Download Protestant Reformation_ Luther

The
Protestant
Reformation
Martin Luther
Underlying Causes of the Protestant
Reformation
• 1. Corruption in the Roman Catholic Church
• 2. Impact of Renaissance Values – “thinking” a dangerous
activity, as people begin to question when they think
• 3. Declining Prestige of the Papacy
– Babylonian Captivity, Great Schism, 1300s
• 4. Influence of religious reformers (pre-Protestants)
• 5. Resentment of secular rulers over power of clergy
• 6. Invention of printing press – allowed more people to
read – allowed ideas to circulate more freely
Immediate Cause of Protestant Reformation
• Martin Luther’s posting of 95
theses to protest sale of
Indulgences by the church
and, in particular, by Tetzel
Johannes Tetzel:
Ultimate
salesman of
Indulgences
St. Peter’s Cathedral, Rome
Pope Leo X needed enormous sums of money to
complete the construction of St. Peters
Indulgence – what was it?
• Reduced time spent in Purgatory, the place one goes
after life before Heaven or Hell; not a nice place to
be.
• Did not affect God’s right to judge
• Tetzel gave impression that buying indulgence could
get you to Heaven
• You could buy one for your dead relatives, too and
save them from continued suffering in Purgatory or
Hell!
As soon as the coin in the
coffer rings / Up toward
Heaven the soul springs
Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Was supposed to become a lawyer (that’s what
the family wanted)
After his prayers for help to the patron
saint of distressed travelers were answered,
he entered an monastic order.
Although a devout Christian, he began to object
to the corruption he believed existed in the
church.
Among other things, he objected in particular to the
sale of indulgences by the church as a way to gain
entrance to heaven or to secure salvation even for
relatives who had previously died.
The 95 Theses
• Oct. 31, 1517
• Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the door of the
Wittenberg Cathedral – they were a list of his
objections and his call for reform in the
church.
• Copies made (thanks to the printing press) and
distributed so it could be read
Luther’s 3 Main Ideas
• 1. Salvation by faith alone
• 2. Importance of scripture
• 3. Priesthood of all believers
1. Salvation by faith alone
• Not “good works”
• Not by purchasing
indulgences
• Only from God (God’s
forgiveness)
2. Importance of Scripture
• Church teachings should
be based on the Bible, not
tradition or pope
3. Priesthood of all
believers
• All people with faith are equal
• No need for priests to interpret
Bible for individuals
Protestant Reformation
It was NOT an
attempt to form a
new religion
It began as a PROTEST against corruption in
the church
Luther wanted to REFORM the church
1520
Pope Leo X sends Luther a Papal Bull
which basically orders him to recant
and to cease and desist
What do you think Luther was threatened
with if he did not “recant” and “cease and
Luther says bull to the bull
Pope Leo X
Excommunicates Luther
A Diet of Worms, 1521
Holy Roman Empire
• Charles V
• Hapsburg
• German lands, but not
very united
• Catholic
• Has a city called
Worms
It’s neither
Holy, nor
Roman, nor
an Empire
What sayeth thee to
theseth charges?
“I cannot and I will not
retract anything, since
it is neither safe nor
right to go against
conscience…
… I cannot do
otherwise, here I
stand, may God
help me. Amen.
Edict of Worms:
Luther is an outlaw and a heretic.
No one in the Holy Roman
Empire may give him food or
shelter or video games!!
Holy Roman
Emperor Charles V
Frederick
the Wise
of Saxony
King of Saxony, one
of the 300+
kingdoms that made
up the German
Confederation
Shelters
Luther
Why did Luther’s Ideas Spread so Quickly in Germany?
There was no “Germany” It was a confederation of
300+ states, kingdom, etc. Though part of Holy
Roman Empire of Emperor Charles V, there was very
little central control. The King could not enforce
religion like in France or Spain. Many of the
individual monarchs could choose their religion.
A King, Prince, etc. who decided to follow Luther’s
ideas would break with the Catholic church – no longer
had to follow “orders” from the Pope, Bishops, etc
Why did Luther’s ideas spread so quickly?
Popular with the peasants – they could gain salvation
and go to heaven just by being faithful and good.
They did not need to buy indulgences to undue their
past sins.
“Lutheranism” taught that people could interpret the Bible
on their own. They were not wrong just because a priest
said they were.
And then….there was the printing press. Because of the
advances in printing, Luther’s ideas could be circulated
through Europe faster than ever before to a populace
rapidly becoming more literate.
A series of wars erupts in
Europe.
They are fought over religion
Why do you think these wars began?
And, who were the wars between?
The Wars are ended by the Peace Of
Augsburg
The Peasants’ Revolt,
1524-26
Luther’s Response to the
Peasants
• Against the Filthy, Thieving,
Murderous Hordes…
• Respect secular authority
Results of Protestant
Reformation:
• 1. Northern Europe becomes Protestant
• 2. Unity of Western Christianity is shattered
• 3. Religious Wars in Europe last over 100 yrs.
• 4. Protestant spirit of individualism encouraged
democracy, science and capitalism
• 5. Growth of the nation-state encouraged by
separation of church and state; church
subordinate to state in all but theological matters.