The Reformers Europe 1517 – c The Protestant Reformation led to the start of many new Christian churches that broke away from the Catholic Church. Early reformers At first reformers did not want to start a new church but purify the Church by reforming (changing) the Catholic Church, which had been the only church in western Europe for 1000 years.

Whiteboards Which of the following statements might an early reformer (before Protestants) have said? A “I want to purify (get rid of corruption in) the church” B “I no longer believe in God.” C “We must not translate the Bible” D “We must not have a pope anymore.”

Whiteboards Which of the following statements might an early reformer (before Protestants) have said? A “I want to purify (get rid of corruption in) the church”

But, then along came a man named Martin Luther in the 1500’s. By the way, This is Martin Luther King,Jr. We love him! But he is NOT the guy we are talking about! This is Martin Luther. THIS is the reformer! (MLK and his father, were named after him. They were both Protestant Christian ministers, but they are not related.)

Martin Luther  Martin Luther was a Catholic monk who disagreed with the corrupt Church teachings and practices. He is the first Protestant to break away from the Church and start his own church.  On October , Luther posted 95 Theses (arguments) on the door of the castle church in Wittenberg.  These theses outlined Luther’s disagreements with the Church. Luther nails his 95 Theses to the Wittenberg door (movie, Luther.)

Whiteboards What are the 95 theses?

Church Corruption  Luther was against:  Immoral and ignorant priests / clergy - Many clergy often broke their vows; they were rich (breaking the vow of poverty), they had children (breaking the vow of chastity), and abused their power - Many clergy often broke their vows; they were rich (breaking the vow of poverty), they had children (breaking the vow of chastity), and abused their power - Many clergy could not read, so they did not know the Bible personally. They were supposed to be teaching the people, but they were ignorant about the teachings and beliefs of Christianity. - Many clergy could not read, so they did not know the Bible personally. They were supposed to be teaching the people, but they were ignorant about the teachings and beliefs of Christianity.  Enormous wealth of the Catholic church disturbed Luther The Church was one of the richest institutions in Europe during the Middle Ages and it paid no taxes. - Most people were very poor in the Mid. Ages - Most people were very poor in the Mid. Ages - The Church still required people to give it money. - The Church still required people to give it money.  The abuses of the Church, like indulgences and simony. -

Luther’s 95 Theses were quickly translated into German, widely copied and printed. Within two weeks they had spread throughout Germany, and within two months throughout Europe. This was one of the first events in history that was profoundly affected by the printing press. Luther translated the Bible into German to make it more accessible to the common people.

Think/Pair/Share Why was Luther upset by what the Catholic Church had been doing in the Middle Ages?

The Diet of Worms Luther’s 95 theses upset the Catholic Church. Along with the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, the church held a special meeting (Diet) to force Luther to recant (take back) what he said in the 95 theses. Luther defended himself and refused to recant what he said. This made Luther more popular with the people. fLbAQ

Pair Share Tell your partner what happened at the Diet of Worms.

Other reformners  However, the reformation had been brewing across Europe for many years. And there were other reformers who had come first. The best example is a man named Jan Huss who preceded Luther by about 100 years and his devotion to Gods word deeply affected Martin’s life and destiny. to precede: to come before in time

Born in Husssenitz (Boehemia), in 1372, to peasant parents, John Huss trained himself for priesthood, mainly to escape poverty. A reformer, John Huss condemned various church abuses in his sermons, leading to serious problems between him and the church. Huss was of the opinion that the Church was supreme, not the Pope. He felt a need for reforms and modifications, to eradicate the corruption and abuses of Roman Church. Huss also Huss was excommunicated in Though there were several attempts to make him recant his words and views forcefully, Huss resisted all of them. An Italian clergyman pronounced the sentence of condemnation for Huss. Count Palatine asked Huss for the last time whether he wanted to recant and save his life or die. Huss preferred to die and was thus, burnt to death. believed that each person should have a Bible of his own, in a language he can read.

Think/Pair/Share Obviously, Huss and others like him were taking a big risk opposing the Catholic Church. Would you have been willing to openly question the Church like Martin Luther or John Huss did? Why or why not?

As we can see, while Huss was brave, he wasn’t very successful. That is what made Martin Luther so important when he finally broke away from the church. Luther formed the first Protestant church, the Lutheran Church, which still exists today. Many other groups soon did the same. ! SUMMARY: Martin Luther, more than the reformers that preceded him, shaped the Protestant Reformation. Thanks to the printing press, his pamphlets were well- read throughout Germany, influencing many subsequent Protestant Reformers and thinkers and giving rise to diversifying Protestant traditions in Europe and elsewhere. Protestant Reformation printing pressProtestant Reformers

Exit Ticket Who was Martin Luther and what did he do?___________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ ______.