Download THE REFORMATION - Soundview Preparatory School

THE REFORMATION
I.
II.
Reformation defined
A. Outgrowth of the Italian Renaissance's emphasis on Humanism
(value of the individual) and a growing recognition that the Catholic
Church needed to change
B. A period of time marked by major changes in religious thinking and
practices
1. Major effects in Northern European countries
2. Southern European countries also affected, although to a
smaller degree and later
C.
Protestant was a name given after the formation of non-Catholic
churches
D.
Far reaching effects on science and social thinking which gave rise
to periods of time called the Scientific Awakening and the
Enlightenment (both of which lagged the period known as the
Reformation)
Condition of the Catholic church in the 15th and 16th Centuries
A. The events at the end of the Middle Ages had caused great
upheavals in the Church
1. The headquarters of the Catholic Church had been moved to
Avignon, France in the 1300's (the "Babylonian Captivity")
and returned to Rome after a Century
2. France versus Italy (and other countries too) over control of
the papacy resulted at times in multiple Popes ("Great
Schism")
3. Corruption and schemes to collect money (twice as much
was needed since there were two bureaucracies during the
schism and then continued to rebuild Rome)
1. Immorality of clergy (including local priests and nuns
as well as higher officials)
2. Parish stipends to outsiders who never come to the
parish
3. Wealth of bishops
4. Preoccupation with politics (example: Julius II)
5. Acceptance of money for church favors (simony)
6. Exemption of church and clerics from civil laws,
courts, and taxes
7. Moonlighting of local priests
8. Arbitrary use of excommunication
9. Indulgences
B. Dissent by some reformers
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1.
C.
Wycliffe in England (1330-1384)
1. Published a statement of 12 conclusions (reforms)
which called for, among others, the Catholic church to
give up its holdings of land, denial of the miracle of
transubstantiation, cessation of celibacy of priests,
cessation of pilgrimages "to dumb wooden idols"
2. Translated the Bible into English
3. Headed a conference in Brugge on papal excesses
but the conference failed to rally support
4. Wycliffe's supporters were called Lollards
5. Protected by the English crown (especially John of
Gaunt (Ghent), a younger son of Edward III)
2. Jan Hus in Bohemia (died in 1415)
1. Published support of Wycliffe
2. Denied papal infallibility
3. Protected by the Holy Roman Emperor Wenceslaus
4. Given safe conduct to Rome (by Holy Roman
Emperor Sigismund who succeeded Wenceslaus in
1414) to discuss his views
5. Executed by the clergy when Sigismund refused to
keep his word and take a firm stand against the
church's arrest of Hus
Indulgences
1. Arose from the concepts that 1. The punishment for a sin could be converted to a
monetary value (as originally set forth in the Mosaic
law for civil crimes)
2. The church had a treasury of grace (from its good
works) and accumulated suffering of the saints
3. The extension of forgiveness of past sins to
forgiveness of future sins was a realization that the
only place that the forgiveness made a difference was
after this life anyway
2. Church bankrupt due to wars and the expenses of the
schism
3. Building of Saint Peters basilica
4. Archbishop of Mainz (Albert) needed money to get a papal
dispensation because he was underage to be a bishop and
he held too many ecclesiastical posts at the same time
1. Tetzel, a bishop, was retained to sell the indulgences
in Germany with ½ going to the Pope and ½ to Albert
2. Emperor Charles V supported the scheme to try to
ensure support of the Pope for his reign as Holy
Roman Emperor (which was having problems since
he lived in Spain but controlled major portions of
Holland, Germany, Austria, and Italy)
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III.
