event on October 31, 1517 sparked the Reformation? (33:15)

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disCussion Question

In light of Luther’s reaction to Tetzel, and the events thereafter, what about the Catholic Church was being reformed?

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Lesson 2Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales I

reAding

Read Chaucer, Canterbury Tales, General Prologue.

1. How many pilgrims did Chaucer encounter at the hostel on his journey to Canterbury? (lines 21–27)

2. Why are the pilgrims traveling to Canterbury? (lines 15–18)

3. What does Chaucer tell us he will do in the General Prologue? (35–42)

4. What characteristics does the knight possess? (lines 45–46)

5. How does the knight’s son, the squire, provide a foil to the knight? (A foil is a character who teaches us by contrast about another character in a story. A foil often embodies the opposite traits of the character with whom he is contrasted.)


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6. Is the prioress a well-educated, cultured woman? (lines 118–165)

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7. Describe the character of the wife of Bath? Include specifics. (lines 445–474)

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8. What social development became one of the causes of the Black Plague in 1348? What other danger did the development present? (05:50)

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9. What new class of society developed in the 1300s? (07:50)

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10. What languages contributed to development of Middle English? (09:50)

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11. What similarities and differences do the protagonists from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and Dante’s Divine Comedy have? (22:00)

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12. What was uncharacteristic about Chaucer’s nun, and what does she represent? (24:55)

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13. Explain the theme of appearance versus reality in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. (26:45))

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14. What were the two exceptions to this theme? (27:35)

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disCussion Question

Why might Chaucer the author have written himself into the story as such an impressionable character, in the midst of many fake characters?

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Lesson 3Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales II

reAding

Read Chaucer, Canturbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale.

1. How did Theseus of Athens marry Hippolyta? (lines 865–870)

2. Of what importance were the two knights whom Theseus found wounded on the battlefi eld, and what did he do with them? (lines 1009–1030)

3. What scene did Palamon see through his prison window, and what discussion ensued? (lines 1063–1078)


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4. What did Duke Theseus decree concerning Arcite, and on what condition does the decree hinge? (lines 1205–1215)

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5. What did Palamon’s prayer before the battle entail? (lines 2220–2245)

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6. Describe Emily’s prayer. (lines 2297–2330)

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7. What did Arcite ask of Mars before the battle? (lines 2373–2420)

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8. How were all three prayers answered?

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leCture


9. When and where did the courtly love genre begin? (05:15)

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10. What is the basic plot of the Knight’s Tale? (07:40)

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11. What was odd about the setting and the characters? (08:00) What does this say about the knight himself and Chaucer, the author?

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12. What was this confusion between Ancient Greece and the Middle Ages called? Do you think we suffer from a similar confusion today? (08:45)

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13. What happened to each of the knights after a year of captivity? (12:40)

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14. What question did the knight ask his fellow travelers at this point in the story? (13:20)

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15. What did Arcite really ask Ares for, and what were the consequences? (30:10)

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16. What kind of story elements does the Knight’s Tale have? (31:30)

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disCussion Questions

Why might Chaucer the author have Chaucer the character so openly admire the Knight’s Tale?

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Lesson 4Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales III

reAding

Read Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales, Prioress’s Tale, Tale of Sir Topaz, Tale of Melibee, and Nun’s Priest’s Tale.

1. What did the widow’s son hear while he studied at school? (Prioress’s Tale, lines 64–70)

2. What caused the Jews to conspire against the widow’s son? (Prioress’s Tale, lines 106–112)

3. How did the monk lay the child to rest? (Prioress’s Tale, lines 219–220)

4. In the Tale of Sir Topaz, how does Chaucer describe of Sir Topaz’s love? (Tale of Sir Topaz, lines 82–97)


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5. What was the end of Chaucer’s Tale of Sir Topaz? (Tale of Melibee, lines 1–17)

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6. What is odd about the conversation between Chanticleer and his wife?

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7. How does the fox seek to tempt Chanticleer? (Nun’s Priest’s Tale, lines 524–531)

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8. How did Chanticleer turn the tables on the fox? (Nun’s Priest’s Tale, lines 645–652)

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9. What is the moral of this tale? (Nun’s Priest’s Tale, lines 675–685)

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10. What is the rhetorical style of the Nun’s Priest’s Tale, and why do you think the nun’s priest told his tale in that style?

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leCture


11. What genre of story from earlier works we read does the Prioress’s tale use? (07:05)

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12. Why might Chaucer include a hagiographic tale? (15:00)

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13. What mistake did Chaucer the character make when describing Sir Topaz’s chastity? (20:15)

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14. What was amusing about Sir Topaz’s command to his minstrels while he armed himself? (27:15)

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15. What was odd about the beginning of the Nun’s Priest’s Tale? (34:45)

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16. What is a digressio? (39:00)

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disCussion Question

Why might digressio be a foreign concept to contemporary literature?

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Lesson 5From Premodern to Modern Times

reAding

Read Clericis Laicos and Unam Sanctam by Boniface VII and Defensor Pacis by Marsilius of Padua.

Note: The reading and corresponding questions in this lesson are more advanced than average. Instructors may wish to take this into account.

1. What part of Clericis Laicos do you think most angered King Philip?

2. What are the main biblical proofs Unam Sanctam appeals to in support of its claims?


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3. According to Defensor Pacis, where does law-making authority reside?

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4. Which of Marsilius’s arguments against the authority of the pope and clergy do you think was perhaps most important and decisive?

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5. How does Marsilius understand the rite of penance, and why is this significant?

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leCture


6. What historical transition provides the context for the Reformation? (01:30)

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7. How did this transition influence politics? (02:20)

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8. What were the three leading causes that brought about this shift? (07:45)

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9. Name at least two changes in the military around this time. (25:00)

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10. What advantage did the star-shaped design give fortresses? (36:00)

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11. What difference did it make to have a public space for ideas and opinions? (45:30)

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disCussion Question

Choose one development during the Reformation and connect it to a political or economic situation today.


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Lesson 6Predecessors to the Reformation

reAding

Read Sacrosancta and Frequens by the Council of Constance.

Note: The reading and corresponding questions in this lesson are more advanced than average. Instructors may wish to take this into account..

1. What do you think is the most important claim made within these two conciliar decrees?

2. What concern most occupies the attention of the decree Frequens, and why?

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3. What was the English Parliament’s response to the pope’s assertion that if Edward were to take Scotland, he would become the pope’s feudal vassal? (05:00)

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4. What is a papal bull? (06:45)

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5. What events led to Pope Boniface’s death? (14:00)

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6. Who was Boniface’s successor, and what did he accomplish? (19:20)

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7. Why did Petrarch call a certain period the “Babylonian Captivity of the Church?” (22:15)

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8. List three things William of Ockham set forth. (25:30)

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9. How did the Council of Pisa try to solve the problem of two popes, and what happened as a result? (38:45)

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10. What was the ultimate solution to the Great Western Schism? (41:00)

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disCussion Question

Reflecting on William Ockham’s beliefs about the church, think about what the Great Western Schism revealed about the Catholic Church at the time. Were his claims right?


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Lesson 7Luther and Sixteenth-Century Reform

reAding

Read Julius Exclusus by Erasmus; Ninety-Five Theses by Luther, Exsurge Domine by Leo X; The Freedom of the Christian by Luther; and Apology of the Augsburg Confession by Philip Melanchthon.

Optional reading included in Reformation Reader: Letter to the Christian Nobility by Luther; The Babylonian Captivity of the Church by Luther; and The Schleitheim Articles by Michael Sattler.


Julius Exclusus

1. What part of Julius’s behavior does Erasmus seem to consider the most shocking and despicable?

2. Where does this text show important continuities with the medieval conciliarist movement?

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Ninety-Five Theses

3. Which theses do you think most display Luther’s relative conservatism at this point in his career, that is, which show that he still held to most traditional Catholic doctrines?

