1. The Protestant Reformation

2. Essential Question:
What caused the Protestant Reformation?
Do Now: Discussion of Causes of the Reformation Worksheet

3. During the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church was the dominant religion in Western Europe
Without a common government in Europe, the Catholic Pope became an important political leader
Medieval Christians’ everyday lives were harsh. Still, they could all follow the same path to salvation—everlasting life in heaven. Priests and other clergy administered the sacraments, or important religious ceremonies. These rites paved the way for achieving salvation. For example, through the sacrament of baptism, people became part of the Christian community. At the local level, the village church was a unifying force in the lives of most people. It served as a religious and social center. People worshiped together at the church. They also met with other villagers. Religious holidays, especially Christmas and Easter, were occasions for festive celebrations.
On the manor, priests were powerful because the controlled peoples’ access to heaven by delivering the sacraments & absolving sins

4. Basis of beliefs are the 7 Holy Sacraments:
The Catholic Church taught that people could gain access to heaven (called salvation) by having faith in God & doing good works for others
Basis of beliefs are the 7 Holy Sacraments:
Baptism, Communion, Confession, Confirmation, Marriage, Ordination of Priests, Last Rites for the Dying
By participating in each sacrament, gain more of God’s grace

5. Practices of the Catholic Church
The church taught that Christians could gain more of God’s grace through a series of spiritual rituals called the Holy Sacraments
Sacraments included Baptism, Confirmation, Communion, Confession, Marriage, Ordination of Priests, Last Rites for the Dying
Basis of beliefs are the 7 Holy Sacraments:
Baptism, Communion, Confession, Confirmation, Marriage, Ordination of Priests, Last Rites for the Dying
By participating in each sacrament, gain more of God’s grace

6. But, the church was also growing corrupt
Clergy members took vows of chastity to abstain from sex…but some church leaders fathered children
Priests were required to go through rigorous training in a monastery…but some church positions were sold to the highest bidder called simony
Sometimes, feudal lords would use their influence to have friends or children named as priests, called lay investiture
As a result, some clergy members were poorly educated

7. These practices went unquestioned during the Middle Ages
One of the most corrupt church practices was the selling of indulgences
Indulgences began as a way for people to repent for their sins through good works
But rather than requiring good deeds, church leaders began selling indulgence certificates as a way of raising money
These practices went unquestioned during the Middle Ages

8. By the time of the Renaissance, some Christians began criticizing church corruptions & questioned Catholic teachings
Christian humanists believed that they could help reform the Catholic Church

9. In the 1300s, Reformers like John Wycliffe & priest Jan Hus attacked corruptions like indulgences, said that the Bible (not the Pope) was the ultimate authority on Christianity, & wanted church teachings in the vernacular (local language) not Latin

10. Title
Catholic leaders responded to these criticisms by executing Wycliffe & Hus
Text

11. In 1509, Christian humanist Erasmus published Praise of Folly which called for an end of corruptions

12. As a result of Johann Gutenberg’s invention of the moveable-type printing press in 1453, Erasmus’ book spread throughout Europe & increased calls for church reform

13. “Erasmus laid the egg that Luther hatched.”
Erasmus sought reform within the Catholic Church
Did not wish to break away from it
His ideas prepared the way for the Reformation
Essential Question:
Who was Martin Luther and what is he important for doing?

14. The Protestant Reformation
By the early 1500s, the Catholic Church was in turmoil over the controversy of corruption & its unwillingness to adopt reforms
In Germany, a Catholic monk named Martin Luther became involved in a serious dispute with the Catholic Church

15. Protestant Reformation
Martin Luther’s break from the Catholic Church began the Protestant Reformation & inspired a series of new Christian denominations
Protestant Reformation
Protest Reform
During the Protestant Reformation, reformers protested church corruptions & practices in hopes of reforming Christianity

16. Martin Luther
As a young boy in Germany, Luther was going to become a lawyer, but after he nearly died in a thunderstorm he vowed to become a Catholic priest

