The Protestant Reformation DOCUMENTARY HISTORY of WESTERN CIVILIZATION Edited by Eugene C
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The Protestant Reformation DOCUMENTARY HISTORY OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION edited by Eugene C. Black and Leonard W. Levy ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL HISTORY OF THE WEST Morton Smith: ANCIENT GREECE A. H. M. Jones: A HISTORY OF ROME THROUGH THE FIFTH CENTURY Vol. I: The Republic Vol. II: The Empire Deno Geanakopolos: BYZANTINE EMPIRE Marshall W. Baldwin: CHRISTIANITY THROUGH THE CRUSADES Bernard Lewis: ISLAM THROUGH SULEIMAN THE MAGNIFICENT David Herlihy: HISTORY OF FEUDALISM William M. Bowsky: RISE OF COMMERCE AND TOWNS David Herlihy: MEDIEVAL CULTURE AND SOCIETY EARLY MODERN HISTORY Hannah Gray: CULTURAL HISTORY OF THE RENAISSANCE Florence Edler De Roover: MONEY, BANKING & COMMERCE, 13TH-16TH CENTURIES V. J, Parry: THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE Ralph E. Giesey: EVOLUTION OF THE DYNASTIC STATE J, H. Parry: THE EUROPEAN RECONNAISSANCE Hans J, Hillerbrand: THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION John C. Olin: THE CATHOLIC COUNTER-REFORMATION Orest Ranum: THE CENTURY OF LOUIS XIV Thomas Hegarty: RUSSIAN HISTORY THROUGH PETER THE GREAT Marie Boas-Hall: THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION Barry E. Supple: HISTORY OF MERCANTILISM ____ : IMPERIALISM, WAR & DIPLOMACY,1550-1763 Herbert H. Rowen: THE LOW COUNTRIES C. A. Macartney: THE EVOLUTION OF THE HABSBURG & HOHENZOLLERN DYNASTIES Lester G. Crocker: THE ENLIGHTENMENT Robert Forster: EIGHTEENTH CENTURY EUROPEAN SOCIETY REVOLUTIONARY EUROPE, 1789-1848 Paul H. Beik: THE FRENCH REVOLUTION David L. Dowd: NAPOLEONIC ERA, 1799-1815 Rene Albrecht-Carrie: THE CONCERT OF EUROPE John B. Halsted: ROMANTICISM R. Max Hartwell: THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION Mack Walker: METTERNICH'S EUROPE Douglas Johnson: THE ASCENDANT BOURGEOISIE John A. Hawgood: THE REVOLUTIONS OF 1848 NATIONALISM, LIBERALISM, AND SOCIALISM, 1850-1914 Eugene C. Black: VICTORIAN CULTURE AND SOCIETY Eugene C. Black: BRITISH POLITICS IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY Denis Mack Smith: THE MAKING OF ITALY, 1796-1866 David Thomson: FRANCE: Empire and Republic Theodore S. Hamerow: BISMARCK'S MITTELEUROPA Eugene 0. Golob: THE AGE OF LAISSEZ FAIRE Roland N. Stromberg: REALISM, NATURALISM, AND SYMBOLISM: Modes of Thought and Expression in Europe, 1848-1914 Melvin Kranz berg: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Jesse D. Clarkson: TSARIST RUSSIA: Catherine the Great to Nicholas II Philip D. Curtin & John R. W. Smail: IMPERIALISM M. Salvadori: SOCIALISM, MARXISM AND SOCIAL THEORY THE TWENTIETH CENTURY Jere C. King: THE FIRST WORLD WAR S. Clough & T. & C. Moodie: TWENTIETH CENTURY EUROPEAN ECONOMIC HISTORY W. Warren Wagar: SCIENCE, FAITH AND MAN Paul A. Gagnon: INTERNATIONALISM AND DIPLOMACY BETWEEN THE WARS, 1919-1939 Henry Cord Meyer: WEIMAR & NAZI GERMANY Michal Vyvyan: RUSSIA FROM LENIN TO KHRUSHCHEV Charles f. Delzell: MEDITERRANEAN TOTALITARIANISM, 1919-1945 ----: THE SECOND WORLD WAR A volume in DOCUMENTARY HISTORY of WESTERN CIVILIZATION THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION edited by HANS J. HILLERBRAND Palgrave Macmillan 1968 THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION Copyright © 1968 by Hans J. Hillerbrand Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1968 First published in the United States 1968 First published in the United Kingdom by Macmillan & Co 1968 Published by MACMILLAN & CO LTD Little Essex Street London w c 2 and also at Bombay Calcutta and Madras Macmillan South Africa (Publishers) Pty Ltd Johannesburg The Macmillan Company of Australia Pty Ltd Melbourne ISBN 978-1-349-00368-6 ISBN 978-1-349-00366-2 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-00366-2 Contents PREFACE Vll CHRONOLOGY lX INTRODUCTION Xl I. THE GERMAN REFORMATION I. Martin Luther: Preface to the first volume of Latin writings (I 545) 2. Martin Luther: The Freedom of a Christian Man (I 5 20) 3 3· Martin Luther: lnvocavit Sermons (I 5 22) 29 4· Martin Luther: Preface to the German translation of the New Testament (I522) 37 5· Martin Luther: On Governmental Authority (I523) 43 6. The Twelve Articles of the peasants (I525) 63 7· Martin Luther: Friendly Admonition to Peace concern- ing the Twelve Articles of the Swabian Peasants ( 152 5) 67 8. Martin Luther: Commentary on St. Paul's Epistle to the Galatians (I535) 87 II. HuLDRYCH ZwiNGLI 9· Huldrych Zwingli: Commentary on True and False Religion (I525) Io8 III. THE ANABAPTISTS 10. Conrad Grebel and the Zurich Anabaptists: Letter to Thomas Miintzer (I 524) I 2 2 I r. The Schleitheim Confession of Faith ( I 52 7) I 29 I 2. Augustin Wiirzlburger: Proceedings of his trial (I 52 8) I 37 I3. Peter Riedemann: Account of our Religion (I565) I43 14. Elizabeth, A Dutch Anabaptist martyr: A letter (1573) 146 vi CONTENTS IV. JoHN CALVIN I5. John Calvin: Reply to Sadoleto (I54o) 153 I6. Ecclesiastical Ordinances. Geneva (1541) I72 17. John Calvin: The Institutes of the Christian Religion (I559) I]8 I 