6 Providential Foundations to the Reformation

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6 Providential Foundations to the Reformation

• 1. Changes in Philosophy in Universities
• 2. Sulliman the Magnificent
• 3. Corruption in the Catholic Church
• 4. Printing Press
• 5. The Fragmented Nature of the Holy Roman Empire
  
• 6. Collapse of the Feudal System

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Providence

• Gods orchestrating all circumstances and events
  in His universe for His glory and the good of His
  people Jerry Bridges
• Providence is that continuous agency of God by
  which He makes all the events of the physical and
  moral universe fulfill the original design with
  which He created it. Augustus Strong

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Changes in Philosophy in the Universities

• Platoism
• (want to know what it became)
• Shift in Philosophy in the Universities
• Known as the Renaissance

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Changes in Philosophy in the Universities cont

• PlatoismTruth lies in Universals or
  Classifications
• The earth is round
• The Church has authority
• Maintained the established order discouraged
  questioning

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Changes in Philosophy in the Universities cont

• Nominalism
• (want to know what its made of)
• William of Ockham A Franciscan Monk who taught
  at Oxford 1285-1347
•  Universals are not reality but only in the human
  mind Universals are like names new

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Changes in Philosophy in the Universities cont

• We call it that but in reality thats just what
  we call it not what it is Ex. Chair
• Every so called universalism is radically
  individual Particularism
• Therefore because of nominalism the cry of the
  Renaissance was back to the sources

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Suleiman the Magnificent 1520-1566

• The Rise of Islam proved to be one of Gods
  Providential boosts to Reformation
• The Ottoman Turks took over the lands of the
  Seljuk Turks and conquered the Byzantine Empire
• In 1453 the Ottoman Empire took Constantinople
  after a siege of several months

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Suleiman the Magnificent 1520-1566

•  This invasion of Palestine and Greece resulted
  in Hebrew and Greek scholars being replanted in
  universities throughout Spain and Europe.
• Helps to know Hebrew and Greek when all around
  scholars are saying back to the sources!

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Suleiman the Magnificent 1520-1566

• Question Suleimans generals
• 1st name was Achmedwhat was his last name?

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The Corruption of the Roman Catholic Church
(hence RCC)

• Who was the 1st Pope
• Luther--Boniface III 607-608 Usurped title of
  Universal Bishop

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The Corruption of the RCC

• Calvin--Gregory the Great 590-606

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The Corruption of the RCC

• Zwingli--Hildebrand or Gregory VII 1073-1085
• Established infallibility of the Pope

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The Corruption of the RCC

• Anabaptist--Constantine
• Wed (welded) the Church to the State

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The Corruption of the RCC

• Height of Papal power culminated in Innocent III
   1198-1216
• Became Pope at 37 years old
• Ruled political leaders
• Businesslike, and an opportunist determined to
  expand RCCs power

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The Corruption of the RCC

• Started celibacy to stop clan rule of church
  parishes and provinces
• An example of Gregorys power
• He made King John of England (signer of the Magna
  Carta) submit to an interdict and excommunication
  for not seating the Popes guy as Archbishop of
  Canterbury

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The Corruption of the RCC

• So Gregory was the 1st Pope and Innocent III was
  the height of Papal power.

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The Corruption of the RCC

• Roland H. Bainton in his book The Reformation of
  the 16th Century sees 3 stages in the rise and
  fall of Papal power.
• Dissemination 500-1100 AD
• Domination 1200-1300
• Disintegration 1400-1500

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The Corruption of the RCC

• During the domination stage the philosophical
  foundation of Catholic beliefs were produced by
  Thomas Aquinas and his major work Summa Thelogica
• On a massive scale (smaller in size to the 1539
  edition of the Institutes)

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The Corruption of the RCC

• The Summa established the 7 Sacraments Mary
  worship, the Mass, and purgatory as major
  doctrines of the RCC

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The Corruption of the RCC

• At Luthers time the RCC had some major problems
• Sale of indulgences (an indulgence is a reprieve
  of an amount of time spent in Purgatory)
• Priestly immorality Most priests at this time
  had a mistress

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The Corruption of the RCC

• Relics things like a thorn from Christs crown,
  or a nail from the cross these were used to
  solicit funds and lop off more time in Purgatory.
  
• Absenteeism and the holding of multiple offices
  (to raise your income)

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Printing Press

• Printing Press invented by Johannes Gutenberg in
  1450
• Prior to the printing press all books
  (incunabula) were hand written

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Printing Press

• Prior to the printing press possibly ½ million
  books in existence
• 10 years after the printing press 3 million
• 1550 metal screw (iron) replaces the wood screw
  increasing longevity of the equipment

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Printing Press

• The result is that books can now be purchased b
  the emerging middle class the 1st Gutenberg Bible
  would have cost 750 in todays dollars.
• Knowledge increases
• The Renaissance flourishes

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The Fragmented Nature of the Holy Roman Empire

• The last Roman Emperor in the West was Romulus
  Augustus who was disposed by the Goths in 476
• The Ostogoths (Easter Goths) settled above the
  Black Sea in the Ukraine Kiev
• Western (Roman) civilization and law continued
  even though Rome ended politically

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The Fragmented Nature of the Holy Roman Empire

• With the rise of Pope Gregory I (Gregory the
  Great) 590-604 Rome began to be emancipated from
  Byzantium and the Papal states were formed

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The Fragmented Nature of the Holy Roman Empire

• In 800 Charlemagne was crowned emperor of the
  west. He claimed to restore legitimate succession
  from Rome
• But this caused problems between the Roman
  Emperors and RCC

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The Fragmented Nature of the Holy Roman Empire

• Beginning with Otto I in 962 Germany and Italy
  were joined together in what was called the Holy
  Roman Empire ended in 1806 when Francis II
  renounced his title. (age of Napoleon)
• It was called Holy because the Pope crowned the
  Emperor

Francis II
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The Fragmented Nature of the Holy Roman Empire

• 1500 the Diet of Augsburg establishes Council of
  Regency to oversee HRE and divides the HRE into 6
  regions (electors)

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Collapse of Feudal System

• Money instead of barter
• Increased travel and trade fueled the new
  emerging middle class the artisans
• Invention of gunpowder and cannons Bureau
  Brothers