Chapter 14
Social and Religious background to the
Reformation
• Society and religion -Conflict between emerging nations-states.
• Social and Political Conflict- felt the church had become to pious.
Criticism of the church
• To many the medieval Catholic Church had
ceased to provide a viable foundation for
religious piety.
– They wanted a more heartfelt, idealistic, heretical, religious piety.
– The people were becoming more knowledgeable
because they were able to travel, the postal systems and printing press increased information
Three problems with the Clergy
• Problem: to many ecclesiastical positions had been sold to the highest bidder instead of religious beliefs.
– Clerical immorality: drunkards, neglected the oath of celibacy, gambled
– Clerical ignorance: barely literate Priests who would mumble through the Latin Mass
• Clerical privileges and immunities: exempt from civic responsibilities, defending the cities and paying taxes.
Luther’s Protest
• Martin Luther – a monk and a professor at the university of Wittenberg Germany.
• He argued that indulgences had no basis
in the Bible, that the pope had no authority to release souls from purgatory
• He did not believe that Christians could be saved only through good deeds. He believed in “justification” that People could be saved by faith alone.
• “Faith alone, grace alone, Scripture alone”
Martin Luther and
German Reformation to 1525
• Justification by faith alone
– The righteousness that God demands did not result
from works or ceremonies but simply because you
believed and trusted in Jesus
The Attack on Indulgences
– When man sins it is a sin for eternity – once a
priest issues an indulgence (forgiveness
through works) the sin is forgiven and it
becomes a temporal penalty that is
manageable by “works of satisfaction”
– By Luther’s time forgiveness became
Sale of Indulgences
• You could pay for your sins, future sins, and those
of your loved ones and those that were dead.
• The Church used the Sales to generate revenue
to pay for church repairs, or to pay large debt.
Luther’s excommunication and the Diet of Worms
• Luther challenged the infallibilty of the Pope • In 1520 Luther wrote 3 famous pamphlets
– Address to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation – urged German Princes to force reforms on the Roman Church to curtail its political and economic powers.
– The Babylonian Captivity of the Church – he attacked the traditional seven sacraments – stating only 2 were biblical (Baptism and Eucharist) – Freedom of a Christian – new teachings of salvation by faith alone
– The church responded by ordering that his books be burned.
• June 15, 1520 Pope Leo condemned Luther for
heresy and gave him 60 days to retract his
statements
• April 1521 Luther was called before the Diet of
Worms
– the Diet is an assembly of the nobility, clergy of the Holy Roman Empire
– he refused to recant and was declared an “outlaw” – taken by friends he was hidden for a year.
Zwinglian Reformation
– Formed in Switzerland by priest Ulrich Zwingli.
– Relics and images were abolished. All paintings and decorations were removed from the churches.
– Services = scripture reading, prayer, and Sermons. From Matthew to Revalation.
Conflict in beliefs
• First: How is a person to be saved? – Catholic: by faith and good works – Protestant: by faith alone
– God not people initiates salvation
• Second: where does religious authority reside?
– Christian (Catholic)doctrine says it is with the Bible and in the traditional teaching of the church.
– Protestants: rests in the Bible alone. As a result the
• Third: What is the church?
• Protestants held that the church is a
spiritual priesthood of all believers,
invisible fellowship not fixed in any place
or person.
• Catholic church practiced hierarchical
• Fourth: What is the highest form of Christian
life?
• The medieval church stressed the superiority of
the monastic and religious life over secular.
• Protestants disagreed and argued that every
The meaning of the Sacrament
– Zwingli tried to join with Luther and Calvin but they
could not agree on the meaning of the sacrament of
communion.
– In scripture Christ’s words were “This is my body” as
part of the sacrament.
• Zwingli argued that Christ did not literally mean
“my body” but the spiritual body.
Reformation Idea Spread
• Radical Reformers: Anabaptists
– Rejected infant Baptism– Complete separation of church and state
– Refuse to hold public office or serve in military
– They were considered dangerous radicals
– They wanted to abolish private property
– Today they are the Baptists, Amish, Mennonites, and Quakers
John Calvin Calvin’s teachings
1. He believed that salvation was gained through faith alone.
2. He regarded the Bible as the only source of religious truth.
3. He believed in Predestination
that God had long ago determined who would gain salvation.
