1. 1.2.Ideas & the Human Experience
Unit 1 WH3219
October 2016
Part 3

2. C. The Protestant Reformation
By the 1530s, Western Christendom would be split between the Catholics and the Protestants
Western Civilization would be changed forever
What events led to this remarkable change?
Enter Martin Luther

3. Martin Luther
German monk & theology professor at the University of Wittenburg
Catholic teaching had stressed that salvation is acquired through both faith & good works such as fasting & prayer
Remember the 7 Sacraments?

4. Luther’s Beliefs
Justification By Faith: humans are not saved through their good works but through their faith in God (one of the chief teachings of the Protestant Reformation)
The Bible was the only guide to salvation
Emphasized the role of the individual. Every believer was to be their own priest and interpret the Bible themselves.

5. Luther & Indulgences
The main issue that sparked the Reformation was the selling of indulgences
Indulgences - certificates issued by the Church that were said to reduce or even cancel punishment for a person‘s sin
They were a method used by the Church to raise funds to pay its huge & enormous costs
Pope Leo X sold church positions & indulgences

6. Luther & Indulgences
They were first issued during the Crusades when the pope agreed to cancel penalties for any sins a crusader committed
Over time, people purchased indulgences, believing it insured them a spot in heaven
Could also buy indulgences for salvation of their dead relatives

7. The Sale of Indulgences
On a pole, in the form of a cross, hangs the Papal authorization for the sale; on the ground lie scales; two sacks of coins show the profit.

8. John Tetzel: Selling Indulgences
In 1517, John Tetzel, Church's agent for selling indulgences in N. Germany, was collecting money to help the pope build St. Peter’s Church in Rome
He promised peasants that indulgences would relieve them of guilt for future sins
"Once you hear the money's ring, the soul from purgatory is free to spring.“

9. Indulgence Certificate
Translation:
By the authority of all the saints, and in mercy towards you, I absolve you from all sins and misdeeds and remit all punishments for ten days.
(indulgence as sold by John Tetzel.)

10. Luther’s Protest
October 31, 1517: Luther criticized the sale of indulgences & the Catholic Church by nailing his 95 Theses on door of Wittenberg Church
He became the enemy of the Pope & the Catholic leadership in Rome
Luther also published essays questioning many other Church practices / beliefs while advocating justification by faith

11. Luther & the printing press
Luther benefited from the Printing Press
A single pamphlet would be carried from town to town &, duplicated by the thousands
Within months, the 95 Thesis had spread across all Europe
All of Luther’s subsequent works were disseminated in the same manner.

12. Reaction to Luther In January 1521, Luther was excommunicated
He was later summoned to appear at the Diet of Worms (Germany) by Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V in an attempt to get Luther to take back criticisms & bring him back into the Catholic Church
Luther refuses; condemned as a heretic
Went into hiding; translated Bible into German

13. The Significance of the Protestant Reformation
What is the significance of this event on the development of Western civilization and the Scientific Revolution?
It effectively ended the dominance of the Catholic Church in Western Europe & saw the beginning of new branches of Christianity such as Lutheranism and Anglicanism
The Reformation challenged the authority of the Roman Catholic Church and hence accepted beliefs. This made it possible for academics and scientific thinkers to advance ideas which might have seen them punished tortured or killed at an earlier date.
Protestants were much more open to new scientific ideas because of the idea that God revealed himself in both the Bible and in nature. So nature should be studied because it helped to better understand God.