Chapter 13 - Reformation

Protestant Reformation Notes

Sola Scriptura: The “word alone”, battle cry of the reformation

Why did Luther succeed where Huss and Wycliff failed?

• Problems were facing the church:

1. Renaissance Popes were too worldly
2. Church officials were poorly educated
3. Priests were not following the rules (wives / worldly)
4. People developed higher standards

• educationally / socially

• Christian Humanists & leaders of the Northern Renaissance who focused on Religion presented new ideas.

1. Printing press (permissive cause)
2. In the north Italian Humanism was combined with tradition theology = Christian Humanism

Italian Humanism: - Secular interests - Classical culture (Texts and language) - Beauty of prose - Examined words and their meaning

Christian Humanists: - Reform movement - Applied the ideals of humanism to church doctrine - Sought to make people better Christians - Education of Women - Challenged Church education: Scholasticism (form of teaching and learning), rote memorization emphasized, no critical thinking

Impact:

• Challenged the church education
• Established a new intellectual elite (16th Century)
• Use their ability to reexamine church doctrine, help people become better Christians

1. Erasmus

• Goal was to unite the individual Christian with textual basis of Christian doctrine

1. Attacked scholasticism, superstition and tradition to restore Christ to a central role in people’s lives

1. In Praise of Folly

• made fun of illiterate and innumerate people in society
• Priests get especially harsh treatment- illiterate

1. Thomas More - Utopia (“no place”)

• society based on reason / mercy (Plato’s Republic + Monastic life)

1. no greed, corruption, war or crime (abolished the 7 deadly sins)

• Goal was to instruct people to live a more Christian life
• A society founded on Christian principles would lead to a Christian life

Why did these writers have such a great effect over people’s ideas?
3. Invention of the Printing press

• 1455 movable type and paper emerged resulting in the first printing press.

1. in 50 years 9-10 million books were printed.
2. Bible is the first book printed by Johann Gutenburg

• Education increased
• Enabled government to increase uniformity of law
• Helped spread newly emerging scientific ideas
• Standardize language (Latin and Vernacular)
• Increased the value placed on the discovery of new ideas

Reformation:

• people form own ideas about religion
• new ideas spread more quickly
• people criticize the church more
• New economic pressure

1. Economic innovation of the Renaissance led people to become more independent in their daily lives
2. Fostered increasing resentment of the church tithes (and government taxes of the New Monarchs)
3. Wealth form the new world

5. Political conditions

• Feudal system had begun to give way towards a more nationalist worldview
• Kings / Princes will resent influence / interference of the church and rival political leaders

1. Reformation became a way to challenge political authority

• Pressure from Ottoman Empire prevented military oppression of Reformation

Result: The emergence of all these conditions at the same instant in time ‘permitted’ the reformation to occur.

Martin Luther Notes

Specific Problems:

Church

• Simony = buying and selling of church offices
• Nepotism = granting of church offices based on family relation
• Pluralism = holding several church offices at the same time
• Absenteeism = not showing up for work
• Relics = pilgrimages to worship holy relics (ie. a saints finger)

Catholic Doctrine:

• Salvation – faith and good deeds – sins must be atoned for by good works (prayer) or time in purgatory –
• Reservoir of good deeds from the lives of saints
• Church could bestow that grace upon anyone it in place of their time in purgatory
• Clergy was essential to help guide people to heaven

Transubstantiation
Martin Luther

• believed that salvation comes from “faith in god”

A monk named Tetzel was raising money by selling Letters of Indulgence (gave the purchaser the freedom from penance)

• Tetzel was leading the purchasers to believe that the Letter of Indulgence was freeing them from all responsibility for their actions.
• It looked like one could buy their way into heaven

As a response Luther wrote his 95 These (formal statements) and posted them on the door of the local church.

