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 Churchs
reputation came
during consecutive
papacies:
Rodrigo de Borgia
(Alexander VI, 1492-
1503)
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. Peters
and refounder of the
Papal States.
Method of financing?
Indulgences
Causes of the Reformation
Whats 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.
Luthers 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.
Luthers 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.
Luthers 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.
Peters.
Tetzel had been banned
from the territory by the
Elector (Prince) of Saxony.
Luther challenged Tetzels
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
Luthers 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 Luthers
Reforms
With Fredericks 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 Luthers
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. 1509-
1547)
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
Pope.

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 Romes
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 Cranmers
Book of Common
Prayer (1549).
A Threat To Anglicanism
Mary I (Mary
Tudor) (r. 1553-58).
Henry VIIIs 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. 1558-
1603).
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 Marys reign and
again established the
monarch as the head of the
Anglican Church.
Interfered regularly in
Spains 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.
Elizabeths 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.


Elizabeths Dealings With
Dissenters
Elizabeths
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
(1531).
Calvinism
John Calvin
Fugitive French
lawyer and
theologian.
Led the reformation
in Geneva.
The Doctrines of Calvinism
The I nstitutes 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
Scotlands parliament
as the countrys
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 (1534-
1549)
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.