Reformation and Reform

16th Century Europe

The Protestant Reformation

Causes: Corruption in the Catholic Church

Indulgences The popes were busy with politics and raising money!

Independence of the English and French kings. In the Holy Roman Empire, rulers of the various states

objected to paying Church taxes and the fact that the Church appointed clergy without consulting the local rulers.

Calvin wanted the moral reform of society. Luther wanted to simplify the Church hierarchy & make

Christianity more DIRECT and ACCESSIBLE to worshippers. Masses in the vernacular, Bibles printed in the vernacular, etc.

Holy Roman Empire

Erasmus (1466-1536)From the Netherlands (Dutch).Educated at the University of Paris, traveled in Italy, lived in England, and wrote a lot!Not involved in politics or public service.Objected to the Church corruption but remained a Catholic.

Two Sides of Erasmus

Master of satirical writing. Wrote a story about

Pope Julius II called, Julius Excluded from Heaven: A Dialogue , “You’re All Belches and You Stink of Boozing and Hangovers.”

Best way to improve society was to educate society.

In 1500, he published Adagia, a book of proverbs meant to teach moral lessons.

“The philosophy of Christ”- the true nature of Christianity is seen by looking at the example and actions of Christ.

Martin Luther (1483-1546)

Studied philosophy at the university in Erfurt, Germany. Joined an Augustinian monastery in 1505.After traveling to Rome on monastic business in 1510, he was appalled by the religious corruption there- particularly the sale of indulgences.

“The righteous will live by faith.” Romans 1:1-17

No amount of good works could ever come close to Christ’s sacrifice (his death and subsequent resurrection (according to Christian Protestant beliefs); therefore, God required FAITH in Christ’s sacrifice rather than WORKS in order to receive salvation (i.e. get to Heaven someday).

Luther’s Struggles

Catholic idea that salvation come from a combination of God’s grace and good works through the Church.After his trip to Rome, he was very disillusioned.The breaking point comes when he stumbles upon the key theological point of the entire Reformation….

Indulgences …again…

Luther never really had a problem with indulgences because they were a part of Church tradition.However, he did have a problem with Pope Leo X using indulgences as a fundraiser to earn money for the construction of St. Peter’s Church in Rome (Pope Leo X was a Medici pope).

Luther’s 95 Theses

The 95 Theses Against the Sale of Indulgences were nailed to the church door at Wittenberg in 1517. Eventually Luther renounced his vow of chastity and was excommunicated in 1520 by the Medici pope Leo X.Luther’s ideas led to the formation of the Protestant (the “protester’s”) Church and Lutheran churches began to be built around 1521.

John Calvin

Calvin began to campaign for Church reform in France in 1533.He left France to avoid persecution and went to Switzerland where he published, The Institutes of the Christian Religion.

Calvin vs. LutherThey shared some of the same beliefs: faith rather than good works and that scripture was the basis of faith.However, Calvin believed that: People were predestined to go to Heaven or Hell. The church should rule over the state (theocracy).

Strict ethics, hard work, avoid the temptations of the arts, and renounce anything frivolous.

His views were the basis of the beliefs of French Protestants (called Huguenots) and in the Netherlands, Calvinism became the official religion.

Henry VIII and Church Reform

Why did they want reform in England? Political and

personal convenience of the king.

Henry VIII (1491-1547) was the first Tudor king.

Divorced, beheaded, died.Divorced, beheaded, survived.

Summary: Henry wanted a male heir to the throne. His first wife gave him 6 children, but only Mary survived. Henry wanted a divorce, but Pope Clement VII refused! He broke with the Medici pope, who excommunicated him.In 1533, Henry was granted a divorce by the English Parliament, which passed the Act of Supremacy. Monarch= Head of the Church of England

Henry’s Church

Ordered the destruction of every monastery and religious image in England.Borrowed Luther’s use of the vernacular in the church service.Kept the “flavor” of Catholic services and traditional church music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXNf9dxnQrM

Pay close attention to King Henry’s quotes in this clip! Anything you’ve heard before? Where?

Science Challenges the Church

Traditional Church control of ideas about the nature of the universe and human dissection begin to dissolve. Vesalius (1543) published the first

anatomical textbook. Copernicus published On the Revolutions of

the Heavenly Spheres in 1543, his text about astronomy.

Brahe published the first modern catalogue of the stars.

Vesalius (1515-1564)From De humani corporis fabrica, Brussels, 1543.

Contributions:-Scientific biology by basing his conclusions on the dissection of human cadavers.-The mind and the emotions are located in the brain and nervous system rather than the heart.

Copernicus (1473-1543)Replaced the anthropocentric (human-centered) view of the universe with heliocentric (sun-centered view of the universe).Earth revolves once around the sun each year, and rotates on its own axis once each day.

Brahe (1546-1601)

In 1572, he reported sighting a supernova.Proved that comets orbit among the planets.Produced the most accurate descriptions of stars and planets of his time.

The Counter-Reformation: Catholic Reform

The Catholic Church launched an internal program of reform in response to the Reformation (strongest in Italy and Spain). Get rid of corrupt members of the

clergy. Assert its authority in matters of

church doctrine, science, literature, and the arts.

The Council of Trent:1545-1563

Pope Paul III (papacy 1534-1549) called a meeting called The Council of Trent three times. Reaffirmed the power and authority of the Church. Better-educated clergy, vows of chastity, new

religious communities. Vernacular translations of the Bible were condemned. Church relics (bones of saints, etc.) were to be

venerated (worshipped or treated with respect). Index of Forbidden Books

First version banned writings of Luther, Calvin, and Copernicus.

Remained in effect until 1966.

The Inquisition

The Council of Trent also increased the power of the Inquisition.Mostly they looked for heretics but witch-hunts reached their peak from 1570-1680. ~35,000 “witches” were killed, of

whom 29,000 were women 4 out of 5 were killed in what

corresponds to modern day Germany

Hans Baldung, called 'Grien', Witches' Sabbath, a woodcut; Germany, 1510The British Museum

Continuing Conflict

Throughout the 16th century Catholics and Protestants fought it out.Each tradition wanted to expand its influence in Europe and the New World (the Americas!).By the 17th century this is what happened: Northern Europe= mostly Protestant Southern Europe= Catholic

Spain, Italy, France, parts of Germany and Ireland

The Impact of Catholic Reform on the Arts

Reverse secular trends and restore spirituality in the arts.Church music based on secular tunes (especially bawdy songs) were banned.Music had to have words that were easily comprehensible.Only the organ was allowed.Art inside of churches had to be appropriate: Inspire viewers to identify with the suffering of

the saints and martyrs. Christian miracles.

Michelangelo’s Last Judgment

Pope Paul IV objected to Michelangelo’s Last Judgment because of the nude figures.He wanted the entire painting removed!Eventually, the painting was allowed to remain, but draperies were painted over the nude figures. Daniele da Volterra, a friend of Michelangelo’s,

was hired to paint over the nude areas after Michelangelo’s death.

They were removed when the chapel was restored in the 1990s.

Counter-Reformation Painting

Mystical emphasis on divine light.Christian miracles.Suffering of saints and martyrs.

The Last Supper, 1590s, Tintoretto

El Greco

Leading Counter-Reformation painter in Spain.From Greece originally but traveled to Toledo, Spain where he worked mainly for the Church.

The Burial of Count Orgaz,1586-1588,Church of Santo Tome,Toledo, Spain