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4. Which theses do you think most display the fact that Luther was beginning to shift toward a fundamentally new theological outlook that would profoundly challenge the authority of the church?

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Letter to the Christian Nobility (Optional reading and questions)

5. What are the “three walls of the Romanists”?

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6. How does Luther himself understand the distinction of clergy and laity?

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Babylonian Captivity (Optional reading and questions)

7. How does Luther use Scripture to attack the “first captivity” of the sacrament of the altar? (2.5-15)

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8. How does Luther use Scripture to attack the “second captivity” of the sacrament of the altar? (2.35)

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9. What, according to Luther, is the only power and function of the Mass? (2.57–58)

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Exsurge Domine

10. What claims by Luther regarding the forgiveness of sins does the bull strenuously object to?

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11. What does the pope claim is his attitude toward Luther himself?

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The Freedom of the Christian

12. What does Luther mean when he says that “man is composed of a twofold nature”?

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13. Luther says that the “whole Scripture of God is divided into two parts.” What are they?

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14. In the second part of The Freedom of the Christian, outlining the outward man who is a “dutiful servant of all,” Luther outlines two main categories of and purposes for good works. What are they?

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Schleitheim Articles (Optional reading and questions)

15. What is the common theme that ties together the first four articles of this confession?

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16. How does Article 6 understand the use of the sword?

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Apology of the Augsburg Confession

17. How does Melanchthon attack the idea of merited grace?

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18. How does Melanchthon understand justifying faith?

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19. How does Melanchthon reason out the argument that faith alone justifies?

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20. What work did Erasmus write about Pope Julius II? (02:45)

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21. How did Pope Julius II use art to try to restore dignity to the papal see and the church of Rome? (04:45)

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22. What is the theory behind Purgatory? (17:15)

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23. What did Tetzel’s sermons consist of, and what were they funding? (22:00)

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24. What event changed Luther’s life? (25:45)

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25. What did Luther’s studies on righteousness, justice, mercy, faith, Romans, and Galatians reveal to him? (30:45)

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26. How did Luther describe justification by faith in The Freedom of the Christian? (39:45)

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How had indulgences changed from the time of Dante to the time of the Reformation? What abuses was Martin Luther pointing out?


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Lesson 8International Calvinism

reAding

Read the Prefatory Address (to King Francis I) of the Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin; Decree on Justifi cation from the Council of Trent.

Optional reading included in Reformation Reader: Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book I Chapters 1-6 by John Calvin; Spiritual Exercises by Ignatius of Loyola

Note: The reading and corresponding questions in this lesson are more advanced than average. Instructors may wish to take this into account..

Prefatory Addtress: Institutes of the Christian Religion

1. In his Prefatory Address to King Francis, why does Calvin spend so long talking about the church fathers?

Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book I chapters 1-6 (Optional reading and questions)

2. What knowledge of God does Calvin think is available to us by nature (chs. 3, 5)?

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3. Why, according to Calvin, do we still need Scripture, even for an understanding of God as Creator (ch. 6)?

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Decree on Justification

4. How does the Decree on Justification understand what justification consists in, and how does this differ from the Protestant understanding (ch. VII)?

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5. In what sense does Trent grant that justification is “by faith” (ch. VIII)?

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6. What common preoccupation motivates Canons 13–16?

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Spiritual Exercises (Optional reading and questions)

7. What three sins does Ignatius tell us to meditate upon in the First Exercise?

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8. How does Ignatius understand penance in the Additions?

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9. What was the Affair of the Placards? (04:15)

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10. What began to happen in Geneva around the time that Calvin moved there? (08:45)

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11. To whom does Calvin address his Institutes? What does he say is one of his primary purposes in writing the Institutes? (15:00)

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12. What are the liberal and manual arts, and what did Calvin believe the relation is to reading pagan authors? (24:00)

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13. What was Calvin’s definition of faith? (32:00)

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14. What is faith knowledge of, and what is it not knowledge of? (33:00)

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15. How is it that sinful man can stand before a just God? In other words, what is Calvin’s definition of justification? (35:30)

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How does Calvin’s definition of faith compare to Hebrews 11?


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Lesson 9The Reformation in England

reAding

Read Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism by Ursinus (Questions 86–91); the Book of Common Prayer by the Church of England (Of Ceremonies, Order for Holy Communion, and Form of Solemnizatino of Matrimony); Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, the Martyrdom of Thomas Cranmer.

Optional reading included in Reformation Reader: An Admonition to the Parliament by John Field and Thomas Wilcox; Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity by Richard Hooker.


Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism

1. What reasons does Ursinus give for why we must do good works? (expostion of Q. 86)

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2. How does Ursinus understand conversion (exposition of Qs. 88–90, sections 2 and 3)?

3. Why, according to Ursinus, is true faith necessary to do good works? (exposition of Q. 91, section 1)?

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Book of Common Prayer

4. What reasons does the Preface to the Book of Common Prayer give for the abolishing of many Catholic ceremonies?

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5. What is the dominant theme of the prayers that precede, accompany, and follow the administration of Communion?

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Foxe’s Book of Martyrs

6. How, according to Foxe, was Cranmer brought to make his recantation?

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7. What were the two main professions that Cranmer made in his recantation, and which he then re-recanted at his final sermon?

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Admonition to Parliament (Optional reading and questions)

8. What, according to the Admonition, are the key faults in the Church of England relating to the first mark of the church (the ministry of the word)?

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9. What, according to the Admonition, are the key faults in the Church of England relating to the second mark of the church (the ministry of the sacraments)?

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10. What, according to the Admonition, are the key faults in the Church of England relating to the third mark of the church (the administration of discipline)?

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Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity (Optional reading and questions)

11. Hooker says that some of the more learned have come to embrace the Presbyterian cause. How? (Preface)

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12. What is the key distinction that Hooker articulates in book III, chapter 3, and how does it relate to the right use of Scripture?

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13. What, according to Hooker, is the role of church ceremonies (IV.1)?

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14. What did Thomas Cranmer believe about Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine, and what tension did this cause between the church and Cranmer’s interpretation of Scripture? (04:45)

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15. What was so significant about the dissolution of Henry VIII’s first marriage? (05:45)

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16. What was the Book of Common Prayer? (07:30)

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17. What happened to Cranmer under Mary Tudor’s reign? What did he famously do? (09:00)

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18. How was marriage treated in the Church of England? (25:45)

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Should there be a difference in how we, as Christians, respond to those who question basic tenets of our faith in rebellion against God and those who ask because they are genuinely searching for truth? If not, why not? If so, how might the responses be different?

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Lesson 10Spenser’s The Faerie Queene I

reAding

Read The Faerie Queene, Book 1, Cantos 1 and 4, by Spenser.

1. What ultimate task was Redcrosse given by Gloriana, “the greatest Glorious Queene of Faerie land?” (Canto 1, section 3)

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2. In what ways does the fi rst monster represent Error? (Canto 1, section 20)

3. What did the hermit Archimago conjure during the night Redcrosse and Una stayed with him? (Canto 1, sections 43–53)

4. Where did Duessa lead Redcrosse? (Canto 4, section 4)


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5. What were the names of the counselors in the House of Pride, and what beasts did each ride? (Canto 4, sections 18–36)

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6. Whom did Redcrosse meet at the House of Pride, and what how did he know of Redcrosse? (Canto 4, sections 39–42)

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7. What warning is given to Sansjoy about Redcrosse? (Canto 4, section 50)

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8. Under whose reign was Spenser born? (00:30)

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9. Who was Philip Sidney? (04:35) How did he die? (05:30)

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10. What is one of the popular legends around Sir Walter Raleigh? (06:30)

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11. The armor worn by Redcrosse is well-worn and battle-tested even though he has not fought in any battle. What metaphoric message is in this image of seasoned armor on an unseasoned soldier? (25:00)

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12. What is the first event that Redcrosse and Una come to? (27:00)

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13. What is the point of this allegory? (34:00)

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What was Redcrosse’s first mistake leading to his deception?

