The Reformation

Luther Challenges the Church

Luther was a monk and teacher

He was spiritually uncomfortable: felt sinful, lost, rejected by God

In 1517, he decided to take action against Johann Tetzel who was selling indulgences to raise money to rebuild St. Peter’s Cathedral

October 31, 1517: Possted 95 Theses to door of Wittenberg Church

Luther’s Teachings

He went beyond criticizing indulgences

Salvation by faith alone – not faith and good works taught by the Church

Bible is the source of authority – pope and Church traditions were false authorities

All people with faith equal – did not need priests to interpret Bible

Only valid sacraments: baptism and the Eucharist

Response to Luther

Initially, Rome viewed Luther as a rebellious monk

As Luther’s ideas became more popular, the Church saw him as a threat

1520: Pope Leo X threatened him with excommunication unless he recanted - he refused

Holy Roman Emperor Charles V summoned him to Worms to force him to recant – he refused

Edict of Worms: Luther made an outlaw

Frederick the Wise of Saxony hid Luther in one of his castles for a year

Luther translated the New Testament into German while there

Some people began to apply Luther’s revolutionary ideas to society – in 1524, German peasants demanded an end to serfdom

The peasants raided monasteries, burned the countryside; but Luther rejected them and urged the German princes to show them no mercy

Many peasants rejected Luther’s religious leadership

The Thirty Years’ War

Charles V went to war against the Protestant princes

He defeated them but failed to force them back to the Catholic Church

In the Peace of Augsburg, Charles was forced to agree that each prince would decide the religion of his state

England Become Protestant

Henry VIII, the Tudor king of England, was married to Catherine of Aragon

They had a daughter, Mary, but she did not give him a son

Convinced that Catherine would have no more children, he sought to divorce her so he could marry Anne Boleyn

He asked to the Church to annul the marriage – the Church would not

So he called the Parliament into session and asked that the pope’s power in England be ended – this was the Reformation Parliament

In 1534, Parliament voted to approve the Act of Supremacy, which recognized the king’s divorce and accepted Henry as the official head of the Church of England

Thomas More was executed for his refusal to take the oath in recognition of Parliament’s actions

Anne Boleyn gave Henry another daughter, Elizabeth. Anne was found guilty of treason and executed

Henry then married Jane Seymour who gave him a son, Edward VI

Henry would marry 3 more times: Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Catherine Parr

Henry’s Successors

Henry died in 1547 and his son Edward VI took the throne

Edward was a minor and was guided by adults who were Protestant – England introduced many Protestant reforms during this time

Edward reigned for only 6 years. Mary, the Catholic daughter of Catherine of Aragon, took the throne in 1553 – she returned England to Catholicism

Many Protestants were executed when they rebelled – she was known as Bloody Mary

Elizabeth I

When Mary died in 1558, Elizabeth I took the throne

Elizabeth restored England to Protestantism

She established a Protestant church that moderate Catholics and moderate Protestants might accept

Religion would remain a problem; some tried to overthrow her and replace her with her cousin, the Catholic Mary Queen of Scots. Elizabeth had her executed

John Calvin

Zwingli had began a religious reform movement in Zurich – he was killed during fighting between Catholics and Protestants in 1531

John Calvin was beginning to clarify his religious beliefs during that time

Calvin believed in predestination, he also believed in salvation by faith alone and believed that the Bible was the source of authority

He led the reformation in Switzerland in the city of Geneva

John Knox would further Calvin’s ideas in Scotland – followers became known as Presbyterians

The Catholic Reformation

Catholics hoped to halt the spread of Protestantism

Two popes took a lead in reforming the Catholic Church

1545-1563: Council of Trent agreed on several doctrines:

- church’s interpretation of the Bible was final

- Christians needed faith and good works for

salvation

- Bible and tradition were equally powerful authorities