• the 95 Theses were copied and then printed and widely distributed.
• the ideas expressed in the 95 Theses include:
• Salvation by faith alone
• No need for sacraments
• Bible is the only authority
• Consubstantiation
• Challenged the concept of monastic life
• everyone has an equal relationship with god
• don’t need priests

Pope Leo X excommunicated Luther

• Luther is put on trial by Charles V at the Diet of Worms

Charles V declared Luther an outlaw

• Luther was supported by the German people

Luther’s Ideas spread:

• Translated Bible into German
• Followers of Luther became known as Lutherans

1. mass held in German language
2. no priests

• 3. Group of German Princes join Luther and protest against the pope

1. eventually became known as the Protestants
2. Address to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation
3. Scandinavia (Pol. / Econ.), East (Short lived), Swiss

Who supported Luther?

• 1. Princes

1. Deep religious convictions
2. Helped them centralize their control, kept tax money from going to Rome
3. Confiscate church lands (monastic)

• 2. Free Towns

1. Clearly separate church and civil powers
2. Allowed early MC to challenge the privileged orders
3. Urban priests embraced Protestantism, increased personal power

• 3. Women

1. Mainly noble women
2. Gave equal spiritual footing to women
3. Increased the emphasis on the family as the primary societal unit

Other factors:

Charles V not able to step on Lutherans:

• Political struggle between Pope Leo X and Charles
• Pressure from Ottoman Empire
• Conflict with France

Calvinism notes

2nd Generation of reformers: Institutional and Doctrinal issues

Switzerland becomes the home of two reform movements:

• Zwinglianism: Initiated by Zwingli (Priest 1523)

1. Characteristics:

• Abolish relics, images, pilgrimages and other traditions
• Abolish mass in favor of services
  

  Did not believe in consecration of Eucharist (symbolic only)

1. Abolish pope’s authority

1. Killed by plague (1531)

• Calvinism: Believed in salvation by faith and predestination

1. French, kicked out, war refugee, ended up in Geneva

• Wrote: Institutes of the Christian Religion
• Emphasized the absolute power of God

1. Don’t need structure of the Church, power rests with God
2. Salvation at the mercy of god

• Predestination meant that you were selected by god and should do God’s work on earth

1. Believed that they should spread their faith to others
2. Create govt. in Geneva

• Consistory would punish crimes

1. Dancing, singing, swearing
2. Elect should rule

• How do you know you are one of the elect?

1. Live right, wealth / success

• John Knox: Impressed with Calvinism and brought it to Scotland

1. Started Presbyterian faith

• Marian exiles brought Calvinism to England (puritans)

Henry VIII
1509 - Henry became King (18 years old)

• Devout Catholic

1. “Defender of the Faith”

Wife #1: Catherine of Aragon (Hapsburg), wife of Henry’s Bro.

• 1516 daughter: Mary
• 1527 Henry decided Catherine could not have a male child
• Needed male child to prevent civil war over succession (War of the Roses)
• Henry wanted a new wife, but could not get a divorce
• Henry asked the Pope to declare the marriage illegal

1. Pope Clement VII says nothing

• Charles V (Hapsburg) would not let the Clement end the marriage of his Aunt (Catherine of Aragon)
• Henry called together Parliament

1. Reformation Parliament:
2. Legalized Henry’s divorce
3. Declared Henry to be the leader of the church (not the Pope)

Wife #2: Anne Boleyn (1527)

• Daughter: Elizabeth
• 1534 Parliament approved the Act of Supremacy

1. Declared that the king was the head of the church of England

• Henry seized all church property and sold it to the nobles

1. If the Catholic Church returned to England then the nobles would lose this property

• 1536 still no male child, Anne Boleyn beheaded

Wife #3: Jane Seymour

• 1536 Edward was born (Jane dies in birth)

Wife #4: Ann of Cleves

• German princess who did not look like her portrait

Wife #5: Catherine Howard

• Committed adultery and was beheaded

Wife #6: Catherine Parr

• More of a nurse than a wife, out lives Henry

1. 1548 Henry died, Edward becames king at the age of 12

• Mary became queen after Edward’s death

1. Catholic - tried to restore the Catholic religion in England
2. Resulted in persecution of Protestants and the Marian Exiles

• Elizabeth I became queen, locked up Mary

1. Restored Protestantism to England
2. Had to deal with the return of radical Protestants and Catholics
3. 39 Articles created a compromise between the radicals and conservatives

• Temporary solution

Question in England:

• How protestant will the church be and what role should the government have?

