THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION

Catholicism in the 1400s

Roman Catholic Church – influential, extravagant, and worldly. Some people felt church straying from spiritual roots. Concerns crystallized into the PROTESTANT REFORMATION

THE CHURCH’S BIG PROBLEMS:

1. Popes – greedy/worldly; more worried about living in luxury, collecting art and war than being spiritual leaders

2. Priests – decline due to Plague; still had “wives” and kids; not well educated

3. Selling of indulgences by the church-INDULGENCES – pay $$; reduce a soul’s time in purgatory(Catholic’s

believed dead went to purgatory to work off sins)- Sale of indulgences approved by Pope Leo X to build St. Peter’s Basilica

4. People:- Question why some spared by God during plague and others were

not- Found the clergy had little interest in their spiritual needs- More open to new ideas - Direct result of the Renaissance and invention of printing press- More literate people

PRINTING PRESS:

Germany 1455 Johan Gutenberg –

prints the Bible

EFFECTS OF THE PRINTING PRESS:

1. Books made quickly/cheaply2. Many people can buy books3. For the 1st time the Bible is widely

read4. New ideas spread quickly5. Literacy increases

PEOPLE WHO SPOKE OUT AGAINST THE CATHOLIC CHURCH:

1. Savonarola - 1494-98 controlled Florence (overthrew

Medici- Told people to “burn vanities”- Burned at the stake- Showed how easily religious passion could

turn to revolutionary thought

PEOPLE WHO SPOKE OUT AGAINST THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: (cont’)

2. Christian Humanists:- Major goal – reform the Catholic Church- Believed in ability of human beings to reason and improve

themselves- Read classics – especially basic works of Christianity and

you would become more pious (inward religious feeling)- This would bring about reform in the church and

society- Best know Christian Humanist – Erasmus (1466-1536)- said “Christianity should show people how to live

good lives on a daily basis, not just provide beliefs for them to be saved”

PEOPLE WHO SPOKE OUT AGAINST THE CATHOLIC CHURCH:

3. John Wycliffe (Early Reformer)- Professor at Oxford- Ideas:- Pope stuffy, rich, proud- Jesus was boss, not the pope- Bible was authority, not the pope- Church shouldn’t own land or be rich- Translated Bible to English- Removed from teaching position, arrested but freed, died 1384

PEOPLE WHO SPOKE OUT AGAINST THE CATHOLIC CHURCH:

4. John Hus (Bohemia- Czech.)- Preached against immorality and worldliness of Catholic Church- Preached Bible>Pope- Hero to Czech people- 1411 – Excommunicated by Pope Gregory XII- 1415 – Burned at the stake

John Wycliffe and John Hus openly criticized the church which began the discussions that eventually led to reform.

PEOPLE WHO SPOKE OUT AGAINST THE CATHOLIC CHURCH:5. Martin Luther (Monk/religious

scholar; Germany)

MARTIN LUTHER (1483-1546)

Background: - Mean father/priests scared him - Tried to “be good” as a kid – guilty/afraid - Friends die during The Plague/ struck by lightening at 21

– becomes a monk - As a monk Luther would fast/confess/freeze but still did

not “feel good” - Monk/Professor at the University of Wittenberg

- Lectured on the Bible - Change – read Bible and discovered FAITH was key to

salvation not all the stuff the Priests said!!! All you need is FAITH to be saved.

TIMELINE TO THE REFORMATION

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-----HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED!!!!!!!!!!

1. Wittenberg, Germany

Tetzel (friar) selling indulgences to raise money to build St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome Slogan “As soon as

the coin in the coffer(money box) rings, the soul from Purgatory springs”

2. OCTOBER 31, 1517

Luther gets mad – and nails The Ninety-Five Theses to the church door 95 statements

attacking the Catholic Church and its sale of indulgences

Martin Luther’s public criticism of the church in 1517 marks the symbolic beginning of the Protestant Reformation

THE NINETY-FIVE THESES Luther believed selling

indulgences sinful Said indulgences had

no power to remit sin Criticized power of

pope and wealth of church

Written in Latin, intended for church leaders not the common people

STIMULATED DISCUSSION Nailing theses to church

door common practice; community bulletin boards

Stimulated discussion among university intellectuals

Published, distributed across Europe, widely read by intellectuals, clergy, laypeople

Desire for reform grows

3. At 1st Leo X did not take the issue seriously Said Luther was a

“drunken German who will amend his ways when he sobers up”

4. 1519 – Luther moves to amore definite break with the church Luther

emphasizes 3 beliefs to the people: Faith brings

salvation not “good deeds”

Bible is the authority not the POPE!

Priests not needed – People can read the BIBLE

Other Changes: Only 2

sacraments(Baptism and Communion) , not 7 sacraments

Allow Clergy to marry

5. 1520 – Church’s Response

Pope is angry and issues a bull (official statement) demanding Luther “take it back or be excommunicated”

Luther’s response “No way” and burns the Pope’s letter in a bonfire with cheering students

Luther excommunicated!!

6. Edict of Worms

1521, Luther is summoned to appear before the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in Worms (Diet of Worms)

Luther is asked to change his stand. Luther says “No Way!”

Charles V issues the Edict of Worms – says: Luther declared a heretic and outlaw Writing condemned Burn his books/writings

7. Luther’s ideas spread

German People “protect” Luther for 25 years

Hides out his first year and translates the Bible to German

8. 1522 Luther returns to Wittenberg Lutheranism begins (separate religion) – 1st

Protestant Faith Additional Changes made:

New religious services: bible reading, preaching of the word of God and song

Church leaders: ministers not priests Services led in German Some ministers married

Charles V tried to suppress Lutherans in Germany, but German Princes who supported Luther took control of Catholic Churches in their territories and form separate churches supervised by the government

OTHER “EFFECTS” OF LUTHER: 1524 Peasant Revolts:

Peasants thought “If we can change religious “stuff” then lets change social “stuff” --- NO MORE SERFDOM

Angry peasants raid, pillaged and burned

Luther – shocked and appalled – told German Princes to “crush ‘em”

100,000 people killed ---most poor---went back to the Catholic Church

OTHER “EFFECTS” OF LUTHER: (CONT”) 1555 Peace of Augsburg

Agreement formally accepted the division of Christianity in Germany

German princes free to choose whether their state/province would accept Catholicism or Lutheranism The people had no choice.

THOSE WHO CHOSE TO BE LUTHERAN WERE KNOWN AS PROTESTANTS

PROTESTANTS: WORD CAME TO REFER TO ANYONE NOT CATHOLIC; PEOPLE SEEKING CHANGE