The Protestant Reformation
1517-1565
catalog #2169
Teacher’s Guide
Video Produced by
Chariot Productions
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THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION
(1517-1565)
Grade Level 9-12
Viewing Time: 21 minutes
PROGRAM SUMMARY
This video is designed for 9-12th graders. It was filmed entirely in
Europe and examines the movement for Christian reform that occurred
there between 1517 and 1565.
The program begins with a presentation of the historical background
of the Reformation going back to the early 14th century.
Next, the major events in the life of Martin Luther are traced with special attention given to the Diet of Worms and its repercussions.
Having examined the factors that led to the birth of Lutheranism, the
works of two other theologians, Ulrich Zwingli and John Calvin, are
presented and the notion of predestination is discussed.
After learning about the reform movements based on theological disputes, the video examines the politically motivated reform movement
that occurred in England.
The program ends with a presentation of the Catholic response to the
Protestant rebellion as formulated at the Council of Trent during the
years 1545 to 1563.
STUDENT OBJECTIVES
After viewing this video and participating in the lesson activities, students should be able to:
• Discuss some of the events that occurred in the 14th and 15th centuries that directly contributed to the Protestant Reformation.
• Explain what led Martin Luther to post his 95 theses on the door of
the Wittenberg Castle Church.
• Discuss the “Diet of Worms” and the “Edict of Worms.”
• Explain John Calvin’s doctrine of predestination.
• Compare and contrast the English Reformation to the Reformation
movements in Germany and Switzerland.
• Discuss the outcome of the Council of Trent.
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TEACHER PREPARATION
Before presenting this video, it would be helpful to first review writ-
ten materials on the Reformation. Futhermore, we suggest that you
view the video and review this guide and the accompanying blackline
masters in order to become familiar with their content.
Duplicate the blackline masters you intend to use and distribute copies to your students so they can reference them before viewing the
video.
As you review these instructional materials, you may choose to make
some changes to fit the specific needs of your class. We encourage you
to do so, for only by tailoring this program to your students will they
obtain the maximum benefits offered by these materials.
STUDENT PREPARATION
Although it is not essential, this program will be most useful if students have been taught some basic information of this time period in
European history.
INTRODUCING THE VIDEO
Historically, people’s lives have almost always been dominated by their
religions. Religion has often been a powerful force for good, but when
the religious leaders become corrupt or complacent, people have always rebelled, and in the process, many millions have died over the
centuries.
Several of the original colonies that later became the United States were
founded by people searching for religious freedom, whether they were
Puritans, Pilgrim Separatists, Quakers or even Catholics. Considering
this fact, it seems clear that without the Protestant Reformation, the
United States would probably never have come into existence.
Note: Inform the students that the producers of this video have tried
not to make value judgements about the relative merits of one form of
religious expression over any other. What is presented in this video is
simple historical fact.
Present the video. The viewing time is 21 minutes.
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FOLLOW-UP DISCUSSION
Conduct a class discussion using the following suggested topics:
• How and/or why do people often resort to extreme violence in the
name of religion?
• How are the the wars in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, and Israel similar
to the circumstances surrounding the Protestant Reformation?
• How did the birth of the concept of “Freedom of Religion” impact
the issues that surrounded the Protestant Reformation?
• Discuss the Calvinists in New England.
• Discuss the religious and societal implications of the abortion debate.
• Who are the modern-day religious heirs of Calvinism?
EXTENDED LEARNING ACTIVITY
Form a panel group to list the opposing viewpoints of Catholics and
various Protestant groups.
BLACKLINE MASTERS/ANSWER KEY
Blackline Masters 1 and 2, Vocabulary List, will help students become
familiar with some of the terms referred to in the video presentation.
Blackline Master 3, Timeline from 1300-1565, is an information sheet
that students can use for reference.
Blackline Master 4, Crossword Puzzle, challenges students to use new
ideas and vocabulary from this program. The solution to the puzzle
can be found on the following page.
