A NOW YOU KNOW MEDI A STUDY GUIDE The Council of Trent: Answering the Reformation and Reforming the Church Presented by Father John W. O’Malley, S.J., Ph.D. THE COUNCIL OF TRENT STUDY GUID E Now You Know Media Copyright Notice: This document is protected by copyright law. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. You are permitted to view, copy, print and distribute this document (up to seven copies), subject to your agreement that: Your use of the information is for informational, personal and noncommercial purposes only. You will not modify the documents or graphics. You will not copy or distribute graphics separate from their accompanying text and you will not quote materials out of their context. You agree that Now You Know Media may revoke this permission at any time and you shall immediately stop your activities related to this permission upon notice from Now You Know Media. WWW.NOWYOUKNOWMEDIA.COM / 1 - 8 0 0 - 955- 3904 / © 2 0 1 2 2 THE COUNCIL OF TRENT STUDY GUID E Table of Contents Program Summary ............................................................................................................... 4 About Your Presenter ........................................................................................................... 5 Topic 1: Introduction ..................................................................................................... 6 Topic 2: The Fifteenth-Century Prelude to Trent, 1417–1517 .................................... 10 Topic 3: The Big Question: How Bad Was It? ............................................................ 12 Topic 4: The Struggle to Convoke the Council, 1523–1545 ....................................... 14 Topic 5: The First Period of the Council of Trent, 1545–1547 (Part I) ...................... 17 Topic 6: The First Period of the Council of Trent, 1545–1547 (Part II) ..................... 20 Topic 7: The Middle Years, 1547–1562 ...................................................................... 23 Topic 8: The Third Period of the Council of Trent, 1562–1563 (Part I) ..................... 26 Topic 9: The Third Period of the Council of Trent, 1562–1563 (Part II).................... 29 Topic 10: The Third Period of the Council of Trent, 1562–1563 (Part III) .................. 32 Topic 11: What Happened at the Council of Trent? ...................................................... 35 Topic 12: What Happened After the Council of Trent? ................................................ 38 The Twenty-Five Sessions of the Council of Trent ........................................................... 41 Suggested Readings ........................................................................................................... 44 WWW.NOWYOUKNOWMEDIA.COM / 1 - 8 0 0 - 955- 3904 / © 2 0 1 2 3 THE COUNCIL OF TRENT STUDY GUID E Program Summary What really happened at the Council of Trent? After Luther, Calvin, and Henry VIII, the Council of Trent is one of the most frequently invoked names regarding the Reformation and Counter- Reformation of the sixteenth century. Even so, few know much about it, and textbooks, while acknowledging its importance, are notably sparse in providing information. This does not stop people from attributing to it, in praise or blame, many things that the council neither enacted nor intended. As renowned Church historian Fr. John O’Malley demonstrates, the reality of the Council of Trent differs radically from how you probably conceive it. In his 12-lecture audio or video course, The Council of Trent, you will discover the wide-reaching cultural and religious influence that the council has had over the centuries. Although its decisions were directed toward members of the Catholic Church, the council had repercussions throughout Europe. The council itself was a colorful and tumultuous affair; war and conflict troubled its history from beginning to end. It lurched from one major crisis to the next, each of which was portentous not only for the Church but also for the greater Western world. The leading political figures of Europe were deeply involved, to say nothing of the five popes who reigned during the fateful eighteen years over which the council stretched. All the major players, including the popes, had something to lose, and they often used questionable means to produce outcomes to their advantage. Despite these political maneuvers, the council professedly concerned itself with religion, and, more specifically, with Catholic doctrine and reform. Although Trent is often described as a “doctrinal” council, few ecumenical councils have devoted more time and effort to pastoral concerns, which in the council were identical with its efforts to reform the Church. The debates surrounding reform were dramatic, and the resulting decrees have