Download Chapter 14 Reform & Renewal in the Christian Church

Chapter 14
Reform & Renewal in the Christian
Church
The Protestant Reformation
• Despite the secular emphasis of the
Renaissance, religious concerns were still
very important to people.
• Church abuses led to demands for reform
and ultimately resulted in the Protestant
Reformation.
• The Reformation destroyed the religious
unity of Western Europe.
• The Reformation produced 4 major
movements:
– Lutheranism, Calvinism, Anglicanism, and Anabaptism.
Causes of the Reformation
• Europe was full of stories of:
• Drunkenness, gambling, and neglect of celibacy
among clergy.
• Lack of education and low standards of
admission to orders.
• Pluralism (holding of several offices) and wealth
that conflicted with the gospel.
• Popes and bishops (typically nobles) who were
fabulously wealthy and corrupt.
– 1/3 of all Euro land held by the church and church
officials.
Causes of the Reformation
• The lowest point of
the Church’s
reputation came
during consecutive
papacies:
• Rodrigo de Borgia
(Alexander VI, 14921503)
• Interests were gold,
women, and the
careers of his bastard
children.
Causes of the Reformation
• Giuliano della
Rovere (Julius II,
1503-13)
• Rebuilder of St. Peter’s
and refounder of the
Papal States.
• Method of financing?
• “Indulgences”
Causes of the Reformation
• What’s an
“indulgence?”
• A paper certificate
guaranteeing relief from
punishment in Purgatory.
• “Credits” built up by the
saints, transferrable to
sinners.
• In return for a cash
contribution, of
course!
Martin Luther (1483-1546)
• German.
• Originally planned to be a
lawyer.
• Had a religious conversion
and became an
Augustinian monk in 1505.
• 1508, a teacher of theology
at the university at
Wittenberg in Saxony.
• 1508, on a visit to Rome,
was shocked to the bones
by the wealth of the
Church.
Martin Luther
(1483-1546)
Inordinately rude,
bad-tempered and
foul-mouthed.
Impatient.
Saw Rome as the
Beast of the
Apocalypse.
Luther’s Theology
• Luther was troubled about the possibility of
achieving salvation.
• While reading St. Augustine, he found a passage
from St. Paul, where he had written, “The just
shall live by faith.”
• Luther’s conclusion was that salvation could be
achieved only thru faith in the goodness and
mercy of Christ.
– Performing good works, participating in ecclesiastical
rituals, and receiving the sacraments would not be
enough.
• Luther’s theology is based on this “justification
by faith.”
The Beginning of the
Reformation
• 1517, Johann Tetzel, a
Dominican friar,
selling indulgences
around Wittenberg.
• Income from sales used to
pay the costs of
construction on St.
Peter’s.
• Tetzel had been banned
from the territory by the
Elector (Prince) of Saxony.
• Luther challenged Tetzel’s
theological credentials.
The Ninety-Five Theses
• Luther questioned the
doctrine of
indulgences.
• Inconsistent with his
doctrine of justification by
faith.
• October 31, 1517,
Luther posted the
Ninety-Five Theses.
• Intended as a challenge to
other scholars to debate
the issue of indulgences.
The Ninety-Five Theses
• The debaters became
hostile to one another.
• 1519, Luther debated
Johannes Eck, a
noted theologian, in
Leipzig.
• Luther acknowledged
that his views were
similar to those of
condemned heretic,
Jan Hus.
The Ninety-Five Theses
• Pope Leo X
threatened Luther
with a document of
excommunication.
• Luther responded
by burning the
document.
The Diet of Worms
• 1521, HRE Charles V
ordered Luther to
appear before the Diet of
the HRE, meeting at
Worms.
• German politics was
split between advocates
and opponents of
Luther’s punishment.
• Asked to recant, Luther
refused, declaring:
– “Here I stand. I cannot
do otherwise.”
The Diet of Worms
• Charles declared
Luther an “outlaw.”
• Excommunicated.
• Elector (Prince)
Frederick the Wise of
Saxony granted
Luther refuge at
Wartburg Castle.
• While in hiding, he
translated the New
Testament into
German.
Acceptance of Luther’s
Reforms
• With Frederick’s backing, Luther
returned to Wittenberg and reformed
the local church with his ideas.
• His theology won strong public
support and began to spread,
especially in the northern and
eastern German states.