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Blackline Master 5 is the Quiz for this video presentation. For your
teaching convenience, the quiz is repeated below with the answers
printed in italics.
1. Between 1545 and 1563, a great Council of the Catholic Church met
in northern Italy to decide how to deal with the growing Protestant
rebellion. They were called the Council of_________.
A. Trent
2. Between 1309 and 1377, the popes of the Catholic Church ruled from
the town of ________________ in France.
A. Avignon
3. Between the years 1409 and 1415, how many men claimed to be the
true pope?
A. Three
4. Two Protestant reformers were very active in Switzerland during
the 1520s and 1530s. Their names were_____________________
and_______________________
A. Ulrich Zwingli and John Calvin.
5. King Henry VIII of England declared himself leader of the Church
in England because the pope refused to ____________________.
A. Grant him an annulment, end his marriage, declare that his marriage was
invalid.
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6. Before becoming a professor of Biblical Scripture, Martin Luther had
pursued the religious life both as a _________ and a__________.
A. monk, priest
7. After closing all the monasteries in England, King Henry VIII declared that all their land and anything of value they contained belonged
to_______.
A. him, the king.
8. The Edict of Worms, condemning Martin Luther, was to become an
important turning point in western civilization mostly because it was
_______________.
A. ignored, never put into effect.
9. By 1563, the Catholic Church had decided to _____________ it’s doctrines that were being criticized by the Protestants.
A. reaffirm, support
10. It is estimated that the rebellion of German peasants in 1525 cost
the lives of roughly________________people.
A. 100,000
TRUE OR FALSE
1. After Henry VIII became head of the Church of England, the first
thing he did was to abolish the sacraments and the Mass.
A. False, these things changed very little.
2. Compared to Catholic dogma, the doctrines preached by John Calvin
were quite cheerful.
A. False, John Calvin preached a fatalistic doctrine and spoke of the "terrible
majesty of God."
3. John Calvin and Martin Luther both strongly believed that by doing
good works one would be assured of entering the kingdom of heaven.
A. False, John Calvin preached his grim doctrine called Predestination, which
means that even before the time of birth, God knows whether a person will go
to heaven or hell, and that even if a person leads a life that is free from sin, they
might still be doomed.
4. In the 1520s and 1530s, many churches in Zurich and Geneva were
stripped of their stained glass windows and religious statues were
smashed.
A. True
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5. The invention of a printing press with moveable type played a major role in spreading new Protestant ideas during the sixteenth century.
A. True
6. Charles V, the man who sought to administer secular punishments
to Luther, was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
A. True
7. Although Martin Luther was a stubborn reformer, he never learned
to read or write.
A. False, Martin Luther worked as a professor teaching biblical scripture at
the University of Wittenberg.
8. In Germany, Lutheran princes found that their authority was seriously reduced as a result of the Reformation.
A. False, the Reformation enhanced the authority of the German princes at
the expense of the pope.
9. Capitalism tended to thrive wherever Calvinism flourished.
A. True
10. The sale of indulgences by the Church was officially forbidden in
the year 1517.
A. False, the sale of indulgences was an important source of income for the
Church at that time.
Script of Recorded Narration
In the year 1520, every church in western Europe was a Roman Catholic church, a fact which had not changed since the dawn of Christendom.
Yet by 1540, the picture was much different because now people of
several new Christian denominations could be found worshipping in
many of these same churches.
In a short period of time, a religious revolution called the Protestant
Reformation had taken place, and as a result, nearly 16 centuries of
unbroken Catholic domination of Christianity ended in western Europe.
Now let us find out what led to this rebellion against what was then
the wealthiest and most powerful institution on earth.
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BACKGROUND TO THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION 1300-1500
Early in the 14th century, several important events occurred which
later caused serious problems for the Church. The first happened in
1302, the year that the pope issued a formal decree stating that salvation was not possible outside the Roman Catholic Church, and that
ultimate truth and power, both religious and political, came only from
the pope.