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Lesson 11Spenser’s The Faerie Queene II

reAding

Read The Faerie Queene, Book 1, Cantos 7 and 9, by Spenser.

1. What is allegorically signifi cant about the way Redcrosse was captured? (Canto 7, sections 2–8)

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2. As Redcrosse is cast into the dungeon, what becomes of Duessa? What does this demonstrate about Duessa? (Canto 7, section 16)

3. What different materials do we see on the knight’s armor, and what might they tell us about him? (Canto 7, sections 29–33)


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4. What did Lady Una reveal to King Arthur about her backstory? (Canto 7, sections 43–48)

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5. What gifts were exchanged between Arthur and Redcrosse, and what allegorical significance might they have? (Canto 9, sections 18–19)

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6. What is true about Despair’s arguments, and how is Una’s response to him even more so? (Canto 9, sections 46–53)

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7. Why is it such a problem that Redcrosse is separated from Una? (08:00)

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8. What magical quality does the river have from which Redcrosse drank? What other book does this echo? (09:30)

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9. What great hero arrives to help Una when she is separated from Redcrosse? (11:15)

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10. What does King Arthur reveal about his mission? (12:00)

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11. What did Despair convince Terwin to do, and how did Despair do it? (14:00)

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12. What was Redcrosse’s reaction upon learning of Despair? (17:00)


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13. What arguments from Despair baffle Redcrosse? (19:00)

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14. What realization did Redcrosse make after the incident with Despair? Where does Una take Redcrosse? (23:30)

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Can you think of any modern (twentieth or twenty-first century) authors who might have used Spenser as an inspiration?

Write your own allegory, illustrating a biblical principle through imaginary characters.

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Lesson 12Spenser’s Mutabilitie Cantos, Amoretti, and

Epithalamion

reAding

Read The Mutabilitie Cantos; Amoretti (Sonnets I, XXX, and LXXV); and Epithalamion by Spenser.

Mutabilitie Cantos

1. After subduing the earth, what did Mutabilitie attempt to do?

2. What laws did Mutabilitie break in her works on the world?

3. Why might Spenser give us two answers to Mutabilitie’s claims?

Amoretti

4. What does Sonnet XXX state is the power of love?


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5. What did Spenser attempt to do in Sonnet LXXV?

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Epithalamion

6. In the first stanza who are the sisters Spenser is addressing? What other classical books have you read that begin in a similar address?

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7. What other strong images from Greek myth does Spenser employ in the beginning of his ode to the wedding day? What might he be trying to accomplish by referencing mythology? (Epithalamion, stanzas 2–4)

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8. What changes in the poet’s address in the fifth stanza? What does he do for the first time?

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9. Up until the twelfth stanza, the wedding has been described using Greek mythological imagery. What changes in Spenser’s imagery in the twelfth and thirteenth stanza?

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10. In the fourteenth stanza, after the ceremony, Spenser reverts back to Greek imagery. Why might the poet have chosen to reference Greek mythology until the ceremony, then switch to strictly Christian imagery, and then revert back to mythology-?

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11. What was each book from Spenser’s Faerie Queene intended to represent? (02:15)

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12. Why are these called the Mutabilitie Cantos? (03:00)

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13. To whom does all of Creation come running for help in dealing with Mutabilitie? What does he do? (10:00)

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14. How does Mutabilitie defend herself at the trial? (11:30)

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15. What reason does Nature give for ruling Mutabilitie wrong? (19:20)

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16. Why did Spenser give this poem to his bride as a wedding gift? (36:30)

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Is Spenser’s gift of a poem an endless monument over a material gift as he claims?

Answer Key

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Lesson 1Introduction to the Renaissance and Reformation1. The Renaissance is best thought of as the last

stage of the Middle Ages. Although the word means “rebirth,” we should not imagine there-fore that the centuries prior to the Renaissance were a dark age.

2. During the Renaissance there was a recovery of classical learning, increased knowledge of Greek and Latin, a revival of interest of the classical mode of Latin, a revival in the arts, the development of a new kind of architecture, and the rise of humanism—a focus on man’s abili-ties and his perception of the world through art.

3. The morning star is a bright planet in the pre-dawn eastern sky that signifies the coming of dawn. Though John Wycliffe lived years before the Reformation, his beliefs and work foreshadowed the coming changes, thus earn-ing him the nickname the “morning star of the Reformation.” John Huss and Desiderius Erasmus also influenced the Reformation.

4. During the 1300s, a terrible plague, called The Black Death, ravaged Europe and killed a third of Europe’s population. This depopula-tion, combined with the Hundred Years’ War and heavy taxation, had downstream eco-nomic and social consequences, including the Peasants’ Revolt late in the century.

5. The Hundred Years’ War between the French and the English resolved in the mid-1400s, but then the Wars of the Roses erupted between various factions claiming the throne of England.

6. The councils of Pisa, Constance, and Basel were called to solve the schism between rival popes, declaring that the pope was not the ul-timate authority, but the councils were. This was called the Conciliar Movement.

7. John Huss taught “impanation”—that Christ’s body is present with the bread. This teaching was not quite the same as the Lutheran doc-trine of consubstantiation, but it was simi-lar and therefore conflicted with the Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation.

8. A monk named Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the doors of the church at Witten-burg. The 95 Theses were questions or state-ments in reaction to the Roman Catholic princi-ples and doctrine of indulgences and Purgatory.

Lesson 2Canterbury Tales I1. Chaucer encountered a group of twenty-nine

pilgrims also bound for Canterbury.

2. The pilgrims are journeying to St. Thomas Becket’s shrine.

3. He tells us he will describe each of his fellow trav-elers, from occupation to character to clothing.

4. The knight possessed chivalry, truth, honor, freedom, and all courtesy.

5. There are at least two ways the son is contrast-ed with the father. Unlike the knight, the young squire clearly gives a great deal of time and attention to his appearance, both clothing and hair. Further, while the father is clearly a man focused on his mission and hasn’t even had time to change his armor-stained tunic from his last trip, the son is more interested in a variety of leisurely pastimes, especially those that involve singing and wooing his lady. The knight is a gentleman by virtue of his time and battle-test-ed character, the squire is a gentleman more by virtue of his external trappings and manners.

6. No, his description of the prioress shows someone who is obsessed with all the forms of politeness and culture but does not seem to possess the real thing. She speaks the French of England’s “Stratford at Bow” while not knowing genuine French from Paris, she is


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concerned with mimicking court manners so as to receive honor from others, and she is fond of fancy clothing and jewelry. This does not give us the impression of one who has truly devoted her life to God.

7. The wife of Bath is a large, brash woman with a wide variety of life experience—both savory and unsavory—under her belt. She has trav-eled widely, even completing multiple pilgrim-ages to Jerusalem, and has married five times. She loves her clothing and her own generosity.

8. The rapid population growth of the High Mid-dle Ages led to more houses being built close together. Because there was no sanitation in-frastructure and the building material was usually wood, disease and fire spread rapidly in the now closely packed cities.

9. The middle class developed in the 1300s be-cause of the economic boom in trade, curren-cy, and town growth.

10. After the Norman conquest of 1066, William the Conqueror’s French blended with the na-tive Old English and the Latin of the universi-ties to create Middle English.

11. Chaucer, like Dante, places himself in his own sto-ry, but Chaucer as a character is much more igno-rant and gullible than Dante as a character, allow-ing Chaucer as the author to make fun of himself.

12. She is finely dressed and flirtatious in her de-meanor and wants to leave her own mark on the world. She is Chaucer’s image of the cor-ruption seeping into the church of the day.