Others:
Anabaptists: Adult Baptism, church only for the saved

• Seen as radical and attacked

Contrasting Protestant and Catholic Doctrine

Protestants	Catholic
Role of Bible emphasized	Bible + traditions of Middle Ages + papal pronouncements
"Priesthood of all believers" – all individuals equal before God. Sought clergy that preached.	Medieval view about special nature and role of the clergy.
Anglicans rejected pope’s authority – monarch became Supreme Governor of the church. Lutherans rejected authority of the pope but kept bishops. Most Calvinists governed church by ministers and a group of elders, a system called Presbyterianism. Anabaptists rejected most forms of church governance in favor of congregational democracy.	Medieval hierarchy: believers, priests, bishops and pope.
Most Protestants denied efficacy of some or all of sacraments of the medieval church – the Eucharist (communion) most controversial.	All seven sacraments
Consubstantiation – Lutherans: bread and wine did not change but believer realizes presence of Christ is in the bread and wine. (Real Presence) Zwingli saw the event of communion as only symbolic – memorial to the actions of Christ, or thanksgiving for God’s grant of salvation (main reason for break with Luther)	Transubstantiation – bread and wine retain outward appearances but are transformed into the body and blood of Christ.
Lutherans believed in Justification by faith – salvation cannot be earned and a good life is the fruit of faith. Calvinists: predestination; a good life could provide some proof of predestined salvation – "visible saints" or the "elect."	Salvation through living life according to Christian beliefs and participating in the practices of the church -- good works
Lutherans and Anglicans believed state controls the Church. Anabaptists believed church ignores the state.	Catholics and Calvinists believed church should control and absorb the state – theocracy.
Services emphasized the sermon	Services emphasized the Eucharist

Protestantism and the idea of progress

Question:

Was the Protestant Reformation responsible for the rise of liberal democracy and the industrial economy of Western Europe?

Is there a link between Protestant thought and democratic government, modern science, technology and culture?
Con:

• 16th Century Protestants were not the rationalists of the early industrial period.

1. Just as guilty of superstitious behavior as the Catholics

• Saw the point of life to get to heaven (like Catholics), as a result they did not emphasize the temporal world

• Early Protestants did not believe in separation of church and state

1. Protestant governments were models of intolerance

• Early Protestants were not democratic

1. Replaced the authority of the pope with classed / ranked order in society
2. Ex. Luther opposed the peasant revolt, Calvinist doctrine of Predestination

Pro:

• Values of early Protestants coincided with the values necessary for the development of a commercial revolution

1. Protestant values strengthened the commercial and industrial middle classes

• Rejection of usury on loans
• Women more economically accepted
• Increased literacy rates in the population

Result: The reformation created a new social, political and economic way of life in which the emerging middle class could prosper and grow.

Max Weber:

Calvinist thought promoted a life style best adapted to the production and accumulation of wealth in early modern European history.

• Wealth accumulation requires short term sacrifice and reinvestment.

1. Protestants emphasized self sacrifice

• Elimination of saint’s festivals and reinforcement of Sabbath emphasized the concept of a six day work week
• Emphasized work as a way of avoiding sinning
• Rejection of usury law, provided capital for investment

1. Accumulation of wealth became a sign of living a ‘good life’

Counterview:

• Western Europe developed not because of the culture of Protestantism, but rather their geographical advantages (coal, iron)

Impact on nationalism / rationalism:

• In some areas (dominated by one religion), religion influenced the development of patriotism / nationalist feelings.
• Both Protestantism and Catholicism behave in ways which supported emerging capitalism, and yet were both reactionary (witches).
• Historical discussion has shifted towards trying to understand the relationship between political and religious experiences of early modern European people.