Download 3.3 A History of Christianity

3.3 A HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY
Response to Reform
SUCCESS OR CHAOS?
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“To every action there is a equal and opposite reaction” was also true for the
Reformation.
With the tight shackles of religious conformity removed, Christian thought
ranged from conservative consolidation to radical recklessness derived from
literal interpretation of scripture.
Response to corrupt excess brought joyless pietism and informing on
neighbours; spies and imprisonment for actions no longer approved.
Religious intolerance continued – the new Christian leaders themselves
disposed of opposing thinkers and challengers by banishment, beheading
and burning.
Persecutions, burnings and beheadings of “heretics”-on both sides- in the
name of God continued.
Wars of Religion raged over Europe. After 100 years of fighting, in 1650
Europe was still divided politically and religiously.
Precious and ancient books, saved from invading “barbarian” tribes, were
burned, churches and monasteries sacked in a new wave of pillage – this
time by Christians.
The heads of a number of Churches, not just Rome, still argued over power
and privilege with princes and kings.
CATHOLIC COUNTER-REFORMATION
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The response of Rome to the
reformers was initially to employ
age-old tactics- attack the reforms
with argument; excommunication,
pressure on civil authorities to
convict, banish, and outlaw
reformers; use of torture to
recant, burning, beheading,
hanging, hang, draw and quarter.
With secular as well as religious
rebellion breaking out,
“Protestants” no longer feared the
wrath of Rome.
Rome eventually realised that the
reformation was much more than
just a few rebels and responded
by calling the Council of Trent in
1545.
Luther burns the Leo X’s Papal Bull
excommunicating him in 1520.
THE JESUITS
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One of the great “weapons”
used by Rome in response
to the reformation was the
preaching of the newly
formed religious Order, the
Society of Jesus.
Formed by Ignatius of Loyola
((1491-1556) in 1540 of
some of the brightest and
best scholars of the time.
The Jesuits spread over
Europe with missionary zeal
to reform the Catholic
Church.
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The Jesuits set up schools all
over Europe and were
responsible for winning back
a proportion of disillusioned
Reformers to Rome.
s9.com
FIRST MISSIONARY EXPANSION
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Portugal and Spain were
largely untouched by the
Reformation, perhaps due
to the brutal suppression
of dissent.
The invention of
Portugese sailing ships
were as significant for
Christianity as the printing
press.
Ships now opened up the
East and the Americas for
Missionary activity,
especially by the Jesuits.
ROME FIGHTS BACK
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Catholic missionary activity to
Africa, Asia, the Americas was
to return vast wealth to the
Catholic church and a surge in
membership.
Ironically, the experience of the
Jesuits in the East, where their
efforts largely failed, seemed
to demonstrate that the
message of Love of Jesus was
most effectively spread by the
sword, as was done brutally by
the Spanish in the Americas
not persuasion, as used by
Francis Xavier and companions
in China and Japan.
A THIRD WORLD CHURCH
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The brutal conquest of
the Americas by the
Spanish under Cortez
and others and the
mass conversion of the
natives has resulted in
40% of Roman
Catholicism today being
from Latin America.
THE COUNCIL OF TRENT 1545-1563
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By specifying Catholic doctrine on
salvation, the sacraments, and the
Biblical canon, the Council was
answering Protestant disputes.
The council also issues numerous
reform decrees on priestly training,
the Mass, veneration of saints;
Church structure and management;
roles of laity and clergy.
The council published a Catechism for
the whole church, stating
categorically the beliefs of the one
true church.
The tone of the council was
aggressive towards reformers,
declaring Protestantism heresy and
its teachings anathema.
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It represented a circling of the wagons
for Catholicism, which retreated into its
own world for more than 400 years.
SEX, THE JESUITS AND THE BAROQUE
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The impact of the council of Trent and the
hardline to Reformers that the Catholic
Church took, resulted in a Catholic Church
turned in on itself, “closed ranks” against
the Protestant heretics, confident that it
had reformed itself of its worst excesses.
The Catholic Church’s response to its
problems with sexuality and women
continued. The decree to cover the
genitalia of males in all previously
produced artwork, (but to leave naked
women exposed) is an indication of the
inability of the Church to face up to its
issues with sex and women. Celibacy for
priests was again mandated.
The Jesuits used Baroque art to promote
the new, self-confident Catholic belief that
it was still the true Reformed Church and
to promote Catholic theology.
PROTESTANT AUSTERE PIETISM
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One Protestant response to the
excessive wealth and self indulgent
lifestyle of much of the pre-Reformation
clergy and nobility was a call to what
Calvin described as “devout” Christian
lifestyle, which involved abstinence from
gambling, drinking and dancing, plain
dressing and sober habits.
Many considered the lifestyle prescribed
as austere, harsh and controlled and
led to spying on neighbours, annual
inspections of homes for religious
symbols and even the death penalty for
adultery in Geneva.
This dour, mirthless Christianity seemed
to go to the opposite extremes of the
lifestyle criticised in the Catholic church.
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Examples are the Swiss Calvinists,
Scots Presbyterians and the English
Puritans (“the Godly).
historyforkids.org
INTOLERANCE OF DISSENTING VIEWS
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There is significant evidence that
despite claims of religious freedom
won by the Reformation, key leaders
such as Luther, Zwingli, Knox,
Cranmer and Calvin were intolerant of
dissidents.
Key reformers still advocated the
burning of “witches” as they had
made pacts with the Devil.
In England, “Papists”, reformers,
Anabaptists, supporters of Luther- all
went to the stake, or were hung
drawn and quartered in the chaos of
Henry VIII’s reign and that of his
children Edward, Mary and Elizabeth.
Luther advocated of the massacre of
peasants in their revolt in Germany in
152 CE.
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The principle which the Reformation
had upheld -the right of private
judgment in matters of faith -- was as
completely rejected by many Protestant
leaders as by the Catholics . . .
thereformation.info
PILLAGE
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The property of churches,
convents and monasteries
passed to the looters over
great areas of Christendom:
Scandinavia, the British Isles,
the Northern Netherlands,
much of the Germanies and
many of the Swiss Cantons.
The endowments of hospitals,
colleges, schools, guilds, were
largely though not wholly
seized.
Under cover of the Gospel,
Princes and Kings were often
only intent on the plunder of
the Churches.
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Protestant leaders such as
Erasmus and Philip
Melanchthon condemned the
looting.
Others, such as Zwingli,
advocated the ordered removal
of statues and painting over of
art.
REFORMATION WARS
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The early years of the
reformation were mainly violence
free, but rebellion by protestant
groups against Catholic kings
and princes led inevitably to war.
The peasants revolt in Germany
in 1524 was savagely put down
by Protestant and Catholic
Princes alike, at the urging of
Luther.
Wars between Catholics and
Protestants occurred in France
(1562-1598); Spain (against the
Dutch and English Protestants);
Germany (Thirty Years war 16181648) and England (16421649).
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The St Bartholomew’s Day
Massacre of Protestant
Huguenots in France in 1572 is
one of the worst examples of
religious warfare in Christian
history.
END OF SECTION 3 PART 3
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