christ RXAM

Bad Popes - 

• Alexander VI - borgia pope, bought the papal throne

• Julius II builds St. Peter’s with indulgences ( indulgences buys your (or somebody else's) way out of purgatory)

Causes of the Reformation - 

• Political - Rise of nationalism/dislike of papal authority

• Cultural - Renaissance and humanism

• Technological - Printing press (Luther’s advantage)

• Indulgences - You used to have to actually do something for an indulgence, but then it just became a donation. Seems corrupt.

• Religious - Can you save yourself as indulgences imply?  Intercession of Mary and the Saints, does this distract us from Christ as the mediator. 

Principles of the Reformation - 

• Luther’s two insights - 

  • We cannot be righteous

  • Not what we do but what God has done

• Justified and sinner at the same time -

  • Grace covers us and our sinful nature “like snow on a dungheap”, so we can never be truly righteous.

• Three ‘solas” - 

  • Sola Scriptura - Only Scripture

    • Scripture > Church Tradition

  • Sola Fide - Faith Alone

    • We are not saved by our works, only through faith in God.

  • Sola Gratia - Grace Alone

    • We can’t increase our grace, grace and will cannot cooperate

• Free Will (Luther vs. Erasmus) - Erasmus says free will is wounded and crippled by sin, and only grace can help it. 

• Eucharist - 

  • Advocates for Consubstantiation (the substance of the Bread co-exists with the substance of Jesus)

  • Zwingli - Says it is symbolically present

  • Calvin - Spiritual presence

  • Differences among Protestants regarding the Eucharist mean that they never unify as one group

• The Church - 

  • Not the visible Church (like the Catholic one) but the invisible Church.

  • The true Church is where the true gospel is preached and the sacraments administered correctly. 

• Other reforms -

  • Married priests

  • Vernacular (common language) service

  • Vernacular Bible

    • He translated the NT into German

  • Rejected the Catholic sacraments besides Baptism and Communion

• Papacy - Pope = Anti Christ - The Pope is teaching the false gospel

Calvin’s TULIP - 

• T -Total depravity-Adam's sin causes us all to sin, and we all come into the world deserving to go to hell.

• U-Unconditional election-God choose from the very beginning who would be saved and that is God's choice alone, he also predestined those who are damned (double predestination)

• L-Limited atonement-christs death on the cross was meant for the elect, he gave his life for those who were chosen for salvation

• I-Irresistible grace-When god chooses to save someone , they cannot resist his grace because his grace overpowers your ability to resist it

• P-Perseverance of saints-Once an individual is saved they remained saved forever “grace perserverence”

Other Reformations - 

• Annabaptists -

  • Baptism must be a choice - children cannot be baptized because they cannot choose to accept Jesus 

  • You can be baptized again if baptized as a child

• Mennonite- 

  • Peasant Revolt in Germany, violently oppressed by Germans, then became radical pacifists. Their leader is Menno Simons

• English Reformation - 

  • Henry VIII wanted to fuck(because he wanted a son and his wife was old), pope said no, new Church

    • Henry pushes parliament to pass the Act of Supremacy, making the King head of the Church in England

  • The Church of England is still very Catholic in theology

  • Henry is succeeded by Edward VI who is Protestant and pushes the Church in that direction

    • Issues Book of Common Prayer

    • 39 Articles of faith issued by Cranmer

  • Then Queen Mary takes over after Edward died in 6 years

    • She is more Catholic and makes England more Catholic along with Reginald Pole

  • Then Elizabeth I takes over and she is Protestant and makes England more Protestant

    • She is Excommunicated by the Pope via the Regnans in Excelsis which forces Catholics in England to choose between the Pope and Elizabeth.

Melanchthon’s Lutheranism -

• Place of papacy - He accepts the Pope “under the gospel”

•  Works - They are necessary to witness to justification. 

•  free will  - There’s probably some place for free will - moderate position

• Adiaphora - There are things that need to be settled (like works vs grace) but the non-essentials need not divide the Church. 

Catholic Reformation - 

• Early Efforts - Early response to the Reformation was slow

  • Index of forbidden books aims to stop Protestantism from spreading

• Ignatius Loyola and the Jesuits - 

  • Soldier gets wounded, gets healed, becomes a devout Christian

  • Founds the Jesuits (society of Jesus) with the purpose to educate people against Protestantism

• Council of Trent - Holy Roman Emperor begs for it, Pius V starts it

  • Response to the Reformation, a Catholic Reformation

  • Scripture and Tradition

    • Scripture is understood in the context of tradition

  • Original Sin and Righteousness

    • We cannot save ourselves due to Adam’s sin, but we have the grace of Baptism which makes us just

  • Justification, Faith, Good Works

    • Justification is by Faith like the Lutherans, but faith includes good works.

