The Reformation

1
The Reformation

• Chapter 14
• Part 1

2
Causes of the Protestant Reformation

• The Prestige of the Church was in decline due to
  the Crises of the 14th and 15th centuries
• The Babylonian Captivity 1309-1377
• The Great Schism 1377-1417
• The Conciliar Movement ( sharing power with an
  assembly and restricting Popes power with a
  Constitution was rejected by several 15th and
  16th century Popes.

3
Corruption within the Church

• Simony The sale of Church offices
• In 1487 the pope sold 24 offices
• Reformers unhappy by unqualified people in Church
  offices
• Pluralism an official holding more than one
  church office at a time
• Absenteeism a church officials collecting
  payments and privileges even when not performing
  a duty

4
More Corruption in the Church

• Nepotism The appointment of Church offices to
  family members
• Leo X and Clement VII were both sons of Medici
  Florentine rulers
• Pope Paul III made two of his grandsons cardinals
• The Sale of Indulgences people paying money to
  the Church to absolve their sins or sins of their
  loved ones

5
The moral decline of the papacy

• Pope Alexander VI had numerous affairs and
  children out of wedlock
• In the early 16th century, 1/5 of all priests in
  Trent kept concubines
• Clerical Ignorance Many priests were illiterate
• Some abused their power (trading sexual favors
  for absolution, etc.)

6
Critics of the Church

• Emphasized a personal relationship with God
• Wyclif (England) The Bible is the sole
  authority
• Diminished the importance of the sacraments
• Stressed personal communion with God
• Lollards continued his ideas into the 16th century

7
Critics

• Jan Hus (Bohemia)
• Freedom of debate
• Ultraquism
• Vernacular
• Transubstantiation
• Was executed at the Council of Constance

8
More Critics

• Thomas a Kempis wrote The Imitation of Christ
• Founded The Brethren of the Common Life
• Encouraged Christians to life simply and make
  religion a personal experience

9
More Critics

• Erasmus In Praise of Folly
• Criticized the corruption of the Church and the
  hypocrisy of the clergy
• Erasmus laid the egg that Luther hatched.

10
Christian Humanists in the North

• Criticized the Church AND questioned the validity
  of the Vulgate
• New Translations of the Bible undermined Catholic
  authority
• In the North Erasmus, Ximenes (Spain) LeFevre
  (in France) Valla (in Italy)

11
Italian Renaissance

• Deemphasized religion
• Secularism and individualism emphasized by Church
  leaders
• Many decried the moral decline of the Church

12
New Critics opposed to the moral decline of the
Church

• Ulrich Zwingli was a preacher who was trained as
  a humanist and used Erasmus edition of the Greek
  New Testament
• John Calvin was influenced by humanism
  especially the writings of Erasmus
• After the Reformation, many monasteries were
  turned into schools by humanists.

13
Martin Luther 1483-1546

• Was supposed to be a lawyer
• Conversion experience
• Augustinian monk
• Taught at the University of Wittenberg in Saxony

14
At the Same time

• Pope Leo X looking for more money to build St.
  Peters Cathedral in Rome
• Authorized John Tetzel to sell indulgences
• As soon as a coin in the coffer rings, a soul
  from purgatory springs.
• Tetzels selling of indulgences had gotten out of
  hand

15
October 31, 1517 The 95 Thesis

• Luther went beyond the mere criticism of selling
  indulgences
• He questioned the authority of the Pope to grant
  indulgences (Scriptural questions)
• The actual nailing of the 95 Thesis may not have
  happened
• But the printing press spread his ideas rapidly

16
The Pope was not worried

• Luthers outbursts did not seem unlike
  theological debates between different orders of
  monks that were common
• BUT in 1518 when Luther was told by the pope to
  stop, he defied the Popes authority
• Luthers protector was Frederick III (the Wise)
  of Saxony

17
In a 1520 debate

• With Catholic theologian, Johann Eck
• Luther denied the infallibility of the pope (and
  a general council)
• Claimed that the Church made a mistake when
  executing Jan Hus

18
Remember what was going on in Italy

• Renaissance
• The League of Cambrai and invasion

19
1520 Luther published his theology of reform

• Salvation through faith alone
• Bible is the sole authority
• Rejected most sacraments (baptism, communion and
  penance still ok)
• The Church priesthood of all believers
• Criticized indulgence sales, simony, etc.
• Rejected poverty, chastity, obedience
• Encouraged German princes to reform the church in
  their states (advantages)

20
Leo X excommunicated Luther 1520

• Luther threw the Papal Bull containing the news
  into the fire

21
1521 The Diet of Worms

• Was the tribunal of the HRE which had the power
  to outlaw and sentence execution through burning
  at the stake
• Charles V had promised before his election to HRE
  that he would not allow anyone to be executed or
  outlawed without a fair trial

22
The Diet of Worms

• Charles V demanded that Luther recant his
  writings
• Luther, Here I stand, I can do no other
• Edict of Worms Luther was outlawed as a heretic
  by the HRE
• But was saved and protected by agents of
  Frederick the Wise

23
1523 Luther translated the Bible into the
Vernacular

• the development of the modern German language
• Since any literate German could have access to
  Scripturewas a democratizing factor for religion

24
1530 Confessions of Augsburg

• Written by Luthers friendPhilip Melanchthon
• He tried to mend the rift between Lutheranism and
  Catholicism within the German states of the HRE
• Didnt work BUT
• Confessions of Augsburg became the traditional
  statement of the Lutheran Church

25
Confessions of Augsburg

• Salvation through Faith alone
• Bible is the sole authority
• The Church is the Priesthood of all believers

26
The early spread of Lutheranism

• German princes in the North were drawn to
  Lutheranism
• they could escape the authority of the Catholic
  Church
• They could confiscate Church lands within their
  kingdoms
• The Southern part of the HRE remained Catholic

27
The spread of Lutheranism

• Denmark and Sweden also embraced Lutheranism
• Calvinism will win much of the rest of Western
  Europelater

28
The Political Repercussions of Lutheranism

• Charles V (too late) tried to stop the spread of
  Lutheranism
• RememberSack of Rome 1527
• Was busy fighting Francis I in Italy
• Also Turks were threatening Hungary
• Now HRE and the Pope allied against Lutheranism

29
The Swabian Rebellion

• Aka The Peasants War 1524-1525
• Peasants believed that Luther would support a
  liberal social agenda because he was religiously
  liberal
• BUT, Although Luther sympathized with the plight
  of the peasants, he was not interested in social
  or political reform only in reforming the Church

30
The Swabian Rebellion

• 1525 TheTwelve Articles (Peasants Demands)
• End of serfdom and tithes
• End of Feudal hunting rights and other oppressive
  practices
• 100,000 peasants involved
• Luther Against the Murderous, Thieving Hordes
  of the Peasants

31
The Swabian Peasant Uprising

• Luther was disgusted with the violence
• Admonished both Lutheran and Catholic princes to
  crush the revolt
• They did
• The peasants felt betrayed
• REMEMBER Although Luther was a religious
  liberal, he was no threat to the existing social
  or political order.