Protestant ReformationAnd Its Consequences

Just a Reminder…

•Renaissance▫“Rebirth” of learning and science▫ Rediscovery of Greco-roman ideals

•Humanism▫Idea that man, not God, was the center of the universe▫Man controls his own destiny▫Man can learn about and understand his world by observation

and reason without God’s help▫Led many to question both governments and the institutional

Church

Protestant ReformationProtestant – one who protests and works for reform outside the Catholic Church

•Church Corruption▫History of popes with mistresses and children; John XII ran a

brothel from inside the Vatican in the 10th century▫Clergy sells indulgences to forgive sins, decrease days spent in

purgatory, save the dead from damnation

•Belief is superstitious▫Worship of “relics” thought to provide salvation

•Humanism emphasizes reason▫Church used its power and authority to keep the people ignorant

and illiterate – people couldn’t think for themselves

Why is this necessary?

An Indulgence (1517) signed by Johann Tetzel

“With the Authority of all Saints and with mercy for you,

I free you of all sins and crimes and excuse you from all

punishments for ten days. Johann Tetzel”

“When the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs.” – saying attributed to Johann Tetzel

Martin Luther: A Protestor

• Monk and religious scholar• Trained in the law before going

into the seminary; comfortable with legal arguments and logical reasoning

• One of the most educated men at the time in Europe

• Understood the power of the printing press and used it to his advantage

Luther’s 95 Theses (1517)

•Arguments against the Catholic Church▫Based on his reading of Romans 1:17, “He who through faith is

righteous shall live.”

•Nailed to the Wittenberg Cathedral door▫Written in German so people could read for themselves▫Mass produced with the printing press and widely distributed

•Humanism emphasizes reason▫Church used its power and authority to keep the people ignorant

and illiterate – people couldn’t think for themselves

Luther’s Ideas

• Justification (salvation) by Faith Alone▫ Based on his reading of Romans 1:17, “He who through faith is righteous

shall live.”

•The Bible is the Sole Authority▫Undermines the infallibility of the Pope and the clergy members of the

Catholic Church

•An Educated People is Necessary▫ If people can read, they can read their own Bibles and so rely on

themselves to know what it says▫ Citizens in “protestant” areas of Europe will generally be more literate

than in Catholic ones well into the 20th century

Cultural Impact of the Printing Press

Luther takes advantage of a rising literacy and prints pamphlets for the masses

Uses images used to teach the illiterate criticisms of the Catholic Church

Other Major Protestant Reformers

•Calvin▫ In Switzerland with influence in Scotland, France, and the Netherlands▫ Strong Proponent of a Predestination and the “Elect” – only 144,000 earn

heaven in the end▫ Influential for colonial Puritans and their legacy of an American idea of

US as God’s chosen people

•Henry VIII▫ In England, after the Catholic Church would not grant him a divorce,

creates the Church of England

•Elizabeth I▫ In England, creates the Anglican Church as a compromise▫ Like her father, is sworn allegiance to as the head of the church

Henry VIII

In 1534 is the head of the Church of England

Orders destruction of monasteries in 1535

Thomas Cromwell, on behalf of the King, destroys religious “idols”

Consequences

• Thirty Years War▫War between Catholics and Protestants (1618 to 1648)

Culmination of a series of sporadic wars that first broke out in the German lands during the time of Luther (1520s)

The most destructive war in European history before the outbreak of World War I in 1914

▫ Ends with the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648, which decrees that Catholic nations recognize the existence of Protestant states

• Counter-Reformation▫ Ignatius Loyola (Catholic) founds the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in 1534, an

order dedicated reforming the Church within the Church▫ A learned order, the Jesuits open schools and colleges to more people to read

both the Bible and other works▫ Emphasized a Classical Education (Greco-Roman) with faith woven into the

curriculum