Download The Protestant Reformation

The Protestant Reformation
Erasmus and Christian Humanism
 The major goal of Christian Humanism was to reform the Catholic
Church
 Humanists believed in the ability of humans to reason and improve
themselves.
 Believed if people read the classic works of Christianity, they could become
more pious. This inner piety would bring about a reform of Catholicism.
 Erasmus was the best known of the Christian Humanists.
 He believed that Christianity should show people how to live good lives on a
daily basis rather than provide a system of beliefs that people have to practice
to be saved
 Erasmus wanted reform within the Catholic church…he didn’t
want to break away from the church. However, his work paved
the way for the work of Martin Luther
 “Erasmus laid the egg that Luther hatched.”
Why Reformation?
 CORRUPTION IN THE CHURCH!!
 The Renaissances popes were often more concerned with politics, and
power, than religious affairs.
 They were also preoccupied with money and used their church positions
to gain wealth…they were unaware of their spiritual obligations.
 Since the leaders in the church were failing in their duties, people wanted
reassurance of their salvation, or acceptance into Heaven. As a result, the
process of obtaining salvation became mechanical.
 How to get into Heaven?
 People began collecting relics in exchange for an indulgence which is a
release from all or part of the punishment for a sin.
 The Church also sold indulgences in the form of certificates… Pay your
money, get into Heaven.
Martin Luther
 Martin Luther was a monk and
professor
 He studied the bible in order to find the
answer to a problem – the certainty of
salvation – which had bothered him for a
while.
 Catholic teaching stressed that both faith
and good deeds were needed, but Luther
believed that faith in God alone would
earn one entrance into Heaven. God’s
grace could not be earned through good
deeds.
 This idea was called “justification”
The 95 Theses
 Luther was PISSED about the
selling of indulgences!
 In October of 1517, sent a list of 95
Theses to his church superiors. These
theses were an attack on the
corruption of the church and the sale
of indulgences.
 Thousands of copies of the Theses
were printed and spread through all
of Germany.
 The Catholic church didn’t worry
 “Some drunken German who will
amend his ways when he sobers up”
A Break with the Church
 Luther called on German princes to overthrow the Pope and
establish a reformed German church.
 He abolished all of the Catholic Sacraments except for Baptism and
Communion.
 He also allowed the priests to marry which went against the long-standing
Catholic requirement that priests remain celibate/unmarried.
 Through all of these changes, Luther continued to emphasize
the doctrine that faith alone leads to salvation.
 The Catholic church excommunicated Luther in 1521. He
was later made an outlaw within the Catholic empire.
The Rise of Lutheranism
 During the next few years, Luther’s religious movement
became a Revolution.
 German rulers began to support Luther’s ideas and took control of the
Catholic churches, forming instead state churches whose affairs were
supervised by the government.
 The doctrine developed by Luther became known as Lutheranism, and
the churches as Lutheran churches. This was the first protestant faith.
Protestantism Spreads
 A man names Ulrich Zwingli sought an alliance with Martin
Luther to reform Catholic Churches in Switzerland.
 German and Swiss reformers saw a need for unity to defend themselves
against Catholic authorities.
 In 1531, war broke out between Protestants and Catholics in Switzerland.
Zwingli was killed, cut up, and burned. The leadership of Protestants in
Switzerland passed to John Calvin.
 Calvin placed an emphasis on the all-powerful nature of God and
believed in “predestination,” meaning that God had already chosen
in advance who would be saved and who would be damned.
 Calvinism punished people for such crimes as dancing, singing, drunkeness,
swearing, and playing cards.
 By the mid 16th century, Calvinism had replaced Lutheranism as the most
important form of Protestantism.
In England…
 The English Reformation was mostly about politics, not
religion.
 King Henry VIII (remember all his wives?) used religion as a way to gain
power. He helped to establish The Church of England which favored
Protestant ideas.
 After Henry died, his daughter Mary took the throne and
worked to restore England to its Catholic roots.
 She had over 300 heretics burned at the stake, earning her the title
“Bloody Mary”
 Instead of moving people towards Catholicism, her violence only led
more people to join the Protestant movement.
Effects on Family
 Protestants were important in developing a new view of the
family.
 They eliminated the idea that special holiness came with celibacy, and the
family was placed at the center of human life.
 Although “mutual love between man and wife” was often preached, reality
often reflected the traditional roles of husband as the ruler and wife as the
obedient servant.
 Luther stated:
“The rule remains with the husband, and the wife is compelled to obey him by
God’s command. He rules the home and the state, wages war, defends his
possessions, tills the soil, builds, plants, etc. The woman on the other hand is
like a nail driven into the wall…so the wife should stay home and look after
the affairs of the household, as one who has been deprived of the ability of
administering those affairs that are outside and that concern the state. She
does not go beyond her most personal duties.”
What about the Catholics?
 Catholicism also had a revitalization in the 16th century,
giving it new strength.
 The Society of Jesus, known as the Jesuits, took a special vow promising
loyalty to the pope and used education to spread their message endorsing
Catholicism.
 Pope Paul III saw the need for change in the Catholic Church
and set up a reform commission.
 The commission saw the corruption to be the corrupts popes’ faults.
 Paul set up the Council of Trent which was a meeting of Cardinals,
archbishops, bishops, abbots, and theologians. The council decided to
reaffirm traditional Catholic teachings, while forbidding the sale of
indulgences.
 After the council, Catholic faith was renewed, and the Catholic faith
entered a new phase, ready to do battle for their faith.