The Protestant Reformation s1

The Protestant Reformation

Scope: In this lecture we will take up the Protestant Reformation that in the span of two generations forever fractured the medieval Weltanschauung of a single Christendom, but not before unleashing a century of warfare catalyzed by disagreements over how to worship a loving God. The Reformation and resultant warfare would pre-stage a new search for certainty in a world turned upside down. A search that would end with the preeminence of the nation state system and the rational revolution of the 17th and 18th Centuries. We will examine several key figures in the Protestant Reformation; explore the ways in which the Reformation was a liberal, even democratic event inspired by the humanism of the Renaissance; and we will explore also how it was an austere reactionary response to humanism. 1. Church was Ripe for Reform in 1500 a. Babylonian Captivity 1309-74 and Schism 1374-1417, Pope Prisoner of Fr. King: Centralizing National Monarchs could establish what where essentially national churches by 1500 b. Counciliorism vs. Papal Authority i. To win back authority Popes acted like Medieval princes at expense of moral example (Leo VI, Alexander X for ex.) ii. During Captivity Papacy became much more bureaucratically efficient at collecting money that went to an extravagant Rome (Luther Clip)-see c. below- c. Quality pastoral care was lacking/neglected i. Shortage of Priests who were under educated and not always moral exemplars ii. Inquisition & Heretics – Remember that auto-da-fe iii. Church courts monitored and enforced personal conduct – breed resentments iv. Priests might be sent by Rome from outside of community d. Heretical Movements: i. Lollards: John Wycliffe ii. Hussites: Jan Hus: Hussites iii. Less Hierarchy and authority and greed of church, deemphasized ceremony and ritual, emphasized scripture and lay participation e. Christian Humanists: Erasmus Handbook of the Christian Soldier address error through textual analysis, de-emphasis sacraments, commits individual to moral life, complains: “[Priests claimed] that they’ve properly performed their duty if they reel off perfunctorily their feeble prayers which I’d be greatly surprised if any god could hear or undersand.” 2. Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation in Germany. In 1500 no one could predict that this axial period would be set in motion by an unremarkable monk in the backwater of Germany a. Nascent Germany nationalism bristled at a papal court that was almost entirely Italian and made ever increasing demands on German money while interfering with the sovereignty of local duchies – paying much and not getting anything in return b. Geography is destiny: the centralizing states had better terms with Pope c. Augustinian: Luther’s quest for truth and the Tower Experience lead to his theology of salvation by faith alone and rejection of “works” d. Tetzel the Dominican Indulgence peddler’s particularly unsavory campaign of 1517 and Luther’s “95 Thesis” i. Doctrine of Store house of merit ii. Rich are saved? iii. More significantly, deal with God? e. Declared a heretic in 1519 by Leo X, Luther was forced to break with the Church and would produce a flourish of creative theology that would become a new Lutheran religion (To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation was a best seller) i. Faith alone ii. Grace alone iii. Scripture alone iv. Great implications, i.e. no monasteries, vernacular services and bible, no ecclesiastic hierarchy, only two sacraments… f. Church Lags – giving Luther a chance to spread: Diet of Worms 1521 Luther Ex-Communicated, Fredrick the Wise the Elector of Saxonny, Luther’s Monarch would protect him from the Pope’s death sentence to the “dynastic” displeasure of Charles, HRE i. Instructive – Luther electrified all Germany, only took in areas where princes embraced it ii. Sovereignty is offered the Prince who embraces Luther, and power is the goal of rulers 1. taxes 2. monastic properties 3. Control of Church courts and patronage 4. Against the Thievish, Murderous Hordes of Peasants, 1525 3. John Calvin and Swiss Protestantism: the Swiss were dominated by neither princes nor kings and would embrace a much more radical Protestantism – after all when the leading citizens decided to do so there was no one to stop them a. Zwinglisnism, founded by Ulrich Zwingli(1484- 1531) in Zurich was fundamentally like Lutheranism, but denied any sacraments b. Anabaptism, Anabaptists broke from Zwigli in 1525 over infant baptism i. Focused on individuals “inner light” and eschewed politics, based on pacifism and strict biblical morality ii. Were pretty well wiped out – mind what comes of those who define peace as the absence of war – but survived and evolved into present day Quaker, Baptist, and Pentecostal sects c. John Calvin (1509-1564) was a French protestant who fled to Switzerland and would eventually be eventually the Ayatollah of Geneva: Democratic Dictatorship! i. Evincing his legal training, Calvin created a much more lawyerly version of Protestantism where-as Luther was reactive and Mercurial. Calvin would bring back Torah law with respect to the Sabbath for instance ii. Luther was passive in approach to life, Calvin saw man as God’s instruments who had duty to accomplish his purposes – and not to be saved either! iii. Calvin insisted on a much more austere liturgy: no vestments, alters, hierarchy of any kind – 4 walls and a sermon iv. Predestination v. Protestant work ethic vi. Institutes of the Christian Religion was the most coherent and encompassing work of Protestant Theology – a Summa Theologica that totally rejected Thomistic theology vii. Calvin in Geneva established a theocracy with supreme power resting in the “Consistory” which had as its main function the supervision of morals through aggressive snooping 4. The English Reformation had as background the suppression of the Lollards who would enthusiastically support Henry’s eventual break, Erasmus’ complaints, and the national resentment of the siphoning of English wealth. a. Proximate cause was Henry the VIII wanted a divorce and his wife Catherine of Aragon who did not bear him a son (see Simpson’s from 2003 season). Mary was their only surviving offspring b. Pope was in a bind and refused to annul the marriage so Henry broke from Church with Parliaments blessing and Henry established the Anglican Church which was little changed c. Act in Restraint of Appeals, 1533 “This Relm is an Empire” d. Edward VI (1547-1553) under the Lutheran influenced Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer instituted strongly Lutheran reforms e. Mary (1553-1558) attempted to turn back to Catholicism – got Parliament to reassert Papal allegiance. She ultimately failed because the powerful had profited greatly from Monastic seizures and her burning of Cranmer was not sufficiently brutal to suppress insurgence, then she married a Spaniard f. Elizabeth I (1558-1603) instituted the “Elizabethan compromise” in which she severed England from Rome and accepted most of Edward’s Protestant reforms while keeping bishops and other Catholic practices, but keeping them deliberately vague 5. Catholic Reforms: Council of Trent 1545-1563 and the Society of Jesus a. The Council of Trent [p. 511-12] would re- affirm all the central doctrines challenged by the Protestants: i. Good works necessary for salvation ii. Sacraments indispensable means of achieving grace iii. Transubstantiation iv. Apostolic succession of the priesthood v. Purgatory vi. Bible exactly equal to Church apostolic teachings vii. Suppression of local saint cults viii. Commission to ban and destroy heretical books b. St. Ignatius Loyola and the Jesuits i. Took the organizational form of a military unit but engaged in proselytizing not warfare ii. Weapons were learnedness, persuasion, instruction in correct doctrines iii. Created schools and still do – good ones that attract even protestants, believing that widespread literacy and education were necessary to vigorous Catholicism iv. Seminaries were improved and expanded