Reformation Test Study

By 1300, how was the Catholic Church perceived by many people?

It had become corrupt, bureaucratic, "out of touch," and unwilling to reform itself.

What was the Babylonian Captivity (1304–1376)?

A period when seven Popes were forced to reside in Avignon, France, starting from a conflict between the King of France and the Pope.

What was the Great Schism (1378–1417)?

A split in the Church where rival Popes were elected (Urban VI in Rome, Clement VII in Avignon), leaving Europe with multiple Popes until 1417.

What was Simony?

The selling of Church positions used to generate income for the Church.

What was Nepotism in the Catholic Church?

Granting Church positions and privileges to friends and family members.

What are Indulgences?

Certificates sold by the Church that transferred merit to reduce a soul's time in Purgatory.

What did John Wyclif believe regarding religious authority?

Scripture alone should be the standard for belief, organized Church was not needed for salvation, and the Bible should be in English.

What happened to Jan Hus at the Council of Constance?

He was executed for heresy after denying Papal authority and declaring indulgences useless.

What was the Conciliar Movement's outcome at the Council of Constance?

It ended the three-fold schism by electing a new Pope, but failed to reform Church abuses because the Pope vetoed reforms.

What phrase describes Erasmus’s role in setting up the Reformation?

"Erasmus laid the egg that Luther hatched."

What were the three main areas of discontent in Europe before the Reformation?

Religious discontent, Social discontent (peasant revolts), and Political discontent (kings disputing Church authority).

What event triggered Martin Luther’s personal religious conversion?

A terrible thunderstorm that led him to pray to St. Anne and become an Augustinian monk.

What was Martin Luther's core doctrine regarding salvation?

Justification by faith alone (salvation comes through faith, not good deeds).

What phrase sums up Luther’s view on religious authority?

"If not in the Bible, it's not a rule."

How many sacraments did Martin Luther keep?

Two: Baptism and Communion (Eucharist).

Who was Johann Tetzel?

A Dominican friar and indulgence seller who used guilt and famous slogans to raise money.

What did Martin Luther do in 1517 to challenge Church abuses?

He posted his 95 Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Church.

What happened at the Diet of Worms in 1521?

Martin Luther was asked to recant his writings by Charles V, refused, and was declared an outlaw and heretic.

What was Luther’s response to the German Peasants' Revolt of 1524?

He publicly opposed and condemned the revolt, siding with the German princes.

What were Ulrich Zwingli’s views on Communion compared to Luther’s?

Zwingli believed Communion was purely symbolic, leading to a split with Luther.

What core belief defines John Calvin’s theological system?

Predestination (God already knows in advance who is saved and who is damned).

What city did John Calvin transform into a strictly enforced, modern religious state?

Geneva, Switzerland (known as the "Protestant Rome").

What was a unique belief of the Anabaptists regarding baptism and society?

They rejected infant baptism for adult baptism and advocated for complete separation of Church and State.

Why did King Henry VIII break away from the Catholic Church?

The Pope refused to grant him an annulment from Catherine of Aragon to marry Anne Boleyn and produce a male heir.

What law passed in 1534 established Henry VIII as the supreme head of the Church of England?

The Act of Supremacy.

Who were the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and who founded them?

An order of monks founded by Ignatius of Loyola who took an oath of obedience to the Pope and used education to spread Catholicism.

What were the main goals and decisions of the Council of Trent?

To define clear Catholic doctrine and reform abuses; it kept 7 sacraments, faith AND good works, but banned simony and selling indulgences.

What style of art did the Catholic Church encourage during the Counter-Reformation?

Baroque Art (dramatic, emotional, realistic figures with deep shadows).

What did the Edict of Nantes (1598) accomplish in France?

It recognized Catholicism as France's official religion but granted Huguenots the right to worship and political privileges.

What principle was reaffirmed by the Peace of Westphalia (1648) at the end of the Thirty Years' War?

"Whatever the religion of your prince, the religion of your land" — adding Calvinism alongside Catholicism and Lutheranism.

Abuses of the Church: Overview

During the late Middle Ages (c. 1300s–1500s), the Roman Catholic Church faced major criticism for moral, financial, and administrative corruption.

Abuses of the Church: Simony

The buying and selling of Church offices or positions to generate income for the Church.

Abuses of the Church: Nepotism

Granting lucrative Church positions, privileges, and favors to family members and friends regardless of qualifications.

Abuses of the Church: Selling of Indulgences

Selling certificates (promoted by figure like Johann Tetzel) that claimed to transfer merit and shorten a soul's time in Purgatory to raise funds.

Abuses of the Church: Moral Corruption & Lack of Leadership

Uneducated clergy unable to give sound advice, priests breaking vows of celibacy (mistresses/illegitimate children), selling fake holy relics, and living lavishly.

Abuses of the Church: Absenteeism & Worldliness

Popes and high clergy focusing on political power, wealth, military campaigns (e.g., Pope Julius II), and massive building projects rather than spiritual duties.

