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Background to the Protestant Reformation
Problems in the Catholic Church
-Lavish lifestyle of Renaissance Popes
-Popes' obsession with secular rather than spiritual affairs
-Flaunting of vows of celibacy
-Poorly educated clergy
Renaissance Popes -- Line of popes from the end of the Great Schism to the
beginning of the Reformation (1417- 1517). Popes of this era were more concerned with
the growth of their secular power than the spiritual needs of their people.
Sixtus IV (1471-1484)
Made five of his nephews cardinals and gave them an abundance of church offices to build
up their finances. The word nepotism is in fact derived from nepos, meaning nephew
Alexander VI (14921503)
The Borgia pope, was known for his debauchery and sensuality. Made cardinals of one
son, one nephew, and the brother of one mistress. Scandalized the church in many ways
Julius II (15031513)
Warrior pope, was the most involved in war and politics. Personally led armies against his
enemies, much to the disgust of pious Christians
Leo X (1513-1521
Son of Lorenzo d' Medici; Cardinal at 13 and pope at 37, was deeply involved in the
Renaissance; During his reign Rome became the literary and artistic center of the
Renaissance.
Critics of the Church
Savonarola
Italian friar who preached fiery sermons actually gained control of Florence for 4 years. Criticism of Pope Alexander VI got him declared a heretic. -Burned at the stake by people
of Florence.
Christian Humanism
-Humanist movement that developed in the north with the spread of Italian Renaissance
humanism
-Major goal of this movement was the reform of the Catholic Church
-Believed in ability of humans to reason and improve themselves and if humans studied the
classics, especially early religious works, this would lead to inner piety and the reform of
the Church and society.
Erasmus
-Christian Humanist -Most famous for his work, The Praise of FOlly,which poked fun at
various segments of society; most stinging barbs were aimed at the church.
-Wanted to reform church, not break with it
Sir Thomas More
-His book, Utopia, outlined what makes a truly good society
-Later lost his life when he refused to accept Henry VIII as head of the church
In addition to the above, others remained distrustful of the church because of the events
that had provoked the Babylonian Captivity and the Great Schism.
The ideas suggested by .John Wycliffe and .John Huss continued to be discussed by the
more educated of Europe.
Fueled by the new ideas of the Renaissance, the teachings of Christian humanists and the
development of the printing press, it is not surprising that a permanent break with the
Roman Catholic Church occurred
Importance of Printing
One key element in the religious revolution was the development of the printing press
because it prepared the way for the religious revolution by
1. allowing many writers to criticize the Renaissance popes.
2. encouraging popular piety
3. making the Bible available to all who could read.
4. allowing new ideas to spread more quickly than ever before.
Religion on the Eve of the Reformation
While many Christians had become disillusioned with the institutional church, interest in
Christianity had not declined. People began to take a more active role in their own salvation
Mysticism - immediate experience of oneness with God. This movement, which had its
origins in the 14th century, was especially strong along the Rhine River In Germany and in
the Low Counties
Meister Eckhart
sparked the mystical movement In western Germany
According to Eckhart those who wholeheartedly pursued a union with God, a "birth of
Christ in the soul" was certainly attainable.
Johannes Tauler
-Disciple and student of Eckhart
Significant in channeling German mysticism in a practical direction as an inspiration to
inner piety
Sermons promoted mysticism, but stressed the need to prepare the soul for the mystical
encounter by expressing the love of God in the ordinary activities of everyday life
Ideas deepened the religious life of clerics and lay folk and connected mysticism to the
development of the lay piety that became more visible as Eckhart’s and Tauler’s movement
spread from Germany into the Low Countires.
Gerard Groote
-Founder of the Modern Devotion, a new
form of mysticism that became popular in the Low Countries
-Ordained as a deacon, Groote's messages were typical of practical mysticism. To achieve
true spiritual communion with God, people must imitate Jesus and lead lives dedicated to
serving the needs of their fellow human beings
-Emphasized a simple piety and morality based on scripture and an avoidance of the
complexities of theology.
Brothers and Sisters of the Common Life
.Followers of Groote
.Spread throughout the Netherlands and back into Germany.
.Members were laypeople who took no formal monastic vows, but freely lived by quasimonastic rules that they imposed upon their communities.
.Established schools in which they stressed their message of imitating the life of .Jesus by
serving others.
.Popes feared the movement since it was not closely controlled by the ecclesiastical
establishment.
.Noted students - Erasmus and Reuchlin
Thomas a Kempis summarized the philosophy of the brothers in what became the most
popular religious book of the period, the Imitation of Christ.
Pending Religious Upheaval Supported by Three Groups
Laboring Poor
Believed that the church's bishops and abbots were part of a wealthy and oppressive ruling
class .Dissatisfaction with the church was mixed up with a dissatisfaction with the whole
social order.
From this group would emerged the sects known historically as the Anabaptists
Urban Middle Class
'Wished to manage their own religious affairs as they did their other businesses .Believed
that the church hierarchy was too much embedded in a feudal, baronial, and monarchical
system with which they had little in common.
From this group would emerge the Calvinist Churches
Kings and Ruling Princes
Had long disputed with the church on matters of property, taxes, legal jurisdiction, and
political influence. .Wanted to be masters of their own territories. .In this group, it was the
power of such rulers that determined which form of religion should officially prevail. The
Lutheran and Ana/ican churches were in this tradition
By 1600, the Urban Middle Class and the Kings and Ruling Princes had won many
successes, but the laboring poor were suppressed.
Socio-religious radicalism was reduced to an undercurrent in countries where Anglican,
Lutheran, Calvinist, and Roman Catholic Churches were established.
Let us for a moment put aside the term, "Protestant" and think of the adherents of the new
religion as religious revolutionaries. Their ideas were revolutionary because they held, not
merely that "abuses" in the church must be corrected, but that the Roman Church itself was
wrong in principle. Even so, there were many who hoped, for years, that old and new ideas
of the church might be combined. Unfortunately extremists, although smaller in number,
were more vocal and more persistent.
Since northern Europe became Protestant while the south remained Catholic, it may look
as if the north had broken off in a body from a once solid Roman church. The reality was
not so simple.
For over a century the revolutionaries maintained the hope that "popery" would everywhere
fall. For over a century the upholders of the old order worked to annihilate or reconvert
"heretics." Only slowly did Catholics and Protestants come to accept each other's existence
as an established fact of European society. Though the religious frontier that was to prove
permanent appeared as early as 1560, it was not generally accepted until after a hundred
years of religious warfare.
Acceptance of a religiously diverse Europe came with the end of the 30 Years' War in 1648.