13. Chaucer explores the difference between ap-pearance and reality through the new middle class that was rising in his day. He portrays characters who seek the appearance of style and wealth as they push their status in society. Many of the characters either live flagrant-ly in contradiction to how they ought to live or are so concerned with trying to appear to live in a certain manner that very few live sin-cere, virtuous lives. This presents a scathing

denouncement of corruption not only in soci-ety, but most particularly in the church.

14. One exception is the knight who is wise, has many true battles to his credit, has much re-straint, and doesn’t put on airs. Another is the parson, who practices what he preaches and lives a life of virtue.

Lesson 3Canterbury Tales II1. He conquered the realm of Scythia and wedded

their queen, bringing her back to his country.

2. Arcite and Palamon, both gravely wounded, were members of the royal family of Thebes. Theseus had the two of them sent to Athens where they were to live perpetually in prison.

3. Palamon is smitten at the sight of Emily on her walk in the garden. Arcite hears Palamon’s ex-citement, sees the cause, and a debate ensues over who truly loves her.

4. Arcite gained favor with Duke Perotheus, who petitioned Duke Theseus to release Arci-te from prison. The condition of his release is that Arcite could never be found in any coun-try ruled by Theseus, and if he were found, he would be beheaded.

5. Palamon prayed to Venus that he would gain possession of Emily as his bride, and that he might die in Venus’s service.

6. Emily prays to Diana that she would remain unmarried all her life and that the love of Pal-amon and Arcite might be turned from her, but then she prays that if this could not be, then the one who most desired her would win.

7. Arcite prayed to Mars, asking that his strength be found worthy and that he would have victory.

8. Arcite won the battle, but was mortally wound-ed. Palamon, the one who cared for Emily the most and specifically prayed for Emily, not just victory in battle, married her.

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9. The courtly love movement began around 1100 in southern France as poets called troubadours be-gan singing about love with a new perspective.

10. The Knight’s Tale concerns a love triangle be-tween two knights, Palamon and Arcite, and a lady, Emily.

11. The story is set in Ancient Greece, yet there are many medieval elements in it, such as knights, ar-mor, ladies, etc. The knight—and thus Chaucer—did not think of Ancient Greece as an age with cultural, societal, and aesthetic characteristics dis-tinct from their own, but instead they imagined it looking like their own culture in the Middle Ages.

12. This confusion is called cultural anachronism. (Answers may vary on the second part of the question. An example might be a historical movie wherein the heroine approaches issues with a “follow your heart” or outright feminist demeanor, neither of which would have been a mode of thought before the modern era.)

13. Arcite was freed but banished from Athenian territory. Palamon was still imprisoned.

14. He asked which knight suffers the most: the one who can see his lady day by day but must be in prison or the one who is free to go where he likes but will never see his lady.

15. Arcite really asked Ares for victory, not for Emily—thus he gains the victory and dies, so Palamon can marry Emily.

16. The Knight’s Tale contains all the elements of a great love story, some philosophy and a conun-drum woven in, and a satisfying medieval moral.

Lesson 4Canterbury Tales III1. The widow’s son heard the other children

singing O Alma Redemptoris, and he learned the first verse from listening to them.

2. Satan told the other Jews that the little boy was committing an offense by singing against their laws to spite them.

3. The monk removed the grain from the child’s tongue and the child gave up his spirit.

4. Sir Topaz, riding in the forest, heard a thrush sing and sprang into action. In the next stan-za he and his horse were fatigued from their chase—though we haven’t yet found out what they are chasing—and they stopped to rest. Then it is revealed that he has somehow fallen in love with an elf-queen.

5. The Host interrupted Chaucer’s Tale of Sir Topaz and berated him for wearying them all to death with his illiterate rhymes and story. He requests that Chaucer tell another story in a different style.

6. Not only are these talking chickens, but their conversation brings in everything from a phil-osophical discussion of dreams with Cato and Boethius references to medicinal discussions.

7. The fox attempts to flatter Chanticleer to get him to lower his guard.

8. He suggested that the fox turn around and shout insults at the widow and the rest of their pursuers.

9. The moral of the Nun’s Priest’s Tale is to guard against flattery.

10. The Nun’s Priest’s Tale is written in an epic style and littered with grandiose classical allu-sions. The adventures of the farmyard rooster are thus elevated to the same level as the feats of great heroes of literature. The nun’s priest may have chosen the epic style in order to make a simple fable humorous by melodrama, as the prologue to the tale indicates the compa-ny wanted a “merry” tale from him.

11. The Prioress’s tale is an example of the genre of hagiography, as in the Golden Legend. It echoes de Voragine’s saints’ lives tales, which il-lustrate the power of God, showing that God is working through the holy people of His church.

12. Chaucer is trying to exercise his skill in vari-ous kinds of literature, and hagiography was very popular at the time.


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13. Chaucer accidentally uses two images most commonly associated with lust: the color red and the brambles.

14. He asks them to tell him romances (adven-tures) that befell princes and popes and cardi-nals. But popes and cardinals are not the usual protagonists of medieval romances.

15. The Nun’s Priest’s Tale begins with two pages of detailed description of the old woman and her house, but then the rest of the story goes in an entirely different direction, and tells us about Chanticleer and the fox.

16. In the Middle Ages, there was a principle of literature called digressio, which means going off the track onto tangents. Storytellers were praised if they could weave a lot of different tangents into one tale. They knew the common focal point was God, so they could then weave in everything around Him as the focal point.

Lesson 5From Premodern to Modern Times1. The opening of the letter is probably the part

most likely to have angered the king with its condescending and self-righteous claim that the laity have always been hostile to the clergy since the beginning of the church. On the oth-er hand, Philip would probably have been less concerned with the tone of the letter than with its claim that civil authority has no jurisdiction “over both the persons and goods of ecclesias-tics.” It would have seemed to him an absurd imposition, a declaration that the clergy in France constituted an independent kingdom within Philip’s kingdom.

2. The key proofs concern the unique authori-ty of the apostle Peter, from whom the pope claimed his authority; the reference to the “two swords” which supposedly represent-ed both spiritual and temporal authority, both granted to Peter; and the curious use of

Romans 13:1–2, which we are familiar with as a defense of civil authority but which Boniface appeals to, somewhat circularly, as evidence of the divine basis of his authority.

3. In the entire community—“the whole body of citizens or its better part which represents the whole.” Of course, Marsilius is rather impre-cise about what “the better part” is and how they are chosen as representatives. However, he seems clear that some kind of formal repre-sentation is necessary; you cannot just have a hereditary monarchy or papacy that claims its authority directly from God.

4. Answers may vary, and there are so many rad-ical arguments in this text that you could make a good case for almost any of them being the most important. However, a good candidate is Marsilius’s argument against the so-called “Petrine succession” claim—that is, the pope’s claim to have derived his authority from the authority given by Christ to St. Peter. On tra-ditional medieval exegesis, the authority Christ gave to Peter was a very broad authority in-deed, and if the pope was his successor, then it made sense for the Pope to claim God-given supremacy over the rest of the church. Mar-silius, however, rejects both the biblical argu-ments for Peter having any kind of distinction over the other apostles, and the historical argu-ment that Peter was the first bishop of Rome. In this series of arguments, one on top of the other, Marsilius seeks to completely pull the rug out from under traditional papal claims.

5. Marsilius argues, quite radically, that the rite of penance does not, in fact, involve the au-thority of the priest to forgive or retain sins. For, he says, “God alone remits to the truly penitent sinner his guilt and his debt of eter-nal condemnation, and that without any office of the priest preceding or intervening, as has been demonstrated above . . . . For it is God alone who cannot err as to whose sin should be

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remitted or retained.” The priest simply pro-claims a reality that depends entirely on God, and the priest can be mistaken in this declara-tion. This new understanding of forgiveness as something belonging to God alone, who alone can truly see the heart, was to play a huge role in the Protestant Reformation’s understanding of the limits of church authority.

