The ReformationLuther, Calvin and Zwingli

Causes of the Reformation• natural continuation of Renaissance,

humanist thinking (renewed scholarship applied to the reading of the bible)

• invention of the printing press coupled with the rise of a well-educated, moneyed middle class

• condition of the Catholic church, corruption, weak

• rise of nations further weakened the control of the church

The beginning...

• on Oct. 31, 1517 Luther posted his 95 Theses concerning the sales of indulgences in Wittenburg

• initially Luther, a Catholic monk, wished to reform the church

• as time progressed what started as a reform movement moved into a complete break with Rome

Why Germany?• long history of anti-Rome sentiment

• strong centre of European humanism

• the German princes longed for more independence (this is why Frederick III, protected Luther) from the Holy Roman Empire

• princes could seize control over church land (and there was a lot of

Martin Luther

• the person who initiated the Reformation

• German, Augustinian monk

• excommunicated in 1521

• refused to recant before the Holy Roman Emperor unless proven wrong by scripture or reason

• contributed many theological/scholarly works

Ulrich Zwingli

• a priest in Zurich

• heavily influenced by humanism, especially by Erasmus

• developed his views from contact with Lutherans and his study of the bible

• in 1519 began to give reformed sermons

• Zurich became the first Reformed state outside of Germany under Zwingli

• main theological contribution: if its not in the bible it is not Christian

John Calvin

• a French lawyer and humanist

• published The Institutes of the Christian Religion in 1536

• this book strongly influenced the Protestant Reformation (second only to the bible)

• did not add much to the theology but gave structure and logic to its doctrines

• belief in predestination (more on this later)

• interestingly Lutherans and Calvinists did not get along

Protestant Catholic

Justification by faith -- Christ's sacrifice atones for all sins, and it is only necessary to believe in it to be saved. There is nothing humans can do by their own efforts to add or detract from it.

Both faith and good works (acts of devotion, charity, the sacraments, etc.) are necessary for salvation.

The priesthood of all believers -- all believers have equal access to God and no other earthly intermediaries are needed. This does not mean that the flock does not need teachers, but there are no special sacramental functions belonging to any particular class.

The Catholic priesthood is necessary as only priests can perform the sacraments necessary for spiritual health and correctly interpret the meaning of scripture.

Key doctrinal issues separating the Protestants (specifically Calvinists) from the Catholics

Protestant Catholic

The scriptures as the only source of true doctrine -- studying and understanding the scriptures is therefore important to all believers. Translating the Bible into the vernacular tongues and making it available to all is essential.

Scripture is only one way in which doctrine is revealed; the decisions of church councils, encyclicals from the Pope, tradition, etc. are all part of it. Only the priesthood of the church can correctly interpret the meaning of scripture -- do not try this at home.

Christ's sacrifice happened only once, and no repeat of that sacrifice is necessary. Although Calvinists and Lutherans believe God is present at the sacrament and it nourishes the faithful spiritually, the bread and wine are not literally the body and blood of Christ. Zwinglians take a more extreme view that the sacrament is only symbolic. Everyone takes both bread and wine.

The Eucharist is a mystery in which the sacrifice of Christ is reenacted; the bread and wine become spiritually transformed into the true body and blood of the Lord (the doctrine of transubstantiation). Only priests partake of the wine and bread, the populace only takes the bread.

Protestant Catholic

No heavenly intermediaries are needed to intercede with God. Although the Virgin Mary, saints, and angels are all in heaven, they should not be the objects of prayer or veneration. The making of images encourages idolatrous worship that should be directed at the more abstract concept of God.

Although the saints and angels should not be worshipped, their intercession is valuable and necessary to helping the Christian to achieve salvation. The Virgin Mary is especially honored by God, and should be also by believers. Religious images should not be worshipped, but they help to inspire devotion (these fine points were often lost on the average peasant).

God's foreknowledge and omnipotence mean that everyone is predestined to their fate: either to be or not to be one of the elect. Human action avails nothing. (specific to Calvinism)

God's omnipotence does not restrict human will, and each individual is still responsible for earning their own salvation.

Protestant Catholic

The Bible only documents two sacraments: baptism and the Lord's Supper (so called to distinguish the Protestant practice from the Catholic Eucharist). No priestly status is required to perform them, although ministers to the church are necessary and useful to directing and guiding it.

There are seven sacraments: baptism, Eucharist (see above), penance (confession/ absolution), confirmation, marriage, holy orders, extreme unction (last rites). Of these, baptism can be performed by anyone in an emergency, and marriage (a historical newcomer to the list) is technically bestowed by the two partners on one another -- all the rest can only be performed by a priest.

Using the previous information, write a paragraph outlining the major theological

differences between Catholics and Protestants.

Bibliography

• www.lepg.org/religion.htm

• http://vlib.iue.it/carrie/texts/carrie_books/gilbert/index.html

• www.wsu.edu/~dee/REFORM/REFORM.HTM