The Protestant Reformation
Catholicism in the 1400s Roman Catholic Church – influential, extravagant, and worldly. Some people felt church straying from spiritual roots. Concerns crystallized into the PROTESTANT REFORMATION
THE CHURCH’S BIG PROBLEMS: Popes – greedy/worldly; more worried about living in luxury, collecting art and war than being spiritual leaders Priests – decline due to Plague; still had “wives” and kids; not well educated Selling of indulgences by the church -INDULGENCES – pay $$; reduce a soul’s time in purgatory(Catholic’s believed dead went to purgatory to work off sins) - Sale of indulgences approved by Pope Leo X to build St. Peter’s Basilica 4. People: - Question why some spared by God during plague and others were not - Found the clergy had little interest in their spiritual needs - More open to new ideas - Direct result of the Renaissance and invention of printing press - More literate people
PRINTING PRESS: Germany 1455 Johan Gutenberg – prints the Bible
EFFECTS OF THE PRINTING PRESS: Books made quickly/cheaply Many people can buy books For the 1st time the Bible is widely read New ideas spread quickly Literacy increases
PEOPLE WHO SPOKE OUT AGAINST THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: Savonarola - 1494-98 controlled Florence (overthrew Medici - Told people to “burn vanities” - Burned at the stake - Showed how easily religious passion could turn to revolutionary thought
PEOPLE WHO SPOKE OUT AGAINST THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: (cont’) 2. Christian Humanists: - Major goal – reform the Catholic Church - Believed in ability of human beings to reason and improve themselves - Read classics – especially basic works of Christianity and you would become more pious (inward religious feeling) - This would bring about reform in the church and society - Best know Christian Humanist – Erasmus (1466-1536) - said “Christianity should show people how to live good lives on a daily basis, not just provide beliefs for them to be saved”
PEOPLE WHO SPOKE OUT AGAINST THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: 3. John Wycliffe (Early Reformer) - Professor at Oxford - Ideas: - Pope stuffy, rich, proud - Jesus was boss, not the pope - Bible was authority, not the pope - Church shouldn’t own land or be rich - Translated Bible to English - Removed from teaching position, arrested but freed, died 1384
PEOPLE WHO SPOKE OUT AGAINST THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: 4. John Hus (Bohemia- Czech.) - Preached against immorality and worldliness of Catholic Church - Preached Bible>Pope - Hero to Czech people - 1411 – Excommunicated by Pope Gregory XII - 1415 – Burned at the stake John Wycliffe and John Hus openly criticized the church which began the discussions that eventually led to reform.
PEOPLE WHO SPOKE OUT AGAINST THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: 5. Martin Luther (Monk/religious scholar; Germany)
MARTIN LUTHER (1483-1546) Background: - Mean father/priests scared him - Tried to “be good” as a kid – guilty/afraid - Friends die during The Plague/ struck by lightening at 21 – becomes a monk - As a monk Luther would fast/confess/freeze but still did not “feel good” - Monk/Professor at the University of Wittenberg - Lectured on the Bible - Change – read Bible and discovered FAITH was key to salvation not all the stuff the Priests said!!! All you need is FAITH to be saved.