Lutheranism and Protestant Reformation

Luther’s Revolution

Increased Education:Spreading universitiesPrinting press to publish bibles

Political Power: Popes possessing significant authority

Increased Religious Beliefs (Renaissance)People becoming more religious Vatican amongst the worlds most beautiful

sites

Catholic Church in the 16th Century

Wealth of churchSimonyPluralismClergy immorality

Cries of outrage grow louder

Pilgrimages commonShrines believed to cure illnessesYet people wanted more…Humanists condemned many practice of the

churchAs suffering rose so did outcry against the

churchConflicts between Religion and PoliticsErosion of confession and the rise of

indulgence

Religious sentiments of Europeans

IndulgencesSubstitute for

confession and penance.

Part of the Catholic doctrine of good works

“so as soon as the coin in coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs”

Came to be viewed as “pardons”

Sale had become big business

Tetzel ControversyNeeded an agent to

sell them to build the St. Peter’s Basilica.

Gave the ability to grant your ancestors freedom from their sins and removal from purgatory.

St. Peters Basilica

Martin LutherRelatively obscure

German professor.Rose due to his

intellectual achievements.

Preached and taught.

Successful and content on the outside, but internally tormented.

“I was one who terribly feared the last judgment and who nevertheless wished with all my heart to be saved.”

He couldn’t erase his belief in his own sinsHow could he liberate his own soul?“I pondered night and day until I understood

the connection between righteousness of God and the sentence “The just shall live by faith”, then I grasped that the justice of God is his righteousness by which through grace and pure mercy, God justifies us through Faith”

Luther's Internal Struggle

Luther's 3 principlesSola Fide: Justification

by faith alone Sola Scriptura: all

that was needed to understand the mercy of God was contained in the Bible

All who believed in Gods righteousness were equal in God’s eyes.

The 95 ThesesLuther’s

scholarly response to Indulgences.

Nature of the act?

Content?Placed him in

direct conflict with the Roman Catholic Church.

ConsequencesExcommunicationBooks burnedA public letter burning“let every soul be subject to the higher powers. For

there is no power but of God.” Papal v. Bible

New Answers to Four Theologic QuestionsHow is someone to

be saved?No longer both faith

and good works.Now salvation from

Faith alone.

Where does Religious Authority Lie?In the Pope? Now it shall lie in the

word of God—the Bible.

Each person is capable of their own leadership.

What is the Church?Is it the clergy and

the institution?Lutheran view holds

it that the church is the entire community of believers.

What is the highest form of Christian life?Previous teachings

held the monastic and religious orders.

Luther emphasized that all vocations have equal merit and that every person should serve god per their individual calling.

The answers to these four questions becomes the basis of Protestantism

Luther summoned by Charles V to WormsOrdered to recant“I cannot and I will

not retract anything, since is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. I cannot do otherwise.”

Asked Charles V and the Pope to use the Bible to contradict his words…

Spread of LutheranismEncouraged local

princes to allow their subjects to practice it.

Diminished power of the papacy.

Published over 30 works that were huge best sellers.

German princes long angry with politics in Europe were the quickest to embrace it

Spread of ProtestantismJohn CalvinUnwilling reformerGeneva was largely

under Catholic and prince control.

The region had been exposed to Protestantism by the reformer Huldrych Zwingli

Calvin’s World in the 16c

CalvinismLuther/Calvin comparisonCalvin and Paris under

Francis I (at right)An avid defender of French

Huegenots (Protestants)Predestination“Many are called but few are

chosen” “The Elect”Puritans (congregational

elect government)“infants themselves bring

their own damnation from the mothers womb”

Discounts the good works doctrine

Structure of Calvinism

Pastors

Doctors

Deacons

Elders

ProtestantChurchesinFrance(Late 16c)

The Anabaptists

Dutch persecution of Anabaptists (Mennonites)

ReformationEurope(Late 16c)