The Doctrines of Lutheranism
• 3 Fundamental Tenets:
• Justification by faith.
– Peace comes only in the word of Christ through faith.
• Religious truth and authority lie only in the Bible.
– No papal infallibility.
– Only 3! sacraments: baptism, penance, & holy
communion.
• Rejection of the hierarchical nature of the Church.
– No “priests.” Just mere “ministers.”
– Not a formal organization. A community of believers.
The Peasants’ Revolt
• German peasants revolted against
landowners in 1524/25.
– Poverty caused by heavy taxes and obligations
to landowners.
– Peasants in SW Germany sought Luther’s
support.
– Luther, a socioeconomic conservative,
opposed the peasants and supported the
landowners.
The Spread of Lutheranism
• The Diet of Augsburg (1530).
• Luther ordered to appear before Charles V, where he
presented a statement of his faith--The Confession of
Augsburg. Unacceptable.
• The Peace of Augsburg (1555).
• German Lutheran states formed the Schmalkaldic League, a
religious and military alliance against the Catholic
Hapsburgs.
• Civil war raged from 1546-55.
• Under a compromise, each German prince gained the right
to determine the religion of his state--either Catholic or
Lutheran. No recognition of Calvinists or Anabaptists.
• Result: N/E Germany = Lutheran; S/W Germany = Catholic.
Anglicanism
• The Reformation in England culminated
a long period of attempted reform.
• Key issues in England were the wealth of
the clergy and disagreement over
scriptures.
Anglicanism
• King Henry
VIII (r. 15091547)
• Conflict with the
Papacy:
• Henry wanted his marriage to
Catherine of Aragon
annulled. How come??
• No male heir. Only a
daughter, Mary.
• Annulment was denied by the
Anglicanism
• Henry infatuated with
Anne Boleyn.
• Annulment request
based on canon law.
• Marriage annulment
granted by new
Archbishop of
Canterbury, Thomas
Cranmer.
• Henry married Anne.
Anglicanism
• Separation from Rome.
• Henry sought support of Parliament.
• Three acts were passed, ultimately separating England
from the Catholic Church.
• 1. Act of Annates (1532): Cut financial payments to
Rome.
• 2. Act of Appeals (1533): Curtailed Rome’s
ecclesiastical jurisdiction.
• 3. Act of Supremacy (1534): Abolished papal authority
completely, raising the King to Supreme Head of the
Church of England.
Anglicanism
• Further controversy.
• Henry attacked Church wealth by dissolving the
monasteries.
• 1536/1539 acts of Parliament dissolved all Catholic
monasteries which Henry then sold.
• Lord Chancellor, Thomas More, and Bishop of
Rochester, John Fisher refused to swear to support the
Act of Supremacy and were executed in 1555.
• Most English subjects supported Henry due to their
resentment of the wealth of the Church.
Anglicanism
• King Edward VI
(r. 1547-1553)
• Son of Henry VIII and
Jane Seymour (3rd
wife).
• Succeeded Henry at age
10.
• England became more
Protestant during his
reign.
Anglicanism
• Protestant ideas were
expressed in the
worship of the
Anglican Church, set
forth in Cranmer’s
Book of Common
Prayer (1549).
A Threat To Anglicanism
• Mary I (Mary
Tudor) (r. 1553-58).
• Henry VIII’s oldest daughter
(Catholic), succeeded Edward
VI.
• Attempted to re-Catholicize
England.
• Also married her cousin, King
Philip II of Spain (a devout
Catholic).
• Persecuted English
Protestants.
• “Bloody Mary”: more than
300 burned at the stake.
Cementing Anglicanism
• Elizabeth I (r. 15581603).
• Protestant daughter of Henry
VIII and Anne Boleyn.
• Politically savvy: concerned
about the impact of religious
discord on national unity.
• 1559, repealed pro-Catholic
laws of Mary’s reign and
again established the
monarch as the head of the
Anglican Church.
• Interfered regularly in
Spain’s European affairs.
Cementing Anglicanism
• 1563, Parliament passed the Thirty-Nine
Articles, defining the teachings of the Anglican
Church.
• Compromise legislation: Church generally Protestant, but
continued to be governed by bishops.
• Elizabeth’s compromise was opposed by ardent
Protestants:
• “Puritans” wanted the English church “purified” of all remaining
Catholic elements.