Martin Luther
A. Personal life
1. Born in 1483 in central Germany (for reference:
Michelangelo born 1475)
2. Peasant stock and proud of it
3. Studied at the University of Erfurt -- BA liberal arts, MA in
law
4. Entered monastery of the Order of Austin 3 months after
getting MS because of a strong, personal religious promise
that if he were saved from harm during a storm he would go
into the priesthood
5. Ordained in 1507, PhD in theology in 1512 from Wittenburg
University
6. Became a professor of theology at Wittenburg
B. Luther and the Catholic Church
1. Had personal depression because of his own sins
1. Immersed himself in the scriptures to try to lift himself
from his depression which was largely caused by the
Catholic belief that mankind was conceived in sin and
needed the Church to be saved
2. Luther felt that faith in Christ had been shifted to faith
in the church
3. Luther read in Romans that "the just shall live by faith"
which he took to mean that he didn't have to live to
perfection but that he only needed to have faith and
with that faith he would be given the grace of God
which would lift him out of the sin that he (or Adam)
created for himself
4. This doctrine brought conflict with the idea of
indulgences because under the Lutheran doctrine
man's own faith would be sufficient for salvation and
the Church would not be needed, hence indulgences
would not be needed
5. Other innovations brought into the church (such as
veneration of the Virgin Mary) were questioned as
being outside the scriptures
2. Posted 95 theses (statements) against indulgences and
other Catholic Church practices on the church door of the
Wittenburg University chapel
1. 31 October 1517
2. Probably precipitated by the presence of Tetzel, an
indulgencer sponsored by the Pope and a local
archbishop, who was collecting for rebuilding St.
Peters
3. All theses were not just academic; some had
emotional involvement
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4.
3.
4.
Example: Why doesn't the Pope, a very wealthy man,
build St. Peters cathedral out of his own pocket and
not tax the poor Christians?
5. Luther wanted the theses to be understood by the
people as well as by clerics
1. Luther prepared a German translation of the
official Latin version and distributed it
2. The date of the posting (the day before All
Saints Day) insured that there would be a large
crowd to see the document
3. The printing of the theses gained widespread
interest and made them not just academic
debate points
4. With the printing of the theses, support for
Luther grew widely and was very strong, thus
alarming the Catholic Church
6. Luther made a strong attack (personally and
professionally) against Tetzel (the indulgencer)
7. The sale of indulgences plunged (Tetzel was kicked
out of Berlin without selling a single indulgence)
8. Tetzel responded the following January with his own
set of theses
Archbishop Albert asked for heresy action against Luther
1. The Pope initially believed that the dispute was trivial
(academic interest only)
2. The Pope asked the head of Luther's order (Order of
Austin) to silence Luther
3. Luther was condemned by the Pope (1520) and
ordered to burn the materials he had written that we
critical of the church
4. Luther burned the Pope's order in public and was
excommunicated (1521)
Diet of Worms
1. Luther was summoned to a diet at Worms (1521) in
which the Holy Roman Emperor (Charles V) hoped to
solve the problem and have Luther reinstated (The
debate was tearing Charles' empire apart)
1. Diet is a trial or convocation of one day
duration (note that the current German
parliament, Reichstag, also takes its name
from "Royal Day")
2. The emperor ordered Luther to stop criticizing
the Pope and the Church. (The issue was
acceptance of the Pope's authority not
indulgences or any other of the issues raised
by the 95 theses.)
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3.
5.
6.
7.
Luther stated that "Unless I am proved wrong
by scriptures or by evident reason, then I am a
prisoner in conscience to the word of God. I
cannot retract and I will not retract. To go
against the conscience is neither safe nor right.
God help me. Amen."
4. Luther was condemned and outlawed by the
emperor
Luther was "kidnaped" to preserve the supposed innocence
of Frederick the Wise (Duke of Saxony)
1. Held in Wartburg Castle (initially incognito but then
openly)
2. Protection was granted on political grounds as a
statement of German independence of the church and
the emperor (who was Spanish) not necessarily as
support for Luther
Luther published several tracts which received immediate
and widespread support among the people in Germany and
Scandinavia
1. The pamphlets attacked the Pope's authority directly
2. Over 10,000 tracts were published between 1500 and
1530 with over 80% being about religion
3. The Catholic response was also in tracts but theirs
were written mostly (over 80%) in Latin and did not,
therefore, reach the people
Luther's Bible
1. Written in German (helped define the German
language, along with Göethe)
2. Wrote prefaces and other teaching aids to assist in
reading the text and in understanding the doctrine
(from Luther's point of view)
1. Preface to Romans "...this epistle is in truth the
principal part of the New Testament and the
very purest Gospel. It fully deserves that every
Christian should know it by heart, word for
word, and should feed upon it every day, as
daily bread for his soul. It cannot be read too
often nor too deeply pondered, and the more it
is studied, the more precious and sweet to the
taste does it become...scholastics and sophists
are deceivers, when they teach men that they
can by works prepare themselves for grace."
