Cultural Transformations of the Modern Era Flashcards
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
What was Luther’s idea behind Sola Scriptura?
believed that ONLY authoritative source of knowledge about God, Jesus, and means of salvation was the Bible. Papal/Church decrees were not on par with Scripture and could be discounted
What was Luther’s idea behind Sola Fide?
he believed that the Bible taught that it was the faith of the individual that brought them to salvation. Not good works; not most of the sacraments
What 2 sacraments did Luther maintain as right and necessary?
Baptism and Communion
What was Luther’s idea behind the Priesthood of Believers?
he believed that every individual Christian interacted with God and had a relationship with Jesus/Holy Spirit. Did not need saints or priests to intervene for them
Where does the first group of Christians in western Europe who aren’t Catholics emerge?
While Luther is in exile, some of his former students and citizens of Wittenberg, take on his beliefs and begin to worship as a church that is not Catholic
What does the first group of nonchristian Catholics call themselves?
Lutherans
What violent conflict emerges from Luther’s reformation?
Provokes the Peasant War – biggest peasant rebellion in Europe to that point (around 100,000 killed before the fighting ended)
How does Luther feel about the people behind the Peasant War?
Luther was appalled and denounced the rebellion viciously
What are the 2 long term effects of the Reformation?
- Europe will divide religiously
2. Catholic Counter-Reformation develops
What book did John Calvin write?
Institutes on the Christian Religion
What was John Calvin’s unique idea?
Pre-Destination
Where did Calvin set up a theocratic government?
Geneva
Why does education become a concern for the leaders of European colonies in North America?
- Protestants believe that everyone should be able to read the Bible for themselves
- Will take up the cause of compulsory, public education for mainly this reason
Who was in line to become king of England before Henry VIII?
His older brother Arthur
Why was the marriage between Arthur Tudor and Catherine of Aragon significant?
- Catherine of Aragon was the aunt of Charles V (Luther’s old adversary – King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor
- Political alliance of major importance
What happened that ended the marriage of Arthur and Catherine?
Arthur died soon after the marriage
What did Henry VIII do to keep the alliance between England and Spain intact?
Henry steps up and marries Catherine of Aragon to keep up good relations with Spain
Why had Henry VIII been given the title “Defender of the Faith” as a young man?
Henry VIII as a young man was a devout Catholic who denounced the teachings of Martin Luther
When he became king, what quickly became Henry VIII’s “obsession?”
Henry was obsessed with ensuring he had a male heir to the throne
Why did Henry come to believe that he would not have a male heir with Catherine?
Convinced himself that this was God’s judgment on his marriage to his brother’s widow
What child did Henry and Catherine have who lived?
By 1525, Catherine of Aragon had only produced one child, a female, their daughter named Mary (had several stillborn sons)
What did he want to do to solve the problem with Catherine of Aragon?
- Henry had been involved in a series of affairs, most recently with a woman from Catherine’s court, Anne Boleyn
- Henry decides to have his marriage to Catherine annulled (declared legally invalid – basically the same as a divorce) by the Pope so he could marry Anne
Why did the Pope refuse Henry’s request to annul his marriage?
- The marriage was legal; no real basis for an annulment
- Catherine was Charles V’s aunt and the Pope did not wish to anger him while the Protestant Reformation was occurring
- The Pope gambled that Henry wouldn’t risk having the whole nation of England excommunicated
What does Henry do to get rid of Catherine?
He locks Catherine away and starts looking for some way to force the Church to go along with his annulment
