Renaissance values
(humanism,secularism)
stimulated criticism of
the Roman Catholic
Church and its
extravagance
By 1500, educated
Europeans began calling
for a reformation....a
change in the Church's
ways of teaching and
practicing Christianity
In Germany the movement
for reform led to a split in the
Church
producing a new form of
Christianity known as
Protestantism
The series of
events that gave
rise to
Protestantism is
known as the
Protestant
Reformation
Martin Luther
The Protestant
Reformation was
began by a monk
named Martin
Luther
He was born in
Eisleben,Germany in
1483 to middle-class
townspeople
He was studying law, because his father wanted him to,
at the University of Erfurt. However, Luther was more
interested in theology and religion
He feared God was
trying to punish him
when, in 1505, Luther
was nearly struck by
lightning in a
thunderstorm.
He knelt and prayed to
Saint Anne--in return
for protection, he
promised to become a
monk
Soon after kneeling to Saint Anne, he entered a
monastery.
As a young monk, he prayed
continuously in an attempt to save
his soul.
He was still unsure God would
still find him acceptable.
After reading Saint
Paul's Epistle to the
Romans....
"he who through faith is
righteous shall live"
He determined that a person could be made
just, or good, simply by having faith in God's
mercy and love
Idea became known as justification by death
Luther's Protest
At this time, Pope Leo X was trying
to raise money to rebuild St. Peter's
Basilica in Rome.
1) sold Church positions to his
friends (Simony)
2) authorized the sale of
indulgence
What were indulgence's?
Certificates issued by the Church
that were said to reduce or even
cancel punishment for a person's
sins as long as one also truly
repented
Why did people by indulgence's?
People
believed
that the
document
would
assure them
admission
to heaven.
Peasants
were
promised
that the
indulgences
would
relieve them
of guilt for
future sins.
People were
encouraged
to buy
indulgences
for the
salvation of
their dead
relatives.
The Church's agent for
selling indulgences in
northern Germany
was John Tetzel
"Once you hear the
money's ring, the
soul from purgatory
is free to spring."
Purgatory,according to
the Church, is a place
in the afterlife where
people are made fit for
heaven.
As a professor and priest in
Wittenberg, Germany....
Luther
preached
against
the
sale
of
indulgences.
Luther
lectured
against
other
Church
abuses
he
believed
were
corrupt.
On October 31,1517,
Martin Luther nailed
the door of Wittenberg
Church a placard with
95 theses, or
statements, criticizing
indulgences and other
church policies.
Breaking with Rome
With printed copies of the
Ninety-Five Theses spreading
quickly throughout Germany,
the sale of indulgences sharply
declined.
Encouraged by this reaction, Luther
published hundreds of essays
advocating justification by faith and
attacking church abuses.
Upset with the decline in the
sale of indulgences,Pope Leo X
sent envoys to Germany to
persuade Marin Luther to
withdraw his criticism.
When Luther refused to recant,
Pope Leo X formally condemned
Luther and banned his works.
In 1521,
the pope
excommunicated
Martin
Luther
from
the
Church.
Shortly after being excommunicated, a diet, or council, of German princes met in
Worms, Germany to attempt to bring Luther back into the Church.
They believed that Luther should take back his criticisms....and alliviate the pressure the
Church was placing upon the people of Germany.
Luther arrived and
refused to recant
his criticisms
He was condemned as a heretic and was rushed out of the city to
be hidden by his friend, Prince Frederick of saxony.
While in hiding, Luther translated
the New Testament into German.
With more affordable translation,
most people could now read the
Bible.
Lutheranism
Following the Council of
Worms, Luther laid the
foundations for the first
Protestant faith: Lutheranism.
While Catholicism stressed faith and good works in salvation and the
importance of church teachings as a spiritual guide, Lutheranism
emphasized:
salvation by faith alone
the Bible's role as
the only source of
religious truth
Lutheran services:
centered
on biblical
preaching,
rather
than ritual
were held in the
language of the
people, rather
than Latin
Luther and his
followers did
not structure a
hierarchy of
clergy, but a
community of
believers.
All useful occupations--not just
the priesthood--were vocation, or
callings, in which people could
serve God and neighbor.
Lutheranism was more than just a
new religion in Germany....It stirred
social unrest among peasants
wanting to end serfdom.
When a major
peasant revolt
erupted in
1525, Luther,
fearing social
chaos, backed
the princes
against the
peasants.
Lutheranism
became a more
conservative
movement as a
result of the
death of
thousands.
Lutheranism had
already sown the seeds
of more radical
Protestant movements
that would transform
Europe's religious
landscape.