Causes of the Reformation: Overview

The Protestant Reformation was driven by a combination of religious discontent, intellectual movements, political power struggles, and social unrest.

Causes of the Reformation: Religious Discontent

Widespread public anger over Church corruption (Simony, Nepotism, Indulgences) and the belief that the Church had lost its spiritual direction.

Causes of the Reformation: Christian Humanism & Erasmus

Northern Renaissance thinkers like Erasmus criticized Church abuses and promoted daily personal piety, effectively "laying the egg that Luther hatched."

Causes of the Reformation: Early Critics (Wyclif & Hus)

Early reformers who laid the foundation by translating/demanding scripture in the vernacular, denying Papal authority, and calling indulgences useless.

Causes of the Reformation: Political Factors

European monarchs and German princes resented Papal authority, foreign taxation, and Church land ownership, seeking control over local church revenue and appointments.

Causes of the Reformation: Social Unrest

Peasants feeling oppressed by wealthy elites and heavy Church taxation, leading to uprisings like the German Peasants' Revolt of 1524.

Lutheran Ideas: Salvation (Justification by Faith)

Catholics believed salvation required faith AND good works/sacraments; Luther taught Justification by Faith Alone (Sola Fide).

Lutheran Ideas: Religious Authority (Scripture Alone)

Catholics held the Pope and Church Tradition as supreme authority; Luther taught Scripture Alone (Sola Scriptura)—"If not in the Bible, it's not a rule."

Lutheran Ideas: Sacraments

Catholicism recognized 7 Sacraments; Luther reduced them to only 2 biblical sacraments: Baptism and Eucharist (Communion).

Lutheran Ideas: Clergy & Priesthood

Catholicism required a celibate priesthood as mediators; Luther promoted the "priesthood of all believers" and allowed clergy to marry.

Lutheran Ideas: Purgatory & Indulgences

Catholicism maintained the existence of Purgatory and the use of indulgences; Luther completely rejected Purgatory and called indulgences useless/unbiblical.

Catholic Response: Overview (Counter-Reformation)

The Catholic Church responded to the Protestant movement through reform, spiritual renewal, doctrinal definition, artistic promotion, and aggressive defense.

Catholic Response: Council of Trent (1545–1563)

A meeting of Church leaders that reaffirmed Catholic doctrine (7 sacraments, faith + works, transubstantiation) while fixing abuses by banning simony and the sale of indulgences.

Catholic Response: Society of Jesus (Jesuits)

An order founded by Ignatius of Loyola whose members took an oath of strict obedience to the Pope, using education and foreign missions to counter Protestantism.

Catholic Response: Papal Reform

Reforming the Papacy so future Popes avoided financial, political, and military entanglements to focus strictly on religious leadership.

Catholic Response: Baroque Art

An artistic style encouraged by the Church using dramatic, emotional, and realistic imagery (Bernini, Caravaggio) to evoke awe and reinforce Catholic doctrine.

Catholic Response: Militant Defense & Spanish Inquisition

Catholic rulers like Philip II of Spain used the Spanish Inquisition to suppress heresy and launched military actions (e.g., Spanish Armada) to combat Protestantism.

Heresy

Any religious belief, opinion, or doctrine that directly contradicts or goes against official Church doctrine.

Catholicism: Core Beliefs Summary

Led by Pope, bishops, priests; Salvation requires faith and good works; Bible + Church traditions are sources of truth; Priests interpret scripture; 7 Sacraments

Lutheranism: Core Beliefs Summary

Ministers lead congregations; Salvation by faith alone; Bible is the only source of truth; Believers interpret Bible themselves; 2 Sacraments (Baptism, Communion)

Calvinism: Core Beliefs Summary

Council of elders & ministers lead; Salvation by faith alone; Bible is the only source of truth; Services focused strictly on preaching; 2 Sacraments (Baptism, Communion)

Anglicanism: Core Beliefs Summary

Monarch, bishops, priests lead; Salvation by faith alone; Bible is the only source of truth; Services based on preaching and rituals; 2 Sacraments (Baptism, Communion)

Protestant vs. Catholic: Salvation

Catholics believe salvation requires faith AND good works, while all three major Protestant groups (Lutherans, Calvinists, Anglicans) believe salvation requires faith alone

Protestant vs. Catholic: Source of Truth & Interpretation

Catholics rely on both the Bible and Church traditions interpreted by priests, whereas Protestants hold that the Bible is the only source of truth and believers interpret it themselves

Protestant vs. Catholic: Sacraments

Catholics observe seven sacraments (baptism, confession, communion, confirmation, marriage, ordination, anointing the sick), while Protestants recognize only two (baptism and communion)

How were Anglicans more similar to Catholics than Lutherans or Calvinists?

Anglicanism maintained a traditional hierarchical structure (monarch, bishops, priests) and included rituals in worship, similar to Catholic practices

Why did Protestant churches eliminate most of the seven sacraments?

They kept only baptism and communion because those were the only two sacraments explicitly supported by scripture in the Bible