2. Used woodcut illustrations to depict themes
such as the dragon of Revelation and the
whore of Babylon, both of which wore crowns
similar to those worn by the pope.
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8.
C.
D.
Luther eventually emerged from the castle and established
the Lutheran Church
1. In 1542 a central Lutheran Church was established
1. Councils held to define Lutheran doctrine
2. Luther assumed the leadership of the
reformation church and movement
2. Many groups united behind Luther (humanists, antiRomanists, political activists, economic activists)
Religious implications
1. Luther stated that the Pope did not have the authority to
speak for God
2. Luther stated that the church and the priesthood were not
necessary for salvation
3. Luther stated that each person had the right to seek
authority from God and that God's grace would come to any
who sought it
4. Luther's statements against papal authority and the
necessity of the priesthood would be similar to someone in
the USA stating that the supreme court did not have the
authority to interpret the constitution but, rather, each person
could interpret the constitution for himself
Political consequences of Luther's movement
1. Initially individual cities proclaimed that the local church
could preach according to Luther's teaching
2. A peasants' war (1524-1525) occurred but was criticized by
Luther as being too radical and violent
3. Charles V lost support of Germany
1. The Pope withheld support from Charles because of
political pressure from Francis I
2. Charles eventually abdicated the
German/Austrian/Bohemian throne in favor of his
brother as a compromise with the German princes
4. Northern Europe (Northern Germany, Scandinavia, Low
Countries) become Protestant
1. German princes supported Protestantism as a
method of exerting political independence from
Charles V and his Hapsburg successors
2. Scandinavian kings were anxious to counter French
influence
3. Low Countries were anxious to overthrow Spanish
rule
1. Phillip II, Charles V's son, attempted to stop the
Protestant movement in the Low Countries
2. Phillip was defeated in the Low Countries after
many years of war
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3.
IV.
V.
The Low Countries became largely protestant,
although the French-speaking portions
remained Catholic
Counter reformation
A. Jesuits (Society of Jesus) formed (1534)
1. Founded by Ignatius Loyola
2. Originally formed to strengthen the Catholic Church
3. Used as both intellectual and moral warriors
4. Did not originate but eventually controlled the inquisition
5. Many explorers from the order were missionaries to new
lands
1. Francis Xavier in the Far East
2. Marquette in the New World
6. Eventually evicted from several countries for their fanatical
support of the Catholic Church and the order
1. Fomented some rebellions against governments they
believed to be against them or their ideas
2. Suspended in Portugal and France in mid-1700's
3. Suspended by the Pope from 1773-1814
B. Inquisition
1. Started prior to the reformation but used strongly after Luther
became popular throughout Catholic Europe
2. Was a method of insuring that the people were not adopting
Protestant ideas
3. Strongest in Spain because the Catholic Kings (Ferdinand
and Isabella) were anxious to rid Spain of the Moslems and
Jews (and to take over their property)
4. Charles V and his successors also used the Inquisition to
suppress dissent
5. Sought to control what people read, thought, and how they
acted
C.
Council of Trent (1545-1560)
1. Defined Catholic doctrine in light of the reformation
2. Suggested reforms to the Catholic Church
3. Allowed greater liberty of opinion (as a method of dealing
with Protestant concepts that were infiltrating the Catholic
Church)
4. Stated that the king of each country could define the official
church of the country and that the king could insist that all
people belong to the same church
5. Tried to effect a reconciliation with Protestants but it was too
late
Zwingli (Zurich)
A. Began preaching against papal authority before Luther
B. Strong Swiss patriot, social reformer, and theologian
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C.
VI.
Supported Luther and convinced Zurich city officials to let him
change parts of the mass
1. Lay members received both bread and wine
2. Priests wore normal clothes
3. Language was German
4. Idols removed
D.
Zwingli's church in Zurich is now a national treasure
E. In 1531 there was a battle for control of Switzerland's religion
between Protestant and Catholic cantons
1. Zwingli died in the battle
2. Individual cantons given control over religion
F.