had a lasting impact on the Church. The story of the council continues long after its implementation: indeed, historians deem the four hundred years following the Council of Trent the “Tridentine Era.” The legacy of Trent is vital to an understanding of the Church today. WWW.NOWYOUKNOWMEDIA.COM / 1 - 8 0 0 - 955- 3904 / © 2 0 1 2 4 THE COUNCIL OF TRENT STUDY GUID E About Your Presenter Fr. O’Malley is University Professor at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He received his doctorate in history from Harvard University and has taught and lectured at a number of institutions, including Harvard and Oxford. One of the most respected and widely recognized church historians in North America, he has held a number of prestigious fellowships, including those awarded by the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities. He is the past president of the American Catholic Historical Association and of the Renaissance Society of America. Fr. O’Malley was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1995 and to the American Philosophical Society in 1997. He holds the Johannes Quasten Medal from The Catholic University of America for distinguished achievement in Religious Studies. In addition, he has won lifetime achievement awards from the Society for Italian Historical Studies and from the Renaissance Society of America. His books have won major prizes, and his best-known work, The First Jesuits, has been translated into ten languages. Fr. O’Malley has been writing on the councils of the Christian Church for many years, with special attention to the Council of Trent and to the Second Vatican Council. His latest book, What Happened at Vatican II, was published in 2008 by Harvard University Press. WWW.NOWYOUKNOWMEDIA.COM / 1 - 8 0 0 - 955- 3904 / © 2 0 1 2 5 THE COUNCIL OF TRENT STUDY GUID E Topic 1: Introduction I. The Council of Trent: Maybe Not What You Think A) Two classic and opposed histories of the Council of Trent B) The resulting myths and misconceptions C) The work of Hubert Jedin (1900–1980) II. Definition of a council A) A meeting principally of bishops gathered in Christ’s name to make decisions binding on the Church 1) “Meeting”: an assembly to accomplish an agenda 2) “Principally of bishops”: bishops have always had the decisive vote, but others, priests and laity, have played important roles 3) “Decisions”: traditionally councils have dealt with questions of doctrine and the public behavior of Christians, especially the clergy = “faith and morals” 4) “In Christ’s name”: acting with the authority with which Christ endowed the Church 5) “Binding”: the decisions of councils are considered final B) Councils (until Vatican II) were essentially legislative and judicial bodies III. How does the Council of Trent fit in this pattern? A) Types of councils: local and ecumenical (worldwide) 1) “Synod” as a synonym for both, but more generally applied to local B) Origins in early Christian history 1) First ecumenical: Nicaea (325) C) The Catholic Church semi-officially recognizes twenty-one ecumenical councils, of which Trent is the nineteenth. D) These twenty-one have met in different places, especially present-day Turkey and Rome. E) The abundant sources from which to construct a history of the Council of Trent; the great collection of documents, Concilium Tridentinum (18 vols) IV. Basic facts about the Council of Trent A) Three periods: 1545-47, 1551-52, 1561-62, difficult times in Church history B) The city of Trent at the time of the council, size and location, and problems WWW.NOWYOUKNOWMEDIA.COM / 1 - 8 0 0 - 955- 3904 / © 2 0 1 2 6 THE COUNCIL OF TRENT STUDY GUID E 1) Tridentinum: Latin name for Trent, hence “Tridentine” C) Number of participants, compared with other councils 1) Heavily Italian and then Spanish, small numbers for beginning of each period D) Large cast of important personages: 1) Three popes: Paul III, Julius III, Pius IV 2) Important rulers: (a) Emperors: Charles V and Ferdinand I (b) Kings: Francis I, Henry II, and Philip II 3) Papal legates: First Period: Giovanni Maria del Monte, Marcello Cervini, Reginald Pole (first period); Marcello Cervini (second period); Giovanni Morone (third period), along with the important Cardinal Charles de Guise 4) Envoys of great rulers, lay and clerical, as ambassadors to the council 5) Theologians, to help bishops with doctrinal decisions E) Quality of the discussions, qualifications of the participants V. The popes and their legates A) The popes’ dual role: secular ruler and head of Church on earth B) Role of legates and relationship to pope C) Difficulty of mode of communication VI. Setting the agenda A) Luther’s role: his two-fold challenge: 1) Doctrine beginning with “justification by faith alone” 2) Reform of Church practices and behavior