The second happened seven years later when turmoil within the Church
caused its capital to be moved from the city of Rome, where it had
been located for nearly 13 centuries, to the southern French town of
Avignon.
Here at Avignon a magnificent new papal palace was constructed. It
rose high above the rest of the town symbolizing the enormous power
of the papacy.
The palace soon filled up with fantastic treasures that were crafted
from gold and ornamented with precious jewels.
But, as beautiful as these objects were, an over-fondness for riches led
to corruption at the papal court, for so great was their wealth and love
of luxury, that people were very disturbed by it.
Then in 1337, as the pope's palace at Avignon continued to grow in
size and splendor, a violent war erupted between France and England,
a war that would last for over a century; while just one decade later, in
1347, a massive outbreak of the Black Plague brought death to 25 million Europeans in just four years time.
To the horrible problems of war and plague, the church added a third
problem of its own, when factions in Rome elected a second pope; so
for the next 31 years, popes at Avignon and Rome battled for control
of the Church.
To make matters even worse, a third man was elected pope, so that
from 1409-1415 three men struggled for power.
Eventually the Church resolved this situation, but by now tremendous
damage had been done to its prestige.
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Many ordinary Christians didn't know who to believe anymore. They
mistrusted their religious leaders, for in them truth and goodness
seemed to have been replaced by arrogance and corruption.
To these believers it seemed that the simple teachings of Christ had
been abandoned and that the Church was in desperate need of reform.
Yet at this time people who spoke out about changing the ways of the
Church could be put on trial and, if found guilty, burned at the stake
for heresy.
That was the fate of early Protestant reformer Johannes Hus in Czechoslovakia, and of a monk named Savonarola, who was publically executed 500 years ago in the central square of Florence for denouncing the immorality and corruption of the Renaissance popes.
But one man, Martin Luther, was able to escape the unfortunate fate of
some of these earlier reformers and, because of his strong beliefs, both
the religious and the political character of western Europe were changed
forever.
MARTIN LUTHER 1483-1546
Martin Luther was born in northern Germany in 1483, and as a youth
he lived for several years in this house in the town of Eisenach while
he attended the nearby church school.
This must have been a fascinating time to have attended school since
people were just beginning to talk about the recent discoveries of Christopher Columbus.
And this was also the time that, thanks to the invention of a new kind
of printing press, the mass production of books was allowing information and ideas to spread rapidly for the very first time.
In 1501, after finishing his early schooling, Luther moved east to the
great cathedral city of Erfurt, seen here, where at first he attended its
university, and then later began to live at this monastery after joining
its community of hermit monks.
And although the religious life he was required to follow here was
very difficult, it seemed to suit him quite well, for a short time later he
was ordained a Catholic priest.
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After leaving the monastery, Luther went to the University at
Wittenberg, and it was here that he was to spend most of his life working as a professor of theology teaching biblical scripture.
And it was also in the town of Wittenberg where the first step was
taken that was to lead directly to the Protestant Reformation.
On October 31, 1517, Luther arrived outside the doors of the castle
church to post a list of 95 criticisms he had compiled protesting the
Church practice of selling indulgences.
INDULGENCES
An indulgence is a spiritual favor granted by the Church to sinners.
The Church teaches that through indulgences, the punishments for sins
that have already been forgiven by a priest are eliminated, thereby
removing obstacles on the path to heaven.
In the early days of the Church, indulgences could only be obtained by
making difficult spiritual sacrifices, such as going on a pilgrimage to a
holy shrine.
Unfortunately, by Luther's time, the original, purely spiritual, intention of indulgences had become corrupted, for now indulgences were
an important source of income for the Church and could be purchased
for cash just like any other commodity, with no need for any spiritual
sacrifice at all.
And it was this practice of turning something spiritual into a mere
business transaction that brought Luther's condemnation at the church
of Wittenberg Castle.
Then a short time later, Luther publicly criticized other Church practices as well.