• Calvinism replaces Lutheranism as the dominant Protestant force in Europe.
– Led to massive political resistance in France, The Netherlands, and Scotland.
– Calvinist believed strongly in divine predestination, and the individuals responsibility to reorder society according to God’s plan.
• Political revolt and religious reform at Geneva
– The protestant city of Bern sent troops into Geneva, Protestants triumphed and in 1536 the city decided to officially adopt the Reformation
Catholic Reform and Counter-Reformation
• Capuchins – they sought to return to the original ascetic and charitable ideals of St. Francis.
• The Somaschi and Barnabites worked to repair the moral, spiritual and physical damage done to war-torn Italy
• For women there were the Ursulines – established convents in Italy and France.
The Council of Trent
• Important reforms
– To curtail the selling of church offices and other religious goods.
– Strengthened the authority of local bishops so they could effectively discipline popular religious practice.
– Parish Priests were to be neatly dressed, better educated strictly celibate, and active among parishioners.
Ignatius of Loyola and the Jesuits- Society of Jesus
• Ignatius was a soldier who was injured during a battle with theFrench.
• During a lengthy and painful convalescence he read the Christian classics
• He wrote a book called “Spiritual Exercises” a psychological, devotional guide it taught that you could shape your own
behavior- even create a new religious self through disciplined study and regular practice.
Church Beliefs on Marriage and Sexuality
• That the vow of celibacy goes against human nature and God’s commandments.
• Marriage offered husband and wife companionship and consolation.
• Marriage was seen as a remedy for lust. They condemned prostitution.
Cont.
• New role – pastor’s wife.– Living demonstrations of their husbands convictions and to be role models of wifely obedience.
– Men were to treat their wife's kindly and considerate.
– Marriage manuals used the metaphor of breaking a horse for teaching a wife obedience.
• Protestants saw marriage as a contract in which each partner offers support, companionship and sharing of mutual goods.
Peasant’s Revolt
• The peasants revolted not only against the Catholic church but they combined the ideals of Christian freedom as equal to political and economic freedom • Luther did not support the people
• 70,000 =- 10,000 peasants died in the revolts.
Rise of Habsburg Empire
Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III marries Princess Eleonore of Portugal
His son Maximillian marries Mary of Burgundy now unites Holy Roman Empire, Austria, Netherlands and Luxembourg
His son and daughter marry into the Spanish throne (also southern Italy and Americas)
His grandson Charles V is now King of Spain, Holy Roman Empire, Austria, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Southern Italy and
Religious Wars in Switzerland and Germany
• The ruler determined the religion of the area.
• Luther’s Protestant ideas appealed to German rulers
for several reasons
– Germany was not a nation – but a group of people
who shared a language and culture.
– Rejection of Catholicism would free the rulers to
Switzerland
• First religious battle between Charles V, Holy Roman
Emperor and Defender of the Catholic church,
against the cantons of Switzerland that became
Protestant.
• Zwingli was killed in the battle.
• Peace agreement was reached where each canton
was allowed to decide its own religion.
Imperial Diet 1530
• Protestant princes presented the Augsburg Confession to Charles V.
• Charles refused to accept it and ordered all Protestants to return to the Catholic Church.
• The Protestant princes from the north joined with those in the south and formed a military alliance.
The Peace of Augsburg
• The Pope worried that Charles was becoming to powerful so he withdrew his troops and the Catholic King of France sent money to help the German Protestant princes.
• After 30 years of war Charles V was forced to reinstate the Protestant leaders and guaranteed Lutherans religious freedoms in the Peace of Passau
• The Peace of Augsburg made the division of Christendom permanent. (Lutheranism)
– Curius regio. Eius religio = meaning that the ruler of a land would determine the religion of the land.
Expansion of the Reformation
• Introduced to Denmark by Christian II, then under
Christian III, Lutheranism became the official state
religion.
• In Sweden King Gustavus Vasa adopted
Lutheranism, confiscated church property and
subjected the clergy to royal authority.