8. Philip Mornay: A Defence of Liberty Against Tyrants (1579) 222 v. THE ENGLISH REFORMATION 19. William Tyndale: The New Testament in English (1525) 240 20. John Jewel: An apology for the Church of England (1562) 247 2 I. John Field and Thomas Wilcox: An Admonition to the Parliament ( 157 2) 257 22. Richard Hooker: Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity (1593 ff.) 267 Preface According to the proverb fools step boldly where angels fear to tread. Perhaps this wise word should be applied to my attempt to compress the abundant literature of the Protestant Reformation into a modest volume. Mter all, Luther's writings fill nearly one hundred folio volumes and Calvin's hardly less. Most of the Protes tant reformers were verbal exhibitionists who eagerly committed their thoughts to print. This was, indeed, the secret of their suc cess. Thus, the task of editing was a painful one, especially since it became apparent that the rigorous restriction to a few major docu ments (in keeping with the format of the series) meant that only the old stand-bys survived the repeated process of selection. Many interesting and lesser-known materials (admittedly, however, not of primary importance) had to fall by the wayside. The selections are to illustrate the various facets, both geographic and theological, of the Protestant Reformation. In almost every instance docu ments are to be more than illustrative, however. They are meant to allow reflection and discussion of the issues raised. Still, I tmst that the volume is both competent and useful. The various bibliographical aids in both the introductory essay and the introductions to the documents are designed to direct the reader to further literature; they concentrate on publications in English. Duke University, 1967 HANS J. HILLERBRAND Chronology 1 509 Accession of Henry VIII of England Erasmus' The Praise of Folly 1 5 I 5 Accession of Francis I of F ranee I 5 I 7 Publication of Luther's Ninety-five Theses I 5 I 9 Charles V elected German Emperor Zwingli Leutpriester in Zi.irich Leipzig disputation between Luther and Eck; Luther's re pudiation of councils 15 20 Bull Exsurge Domine threatens Luther with excommunica tion Revolt of the Communeros in Spain I 52 I Luther's excommunication. His appearance before the Diet at Worms. The Edict of Worms 1522 The Turks occupy Belgrade Luther's translation of the New Testament 1 52 3 Beginnings of ecclesiastical transformation in Zi.irich 1 5 24 Peasants' uprising in Germany War between Charles V and Francis I 1 52 5 Battle of Pavia Tyndale's English New Testament I 526 Battle of Mohacs League of Cognac Diet of Speyer allows German territorial rulers to decide on administration of Edict of Worms 1 52 7 Sacco di Roma Henry VIII begins to seek annulment of his marriage with Catherine of Aragon X CHRONOLOGY I 529 Marburg Colloquy on the Lord's Supper between Zwingli and Luther Diet of Speyer: "Protestation" against the enforcement of Edict of Worms Turks at Vienna I 530 Diet of Augsburg I 53 I War of Kappel between Zurich and Catholic cantons Death of Zwingli League of Schmalkald I 53 3 Restraint of Appeals in England I 5 34 Supremacy Act in England Anabaptist rule in Munster I 536 Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion War between Charles V and Francis I I 54 I Calvin returns to Geneva Ecclesiastical Ordinances in Geneva I542 War between Charles V and Francis I I 546 Death of Luther War of Schmalkald I 547 Death of Henry VIII; accession of Edward VI I 548 Augsburg Interim 1 549 Book of Common Prayer I 553 Death of Edward VI; accession of Mary Tudor I 55 5 Peace of Augsburg Abdication of Charles V; accession of Philip II I 559 Acts of Uniformity and Supremacy in England Treaty of Cateau Cambresis I s6o Accession of Charles IX in France 1562 First religious war in France I 564 Death of Calvin I 567 Revolt in the Netherlands Introduction I FEW would deny that the Reformation of the sixteenth century marks one of the great epochs in the history of Western civiliza tion. To be sure, modern narratives seldom praise it as the time of the restoration of the gospel or denounce it as the time of fatal religious perversion. That it was an occasion of dramatic change, however, can hardly be contested.1 For the better part of a century Europe was variously influenced by the events precipitated by the Protestant reformers. Needless 1 There are basic bibliographical aids for Reformation studies in the volumes of two journals: the Revue d'Histoire EccJesiastique and the Archiv fiir Reformationsgeschichte. See also the Bibliographie de la Re forme, 145D-1648 (5 vols. Leyden, 1961-1965); E. Schottenloher, Biblio graphie zur deutschen Geschicbte im Zeitalter der Glaubensspaltung ( 7 vols. Stuttgart, 1962 ff.). The following Reformation histories also include extensive bibliographical surveys: E. Hassinger, Das Werden des neuzeit lichen Europas (Braunschweig, 1959); H. J. Grimm, The Reformation Era (New York, 1965); E. Leonard, History of Protestantism (London, 1965). The following are standard reference works: F. L. Cross (ed.), The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (New York and London, 1957); K.