WK 6 LEC 2

WEEK 6 LECTURE 2: THE REFORMATION

Course: History 2023: Modern World to 1815

OUTLINE FOR TODAY

  • Luther’s Theological Breakthrough

  • What Luther Changed (and what stayed the same)

  • The English Reformation

  • Calvin’s Deeper Reform

IMPORTANT TERMS

  • Indulgences: A note sold by the Catholic Church to speed a soul’s exit from Purgatory.

  • Laity: Christians who were not part of the clergy.

  • Vernacular: The spoken language of the people, i.e., not Latin.

I. Luther's Theological Breakthrough

MARTIN LUTHER (1483-1546)

  • Initially trained to be a lawyer.

  • Later became a monk, demonstrating a significant spiritual and personal transformation.

  • Struggled with the concept of perfection and the inability to achieve it.

LUTHER TRIES TO BE THE PERFECT MONK

  • Monastic Life: Involved three vows:

    • Poverty: Renouncing material wealth.

    • Chastity: Abstaining from sexual conduct.

    • Obedience: Following the monastic order and its rules.

  • Typical Monk's Daily Schedule:

    • 1:30am: Psalm Singing

    • 2:00am: Prayer (Nocturns)

    • 3:30am: Mass (Matins)

    • 4:00am: Change and wash for the day

    • 5:00am: Trina Oratorio, reading

    • 6:00am: Mass (Prime)

    • 7:30am: Work

    • 8:00am: Sung Mass

    • 9:30am: Readings

    • 11:30am: Prayer (Sext)

    • 12:00pm: Dinner

    • 1:00pm: Siesta

    • 2:00pm: Mass (None)

    • 3:00pm: Work

    • 5:30pm: Supper

    • 6:00pm: Prayer (Vespers)

    • 7:30pm: Change, night clothes

    • 8:00pm: Prayer (Compline)

    • 8:15pm: Bed

    • Total of 5 hours of sleep.

LUTHER VISITS ROME (1510)

  • Observed the construction of the New St. Peter's Basilica.

CAN HUMANS EVER BE PERFECT?

  • Luther's obsession with perfection led to deep internal conflict.

LUTHER’S BREAKTHROUGH

  • Expresses an epiphany in a letter to Jerome Weller in 1530:

    • Reacts against the notion of sin by emphasizing the grace of God:

"If the devil should say, 'Do not drink,' you should reply to him, 'I shall drink, and what is more, I shall drink a generous amount.' … I acknowledge no sin and am conscious of no sin. When the devil throws our sins up to us… I admit that I deserve death and hell. What of it?"

  • Key ideas include:

    • Salvation is not earned through works; it is a gift from God.

    • Works or money cannot guarantee salvation.

LUTHER DENOUNCES INDULGENCES

  • Luther posted the 95 Theses criticizing the practice of selling indulgences, which he deemed:

    • Theologically wrong

    • Corrupt

  • Definition of Indulgences: Payment made to the Catholic Church to reduce punishment for sins after death.

    • 95 Theses Highlights:

    • Thesis #81: Critiques the detrimental effect of indulgences on people's respect for the papacy.

    • Thesis #82: Questions the ethical implications of the pope's decision-making regarding purgatory versus church construction funding.

POPE EXCOMMUNICATES LUTHER (1520)

  • Officially labeled him a heretic and called for his punishment, encouraging the capture of Luther.

LUTHER APPEALS TO THE LAITY

  • Engaged lay Christians by writing in the vernacular, allowing non-clerical individuals to access his teachings.

LUTHER, MASTER OF THE PRINTED IMAGE

  • Utilized the emerging print technology to disseminate his ideas widely, significantly affecting public opinion.

KATHARINA VON BORA (1499-1552)

  • Former nun who married Martin Luther in 1525, exemplifying shifts in clerical practices and family lives of reformers.

WHAT LUTHER CHANGED

  • Catholic practices that were discontinued included:

    • Required good works like:

    • Pilgrimages

    • Indulgences

    • Fasting

    • Clerical celibacy

    • Monasticism

    • Emphasized Lay leadership

    • Utilization of Vernacular in worship and liturgy.

WHAT STAYED THE SAME

  • Basic moral principles maintained:

    • Adultery is bad

    • Murder is bad

    • Honor your father and mother.

  • Basic rituals retained:

    • Baptism

    • Eucharist

FURTHER REFORMS

  • Mention of ongoing debates and further modifications within Protestantism, as other reformers sought to expand on Luther's ideas.

THE PEASANTS' WAR (1524-25)

  • Social upheaval referencing economic tensions among peasants partially incited by Reformation ideologies.

THE ENGLISH REFORMATION

  • Overview of transformation under various monarchs:

    • King Henry VIII (1491-1547)

    • Rejected the Pope’s authority, declared himself "supreme head" of the Church in England in 1534.

    • Limited theological changes.

  • Key Events:

    • 1534: Henry becomes the supreme head of the Church.

  • Authority Conflict: Highlighted the tension between secular and religious power (Pope vs. King), as well as the dissolution of monasteries.

THE REFORMATION UNDER EDWARD AND ELIZABETH

  • Edward pushed reforms further in the direction of Calvinism.

  • Elizabeth established a middle position that retained elements of both Catholic and Protestant traditions while rejecting papal authority, emphasizing the monarchy's supremacy.

CALVIN'S DEEPER REFORM

JOHN CALVIN (1509, France)

  • Pushed Protestant Reformation ideas further, primarily known for advocating the concept of predestination.

CALVIN DISENCHANTS CHRISTIANITY

  • Advocated for the removal of materialism from religious practices:

    • Material things should not be associated with divine worship.

    • No images, statues, or decorative priest robes in worship.

Religious Items and Practices: Luther vs. Calvin

  • Martin Luther: Allowed religious items only if they were not forbidden by the Bible.

  • John Calvin: Permitted items only if explicitly prescribed by the Bible.

TRANSUBSTANTIATION

  • Defined as the belief that during the Mass, the bread and wine become the actual body and blood of Christ.

  • Catholics adhered to this belief; Calvin rejected it.

MORE DIVISIONS IN EUROPE

  • Map illustrating the emerging religious divisions:

    • Catholic

    • Lutheran

    • Calvinist

    • Anglican

    • Others: Bohemian, Moravian, and groups like the Anabaptist.

  • Mention of religious affiliations across regions including Scotland, Denmark, England, and France.

CONCLUSIONS

  • Luther criticized the Catholic Church’s focus on good works which led to widespread corruption.

  • Resulted in the fracturing of Catholicism, forming various Protestant groups.

  • The English monarchy's assertion of authority over the Church led to national reformation.

  • Calvin's influence emphasized a cleansed Christianity devoid of material distractions.