As a consequence, he was visited by the pope's emissary, who attempted to stop him from stirring up trouble for the Church.
But Luther's response was to say that he had no faith in the pope and
trusted in the Bible alone; that he had searched its pages carefully and
could find nothing that supported either the sale of indulgences or the
pope's infallibility.
And when the pope sent a letter commanding his obedience, he simply hurled it onto a bonfire.
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Luther stubbornly refused to yield and soon published three revolutionary books that were critical of the Church, and even though their
sale was officially forbidden, these writings were openly sold all across
Germany.
Finally, on January 3rd of 1521, Luther was banished from the Church,
but his troubles did not end there.
The secular ruler of the German States, the Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V sought to punish Luther even further, for the emperor was a
strong supporter of the pope.
Charles summoned his representatives from their castles in the farflung states that made up his vast empire ordering them to come to the
German city of Worms.
THE DIET OF WORMS
And in a palace next to this great cathedral, the emperor and his
representives met in a formal assembly called the "Imperial Diet," now
known as the "Diet of Worms."
Here on April 17th and 18th of 1521, Martin Luther, accompanied by
his lawyer, was told that he must recant, that is take back, his unacceptable religious views. He replied that it was impossible for him to
go against what his conscience told him was right.
The next day the disgusted emperor informed the gathering that he
was ready to take actions against Luther for being a "a notorious heretic."
Yet while the Diet deliberated his fate inside the palace, Luther remained a free man.
It was during this time that a powerful German lord named Fredrick
the Wise, who was a strong supporter of Luther, arranged to have him
"kidnapped" and taken to this castle for his own protection.
And while at the castle, Luther wore a disguise and his identity was
kept a closely guarded secret.
During this time of hiding, Luther immediately set to work translating
the Bible into German, something that had never been done before.
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Then, three weeks after Luther had disappeared from view, "The Edict
of Worms," seen here, was posted all across Germany. It told what
should be done with the fugitive and his supporters.
It commanded the emperor’s subjects to crush them,... to capture them
and take their properties,... unless they had mended their errors and
been absolved by the pope.
In Germany the popular response to the "Edict of Worms" was to become a great turning point in the history of western civilization because most people simply chose to ignore it. And as a result, it was not
long before Lutheranism was adopted as the official religion in many
of the German states.
In certain ways Lutheranism was a reformulation of old Christian beliefs and practices freed from papal control, but wherever the new religion was adopted, significant political changes followed.
For example, rulers who adopted Lutheranism often used it as a way
to enhance their own authority at the expense of the pope and to keep
more money for themselves instead of having to send it off to Rome.
German peasants, feeling a new sense of freedom, used it as an excuse
to revolt against their rulers, but in 1525, after Luther refused to support their cause because of the political chaos it was creating, 100,000
peasants died trying to improve their impoverished lives.
THE GROWTH OF THE REFORMATION MOVEMENT
In the 1500 years from the birth of Christ up to the lifetime of Martin
Luther, only one major break had ever developed within the Christian
faith.
This occurred in the Fifth Century A.D. when Christians in Greece split
from Roman control and formed the Eastern Orthodox Church. But
this church never gained a foothold in western Europe, which remained
purely Catholic.
In contrast, in the sixteenth century after Luther started his Church,
many new, non-Catholic, Christian denominations formed in just a few
decades.
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For example, in 1522 the theologian Ulrich Zwingli, seen here, convinced the leaders of the Swiss city of Zurich that churches should be
freed from papal control and that all religious images should be removed because their use smacked of pagan idolatry and that a simplified prayer service should replace the Catholic Mass.
A short time later, this French theologian named John Calvin inspired
an even larger number of Swiss citizens to join the Protestant movement.
Calvin shared many of Luther's beliefs, but he expanded on them by
preaching his grim doctrine called Predestination.
Predestination means that even before the time of birth, God knows
whether a person will go to heaven or to hell, and that even if someone
leads a life that is free from sin, they might still be doomed. This, Calvin
said, was an example of the "terrible majesty of God."
