Church History Unit 3 Study Guide

Papal supremacy

Authority of medieval popes over all secular rulers

Differences in Early Church vs. Medieval Councils

Medieval councils led by popes, Early church focused on doctrine Medieval focused on tradition and morals

Medieval Councils

Led by popes, about morals and tradition not as much as doctrine

Avignon papacy “Babylonian Captivity”

Period when seven consecutive popes was based in Avignon, France instead of Rome

Causes: The political instability of Rome, the Holy Roman Empire's decline meant less protection, rising influence of the French monarchy, Election of Pope Clement V

Pope Clement chose to establish the Papacy in Avignon
Avignon Papacy also called Babylonian Captivity

Effects: Weakened Papal Authority, perception of corruption, growth of anti-papal sentiment, led to the Great Schism

King Philip IV

Taxed Church-owned lands and clergy and defied the pope's order to stop

Pope Boniface VIII

Pope who had a conflict with Philip IV and refused the taxes on the French clergy

Outrage of Anagni

beating up of Pope Boniface VIII

Pope Clement V

Moved the papacy to Avignon

Simony

The selling of church offices

Lay Investiture

the appointment of religious officials by kings or nobles

Achievements of the Avignon Papacy

Reorganization off administrative offices, expansion of missionary work promotion of university education, strengthening of college of cardinals

College of Cardinals

A Church body made up of all the cardinals whose function is to advise the Pope about Church matters and to elect a successor following the death of a Pope.

St. Catherine of Sienna

She persuaded the pope to return to Rome from Avignon.

Pope Gregory XI

Moved the papacy back to Rome

Nationalism

A strong feeling of pride in and devotion to one's country

Hundred Year War (Effects)

Defined French and English National identity, decline of Feudalism, military innovations, rise of Joan of Arc

Great Schism (1378-1417) "Papal Schism"

Period of division within Roman Catholic Church when multiple people claimed the papacy, each with different national and political backers
Happened after Papacy moved back to Rome after Avignon papacy
Both a papacy in Avignon backed by France, Spain, and Scotland, and a papacy in Rome backed by England, the Holy Roman Empire, and Italy

King Edward III of England

English king during the 14th century who started the Hundred Years' War in 1337 by attempting to take the French throne

King Philip VI

conflict over French throne against King Edward instigating the Hundred Years War (lost), sons failed to produce male, win back territory from France so his family remain in power

Joan of Arc

French heroine and military leader inspired by religious visions to organize French resistance to the English and to have Charles VII crowned king

Council of Pisa (1409) what it is, result

Attempt to end Schism, declared both existing popes illegitimate
Third pope elected, Alexander V
Made the problem even worse

Conciliarism

a movement that argued that general councils had higher authority than the pope in extraordinary circumstances

Council of Constance (1417) what it is, result

Called by Holy Roman Emperor
Removed the three rival Popes
Elected Martin V
Ended the Schism and restored unity in the Church

Renaissance - what it is, impact on Church

Causes: economic boom, fall of Constantinople
challenged church ideology causing reform

Fall of Constantinople 1453

Fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire

Led Greek scholars to flee to Italy who brought ancient texts and knowledge

Resurgence of interest in Ancient Greek and Roman authors, philosophy, and science

The arrival of Greek scholars in Italy was at the same time as the printing press which led to the spread of the texts quickly throughout Europe

Led to Renaissance

Humanism - what is it, how it led to reformation

An intellectual movement that focused on human potential, individual achievement and the study of classical texts
Catholic scholars trained in humanism had to defend the Sacraments through systematic, reasons theological arguments

Return to the Classical Sources (ad fontes)

Renaissance humanism emphasized a return to the classical sources rather than medieval scholastic theology
Led to reformation because it provided new insights into Church practices which paved the way for critiquing curroption and call for renewal

Art and Architecture of the Renaissance

Art became a powerful tool for religious expression and a clear display of Church power
Example of art to show church power = Sistine Chapel
Art and Patronage mattered: visual storytelling in a largely illiterate society communicated the bible to more people, glorification of Church, papal power- popes commissioned projects to show their political power

Printing Press

Printing press gave reformers a way to challenge the Church practices and allowed alternative interpretations of scripture to reach a wide audience

Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince

followers should be scared of leader
examined governance from a pragmatic secular perspective breaking from the Church's moral authority over politics

Age of Exploration

a period of European exploration and discovery that lasted from about 1418 to 1620

Martin Luther

95 Theses, posted in 1517, led to religious reform in Germany, denied papal power and absolutist rule. Claimed there were only 2 sacraments: baptism and communion.

95 theses

Arguments written by Martin Luther against the Catholic church.

Sola Scriptura

Scripture alone

Sola Fide

Faith Alone

Lutheran view on Sacraments

baptism and communion are only sacraments

Consubstantiation

Luther's belief that the bread and wine is not changed but that Christ is present in spirit only

Diet of Worms

Martin Luther excommunicated from Church

King Henry VIII

(1491-1547) King of England, he split with the Catholic Church and declared himself head of the Church of England, or Anglican Church.
Wanted annulment because he couldn't get a male successor

Act of Supremacy 1534

The King was the only supreme head of the Church of England. They could control doctrine, appointments, and discipline.

