Cultural Transformations of the Modern Era Flashcards
(122 cards)
In what part/region of the world did Christianity begin?
Began in the Middle East – specifically Palestine
Why did Christianity spread throughout the ancient world?
- Spread by the Jewish Diaspora following the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD
- Missionaries, especially the Apostle Paul spread the message to Asia Minor (Turkey) and Europe (Greece, Rome, and Spain)
- Emperor Constantine (for whom Constantinople was named) made it the official religion of the Roman Empire in the 400’s
- During the Middle Ages, the political chaos in Europe led to the Church becoming the most important social institution on the continent (the only thing they had in common)
What was the Great Schism?
Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox formally split. The division had been developing for some time
What year was the Great Schism?
1054
What was the leadership position of the Roman Catholic Church and where would they maintain influence?
Roman Catholic Church would be led by a Pope and maintain influence in Western Europe
What was the leadership position of the Eastern Orthodox Church and where would they maintain influence?
Eastern Orthodox would be led by a Patriarch and would maintain influence in the Byzantine Empire and later Russia
What four major causes led to the spread of Christianity around the world?
- Rise to Global Power of Catholic nations
- Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter-Reformation
- Development of the Printing Press
- Early Colonization of the Americas
How did the rise in prominence/power of Spain and Portugal play a role in the global spread of Christianity?
- Led the way in exploring the world and making contact with non-Christian areas
- Both were ruled by devout Catholics who believed that part of their job description included spreading Christianity
- Mission-oriented religious orders, such as the Jesuits, were prominent in these countries and typically priests were on board ships of exploration/conquest
- Philippines, Central, and South America and parts of China and Japan became Christian through their efforts
Geographically, where did the Protestant Reformation begin?
Holy Roman Empire
Where did Martin Luther teach?
He was a professor at the University of Wittenberg in Saxony
What are indulgences?
“get out of purgatory” free cards that used to be given out by the Pope freely to deserving individuals, now sold for a high price
What was the name of the individual who was selling indulgences as the Pope’s representative in Germany?
Johann Tetzel
What did Martin Luther do in response to the selling of indulgences?
- Luther is angry because he sees this as direct corruption
* He posts a document called the “95 Theses” to the Wittenberg Church door on Halloween
How did the Pope react to Luther’s “Theses?”
The Pope sees these as direct defiance by a minor priest in a backwater German town, and he cannot be having that
How did the invention of Johannes Gutenberg factor into the spread of Luther’s ideas?
Printing press makes it pretty certain that almost everyone who is literate hears about the 95 Theses
What was the first book printed on the printing press using moveable type?
The first work produced was the Bible (now called the Gutenberg Bible)
What does it mean to “recant?”
• To take back, Pope Leo X sent Martin Luther an order to Martin Luther to recant his beliefs and 95 Theses
What was the Diet of Worms?
• A meeting of the leaders of the bigger states inside the Holy Roman Empire.
o Luther is commanded by Charles V to recant
o Luther gives a very famous and impassioned speech about obeying God rather than men and refuses… again
o Charles declares Martin Luther an outlaw and he goes into hiding
What was the logical reason that Frederick the Wise supported Luther?
The Church was siphoning off huge amounts of money from Saxony (and everywhere else) with the sale of indulgences and tithes. Getting out from under this financial burden would make him and his people richer
What were the emotional reasons that Frederick the Wise supported Luther?
o Luther’s fame had made Wittenberg (and Saxony by extension) the center of the European world’s attention
o Frederick sort of looked at Luther as one of his “boys”
What was the significance of Luther being declared an “outlaw?”
o An outlaw in that day had no legal protections – anyone could literally murder him with no legal consequences
o Also, anyone helping him in any way would become an outlaw
How did Luther survive becoming an outlaw?
o When it becomes clear that Luther is probably going to be executed, Frederick helps him to escape and hides him in one of his remote castles
o Charles V, because of his nature of the Holy Roman Empire’s political structure, can’t really do anything about it
What did Luther do while he was in hiding?
o Translates the Bible into German
o Writes various other works that condemn the Pope and develops his theology that would have sharp contrasts with Catholicism
What were the 3 basic ideas that Luther had that were in direct conflict with the Catholic Church?
- Sola Scriptura (Only Scripture)
- Sola Fide (Only Faith)
- Priesthood of Believers