Transcript The Protestant Reformation

Martin Luther and The Protestant
Reformation
“The world is coming to its senses, coming out of a deep sleep”
- Erasmus
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Where did the Protestant Reformation originate?
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How did religious reform lead to conflict?
Erasmus:
• Goal was to unite the individual Christian with the Bible and
to become more religious
• Attacked scholasticism, superstition, and tradition to restore
Christ to a central role in peoples' lives (need the Bible, not
the clergy)
• Wrote The Praise of Folly which made fun of illiterate and
innumerate people in society
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Thomas More:
• Theorized of a “Utopia”
• Society based on reason and mercy (Plato's Republic and
monastic life)
• No greed, corruption, or crime (7 deadly sins)
• Goal was to instruct people how to live a more
Christian life
• A society founded on Christian principles would lead to
a Christian life
Problems in the Church
 Corruption
 Political
Conflicts
“The Trinity of Sins”
Johann Tetzel
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Simony- sale of church
positions
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Pluralism- holding more than
one ecclesiastical offices
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Sale of indulgences- selling
entrance into heaven
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Eg. Johann Tetzel- “As soon as
coin in coffer rings, a soul from
purgatory springs”
Corruption
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The Church raised
money through
practices like simony
and selling
indulgences.
Advantages of Buying Indulgences
Go Directly to Heaven!
 Do
not go to Hell!
 Do not go to Purgatory!
 Get through Purgatory faster!
 Do not pass Go!
Opposition to indulgences is geopolitical
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The opposition comes from
the emerging states like
Germany.
They resent Rome’s power
and foreign rule.
They resent the hierarchical
setup of the Church.
Church abuses were
becoming widely
recognizable and changes
had to be made.
All that was needed was a
spark.
Political Conflict
KINGS AND QUEENS
POPES
Papal Schism
Rome
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Avignon
In 1301, the king tried to tax the French clergy.
The pope threatened to excommunicate the king and so was
arrested. He was later released.
The next pope, Clement V, moved the headquarters of the
Church from Rome to Avignon in southern France.
Many people felt that the French kings controlled the
Church.
Three Popes!
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The next six popes lived in Avignon. Pope
Gregory then moved the papacy back to Rome
in 1377.
When Gregory died, the French cardinals did
not like the new pope in Rome, so they elected
a different pope in Avignon.
Later, a Church council elected a third pope.
Calls for Reform
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John Wycliffe (1330-1384)
 Questioned the authority of the
pope
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Jan Hus (1370-1415)
 Criticized the vast wealth of the
Church
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Desiderius Erasmus (1469-1536)
 Attacked corruption in the Church
Who was Martin Luther?
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Born in Germany in
1483.
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After surviving a
violent storm, he
vowed to become a
monk.
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Lived in the city of
Wittenberg.
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Died in 1546.
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Return to Germany, reflected and
wrote: 95 theses
Posted on Church door of
Wittenburg Castle
Why Wittenburg Castle?
Viewing of Holy Relics in it, was
said to remove sins of the faithful.
Items included:
“Viles of milk of Virgin Mary”
“Straw from Jesus’ manger”…
“Bodies of innocent people killed
by King Herod”
A bit of a religious circus….
Martin Luther- 1483-1546
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German cleric and
professor of biblical
studies
A critic of the worldly
papacy
Became obsessed with the
question of salvation and
how people are saved.
“sola fide” (humans can be
saved by faith alone)
This idea became the basis
of the Reformation
Definitions
Protest
To express strong
objection
Reform
To improve by
correcting errors
1517
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The sale of indulgences is at
its peak as St. Peter’s Basilica
is under mass construction.
Martin Luther creates the
“95 Theses” and nails his
ideas to the front door of
the Church in Wittenberg.
In doing this, Luther had
gone further to speak out
against Church abuses than
anyone before him.
This marked the unofficial
beginning of the
Reformation in Europe.
Martin Luther circa 1520:
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Good works do not make a good man, but a good man does good
works; evil works do not make a wicked man, but an evil man does
evil works. Consequently it is always necessary that the substance or
person himself be good before there can be any good works, and
that good works follow and proceed from the good person…
We do not despise ceremonies and works… but we despise
the false estimate placed upon works in order that no one may
think they are true righteousness.
Luther Looks for Reforms
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Luther criticized Church
practices, like selling
indulgences.
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He wanted to begin a
discussion within the
Church about the true
path to salvation.
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He nailed his Ninety-Five
Theses, or arguments,
to the door of
Wittenberg cathedral for
Protestant Teaching:
Justification by Faith Alone
Luther’s Bible
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The Bible is the
only source of
truth.
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People can read
and understand the
Bible themselves.
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Salvation comes
only through faith
in Christ.
Examples of Luther's 95 Theses:
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27: It is mere human talk to preach that the soul flies out
immediately after the money clinks in the collection-box.
45: Christians should be taught that he who sees a needy
person and passes him by, although he gives money for
pardons, wins for himself not Papal indulgences but the wrath
of God.
50: Christians should be taught that, if the Pope knew the
exactions of the preachers of Indulgences, he would rather
have the basilica of St. Peter reduced to ashes than built with
the skin, flesh and bones of his sheep.
90: To suppress these most conscious questionings of the laity
by authority only, instead of refuting them by reason, is to
expose the church and the Pope to the ridicule of their
enemies, and to make Christian people unhappy.
Excommunication
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Pope Leo X demanded that Luther recant 41
of his Ninety-Five Theses.
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Luther was brought before the Diet of Worms.
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In January 1521, Luther was excommunicated
from the Church.
The Printing Press
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Luther’s ideas spread
quickly with the help of
the printing press.
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Luther’s supporters
distributed copies of his
speeches and essays far
and wide.
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Millions of people sided
with Luther against the
Roman Catholic Church.
A New Church
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Luther soon had many followers.
His supporters began to organize
a new Christian denomination.
Several German princes
supported Luther.
Lutherans and Catholics fought
each other.
The first wars ended with the
Treaty of Augsburg, but fighting
in Europe over religion continued
to the mid-seventeenth century.
Saint Bartholomew’s
Day massacre
Lutheranism
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Luther’s followers
disagreed with many of
the teachings of the
Catholic Church.
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They rejected the
authority of Church
councils and the pope.
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Reading the Bible was
the only way to learn
how to lead a good life.
Luther translated
the Bible into
German
The Reformation spread to other
countries.
France and Switzerland:
John Calvin preached the idea
of “predestination” and that
some people had been
chosen by God for salvation.
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England:
King Henry VIII refused to
recognize the Roman
Catholic Church and started
a new church, the Church of
England.
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