Book of Common Prayer

the official prayer and liturgical (worship manual) book of Anglicanism. Charles I and Laud tried to impose it upon all Protestant churches in England- many people resisted. The Scots hated it

John Calvin

1509-1564. French theologian. Developed the Christian theology known as Calvinism. Attracted Protestant followers with his teachings.

Predestination

Calvin's religious theory that God has already planned out a person's life.

William Farel

Convinced Calvin to stay in Geneva

Calvin view on Sacraments

Baptism and Communion

Institutes of the Christian Religion

John Calvin's theology, also used for Protestantism. Some beliefs were the ultimate authority of the word of God, the depravity of man, and his belief that the Bible is the only source of Revelation.

Anabaptist

Part of protestant group but believed in adult baptism

Baptist

Adult baptism, but believed in integration into modern society unlike anabaptists who believed in pacifism. Believed in salvation through faith alone

Quakers

Protestant reformers who believe in the equality of all people

Amish

a religious group of people known for simple living and plain clothes who don't use technology

Ecclesia Semper Reformanda

Latin for "the church is always reforming"

Conference of Regensburg

Conference aimed to restore religious unity in Germany through dialogue between Catholics and Protestants

Topics: Justification (how humans are made right before God), the sacraments, authority of the Church

Major disagreements remained after over papal authority and the Eucharist

failed

Catholic Reformation - theological roots

Reform abuses and clarify doctrine in response to Protestantism

German Peasant Revolt (1524-1525)

Inspired by Luther's On the Freedom of a Christian
peasants rose up against feudal oppression
when the revolt turned violent Luther rejected it and sided with the nobles

Spanish Inquisition

strengthened the monarchy by weakening rivals like rebellious nobles
reflected a harsher approach to maintaining Catholic Orthodoxy

St. Ignatius of Loyola

Founder of the Jesuits

Jesuits "Society of Jesus"

holiness comes from active service, education, personal spiritual growth, and missionary work
founded schools and travelled to preach, teach, and engage with other cultures

Spiritual Exercises

Written by St. Ignatious of Loyola
emphasized personal conversion, discernment, and a deep relationship with God guiding people to help people see God "in all things"

St. Teresa of Avila "Interior Caste"

Spanish Carmelite nun, mystic, and reformer
Wrote the Interior Castle which spread widely and shaped spiritual practices beyond Spain
Emphasized true reform begins within the soul
Founded communities called Discalced Carmelites in response to convents becoming spiritually lax

Pope Paul III

Pope who led the Catholic Reformation by calling for the Council of Trent.

Council of Trent (1545-1563) what it is, results

clarify and reaffirm Catholic doctrine

reform Church practices

Reassert the Church’s authority

Created a unified, clear foundation for teaching and practicing the Catholic faith

Reduced confusion and local abuses

successful

What were the primary political and social factors
that led to the relocation of the papacy to Avignon?
Explain how these conditions impacted the Church's
decision. How did his actions shape perceptions of
papal independence? When reflecting on the
achievements of the Avignon Papacy, do these
accomplishments offset the criticisms it received?
Why or why not?

The primary factors leading to the relocation of the papacy to Avignon were the political instability of Rome, the Holy Roman Empire's decline which meant less protection, the rising influence of the French monarchy, and the election of Pope Clement V. These conditions affected the Church's decision by making it believe the best course of action was to relocate the papacy instead of trying to fix the conditions in Rome. The decision to move the papacy to Avignon caused the authority of the papacy to weaken. The pope moving to France and leaving Rome in shambles caused followers especially in Rome to mistrust the Pope as they felt disregarded and Rome was such an important and symbolic place for Catholicism. It also hurt the belief in papal independence because it seemed like the Pope was working under the French king due to the Pope's sudden move and alienation of other European powers. I don't think the achievements of the Avignon papacy offset the criticisms because I don't believe it was fair to abandon Rome at it's weakest and leave it to fall when Rome is full of Catholics and Catholic history. In my mind no achievement in France could make up for that because the public's distrust in the Church waged on for centuries and led to many many more issues.

How did the Council of Trent (1545-1563) serve as
the Catholic Church's official response to the
Protestant Reformation and other major challenges
of the time? In your response, explain the key
theological, political, and social issues we've studied
that pressured the Church to reform. How does the
Council of Trent help us understand the idea that
"the Church is always in need of reform"?

The Council of Trent served as the Catholic Church's official response to the Protestant Reformation and other major challenges over time because it shifted the focus of the response to viewing the Holy Spirit as the guiding force in the process of reform, both administratively and spiritually. There were many issues that pressured the Church to reform through the Council. Politically the Church had lost authority due to the Great Papal Schism which led to mistrust in the Church and its leadership. In addition King Henry VIII had broken away from the Church due to disagreements over his annulment giving the Church less authority in England because King Henry claimed he had more power than the Pope. Theologically the Church had been challenged due to the rise of Protestantism by Martin Luther. Luther wrote a list if grievances against the Church called the 95 Theses that led many to doubt the Church's doctrine. Socially the Church had lost the public's Church due to both of the aforementioned issues. They saw the Church turn into chaos from the political issues of authority and the new branches of religion challenging Catholicism. The Council of Trent helps us understand the idea that the Church always needs to reform because if the Church hadn't reformed it would have disappeared because of the political, social, and theological issues consuming it.