Transcript Protestant Reformation_ Luther

The
Protestant
Reformation
Martin Luther
Underlying Causes of the Protestant
Reformation
• 1. Corruption in the Roman Catholic Church
• 2. Impact of Renaissance Values – “thinking” a dangerous
activity, as people begin to question when they think
• 3. Declining Prestige of the Papacy
– Babylonian Captivity, Great Schism, 1300s
• 4. Influence of religious reformers (pre-Protestants)
• 5. Resentment of secular rulers over power of clergy
• 6. Invention of printing press – allowed more people to
read – allowed ideas to circulate more freely
Immediate Cause of Protestant Reformation
• Martin Luther’s posting of 95
theses to protest sale of
Indulgences by the church
and, in particular, by Tetzel
Johannes Tetzel:
Ultimate
salesman of
Indulgences
St. Peter’s Cathedral, Rome
Pope Leo X needed enormous sums of money to
complete the construction of St. Peters
Indulgence – what was it?
• Reduced time spent in Purgatory, the place one goes
after life before Heaven or Hell; not a nice place to
be.
• Did not affect God’s right to judge
• Tetzel gave impression that buying indulgence could
get you to Heaven
• You could buy one for your dead relatives, too and
save them from continued suffering in Purgatory or
Hell!
As soon as the coin in the
coffer rings / Up toward
Heaven the soul springs
Before Luther there were others….
Christian Humanists Resist the Church:
Desiderius Erasmus (14661536):
Dutch scholar and humanist
A simple piety - devoid of
greed and the lust for power.
Translated a new Latin edition
of the New Testament. Mocked
the corruption of the clergy and
the greed of European royalty.
Though much of what he wrote agreed with
Protestant ideas, he was too radical even for them
and too critical of the church in general
Sir Thomas More: “A Man for All Seasons”
A lawyer - a friend and confident of Henry VIII Lord Chancellor of England
Utopia (1516) a perfect society
with public schools for all,
communal kitchens, hospitals
& nurseries - no need for
money - to some extent the
perfect “socialist” society 300+
years before Karl Marx. No
crime. No war. No greed. No
private property. A true
classless society
Sir Thomas More: A Man of Conviction
More resisted the efforts of Henry VIII to annul
his marriage to Catherine of Aragon
He refused to sign the acts of Parliament that
authorized declared the king supreme over the
church and severed ties with Rome.
It cost him his head.
Today we view More’s ideas about
Utopia differently
Henry VIII recovered from the
execution of his friend, Thomas More
Unable to convince the Pope that his
marriage to his wife of 18 years was
invalid -- he simply left the Catholic
Church, established the Church of
England (Anglican Church), named
the Archbishop of Canterbury chief
religious officer and himself as head
of the Church -- He then divorced
Catherine and married Anne Boleyn
(who later also lost her head for
another reason)
OH -- to have such
power…….
Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Was supposed to become a lawyer (that’s what
the family wanted)
After his prayers for help to the patron
saint of distressed travelers were answered,
he entered an monastic order.
Although a devout Christian, he began to object
to the corruption he believed existed in the
church.
Among other things, he objected in particular to the
sale of indulgences by the church as a way to gain
entrance to heaven or to secure salvation even for
relatives who had previously died.
The 95 Theses
• Oct. 31, 1517
• Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the door of the
Wittenberg Cathedral – they were a list of his
objections and his call for reform in the
church.