But even in spite of this fatalistic doctrine, each Calvinist was still expected to lead a moral life–to work hard and to be thrifty.
And by fostering these virtues, capitalism came to flourish in countries where Calvinist ideas took hold.
In the Swiss city of Geneva, Calvinists formed a special police force to
maintain public morality. Punishments were administered for adultery, swearing, drunkeness, wearing lavish clothing, laughing in church,
and for overcharging customers.
And the Calvinists continued the old Catholic tradition of burning
heretics at the stake–a fate that also awaited anyone found to be practicing witchcraft.
THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION IN ENGLAND
The Protestant Reformation in England happened for quite different
reasons than it did in Switzerland and Germany.
In England, the break with the Church occurred not for theological
reasons, but because the king refused to accept a papal decision.
The English king, Henry VIII, wanted a new wife. But since Catholicism forbids divorce, Henry had to ask the pope to grant him an annulment—a decree stating that his existing marriage had never been
valid.
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But the pope refused, and when word of this reached the royal castle,
Henry became so enraged that he decided to abolish papal authority.
And in 1534, through the Act Of Supremacy, he declared himself to be
the supreme head of the Church in England, divorced his wife, and
went on to marry five more times.
It seems likely that Henry also severed his ties to Rome because the
Church kept demanding more and more money from him, even though
the Catholic monasteries already controlled one-third of the arable farm
land in his kingdom.
Henry desperately wanted control of that land, so in 1536 he decided
that all English monasteries should be abolished. He ordered the monks
to leave, declared that anything of value now belonged to him, had the
roofs taken off the buildings, and then let them fall into ruin. And by
1539, every one of England's over 500 monasteries was gone.
Thus, through the "Dissolution of the Monasteries," the king increased
his wealth enormously, and by handing over some of this property to
his aristocratic friends, he was able to greatly strengthen his political
support throughout the kingdom.
Oddly enough, unlike Luther and Calvin, Henry had no real problem
with the basic teachings of the Church, he just hated being subservient
to the pope.
Consequently, the services and sacraments of the Church of England
differed very little from traditional Catholic practices. It was not until
after King Henry's death that more radical religious changes were introduced. These included the adoption of both the Book of Common
Prayer and Sacraments and of 42 articles of faith that spelled out the
beliefs of the Church of England.
THE CATHOLIC REFORMATION
In the buildings around this fountain, located in the northern Italian
city of Trento, a great council of the Catholic Church met between the
years 1545 and 1563 to try to work out a solution to the growing Protestant rebellion.
The final decision reached by this council, called the COUNCIL OF
TRENT, was that the Church would yield nothing to the religious rebels.
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Instead, all of the traditional teachings of the Church were upheld.
The council reaffirmed that in addition to the Bible, the pope and church
councils are also a valid source of religious truth; that performing good
works can help win salvation, which neither Calvin nor Luther believed; that indulgences can reduce a sinner's time in purgatory; that
there are seven holy sacraments, not just the two recognized by Luther;
that marriage cannot be dissolved; and that men who take the vows of
priests must never marry.
The Council also acted decisively to reform abuses within the Church
hierarchy, to reinstate a more active religious role for bishops, and to
increase the educational functions of the Church as well as its role in
caring for the sick and the poor.
War was declared against all Protestant doctrines.
The Catholic Church decided to use the full force of its ancient mystical tradition against the Protestant rebels.
The contrast was great, for at the very same time the pope's lavish new
church, St. Peter’s Basilica, was going up in Rome, Calvinists to the
north were worshipping in barren, austere spaces, having destroyed
all the religious statues and stained glass they once contained.
And by the end of the 1500s, such antagonism had developed between
Catholics and Protestants that early in the next century it would erupt
into 30 years of full-blown warfare.
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The Protestant
Reformation
Catalog #2169
ISBN No. 1-56007-623-2
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