Reformation Vocabulary

Indulgence

a pardon releasing a person from punishments due for a sin

Reformation

 a 16th-century movement for for religious reform, leading to the founding of Christian churches that rejected the pope’s authority

Lutheran

a member of a Protestant church founded on the teachings of Martin Luther

Protestant

a member of a Christian church founded on the principles of the Reformation

Peace of Augsburg

a 1555 agreement declaring that the religion of each German state would be decided by its ruler

Annul

to cancel or set aside

Anglican

 relating to the Church of England 

Martin Luther

a German priest, theologian, and author and key figure of the Protestant Reformation; his theological beliefs form the basis of Lutheranism

Predestination

the doctrine that God has decided all things beforehand, including which people will be eternally saved

Calvinism

a body of religious teachings based on the ideas of the reformer John Calvin

Theocracy

a government controlled by religious leaders

Presbyterian

a member of a Protestant church governed by presbyters (elders) and founded on the teachings of John Knox

Anabaptist

in the Reformation, a member of a Protestant group that believed in baptizing only those persons who were old enough to decide to be Christian and believed in the separation of church and state

Catholic Reformation

a 16th-century movement in which the Roman Catholic Church sought to make changes in response to the Protestant Reformation

Jesuits

members of the society of Jesus, a Roman Catholic religious order founded by Ignatius of Loyola

Council of Trent

a meeting of Roman Catholic leaders, called by Pope Paul III to rule on doctrines criticized by the Protestant reformers