The Protestant Reformation Tara Madsen

Christian Humanism In northern Europe, a renaissance began that was made up of Christian Humanist Christian Humanism- wanted reform of the Catholic Church People felt that if you could read the religious classics then you could become more pious The best known Christian Humanist was Erasmus who felt that outward religious acts (Fasting, pilgrimage, relics) were not as important as inward religion

Need for Reform Why the call for reform?????? Corruption was the main reason, from 1450 to 1520 there were a series of popes known as the Renaissance popes… they failed to meet the spiritual needs of the church Many church officials used their church offices to advance their wealth and many ordinary priests seemed ignorant of their duties

People wanted that spiritual assurance so they began to depend of relics and indulgences People would purchase indulgences to release their loved ones from part of their sins (the church sold these indulgences) “When a coin in the coffer rings, a soul from purgatory there springs” – Johann Tetzel

Martin Luther Martin Luther was a monk and a professor at the University of Wittenberg The University of Wittenberg was in Germany and he was a professor of theology (teaching/studying the bible) The Catholic Church believed that in order to gain salvation, one must have faith and good works Luther believed that one could never have enough good works in order to secure salvation The idea that one could only be saved by faith in God is known as justification by faith alone

Ninety-Five Theses Luther did not see himself as a rebel, but he was greatly angered by the selling of indulgences On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther wrote out a list of grievances to church officials… these were known as the 95 Theses The 95 Theses attacked the sell of indulgences… thousands of copies were printed and spread across Germany (how?) At first, Pope Leo X did not take him seriously and said that he was just some “drunken monk who will amend his ways when he sobers up”

Break with the Church By 1520, Luther began to move towards a break with the Catholic Church He called for a German overthrow of the papacy (Catholic Church Leadership) and also wanted to get rid of all sacraments except 2; Baptism and Communion Luther also called for the clergy to get married The Catholic Church excommunicated him in 1521 The Edict of Worms made Luther an outlaw within the empire and all of his works were to be burned… Luther was then suppose to be delivered to the emperor Luther’s prince sent him into hiding and protected him

Lutheranism Lutheranism was the first protestant faith… it was based off of Luther’s teachings and replaced the Catholic Mass Religious warfare ensued between Lutherans and the Catholic Church until 1555 when the Peace of Augsburg officially accepted the split in Christianity