6. The Reformation is situated at a crucial hinge in Western culture between premodernity and modernity.

7. In the premodern world, the political structure was localized, feudal, and familial. By exten-sion, it was also more personal. In the modern world, the political structure has been charac-terized by a centralized, bureaucratic politic that is governed by apparatuses rather than by personal relationships, and therefore tends to be impersonal in nature.

8. The emergence of great seafaring imperial na-tion states, the formation of a public space for the dissemination of ideas, and the rupture of Christendom.

9. Warfare changed in two primary ways. First, the rise of gunpowder changed the way armor was used. The old armor that people used to wear to ward off arrows or sword blows be-came useless because it could not ward off the force of a gunshot. Medieval armor began to fade except for use in ceremonial rituals. Sec-ond, the fortifications used in warfare changed. Castles and forts were now designed for artil-lery battles rather than long sieges, leading to innovative architectural techniques such as star forts. This in turn led to the rise of professional armies as these complex fortifications required better trained, full-time armies to defend them.

10. The star-formation would have allowed defenders to have a clear line of sight to all of the castle walls. If an enemy approached any castle wall, defend-ers would have been able to see the attacker from another wall and launch a projectile at him.

11. The public space created an environment where anyone could exchange their ideas without censorship from the reigning power over that province.

Lesson 6Predecessors to the Reformation1. When Sacrosancta asserts that the council “has

its power immediately from Christ, and every one, whatever his state or position, even if it be the Papal dignity itself, is bound to obey it in all those things which pertain to the faith and the healing of the said schism, and to the gen-eral reformation of the Church of God,” this represents a profound inversion of the power structure of the late medieval church and the papal claims behind it.

2. The largest portion of the text is taken up with the “provision to guard against future schisms,” with a series of detailed protocols for future pa-pal elections to prevent anyone from unjustly seizing the papal office in the future. The over-riding fear here was that the church might wit-ness multiple popes vying for authority at the same time. The Council of Constance believed that by instituting careful rules for the future, they could prevent another such schism. There never was a repeat of the Great Schism, but this was due to the caution of the cardinals, not be-cause of papal submission to conciliar authority.

3. The English Parliament responds that the pope only has power over spiritual matters, and not the temporal affairs of men.

4. A papal bull is a decree or enactment from the bishop of Rome.

5. Boniface planned to excommunicate Philip, but just as he was about to publish the excom-munication, a group of 200 thugs from Philip’s company stormed Boniface’s residence and laid siege to him. Boniface was surrounded for three days, and then a party of locals rescued


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him from this siege. Boniface was so shaken by the attack that within a month he was dead.

6. Benedict XI succeeded Boniface, and he was much more conciliatory towards Philip in France. He reversed a lot of the offensive things Boniface had done, and he ended the conflict between France and the papacy.

7. Clement V was the first of seven popes who set their papacy in Avignon. This was the pe-riod when the papacy was not in Rome, but in France. Petrarch called it the “Babylonian Cap-tivity” in allusion to Israel’s captivity in Babylon.

8. 1) He articulated that the papacy is not neces-sary to the being of the church; you can have a church without a papacy. He also claimed that neither the pope nor the councils are infallible. 2) He said that a legitimate pope or council can still articulate heresy or error. 3) He claimed that Christ did not commit the faith to the pope, or to Peter, or to councils, but that He commit-ted it to the whole church as His body.

9. The Council of Pisa deposed both opposing popes and elected a new one, Alexander V. Neither the Roman nor Avignonese popes ac-cepted the deposition or stepped down, so now there were three popes: Benedict XIII, Grego-ry XII, and Alexander V.

10. A council convened in the city of Constance, and in its fourth session it declared that the catholicity of the church was depicted by a representation of the whole church. They deposed the pope in Pisa and the two others stepped down, and they elected a new pope named Martin V.

Lesson 7Luther and Sixteenth-Century Reform1. Although seemingly every aspect of Julius’s

character and behavior are held up to ridicule in this text, Erasmus seems particularly pre-occupied with his warmongering, which really

set Julius apart from earlier corrupt popes. Al-though no pacifist, Erasmus saw war as a griev-ous affair, and anyone who provoked an unjust war had the blood of his fellow Christians on his hands. Julius, in Erasmus’s view, had as much blood on his hands as anyone in Europe, a fact that Erasmus highlights in Julius’s lon-gest uninterrupted speech in this excerpt.

2. Toward the end of this excerpt, Erasmus has Julius declare, to St. Peter’s complete incre-dulity, that because the pope remains superior over any council, “the pope can’t be removed from office for any crime whatsoever.” In this remarkable section, Erasmus exposes the ex-tent to which the aspirations of the conciliarist movement had come to nothing, and highlights how important it is to reestablish conciliar au-thority over the pope, given Julius’s example of just how corrupt the papacy could become when unchecked by conciliar authority.

3. Answers may vary, but theses 25 and 30 are good candidates. In thesis 25, Luther shows not only that he continues to hold to the traditional Catholic doctrine of purgatory (which in fact is repeatedly assumed throughout the theses) but that he also accepts that the pope has a particular authority over it. In thesis 30, Luther crucially shows that he still accepts the medieval teaching that no one can be assured of his own salvation or forgiveness. Luther’s subsequent change on this point, and his conviction that in fact true provided an assurance of God’s favor, was a ma-jor foundation of the new Protestant theology and was to provoke sharp opposition from the Roman theologians in Leo’s bull Exsurge Domine.

4. Answers may vary, but theses 36–38 and 62 are good candidates. In 36–38, Luther displays the conviction—already argued for by Mar-silius 200 years earlier, but no less radical for that—that God himself grants forgiveness to truly repentant sinners, regardless of whether this is formally declared by the Church. Priests

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simply offer “the declaration of divine remis-sion.” In thesis 62, Luther rejects the whole notion of a “treasury of merits” that underlay not only the indulgence system, but much of the spiritual economy of Western Europe, includ-ing relics and pilgrimages. The true treasure of the Church is the gospel alone, he declares.

5. The first is the distinction of the clergy from the laity, and the claim that the clergy (the “spiritu-al power”) are exempt from and above the la-ity (the “temporal power”). Second is the claim that only the pope has the authority to interpret the Scriptures. Third is the claim that only the pope has the authority to call a general council.

6. He argues that all Christians are “consecrated as priests by baptism,” such that clergy hold an authority delegated from the body of be-lievers. He imagines a “desert island” scenario in which a group of Christian laymen would have no choice but to choose their own priest, and argues that nothing would be invalid about their doing so. Accordingly, “the only real difference is one of office and function,” determined by human decision; it is not a mat-ter of status before God.

7. The first captivity concerns the restriction of the wine in the Eucharist from the laity, al-lowing them to receive only the bread. Luther uses the words of institution in the gospels and 1 Corinthians 11 to show that it is unques-tionable not only that Jesus distributed both bread and wine to his disciples, but that the practice in Corinth clearly included the drink-ing of wine as well. Why else would Paul have protested against people getting drunk?

8. The second captivity concerns the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation—that after the consecration, the bread ceases to be bread and the wine ceases to be wine, possessing only the “accidents” of these, while the “substance” has become the body and blood of Christ. Luther, while affirming the real presence of Christ’s

body and blood, thinks that this doctrine is not merely philosophically absurd, but actual-ly unbiblical. He insists that it would not be proper for Paul or the Gospel writers to refer to the elements as “bread” if the substance had indeed been changed, and he uses close atten-tion to the grammar of the original language to back up his reading that the bread is indeed identified as bread.