Zurich Anabaptists ("baptized again")
1. In 1525 separated themselves from Zwingli because they felt
he did not go far enough in his reforms
2. Adults must proclaim devotion to Christ and be baptized
publicly
3. Kicked out of churches in Zurich and expelled from the city
4. Fled to Münster (communal living, polygamy, New
Jerusalem)
5. Mennonites, Amish, and Hutterites are related groups
Calvin (Geneva)
A. Early life
1. Born in France
2. Not trained as a priest but as a lawyer
3. Taught school and was a writer
4. Worked for the Catholic Church as a bureaucrat (appointed
by his father)
B. Effect of Luther's teachings
1. Calvin was strongly converted to the ideas of Luther
2. Became almost militarist in his opposition to the Catholic
Church
3. Wrote and taught with careful skill (versus Luther who wrote
while still formulating concepts)
4. Not nationalistic (like Luther) because he taught people from
many countries
C.
Teachings
1. God governs all things and is all powerful
2. Bible is the sole source of the will of God and no Pope or
any other person or tradition can overturn it
3. Mankind is inherently evil and can be saved only by the
grace of God
1. God chooses whom he will save (predestination)
1. Note: Don't confuse predestination with
predictability.
2. Example: All men in the class raise their hands
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3.
2.
3.
4.
I can predict who will raise their hands, but the
individuals are still free to choose whether they
will raise their hands
Mankind can improve chances of being saved by
living a righteous life (The elect will follow God's
commands)
Profession of faith is required
Universal priesthood where all are equal in the faith
D.
VII.
Geneva
1. Had just overthrown the local Catholic authorities and were
looking for a protestant leader
2. Wanted to establish the perfect Christian community
3. Calvin accepted the leadership of the community
4. Established a church/state government
1. The ruling body was 200 elders
2. Called a Presbyterian (elders) government
5. All Catholics either kicked out or forced to convert
6. Liquor, singing, pleasure seeking were prohibited except
when the purpose of the activity was seeking Christian
brotherhood
7. Literal interpretation of the scriptures
1. Copernicus was declared to be a fraud
2. Any contrary interpretation was persecuted
8. Details in the peoples' lives were controlled to eliminate any
Catholic influence
1. Curfews
2. Naming of children to avoid any names associated
with Catholic beliefs
3. Some people executed for disagreeing with Calvin
9. Calvin objected to government dictates on ecclesiastical
issues (infringing his power) and was exiled from Geneva;
moved to Strasbourg
10. Returned to Geneva at request of new city council (on his
own terms)
11. Established an academy to teach his principles
1. People from many countries were taught by Calvin
2. His teachings founded protestant movements in many
countries
France
A. Francis I (1494-1547)
1. Very strong ruler
1. Supported the arts (such as Leonardo da Vinci)
[Movie Ever After]
2. Castles in the Loire valley (Chambourg)
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3.
B.
C.
Already had considerable ecclesiastical power and so
he had no need to create a separation from Roman
Catholicism to maintain power
4. Fierce rival of the Hapsburg family (Charles V)
2. Francis I
1. Wanted the Pope's support in his conflicts with
Charles V
2. Initially gave some freedom to the Protestants
3. When the Pope criticized this support, Francis
suppressed the Protestants
4. Threatened the Pope with invasion and won the right
to name bishops, although the Pope still had
theoretical veto power
3. Francis died in 1547
Henry II succeeded Francis I
1. Married Catherine d'Medici
2. Henry suppressed Protestantism
3. Calvin's influence from Geneva (next to France) and Calvin's
desire to convert his motherland raised pressure on the
French Catholic Church
1. Many Protestant missionaries sent into France who
converted many even in the face of official
suppression
2. The French converts were called Huguenots
3. Many aristocratic French women (and later their
husbands) became Protestants, thus giving the
Huguenots some armed forces (the private armies of
the aristocrats)
4. Henry II died in 1559 without a male heir
Francis II, Charles IX, and the Henry III ruled successively
1. All were controlled by their mother, Catherine d'Medici, a
strong Catholic
1. Francis II married Mary Queen of Scots
2. Francis II died without a male heir
3. Charles IX approved the St. Bartholomew Day
massacre and a war against the Huguenots ensued
4. Charles IX died without a male heir
5. Henry III was elected king of Poland but returned to
rule France when his brother, Charles IX died
6. Henry III tried to stop the war with the Huguenots but
was attacked by his cousin, Henry of Lorraine (of the
Guise family), who had the backing of the Catholic
church
7. Henry III was able to withstand his cousin and
eventually had him and his brothers assassinated
8. Henry III named Henry of Navarre his heir
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9.
