Reformation Flashcards
What does the term Reformation mean?
refers to a complex series of events with the result being a number of different groups formally breaking away from the Roman Catholic Church
What does the word ‘protestant’ mean?
protest
What were More’s and Erasmus’ view on the reformation?
- wanted reform as they wanted the church to be less about wealth and image, and return to its core beliefs
- wanted reform but not to break away from the Roman Catholic Church
Who published ‘95 Theses’ and in what year?
- Martin Luther
- 1517
What did Luther attack in his ‘95 Theses’?
- Church practises:practise of confession, the sale of indulgences
- Supremacy of the Pope
- Transubstantiation
- Worship of saints and the virgin Mary
- Churches authority to grant salvation (salvation can only be achieved by good faith alone)
- Churches authority to interpret God’s word
- Instead of seven sacraments he said there was only three
- Separation between the lay (ordinary Christians) and the clergy (body of all people ordained for religious duties)
What does the sale of indulgences mean?
Indulgences were a theological principle of forgiveness and punishment in the Catholic Church. Payments, prayers and other forms of physical contrition were a way to reduce time needed to spend in purgatory before someone enters heaven. Purgatory is according to some Christians, an immediate state after physical death for expiatory purification.
Who was John Wycliff?
- English 14th century reformer who demanded many of the same things that Luther demanded
- Founded the Lollard movement in England which later took up Lutheranism when it reached England
How did politics affect the Reformation in Germany?
- Anti-clericalism was rife in the Holy Roman Empire (Germany)
- Lower-classes as well as German princes wanted to challenge the economic and political power of the Roman Catholic Church. Chance to take back these lands and earn income was very appealing
What does anti-clericalism mean?
opposition to the clergy for its real or alleged influence in political and social affairs, for its doctrinairism, for its privileges or property
In what years was the German Peasants War?
1524-1525
What year was the Peace of Augsburg and what did it say?
- 1555
- officially ended the religious struggle between the two groups and made the legal division of Christianity permanent within the Holy Roman Empire, allowing rulers to chose either Lutheranism or Catholicism
- Faith of the ruler determine the faith of the region they controlled
How did politics affect the Reformation in England?
- Initially King Henry VIII had been a supporter of the Church
- This changed when Henry asked the Pope for his blessing in marrying Catharine of Aragon, which the Pope refused to do because of geopolitical issues
- Henry then broke with the Church and formed his own which didn’t take orders from the Pope
What did Protestant reformers disagree on?
role of priests and whether priests were needed at all
What were Zwingli’s beliefs and where were they present?
- similar to Luther apart from a number of issues such as :
1. wanted a simpler church (removal of liturgy, decorations, music)
2. Denial of the ‘real presence’
3. ‘Reformed’ (as opposed to ‘evangelical’)
4. These ideas prevailed in South Germany and Switzerland
What did Calvinist believe?
- Opposed to idolatry and pictorial representations of the divine
- Doctrine of Predestination: God had already established before you were born who would be saved and who will not be saved
- Have good conduct (fait already decided to act as if you have already been saved)
What members of society supported Calvinism?
-merchants and artisans as Calvinism assigned high status to labour and good conduct
Who were the Hugeunots?
French Protestants who fought against French Catholics in the French Wars of Religion
What was the name of the Massacre that took place between the French Catholics and Protestants (Hugeunots) and when did this take place?
-St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, 1572