9. Luther argues that the Eucharist is nothing more (or less) than a proclamation of Christ’s promise to forgive the sins of all who believe on him and faithfully receive him. As a prom-ise, then, all that is required from us is accep-tance, and eating and drinking in faith. By this means the Eucharist will have its full effect, with no need for us to perform some kind of meritorious work to God to receive the fruit of Christ’s sacrifice.

10. In errors 10–15, the document singles out Luther’s bold new doctrine of assurance, in which he had emphasized that the heart of faith was the confidence before God that one was forgiven through the merits of Christ. Such confidence, to the papal theologians, was blasphemous presumption, bypassing all of the required stages needed for forgiveness. However, the bull goes too far in claiming that Luther thought that true contrition for one’s sins was not needed for forgiveness.

11. A: Toward the end of the excerpt, the pope professes to love Luther as an erring son, and to wish above all his repentance and return to the fold. He claims to have been patient and longsuffering, and to only be resorting to this excommunication as a last resort.

12. Luther makes a sharp anthropological dis-tinction between soul and body on the basis that all those things that harm the body can-not directly affect the freedom or bondage of the soul. Neither, he argues, can good works done by the body have any impact on the soul


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in and of themselves, since any outward work you can name can be done by a hypocrite as well as a true Christian.

13. They are the precepts and promises, more commonly known as law and gospel. The first are all the commands by which God shows us what is good, but since we cannot truly and rightly follow these commands by our own strength, they serve only to humble us. The second are God’s promises in the gospel that he has accomplished for us already the righ-teousness we were unable to find in the law, and that this righteousness can be ours if we simply believe the promise.

14. The first are those by which a man brings his body into subjection to the inner man; his in-ner man has already received Christ, but his outward behavior continues to war against this new identity and must be slowly disci-plined by fasting and other spiritual practices. The second group are those by which a Chris-tian man learns to live no longer for himself but for his neighbor, seeking by love to discern whatever his neighbor needs and to cheerfully fulfill that need.

15. The first four of the Schleitheim Articles all develop the overriding theme of Anabaptist theology, which is that the visible fellowship of saints should completely match the invisible body of Christ. Accordingly, only those who have truly demonstrated repentance should be baptized, and any who show signs of fall-ing away should be removed from the body, so that only the truly godly can share in Com-munion. Likewise, the godly must avoid any contaminating fellowship with the world.

16. The important line here is that the sword is “ordained of God outside the perfection of Christ.” In other words, these Anabaptists were not universal pacifists, in the sense that they believed no one could ever engage in war or coercion. They did believe that such a

function was necessary for the civil magistrate. They just maintained firmly that Christians could never serve as civil magistrates, because Christians were not authorized to use coercion

17. Melanchthon draws on the testimony of St. Augustine and of Scripture to argue that the unredeemed man is necessarily in enmity against God. Accordingly, whatever outward-ly good works he may do, they cannot be tru-ly good, since they do not stem from rightly ordered love. Since such works are always mixed with sinfulness, they cannot please God or merit His grace.

18. Justifying faith, says Melanchthon, is much more than mere knowledge of Christ’s work; it must be the reception of Christ’s promise. It is the acceptance that Christ died for me and promises to redeem me, and the determination to throw myself on His mercy.

19. Melanchthon argues that justification is noth-ing other than the remission of sins and that the remission of sins can be accomplished by faith alone. This, he says, is clear from the fact that the power to achieve remission of sins is Christ’s alone, and Christ’s completely, and so there is nothing for the believer to do but to receive Christ’s promised remission in faith. Such acceptance and reconciliation, worked in our hearts by the Spirit, is what it means to be justified, and so there is no room for works.

20. Erasmus wrote Julius Excluded From Heaven (or, as it’s often known in Latin, Julius Exclusus), which is a satirical dialogue of what happens after Julius dies and presents himself to St. Peter at the gates of Heaven.

21. He was one of the Renaissance’s greatest pa-trons of art. He formed a close relationship with Michelangelo and prevailed upon Mi-chelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling.

22. It is grounded in the theory that when God delivers his rewards and punishments, He is always just, and that there is never a good

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deed that goes unrewarded, and there is nev-er a bad deed that goes unpunished. Even if you are good person who died, chances are you would have to account for the sin still on your record. You would then go to Purgatory to have your sins purged until you can delight fully in Heaven and the Father.

23. Tetzel preached terrifying sermons about peo-ple’s relatives suffering in Purgatory and how the people needed to buy indulgences to re-lease their relatives from their suffering. The money from the indulgences were funding the construction of St. Peter’s church in Rome, with the approval of Pope Leo X.

24. Luther was passing through the thunderstorm and feared for his life, praying to God and St. Anne, and promising to commit his life to God if he survived.

25. Luther’s studies led him to understand justifi-cation by faith alone.

26. Luther describes faith like a wedding ring that unites the Christian to Christ. In this union, the Christian brings sin, condemnation and death. Christ brings obedience, faithfulness, blessing, and life. When God looks at us, in Christ He sees sin, but He also sees that Christ died for that sin.

Lesson 8International Calvinism1. For Calvin, none of the Romanists’ accusa-

tions against Protestantism was so serious as the claim that they were at odds with the church fathers. On the contrary, he insisted, the Protestant movement was a return to and a recovery of the church fathers. Accordingly, he marshals a long barrage of testimonies from the fathers against just the sorts of corruptions that the Protestants were now objecting to.

2. Calvin, despite his reputation for pessimism about the human condition, has a remarkably

high view of the ability of all men to come to some knowledge of God. Indeed, he says, “a sense of Deity is indelibly engraven on the hu-man heart,” and at some gut level, this sense is found in every human being, however much they resist it. Many, especially philosophers, have come to some more explicit articulation of this truth. In chapter 5, he elaborates his account of how it is that God manifests himself in His world, singling out two main theaters for God’s natural revelation: the beauty and order of creation, and the justice and mercy of God’s providence over the affairs of men.

3. Calvin summarizes his answer with wonderful pithiness in 6.3: “For if we reflect how prone the human mind is to lapse into forgetfulness of God, how readily inclined to every kind of error, how bent every now and then on devis-ing new and fictitious religions, it will be easy to understand how necessary it was to make such a depository of doctrine as would secure it from either perishing by the neglect, vanish-ing away amid the errors, or being corrupted by the presumptuous audacity of men.”

4. According to Trent, justification must be un-derstood as including not merely the remission of sins, as Melanchthon had defined justifica-tion, but the infusion into the sinner of faith, hope, and charity, and the voluntary reception of these gifts by the sinner. This differed from the Protestant conception in two key ways: first was the idea that righteousness must be possessed within us for us to be counted righ-teous, rather than us being counted righteous for the sake of Christ with whom we are united; second was the idea of the sinner’s voluntary cooperation with the Spirit’s work, which to Protestants sounded like salvation by works.

5. The council insists that justification is by faith only in the sense that faith is the foundation and beginning of justification, the thing with-out which none of the other factors in justi-fication would be able to get off the ground.


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However, it insists that justification is a pro-cess, and faith merely begins it.

6. Of particular concern to the Catholic theolo-gians throughout their opposition to Luther was the Protestant stress on certainty and as-surance of salvation. They rejected the idea that one had to be completely certain of one’s salvation to receive it, which was indeed a pas-torally problematic emphasis that later Prot-estant thinkers sought to caution against, as well. However, they also contended that it was in fact impossible to have such certainty, since anyone could fall away at any time, and the Roman theologians feared that such false cer-tainty would lead to complacency.

7. The first is the sin of the angels which caused the fall of Satan and his followers; the second is the sin of Adam and Eve; the third is our own particular sins, of which even one mortal sin is enough to send us to hell.

