Instructions
• Anything written in yellow (SLOW down
and pay attention) is useful information.
You should write it in your notes IN
YOUR OWN WORDS.
• Anything in red (STOP and pay close
attention) is critical information and
should be copied exactly.
• Anything in green (GO on to the next
point) you do not have to write.
The Reformation
Remember:
• The Church was incredibly
powerful and influential.
• They taught that they could not
be wrong about anything.
• If you disagreed you could be
excommunicated.
However:
• Reading led people to realize the
church might not know everything.
• The behavior of some
priests during the Black
Death gave people doubt.
Wait led
a minute…
• Humanism
to new ideas
I’ll tellabout
you what,
This says I shouldn’t
why don’t you
the importance
of
every
individual.
murder people!
just go ahead and
bless yourselves?
Humanism
• During the Renaissance, everybody was
religious!
• Humanism was not opposed to religion.
• Many paintings dealt with religious
subjects.
• Humanism was a balance between
religious faith (from the heart) and
reason (from the brain).
However…
• Humanism emphasized the
ability of humans to think
and reason for
themselves!!!
Church
Basics
ChristianiTree
The
Christian Church
Bible
Heaven
Jesus Christ
Salvation
Baptism
Catholicism
• Authority from
Bible and
tradition
• Salvation earned
through good
works
• Only clergy have
say in church
matters.
• Mass in Latin.
•The
East
andno
•There
was
•Around
1500
West
churches
Catholic,
no
the Reformation
split
who
Baptist,
no
led
toover
a split
in
should
be the
Evangelical,
the
Church
that
leader.
etc. to this
remains
day.
Reformation
•For most of
•Around
1000
Christian
there
wasthere
a
history,
division
in the
was only
one
church.
branch.
The
Christian
Church
•Many people
had come to
believe the
Church needed
to be fixed.
Problems in
the Church
Money Problems
• The Church became increasingly
interested in getting rich.
• The pope spent tons of money on his
own entertainment.
• Donations from people was not
enough to make them happy.
• They came up with new ways to make
money from the people.
Priests for Pay
• Priests made quite a bit of money and
did not have to pay taxes.
• The church made money by letting
people pay to be priests.
• This led to some priests
I don’t know
not knowing much what
this says
but I’m sure
about the Bible.
it’s important!
Heaven? No
problem! That’ll
be 5 dollars.
Indulgences
• They taught when you died you had to
work off your sin in purgatory before
going to Heaven.
• They then sold indulgences, passes to
shorten the time there.
• It seemed like they were selling tickets
to Heaven.
Martin Luther
Martin Luther
• Luther was a Catholic priest.
• He visited Rome early in his
career.
• He saw other priests acting
sinfully and began to question
church doctrine.
• He did not believe the church
could provide salvation.
Luther’s Beliefs
• “For it is by grace that you have
been saved, through faith – and this
not from yourselves, it is the gift of
God – not by works, so that no one
can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
• Grace (noun) – Divine (Godly) love
and protection bestowed (given)
freely on people.
• Luther disagreed with indulgences
because he said only God could forgive
sins, not man.
• He directly challenged the church on
this and other issues.
• He risked excommunication and even
death.
Luther’s Challenge
• Luther nailed 95
arguments (theses) to
the door of the local
church for all to see.
A list of things he thought
were wrong with the Catholic
Church (95 Complaints)
He criticized:
The Power of the Pope
The Extreme Wealth of
the Church
Indulgences (Catholic
concept of Salvation)
Gutenberg’s Printing Press made it
possible for Luther to spread his
beliefs
Gained support from people and
criticism from Church
•The first thing
printed on
Gutenberg’s
press was the
Bible.
•This is a picture
of a page from
one of
Gutenberg’s
Bibles.
Luther’s Basic Ideas
•Only faith can lead to salvation, not
good deeds
•Bible is the ONLY source of religious
truth.
•Priests do not have special powers to
speak to God.
•Bible/service should be in vernacular
so all can truly experience them.
Luther’s “revolution” sparks major
conflict in Europe.
Luther’s Message
• Following publication of theses,
Luther continued to study, debate
• Contradicted basic Catholic beliefs,
insisted God’s grace cannot be won by
good works; faith alone needed
• 1519, declared only head of Christian
Church was Jesus, not pope
Empowered the People
• Insisted that individual Christians
should be own interpreters of
scripture, Christian practices should
come only from Bible
• To aid this process, Luther translated
Bible into German
• Translation allowed more people to
read Bible without aid of clergy
Reactions to Luther
Church’s Response
• 1520, Pope Leo X expelled
Luther from the Church
• 1521, Luther summoned to
appear before Holy Roman
emperor Charles V
Edict of Worms
German Diet
• Luther appeared before
emperor, German Diet, or
assembly, at city of Worms
• Refused to change opinions
Protestant
• 1529, Charles V tried to
suppress Lutherans in
• Declared Luther to be outlaw, Germany
• German princes issued
condemned his writings
protestatio, protest, against this
• Luther’s ideas spread
• Emperor handed down
Edict of Worms
• Term Protestant came from this
The Pope’s Response
• Luther was excommunicated after
he refused to take back his
statements.
• He had the support of German
nobles who protected him.
• His ideas spread very rapidly over
Europe despite the church’s
response.
Results
Protestant
• Luther’s idea spread
rapidly throughout Europe.
• Millions of people converted to
Catholic
Protestantism.
• Some people went so far as to violently
rise up against the Church’s control.
• He was a hero to some, a criminal to
others.