6 Providential Foundations to the Reformation 1. Changes in Philosophy in Universities 2. Sulliman...

6 Providential Foundations to the Reformation

1. Changes in Philosophy in Universities 2. Sulliman the Magnificent 3. Corruption in the Catholic Church 4. Printing Press 5. The Fragmented Nature of the Holy Roman Empire 6. Collapse of the Feudal System

Providence “God’s orchestrating all circumstances and events in His universe for His glory and the good of His people” Jerry Bridges

“Providence is that continuous agency of God by which He makes all the events of the physical and moral universe fulfill the original design with which He created it.” Augustus Strong

Changes in Philosophy in the Universities

Platoism

(want to know what it became)

Shift in Philosophy in the Universities

Known as the Renaissance

Changes in Philosophy in the Universities con’t

Platoism—Truth lies in Universals or Classifications

The earth is round

The Church has authority

Maintained the established order & discouraged questioning


Nominalism(want to know what its made of) William of Ockham A Franciscan Monk who taught at Oxford 1285-1347 Universals are not reality but only in the human mind & Universals are like “names” new


We call it that but in reality that’s just what we call it not what it is

Ex. Chair Every so called universalism is radically individual – “Particularism” Therefore because of nominalism the cry of the Renaissance was “back to the sources”

Suleiman the Magnificent 1520-1566

The Rise of Islam proved to be one of God’s Providential boosts to ReformationThe Ottoman Turks took over the lands of the Seljuk Turks and conquered the Byzantine Empire In 1453 the Ottoman Empire took Constantinople after a siege of several months

Suleiman the Magnificent 1520-1566 This invasion of Palestine

and Greece resulted in Hebrew and Greek scholars being replanted in universities throughout Spain and Europe. Helps to know Hebrew and Greek when all around scholars are saying “back to the sources”!

Suleiman the Magnificent 1520-1566

Question Suleiman’s general’s

1st name was Achmed—what was his last name?

The Corruption of the Roman Catholic Church (hence RCC)

Who was the 1st Pope

Luther--Boniface III 607-608 Usurped title of Universal Bishop

The Corruption of the RCC

Calvin--Gregory the Great 590-606


Zwingli--Hildebrand or Gregory VII 1073-1085

Established infallibility of the Pope


Anabaptist--Constantine

Wed (welded) the Church to the State


Height of Papal power culminated in Innocent III 1198-1216

Became Pope at 37 years old

Ruled political leaders

Businesslike, and an opportunist determined to expand RCC’s power


Started celibacy to stop clan rule of church parishes and provincesAn example of Gregory’s power He made King John of England (signer of the Magna Carta) submit to an interdict and excommunication for not seating the Pope’s guy as Archbishop of Canterbury


So Gregory was the 1st Pope and Innocent III was the height of Papal power.


Roland H. Bainton in his book “The Reformation of the 16th Century” sees 3 stages in the rise and fall of Papal power.

Dissemination 500-1100 AD

Domination 1200-1300

Disintegration 1400-1500


During the domination stage the philosophical foundation of Catholic beliefs were produced by Thomas Aquinas and his major work Summa ThelogicaOn a massive scale (smaller in size to the 1539 edition of the Institutes)


The Summa established the 7 Sacraments – Mary worship, the Mass, and purgatory as major doctrines of the RCC


At Luther’s time the RCC had some major problems

Sale of indulgences (an indulgence is a reprieve of an amount of time spent in Purgatory)

Priestly immorality –Most priests at this time had a mistress


Relics – things like a thorn from Christ’s crown, or a nail from the cross – these were used to solicit funds and lop off more time in Purgatory. Absenteeism and the holding of multiple offices (to raise your income)

Printing Press

Printing Press invented by Johannes Gutenberg in 1450

Prior to the printing press all books (incunabula) were hand written

Printing PressPrior to the printing press possibly ½ million books in existence 10 years after the printing press 3 million +1550 metal screw (iron) replaces the wood screw increasing longevity of the equipment

Printing PressThe result is that books can now be purchased b the emerging middle class the 1st Gutenberg Bible would have cost $750 in today’s dollars.

Knowledge increases

The Renaissance flourishes

The Fragmented Nature of the Holy Roman Empire

The last Roman Emperor in the West was Romulus Augustus who was disposed by the Goths in 476The Ostogoths (Easter Goths) settled above the Black Sea in the Ukraine KievWestern (Roman) civilization and law continued even though Rome ended politically


With the rise of Pope Gregory I (Gregory the Great) 590-604 Rome began to be emancipated from Byzantium and the Papal states were formed


In 800 Charlemagne was crowned emperor of the west. He claimed to restore legitimate succession from Rome

But this caused problems between the Roman Emperors and RCC


Beginning with Otto I in 962 Germany and Italy were joined together in what was called the Holy Roman Empire ended in 1806 when Francis II renounced his title. (age of Napoleon) It was called Holy because the Pope crowned the Emperor

Francis II


1500 the Diet of Augsburg establishes Council of Regency to oversee HRE and divides the HRE into 6 regions (electors)

Collapse of Feudal System Money instead of barter

Increased travel and trade fueled the new emerging middle class the artisans

Invention of gunpowder and cannons Bureau Brothers

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