    • Faith cooperates with the will

    • Using God’s grace gives you more grace, aka meriting grace

  • Sacraments and Eucharist

    • 7 Sacraments - Baptism, Confirmation, Confession, Communion, Holy Orders, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick

    • Transubstantiation

      • Bread and wine substantially change

  • Relics, Images, Saints

    • You can pray to saints, relics, images

    • However abusing this is bad

  • Purgatory and Indulgences

    • Purgatory is still a thing, but its existence should not be used to mislead people

    • You can’t sell indulgences

  • Other Reforms

    • Establish seminary system to ensure priests are knowledgeable

    • No passing on church positions to kids

    • No Priest concubines

The Christian East -

• The Rise of Rus -

  • After Constantinople falls in 1453, Moscow becomes the center for Orthodoxy 

    • “Third Rome”

• The Eastern Catholic Churches -

  • Some Ukrainian Christians accept Papal authority at the Union of Brest, but they still practice like Orthodox

• Orthodoxy and Reformation - 

  • Orthodox are generally unaffected by the Reformation

  • Patriarch Jeremiah II is reached out to by Protestants because they don’t like the Pope

    • But the Protestants were very far removed from the Orthodox in things like prayer to saints, the Eucharist, and Church authority.

    • Generally the Orthodox take the “Catholic side” \

      • Cyril Lukaris is cool with Prots though

People -

• John Tetzel - #1 indulgence salesman “every time a coin in the coffer rings, a soul from purgatory springs”

• Alexander VI - “Borgia pope”, bought his way to the papacy, gave positions to family

• Julius II - Built St. Peter’s Basilica with indulgence money, “warrior pope”

• Erasmus of Rotterdam -Catholic humanist

• Martin Luther -Augustinian Monk , makes a promise to ST Anne after a thunderstorm , 1517 October 31st he nails his 95 theses to the wittenberg church door debating the pope's authority for giving indulgences and is excommunicated in 1520 , publicly burns his excommunication bull. He then meets his wife. Spends the rest of his wife arguing with Catholics and other Protestants. He also hated Jews:(

• Philip Melanchthon -Develops the belief that there is “none essentials” like mass in german vs latin , said he would accept the pope if he preached under the gospel , believed works are necessary and that free will is partial

• Ulrich Zwingli -Swiss , against all practices outside of the bible , died in battle Cale

• John Calvin -Lawyer Established a theocratic state in Genova , established the TULIP

• Henry (VIII) Tudor -English ruler ,Brings about the english reformation , wants a divorce to have a wife that bears a son , pope refused and therefore in 1534 gets the parliament to make him the head of the english church.

• Edward VI -Successor of henry at 10 years old , ruled for 6 years , protestant , under his reign the book of common prayer and the 39 articles of faith are issued

• Thomas More -Advisor to king Henry put in charge of theology, executed due to the fact that he refused to acknowledge the divorce and act that says Henry is the head of the church

• Mary (I) Tudor -Successor of Edward the 6th , very catholic ruler , immediately begins the reconciliation of england

• Reginald Pole -Last catholic archbishop of england worked with mary in reforms

• Thomas Cranmer -Archbishop of canterbury issues the book of common prayer and the 39 article of faith

• Elizabeth (I) Tudor -Succeeds mary , very protestant , turns things back to yet again protestant, she is excommunicated by the pope

• Ignatius Loyola -soldier and is wounded , converts to a more serious life of faith and founded the jesuits(Society of jesus)

• Leo X - Pope who excommunicated luther allegedly said “we now have the papacy so we shall enjoy it”

• Pius V -Pope that takes charge of the council of trent and makes the various reforms within the catholic church

• Jeremiah II -Carries on the conversation of the protestants disregarded the prayers of saints he rejects the gregorian calendar

• Cyril Lukaris -The protestant patriarch wrote a calvinist confession of faith that would be rejected by the church

The Protestant Reformation: A 16th-century religious movement that sought to reform the Catholic Church's practices and theology, leading to the creation of various Protestant denominations. Key figures included Martin Luther, whose 95 Theses criticized indulgences and papal authority; John Calvin, known for his TULIP doctrine; and Henry VIII, who initiated the English Reformation. Main principles of the Reformation emphasized salvation through faith alone (Sola Fide), the authority of Scripture (Sola Scriptura), and grace alone (Sola Gratia). The movement resulted in significant theological debates, transformation in church liturgy, and establishment of alternative religious communities.