VIII.
Henry III was eventually stabbed by a monk for being
too accommodating to the Protestants (Henry III was
the last of the Valois dynasty in which succession
had been in dispute since 1328, when the Capetian
dynasty ended)
2. St. Bartholomew Day massacre (1572)
1. During the reign of Henry III, Catherine authorized the
ambush of French Protestant leaders who had come
to Paris to attend the wedding of Henry of Navarre
(leading pretender to the French throne and a
Protestant)
2. After midnight these leaders were awakened, only to
be stabbed or thrown from windows
3. The killing of the leaders encouraged roving bands of
Paris Catholics to hunt out and kill all Protestants they
could find
4. It is said that the Seine River was clogged with bodies
5. Scores of bodies were hung as warnings to others
who may want to convert to Protestantism
3. Protestants united their forces to stop the slaughter and the
king tried to accommodate some of their wishes
D.
Henry of Navarre
1. He was a Protestant (from a family whose estates were in
northern Spain) who was offered the crown if he would
convert to Catholicism
2. His family name was Bourbon
3. He accepted and became Henry IV (first of the Bourbon
dynasty)
4. Henry signed the edict of tolerance (Edict of Nantes) and
Huguenots were no longer persecuted
England
A. Catholicism in England
1. England considered itself to have a Christian Church before
the formation of Roman Catholicism (claims?)
1. Joseph of Arimathea and others (The Lost Disciples,
Whence Came They? and other books)
2. Sailed to England about 50 AD, Avalon colony (also
built a church at Glastonbury)
3. Converted Celtic nobility to make England first
Christian country in the 1st C
1. Druid priests also accepted Christian practices
2. Romans persecuted the Christians in Britain
4. Paul visited England and ordained the first English
Bishop
5. Sent missionaries to France and Rome
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6.
B.
C.
English missionaries spread Christianity to France,
Ireland and other places within the Roman Empire
7. First Roman Bishop (Linus) was a missionary from
England who was sent to assist in establishing the
church in Rome and was ordained by Peter (thus
becoming the Bishop of Rome)
2. St. Augustine of Canterbury visited Britain in 604 AD (sent
by Pope Gregory I)
1. Had success because of the large number of
Christians already in England, including the wife of
the Saxon king Ethelbert
2. Established the presence of the Roman Catholic
Church
3. Roman Catholic church gained support over the period of
the Middle Ages (in England and throughout Europe)
because of their strong central coordination among the
various Christian countries in Europe and their establishment
of the Holy Roman Empire under Charlemagne
Luther-believing Protestants in England
1. Gained support secretly
2. Tyndall's English translation of the Bible
1. Notes and comments were Lutheran in tone
2. Followed a tradition in England of giving the common
people access to the Bible
3. Died as a martyr after being captured by agents of the
Holy Roman Emperor when Tyndale went to Holland
3. Henry VIII was a supporter of the Catholic Church during the
early days of the reformation
1. Wrote a pamphlet condemning Luther
2. Named "Defender of the Faith" by the Pope
Henry VIII
1. Henry's older brother, Prince Arthur, married Catherine of
Aragon (daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella and aunt to
Charles V) but then Arthur died before becoming king (1501)
2. Henry's father decided that Henry VIII should marry
Catherine to cement relationships with Spain
1. A Papal dispensation was given to permit the
marriage of a women to her dead spouse's brother
(1510)
2. Henry and Catherine had 6 miscarriages and still
born.
3. One infant, Mary, survived to maturity
3. Henry became concerned that his marriage was cursed
1. Lev 20:21 -- And if a man shall take his brothers's
wife, it is an unclean thing: he hath uncovered his
brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.
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2.
D.