17. Martin Luther
After studying the Bible as a monk, Martin Luther became a priest & scholar
During his studies of the Bible, Luther became convinced that salvation could not be achieved by good works & sacraments
Instead, Luther was inspired by St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans: “A person can be made good by having faith in God’s mercy”

18. Martin Luther
Martin Luther believed that salvation was gained though having faith in God alone; He called this idea Justification by Faith
Martin Luther was also deeply troubled by the church’s selling of indulgences, which he saw as false salvation

19. In 1517, Martin Luther wrote a list of arguments against church practices called the “Ninety-Five Theses”
He posted the Ninety-Five Theses on the church door in the town of Wittenberg & welcomed debate of his ideas

20. But the Catholic Church condemned Luther & rejected his ideas
The “Ninety-Five Theses” spread quickly through Europe causing an incredible controversy
Many people, especially in Northern Europe, were excited about his ideas
But the Catholic Church condemned Luther & rejected his ideas

21. The Church demanded that Luther take back his teachings
In 1521, Luther was called before the Diet of Worms, a meeting of church & political leaders
The Church demanded that Luther take back his teachings
Luther refused, argued that the Bible was the only source of religious authority, & encouraged Christians to study the Bible for themselves
At the Diet of Worms, Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Catholic Church

22. Martin Luther’s stand against the Catholic Church led to the formation of a new Christian denomination known as Lutheranism
Lutheranism was the first of a series of “Protestant” Christian faiths that broke from the Catholic Church

23. Essential Question:
What were the main beliefs of the Protestant faiths: Lutheranism, Calvinism, & Anglicanism?
Each person at your table should pick one of the following:
Lutheran
Calvinism
Anglicanism
Anabaptists (if you have a 4th person at your table)

24. Split up and meet with the other members of the class who have the same religion as you
Read up on your religion by utilizing the following pages and the chart on page 422
Lutheran:
Calvinist: Zwinglian Reformation and Calvinism:
Anglicans: Church of England
Anabaptists: 421
Take notes on the history of your religion, and what it’s main beliefs are. Be sure to have enough information to answer the following questions regarding your religion:
History
Important beliefs
Church Hierarchy: (who was in charge?)
Salvation: How could salvation be achieved?)
Importance of the Bible
Interpretation of Beliefs: who is responsible for interpreting the teachings of the religion as found in the Bible
Worship: What did worship services entail?
Sacraments: What sacraments did the religion celebrate?

25. Protestant Faiths
What were the main beliefs & practices of the first Protestant faiths: Lutheranism, Calvinism, & Anglicanism?

26. Protestant Reformation

27. Reformation and Society
Women and Family: Protestants developed new view of family
Women were expected to be obedient to their husbands and bear children
Anti-Semitism (dislike of Jews): remained common in northern Europe. Martin Luther expected Jews to convert to Lutheranism. If they did not he said their synagogues and houses should be burned. In Papal States, Jews who would not convert to Christianity were segregated into ghettos.

28. The Catholic Reformation (aka the Counter-Reformation
The Jesuits
Founded by Ignatius of Loyola
AKA the Society of Jesus
Recognized as religious order by Pope Paul III in 1540
Took vow of absolute obedience to pope
Used education to spread their message
Successful in restoring Catholicism to parts of Germany and eastern Europe, and spreading it to other parts of the world
Reform of the Papacy
Participation of Renaissance popes in Italian political and military affairs led to much corruption
Protestant Reformation showed Church it needed reform
Pope Paul III appointed Reform Commission in 1537 to determine Church’s problems
Commission blamed Church’s problems on the popes’ corrupt policies
Pope Paul III began the Council of Trent
Council of Trent
Began in March 1545
Group of cardinals, archbishops, abbots, and theologians met off and on for 18 years in city of Trent, on border between Germany and Italy
Final decrees of Council reaffirmed traditional Catholic teachings in opposition to Protestant beliefs
Selling of indulgences was forbidden
Gave Roman Catholic Church a clear body of doctrine (law) and was unified under pope’s supreme leadership