Commemoration of the Reformation Resource 2 What was it all about???? Why did it happen???? Who was involved????

The Reformation October 31st 2017 is a significant day in the history of the Christian Church. On this day, 500 years ago, historians agree that the movement called The Reformation began. What was THE REFORMATION?

What was The Reformation? The Reformation was a religious movement that split the Catholic Church in Europe. It set in place structures and beliefs that would spread around the world and change the Christian Church right up until the present day.

What Caused The Reformation? The causes of the Reformation go back to the 12th century People were angry at the way some of the leaders – priests and bishops - of the Church lived The Church was in need of reform but some of its leaders didn’t want to change and lose their power and riches

Causes of the Reformation 1 Some leaders of the 15th century Church led immoral lives In the early 1400s there were 3 Popes at the one time and people thought that the Church was too tied up in political matters and even warfare Some Popes, cardinals and bishops were living like rich lords

Causes of the Reformation 2 Some clergy sold indulgences to people telling them this would get them into heaven quicker Some men could buy positions in the Church Some untrained men were being ordained as priests Some men became priests because of greed, or ambition or power rather than for love of Jesus

The Reformation The Reformation - also called the Protestant Reformation – was a split from the Catholic Church by certain people who called themselves ‘Reformers’ Some of the main protesters were: Martin Luther - a German Catholic monk Ulrich Zwingli - a Swiss priest Jean (John) Calvin - a French lawyer Henry VIII - the King of England

Who?? - The Main Players By this action he is credited with starting Martin Luther (1483-1536) was a German professor, theologian and Augustinian Catholic monk. He had concerns about certain Church practices. In October 1517 he arrived at the front door of the castle church in the city of Wittenberg and nailed up a list of 95 points he wanted to discuss. His ‘95 Theses’ By this action he is credited with starting the Protestant Reformation

The Catholic Church and The Reformation Luther also stated that the Bible was the only source of revealed knowledge from God Many people read Luther’s 95 Theses and joined in the protest for changes in the Church Those who followed Luther’s teachings were called Lutherans Luther was excommunicated from the Church by the Pope in 1521 because of his teachings

Huldrych (Ulrich) Zwingli Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531) – priest and leader of the Reformation in Switzerland. In his ideas of reform he: Challenged the Catholic Church on the teaching and organisation of the Church Rejected all authority of bishops Opposed all religious images including crucifixes Introduced a new liturgy to replace the Mass Promoted marriage of priests Denied the Real Presence in the Eucharist resulting in a more drastic break with the Christian tradition than Luther’s

Huldrych (Ulrich) Zwingli Zwingli disagreed with Luther about some of his teachings and so began his own church Zurich was soon converted to Zwingli’s reforms Monasteries were dissolved and money used to fund education and poor relief Zwingli’s church attempted to control moral behaviour - strict supervision became common True Christians must follow the Bible as closely as possible Zwingli preached religious war against surrounding cantons that were Catholic He was killed in the Battle of Kappel in 1531

The Eucharist to be limited to 4 Sundays a year JEAN (john) Calvin Jean (John) Calvin, a Frenchman, (1509-64) is widely credited as the most important figure in the second generation of the Reformation. He wanted to achieve a rebuilding of the Church by abolishing: crucifixes, images, altars, liturgical garments, the Mass, the organ, singing in church, processions, relics and sacraments The Eucharist to be limited to 4 Sundays a year

The Reformation The Reformation protests spread throughout many countries in Europe and also to England But the changes in England were for political reasons, rather than for religious ones……… Crown of Henry VIII of England.

Prayer for Christian unity Let us pray for the unity of Christians Lord Jesus Christ, at your Last Supper you prayed to the Father that all should be one. Bring down your Holy Spirit upon all of us, your Christian followers, to lead us that we may serve you in unity. Strengthen our faith in you and help us to love one another as you love us. 14

Prayer for Christian unity We pray that God, our Creator, will strengthen us, Jesus, our gracious Saviour, will guide us, and that the love of the Holy Spirit will remain in our hearts, working through us, so that all Christians may grow in understanding and peace. We ask this prayer in the name of Jesus, our Lord. Amen. 15