• “Separatists” wanted to leave the Anglican Church completely.
• Pilgrims who settled at Plymouth (1620) were Separatists.
Elizabeth’s Dealings With
Dissenters
• Elizabeth’s
compromise was
also opposed by
Roman Catholics.
• Duke of Norfolk: led an
unsuccessful revolt
against Elizabeth,
resulting in his
execution.
• Persecution of Catholics:
200-300 executed.
Calvinism
• Start of the Swiss
reformation.
• Zwingli
• Catholic priest/humanist:
hoped the Church would
reform itself.
• Led the church in Zurich in
its break from Roman
Catholicism.
• Supremacy of the Bible, but
rejection of baptism and
communion.
• Killed by Catholic forces
during a Swiss civil war
Calvinism
• John Calvin
• Fugitive French
lawyer and
theologian.
• Led the reformation
in Geneva.
The Doctrines of Calvinism
• The Institutes of the Christian Religion
(1536), written by Calvin.
• Agreed with Luther re: Supremacy of the Bible and the
limitation of sacraments.
• Disagreed with Luther re: doctrine of salvation by
election, or “predestination.”
– At creation, God determined those who would be saved (the
“elect”) and those who would be damned.
• Emphasized a life of abstinence.
– Required church attendance, banned card playing, gambling,
dancing, theatergoing, alcohol consumption, and swearing.
Calvinist “Theocracy” in Geneva
• Theocracy = church-run
state.
• Violators of puritanical code
of behavior suffered severe
penalties.
• Persecution of religious
dissenters.
• Ex: Michael Servetus, on the
run from the Catholic
Inquisition.
• Sought asylum in Geneva.
• Seized by Calvinist
authorities, and burned at the
stake.
The Spread of Calvinism
• John Knox
– A Calvinist disciple,
brought the new faith
to Scotland.
• Known as
Presbyterianism.
– 1560, adopted by
Scotland’s parliament
as the country’s
official religion.
The Spread of Calvinism
• Mid-16th century, Calvinism spread to France.
– French Calvinists = “Huguenots.”
• In England, Calvinists were known as
“Puritans.”
Anabaptism
• Anabaptists (“rebaptizers”): the radicals of the
Protestant Reformation.
• Rejected infant baptism.
– Only “true” Christians were those who had
undergone a conversion experience and had then
been baptized.
• Opposed oath-taking and bearing of arms.
• Supported separation of church and state.
The Catholic (Counter)
Reformation
• A matter of viewpoint:
– Protestants assume it was born to oppose the
Protestant Reformation.
– Catholics see it as a stage in a continuous movement
for Church reform.
The Catholic (Counter)
Reformation
• Pope Paul III (15341549)
– Revitalized the College
of Cardinals.
– Established the Holy
Office.
– Patronized the Jesuits.
– Launched the Council
of Trent.
The Catholic (Counter)
Reformation
• Society of Jesus
– Combined the fierce piety and military lifestyle of its
founder Inigo Lopez de Recalde (St. Ignatius Loyola).
– Operated under direct papal command.
– Convert the heathen, reconvert the lapsed, and educate.
– Periods of success and periods of fear and resentment.
The Catholic (Counter)
Reformation
• The Holy Office and the Inquisition
– Established in 1542 as the supreme court of
appeal in matters of heresy.
– Supervised the Inquisition.
• Rid Italy of non-Catholics.
• Goal: Reaffirm authority of the pope over Church
members.
• Powers of arrest, imprisonment, execution.
– Issued the first Index (1557).
• Censorship designed to curtail humanist thinking.
The Catholic (Counter)
Reformation
• The Council of Trent (1545-63)
– General Church council that reaffirmed Church
doctrine and reorganized the institutional structure of
the Church.
– Doctrine:
• Church alone could interpret Scripture.
• Religious truth from Catholic tradition and the Bible.
– Institutional organization:
• Rules of behavior for religious orders.
• Forbade indulgences.
• Established seminaries.
The Catholic (Counter)
Reformation
• Standardized the Mass.
– After 1563, the same Latin Mass could be heard in most
Roman Catholic churches throughout the world.
• Sparked a new style of art and music called
“baroque”.
– Use of asymmetry, exaggeration, calculated
theatricality.