Lack of a male heir (Catherine was 42) convinced
Henry that the marriage was cursed
3. Henry knew that he was not at fault as he had
fathered an illegitimate son (who was Lord Mountjoy,
Erasmus's patron in England)
4. Henry informed Catherine that their marriage was
never valid and that their only child (Mary) could not
inherit the throne
5. Passion for Anne Boleyn and her pregnancy
4. Charles V (Holy Roman Emperor) was Catherine's nephew
and put pressure on the Pope to not grant the dispensation
for the divorce or to state that the original dispensation had
been in error
5. The French king, Francis I, also put pressure on the pope to
not grant the annulment
1. Henry had betrothed Mary Tudor (his daughter by
Catherine) to the Dauphin of France when she was
very little
2. Should Mary inherit the English throne, England
would become a possession of the French
3. This was especially galling since the Hundred Years
War had been fought over just this type of confused
inheritance
Dissent in England over the proposed divorce (and separation from
the Catholic church)
1. University professors gave support to scriptural law over
papal law and thereby gave Henry intellectual and
theological authority to defy the Pope
2. Cardinal Wolsey tried to accommodate both Pope and King
but was convicted for placing a foreign power (the Pope)
above the English King (treason) and was beheaded (1529)
3. Thomas More (King's chancellor) resigned rather than make
a choice of Pope versus king but was eventually executed
(Movie: A Man for All Seasons)
4. Thomas Cromwell succeeded as chancellor and becomes a
strong proponent of Protestantism
5. Trial held and Henry's marriage to Catherine declared
annulled
6. Henry squelched internal dissent by restricting religious
choice only to the Church of England (which retained most of
the rituals of the Roman Catholic Church)
7. Luther-like Protestantism discouraged by Henry
8. Henry dissolved all Catholic monasteries and confiscated
their property (approximately 1/4 of all land in England)
9. Money became as important as religion in the separation
from the Catholic church
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E.
F.
G.
Wives of Henry VIII after Catherine
1. Anne Boleyn
1. Mother of Elizabeth
2. Executed for infidelity
2. Jane Seymour
1. Mother of Edward VI
2. Died shortly after birth of Edward
3. Anne of Cleves
1. German princess
2. Divorced when her principal backer in court
(Cromwell) lost favor
3. No children
4. Catherine Howard
1. No children
2. Convicted of misconduct and executed
5. Catherine Parr
1. Outlived Henry
2. No children
Edward VI (son of Jane Seymour, the wife who succeeded Anne
Boleyn)
1. Reasonable laws enacted (some wondered at his
reasonableness -- Twain's The Prince and the Pauper)
1. Revoked all laws restricting religious freedom
2. Parliament approved Book of Common Prayer which
contained both Protestant and Catholic prayers
2. Died in 1553 after only 6 years reign
3. Attempted to prevent Mary Tudor from succeeding by
recognizing his cousin, Lady Jane Grey, as the heir
1. Lady Jane Grey declared queen
2. Forces of Mary Tudor protested and parliament
recognized Mary's claim after 9 days
3. Lady Jane Grey convicted of treason and executed
Mary Tudor (Daughter of Catherine of Aragon)
1. Married Phillip II of Spain
1. Very unpopular marriage with the English people
2. Strong rivalry with Spain during this period
3. Fear of becoming a Spanish colony through marriage
(as happened with Holland, Austria, Naples, etc.)
2. Re-instituted the Catholic Church as the only acceptable
church but this was resisted by the people and parliament
3. Persecuted all dissenters from Catholicism
1. Became known as Bloody Mary
2. Over 300 Protestants executed during her reign
4. Full reconciliation with the Catholic Church not achieved
1. Pope insisted on full restoration of Church lands and
properties
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2.
IX.
Mary denied the Pope's terms in order to gain
parliamentary support for other aspects of the
reconciliation
3. Still, Roman Catholic Church became the state
religion during Mary's reign
5. Mary died in 1558
Creativity during the Reformation
A. Did the reformation promote or discourage creativity? Why?
B. How did the reformers' belief in objective truth promote science and
eventually lead to a clash between theology and science?
C.
Why was membership in scientific societies dominated by
Protestants, even in Catholic countries?
D.
What were the types of creativity that were most Protestant in their
nature?
1. Writing?
2. Science?
3. Philosophy and theology?
4. Painting?
5. Music?
6. Sculpture and architecture?
E. Was Luther creative? Why?
F.
Was Calvin creative? Why?
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