8. Ignatius first distinguishes penance into the interior—grieving for one’s sins—and the ex-terior—chastising oneself for them. The exte-rior chastisement is to be done by doing away with superfluous eating, doing away with su-perfluous sleeping, and by inflicting pain upon oneself (though without doing lasting physical harm). The goals are to satisfy the sins com-mitted, to conquer one’s flesh, and to receive some spiritual grace.

9. The Affair of the Placards was an incident in which radical supporters of Zwingli made plac-ards (posters) virulently denouncing Roman Catholic doctrines about the Mass. They posted these in various French cities, and one is even said to have been nailed to the bedroom door of the king of France, Francis I. This was a sign of great disrespect to the king. Francis I had previously been fairly tolerant of the variety of theological opinions in France, but the Affair of the Placards changed the political climate, and led him to crack down on theological dissenters.

10. Geneva began to be increasingly populated by French religious refugees fleeing the persecu-tions they experienced in France. These refugees, the French Protestants, were called Huguenots.

11. Calvin begins his Institutes with an address to Francis I. He announces that one of his prima-ry purposes for writing is to defend his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ’s ideas and reli-gious purpose against misunderstandings and the slanders of those persecuting them.

12. The manual arts are medicine, engineering, mechanics, etc. The liberal arts are logic, di-alectic, rhetoric, grammar, music, astronomy, and so forth. Calvin says that the mind of man, though fallen and perverted, is nonetheless clothed with God’s excellent gifts. We should then read the pagan writers in matters of liber-al and manual arts because even they are orna-mented with God’s excellent gifts.

13. Faith is a firm and certain knowledge of God’s benevolence toward us, founded upon the truth of the freely given promise in Christ, both revealed to our minds and sealed upon our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

14. Faith is knowledge of God’s benevolence and goodness toward us. It is not merely knowl-edge that God is benevolent, that He is a good God, but rather that God’s goodness is direct-ed somewhere: to us.

15. Calvin explains justification simply as the accep-tance with which God receives us into His favor as righteous men, consisting of the remission of sins and the imputation of Christ’s righteousness.

Lesson 9The Reformation in England1. There are five reasons, he says: 1) Because good

works are the fruit of our justification, and their absence shows a lack of justification; 2) to show our gratitude to God; 3) to glorify God before men; 4) to prove our faith to ourselves and oth-ers; and 5) to bring others to Christ.

2. Conversion is the change of our wills to desire to follow God. It consists in two main parts: the mortification of the old man and the quick-ening of the new man. The first of these in-volves knowledge of our sin, sorrow for it, and hatred of it. The second involves a knowledge of the mercy of God, a joy and delight in it, and an “ardent desire to perform new obedience.”

3. Ursinus gives three conditions for a good work: The first is that it be commanded by God, and to this extent, the unregenerate can sometimes do good works. The second, however, is that the work must be done from a true faith, because if it is not, it proceeds from a spirit of hypocrisy and a self-justifying conscience, and no one can do good without a good conscience. The third is that the work must be done ultimately for the sake of God’s glory and honor.

4. There were three main reasons: The first was simply that there had come to be too many ceremonies, “so that the burden of them was intolerable.” The second was that the New Covenant was one in which we were called to serve God in the freedom of the spirit, rather than being bound to figures and shadows as in the Old Covenant, so, while some ceremo-nies were appropriate, there was a burden of proof to justify their value. The third was that so many ceremonies had been abused to en-courage the superstition of the unlearned and thereby to line the pockets of the clergy.

5. All the prayers here are marked by a striking combination of humility and confidence, a combination that always seemed to elude the Roman Catholic theology and devotional texts of this period. On the one hand, the worship-per repeatedly acknowledges his sinfulness and unworthiness; on the other hand, he confi-dently lays hold of the mercy offered in Christ, with the conviction that in the partaking of the Eucharistic elements, the righteousness that is Christ’s will be shared with him.

6. They appealed to his loyalty to the king and queen, to his fear for his soul’s health, and above all to his desire to prolong his life and health, intimidating him with the fear of the torment of the stake.

7. In his recantation, Cranmer was particularly required to stress his obedience to the authority of the pope and his acceptance of the Catholic dogma of transubstantiation, the two issues that were, for the Roman Catholics at least, the two most important issues at stake in the Reforma-tion. Accordingly, when he recanted his recan-tation before his death, he singled out these two truths: “As for the pope, I refuse him . . . . And as for the sacrament, I believe as I have taught in my book against the bishop of Winchester [which had refuted the doctrine of transubstantiation].”

8. A long list of complaints are made, but two are particularly significant: first, ministers are not chosen appropriately, that is by the whole con-gregation (being instead appointed by bish-ops); second, they do not preach adequately, or at all, being “bare readers” and considering one sermon a month sufficient.

9. Again there are a great many complaints thrown together, but some key ones include the inadequate fencing of the table to those able to give an authentic profession of faith, the practice of kneeling at communion, and the multitude of ceremonies that have sprung up around the administration of the sacraments.

10. This is the area of greatest concern for Field and Wilcox, and it is notable that they have at least two things in mind under the heading of “discipline”—the first is the structure of church offices, and the second is the practice of discipline itself, chiefly excommunication. Un-der the first heading, they lament the absence of “seniors or elders” from the English church; the distinction between priests, bishops, and archbishops, rather than equality among all ministers; and the fact that deacons no longer


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have their apostolic role of caring for the poor. Under the latter heading, they complain that great sins go unpunished while excommunica-tion is casually handed out for minor offenses, and that the practice of public penitence has been replaced with private absolution.

11. Hooker says that key to their argument is the prejudice that whatever is older is better and, ac-cordingly, that the church must reform as much as possible to match what it was like in the apos-tles’ time. Hooker thinks this principle unsound, and their application of it woefully inconsistent. They also, he says, often argue by appealing to other learned men in Reformed churches on the Continent, but Hooker thinks that the apparent consensus they appeal to is really just the author-ity of Calvin, who is not infallible.

12. Hooker contends for a sharp distinction be-tween matters of church government and matters of faith and salvation, and he argues that his opponents, too, when pressed, will ac-knowledge a clear difference here. It is signif-icant, though, he argues, because Scripture is only indispensable and comprehensive when it comes to matters of faith and salvation; God did not always see fit to fully reveal secondary matters, such as of government and ceremo-nies, in Scripture, since nature itself and hu-man wisdom can provide guidance.

13. The chief goal of ceremonies, he says, should be the “outward edification of the church.” This edification involves both the mind and the emotions, and since the emotions are moved chiefly by the senses, edifying cere-monies must work upon the senses. The eye, especially, can make a deep impression upon us, and so religious ceremonies should have a “visible solemnity” to move our hearts through our senses, and our minds through our hearts, to the contemplation of spiritual realities.

14. Cranmer did not think it was right for Henry to marry his brother’s wife, even though the

church had bent over backwards to accom-modate Henry. This became a situation where Cranmer believed the church’s approval and the biblical prohibition ran afoul of one another.

15. The Church, believing that marriage was a holy sacrament, supported the King’s marriage. But when he desired to have this marriage nullified, the Church could not support this, and Henry broke with the Roman Catholic Church. Thus, the breaking up of Henry VIII’s first marriage also constitutes the break between Henry and the Roman Catholic Church.

16. The Book of Common Prayer, written by Thomas Cranmer, was a new prayer book that was decidedly Protestant in many ways. It played an important role in the prayer life and worship of the English-speaking people. The Book of Common Prayer also played a role in the development of the English language.

17. Cranmer was burned at the stake under Mary Tudor’s reign. He had earlier recanted some of his Protestant teachings, but just before going to the stake he famously recanted his recant, and proclaimed that his hand—which had signed his recantation of Protestantism—would be the first to burn.

18. Marriage was not treated as a sacrament of the church. The vows were the centerpiece of the wedding ceremony, and not the sacrament.