• Copies made (thanks to the printing press) and
distributed so it could be read
Luther’s 3 Main Ideas
• 1. Salvation by faith alone
• 2. Importance of scripture
• 3. Priesthood of all believers
1. Salvation by faith alone
• Not “good works”
• Not by purchasing
indulgences
• Only from God (God’s
forgiveness)
2. Importance of Scripture
• Church teachings should
be based on the Bible, not
tradition or pope
3. Priesthood of all
believers
• All people with faith are equal
• No need for priests to interpret
Bible for individuals
Protestant Reformation
It was NOT an
attempt to form a
new religion
It began as a PROTEST against corruption in
the church
Luther wanted to REFORM the church
1520
Pope Leo X sends Luther a Papal Bull
which basically orders him to recant
and to cease and desist
What do you think Luther was threatened
with if he did not “recant” and “cease and
Luther says bull to the bull
Pope Leo X
Excommunicates Luther
A Diet of Worms, 1521
Luther defends his
beliefs and his
teachings before the
Holy Roman
Emperor
Holy Roman Empire
• Charles V
• Hapsburg
• German lands, but not
very united
• Catholic
• Has a city called
Worms
It’s neither
Holy, nor
Roman, nor
an Empire
What sayeth thee to
theseth charges?
“I cannot and I will not
retract anything, since
it is neither safe nor
right to go against
conscience…
… I cannot do
otherwise, here I
stand, may God
help me. Amen.
Edict of Worms:
Luther is an outlaw and a heretic.
No one in the Holy Roman
Empire may give him food or
shelter or video games!!
Holy Roman
Emperor Charles V
Frederick
the Wise
of Saxony
King of Saxony, one
of the 300+
kingdoms that made
up the German
Confederation
Shelters
Luther
Why did Luther’s Ideas Spread so Quickly in Germany?
There was no “Germany” It was a confederation of
300+ states, kingdom, etc. Though part of Holy
Roman Empire of Emperor Charles V, there was very
little central control. The King could not enforce
religion like in France or Spain. Many of the
individual monarchs could choose their religion.
A King, Prince, etc. who decided to follow Luther’s
ideas would break with the Catholic church – no longer
had to follow “orders” from the Pope, Bishops, etc
Why did Luther’s ideas spread so quickly?
Popular with the peasants – they could gain salvation
and go to heaven just by being faithful and good.
They did not need to buy indulgences to undue their
past sins.
“Lutheranism” taught that people could interpret the Bible
on their own. They were not wrong just because a priest
said they were.
And then….there was the printing press. Because of the
advances in printing, Luther’s ideas could be circulated
through Europe faster than ever before to a populace
rapidly becoming more literate.
A series of wars erupts in
Europe.
They are fought over religion
Charles V - Holy Roman Emperor vs.
The Lutheran princes.
The first series of wars
are ended by the Peace
of Augsburg
Charles is forced to
recognize the
Lutheran church in
the Holy Roman
Empire.
The Peasants’ Revolt,
1524-26
Peasants in the countryside rose up
against the princes and the Church. In
the end, the Catholics and the Lutherans
joined together to defeat them - killing
over 100,000 in the process.
Luther’s Response to the
Peasants
• Against the Filthy, Thieving,
Murderous Hordes…
• Respect secular authority
Other “reformers” of the church:
Huldrych Zwingli and John Calvin
Zwingli: Swiss - a stern
disciplinarian - tolerated no
dissent - attacked the rebellious
Anabaptists (sect that believed
that adults should be
rebaptized) Anabaptists
defeated and pretty much wiped
out - exist today as Mennonites
Calvin:
French - settled in Geneva to avoid a curse.
Pre predestination - salvation was predetermined. He
demanded strict religious discipline - established the
Reformed Church in Geneva - a theocracy which no
dissent was allowed.
Calvinism
quickly spread
through Europe
and then across
the Atlantic to
the New World,
mostly to New
England
Results of Protestant
Reformation:
• 1. Northern Europe becomes Protestant
• 2. Unity of Western Christianity is shattered
• 3. Religious Wars in Europe last over 100 yrs.
• 4. Protestant spirit of individualism encouraged
democracy, science and capitalism
• 5. Growth of the nation-state encouraged by
separation of church and state; church
subordinate to state in all but theological matters.
Assignment
• What was the Counter Reformation? Was
it successful? Why or Why Not?
• What was (or were) the Thirty Years War?
What was the long term effect of the 30
years War?
• Who were the Huguenots? What was the
Edict of Nantes?