the reformation. luther challenges the church luther was a monk and teacher he was spiritually...
TRANSCRIPT
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