Lesson 10Spenser I1. Redcrosse was tasked with killing a great dragon

in order to win honor from the Faerie Queene.

2. The monster, when Redcrosse overcame it, spewed out poison, books, papers, and frogs and toads without eyes. The poison is in it-self an allegory for error, while the books and papers are symbolic of heresies and false doctrine. The frogs and toads without eyes demonstrate that error is blind.

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3. Archimago conjured two sprites from Hecate to send Redcrosse visions of Una beside him, attempting to seduce him.

4. She led him to the House of Pride, a house that seems beautiful but stands on a weak foundation.

5. The counselors were named Idleness, Glut-tony, Lechery, Avarice, Envy, and Wrath. Idleness rode a slothful donkey; Gluttony rode on a filthy swine; Lechery rode a beard-ed, “jealous” goat; Avarice rode a camel lad-en with gold; Envy rode a ravenous wolf; and Wrath rode a lion.

6. Redcrosse encountered Sansjoy, who an-nounced that Redcrosse had earlier killed his elder brother Sansfoy, and so Sansjoy now wants to kill Redcrosse to avenge his brother.

7. Duessa warns Sansjoy that Redcrosse bears a charmed shield and enchanted arms that none can pierce.

8. Spenser was born in 1552 or 1553, at the begin-ning of the reign of Mary Tudor (Bloody Mary).

9. Sidney was a poet, a courtier of Queen Eliza-beth, a military man, and a quintessential re-naissance man—skilled in many areas of life, in-cluding politics, poetry, and battle. He died from wounds received in battle against the Spanish, and he is known for heroically giving his water to someone else as he lay mortally wounded.

10. It is said that he nobly spread his cloak across a puddle so the queen might walk across it without getting wet.

11. The well-worn armor represents Christ’s im-puted righteousness that we receive from Him. Redcrosse has not yet become sanctified and battle-tested himself, but the metaphor in-dicates he is already justified before God.

12. They come upon an old hermit who is a de-ceiver, meant to be an image of the Roman Ca-tholicism they are rejecting.

13. We can be dressed in armor, i.e., in the righ-teousness of Christ, and be justified before God, but we still have to learn through the process of sanctification to discern good from evil. If we don’t have truth accompanying our holiness, our sanctification won’t progress, and we will fall into error and sins.

Lesson 11Spenser II1. Redcrosse took off his weapons and armor to

rest beside a river and rest with Duessa. Dues-sa encouraged him to drink from the stream, knowing it was impure. Redcrosse did so care-lessly and was captured. This is significant because Redcrosse foolishly disarms himself, both physically against the giant and mentally against Duessa.

2. The giant takes Duessa as his concubine, dress-ing her in royal robes and placing a tall crown on her head. It demonstrates that Duessa is fickle, supporting whomever she can gain the most from. She does not care for Redcrosse’s plight after she is made the giant’s queen.

3. The knight’s armor, shining from far away, was made of deadly steel, and at his chest were precious stones. His blade’s sheath was ivory, and the sword’s hilt was burnished gold and mother of pearl. His helmet was a gold-en dragon, and, perhaps most importantly his shield was of pure diamond. The wealth and strength of these materials are typical of the highest royalty and holiness.

4. Lady Una revealed to King Arthur that she was the only daughter of a king and queen whose country was held captive by a mighty dragon. Many knights had died trying to kill the dragon because they lacked faith or were guilty of sin until Una went to Queene Glo-riana’s court to beg for help. Gloriana sends Redcrosse with Una to deliver her parents from the dragon’s power.


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5. As signs of gratitude, Arthur gave Redcrosse a diamond box imbued with gold and an or-nament containing a few drops of healing li-quor, and Redcrosse gave Arthur a book with his Savior’s testament written in gold. Arthur gave Redcrosse some of the elements we saw earlier that represent Arthur’s royalty and strength, while Redcrosse imparted to Arthur some of the wisdom his holiness is founded in.

6. Despair truthfully does say that the wages of sin are death, and that it is God’s law that every sinner must die. Una’s response to Despair is that where justice grows, there is greater grace.

7. Redcrosse, representing holiness, cannot be holy without truth, which Una represents. He keeps stumbling without the truth to guide him.

8. A drink from this river saps all of your strength. This echoes a story in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the story of the fountain of Salmacis.

9. Una meets King Arthur, and together they go to rescue Redcrosse.

10. King Arthur recounts his story of how he met the Faerie Queene and fell in love with her. He came in search of her to Faerie Land.

11. Despair convinced Terwin to take his own life. Despair used only his own words to plant doubt and despair in Terwin’s mind.

12. Redcrosse did not understand how mere words could wreck the soul and body of a man; he charged after Despair to bring him to justice.

13. He states that if Redcrosse commits suicide, it will have been the will of God for him to die that way. He says that the longer man lives, the more he sins, and the more judgment he deserves. So would it not be better to die sooner rather than heaping more judgment upon himself?

14. Redcrosse humbly admits that he needs help and is not as strong as he thought, so they go to the House of Holiness. There he is put to bed and taken care of.

Lesson 12Spenser III1. The Titaness cast her thought toward attempt-

ing to conquer the empire of the heavens.

2. Mutabilitie broke the laws of nature, justice, policy, wrong and right, bad and good, and death for life.

3. Answers may vary, but one suggestion is that Dame Nature’s response is intended to show the richness—and the limitations—of using general revelation, such as creation and sci-ence, to tackle philosophy’s deepest questions. Spenser’s own answer shows the depth of truth we can only find through God’s special revelation in the Bible.

4. The power of love is a burning flame and can alter the course of mankind.

5. Spenser attempted to immortalize a mortal thing; he sought to immortalize a woman’s virtue in his verse so that their love might surpass death.

6. Spenser calls upon the nine Muses, sisters and patron deities of the arts in classical antiquity, to aid him in singing the praises of his bride. Other books invoking the Muses include The Iliad, The Aeneid, and Paradise Lost.

7. In stanza 2, Spenser invokes the god of mar-riage, Hymen, and in stanzas 3 and 4 he calls upon the nymphs to help prepare the bride and the wedding. In referencing Greek mythology and imitating previous authors such as Homer and Virgil, Spenser is elevating the ode to their level—he is raising both the language and the content of his poem.

8. Spenser, having addressed only the Muses, nymphs, and other mythological characters, now addresses the bride directly for the first time.

9. In the twelfth stanza, Spenser describes the wedding as a Christian wedding, with organs playing praises to the Lord and the choir sing-ing as the virgins bring the bride to the altar. In

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the thirteenth stanza, the bride stands before a priest who blesses her. Angels are described as remaining around the altar.

10. Spenser might have used Greek imagery in the beginning of the poem to raise the language and elevate the subject matter of the wedding similarly to how great authors before him did. Then, at the marriage ceremony, Spenser gives a purely Christian ceremony, rooting the most important part of the wedding in Scripture. Afterwards, he again includes joyous Greek mythology to imitate the great works which came before him.

11. Each book was intended to represent a differ-ent virtue.

12. They are called the Mutabilitie Cantos be-cause in them a story is told about a mytho-logical Titaness who is named Mutabilitie, and through these stories the themes of mutability (or change) and constancy are explored.

13. Creation runs to Jupiter and asks him to deal with Mutabilitie. He decides to have a trial in Southern Ireland on Mount Arlo.

14. She begins a pageant. She introduces each of the seasons, and then the months and their different elements, and then invites Day and Night, the Hours, Life and Death, etc. All of these symbolic figures depict manifestations of change.

15. She states that though each month disappears, another one will come along, and after sever-al Octobers, we learn more and more clearly what “Octoberness” is like. The essence of Oc-tober becomes more and more real, while each individual one disappears.

16. It is thought that he was unable to give her his original gift due to losing his possessions and wealth in the Irish Rebellion.

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Unit 4 The Reformation