The Reformation
Re/formation
• Dictionary:
1. The act of reforming or the state of being
reformed.
2. The “improvement” or alteration for the better.
• Historical reference:
The Reformation is a 16th century movement in
Western Europe that aimed at reforming some
doctrines and practices of the Roman Catholic
Church and resulted in the establishment of the
Protestant churches.
Note:
• The Roman Catholic
Church centered in Rome
was the one European
institution that
transcended geographic,
ethnic, linguistic and
national boundaries. Over
centuries, it extended its
influence into every
aspect of European
society and culture.
How does the Reformation begin?
John Wycliffe
John Hus
John Wycliff
• On the one hand, he led a
movement of opposition
to the medieval Church
and to some of its
dogmas and institutions,
and was a forerunner of
the Reformation; on the
other, he was also the
most prominent English
philosopher of the second
half of the 14th century.
• Wyclif is chiefly remembered and honored
for his role in Bible translating. In the early
1380's he led the movement for a translation
of the Bible into English, and two complete
translations were made at his instigation. He
proposed the creation of a new religious
order of Poor Preachers who would preach
to the people from the English Bible. The first
hand-written English language Bible
manuscripts were produced in 1380's AD by
John Wycliffe. (King Alfred was the first to
ATTEMPT to translate the Bible, only SOME
of the manuscripts were translated, but we
never get a whole translation of the Bible
before John Wycliffe).
His death:
• He published a series of severe attacks
on corruption in the Church. Wyclif's
religious movement was bloodily
suppressed along with the Peasant's
Revolt of 1381. In 1382, all of his
writings were banned. In that year
Wyclif suffered a stroke, and on 31
December 1384 a second stroke killed
him. After his death, his opponents
finally succeeded in having him
condemned for heresy.
John Hus
• If Wycliffe is the
grandfather of the
Reformation, then no
doubt, Hus is its father.
• Hus concealed his
veneration of Wycliff and
said that he could only
wish his soul might some
time attain into that place
Wycliff was.
Champion of Truth
• In seeking to bring people to an authentic
relationship with God, Hus found the Church to
be his greatest obstacle. What he wanted to do
was to persuade the priests to live a lifestyle
free from lustful greed and immorality. This
message alone set the entire Church hierarchy
ablaze. Hus fearlessly called for a complete
reevaluation of Church doctrine and what it
meant to be a priest. He stated that the true
authority of the priest was linked to his
character, not his office. He went on to say that
the love of money had destroyed their morals.
• Hus denounced the elite attitudes of
the clergy and their excessive wealth.
He rebuked priests who used their
churches for personal gain and
prestige, who indulged in sexual
immorality. In a very bold statement he
declared that no one should attend a
Mass conducted by a priest who was
involved in providing ministerial duties
for financial gain or engaged in sexual
indiscretions.
Execution
• The executioners undressed Hus and tied his
hands behind his back with ropes, and covered
him to the neck. Still at the last moment, he was
asked to save his life by a recantation, but Hus
declined with the words "God is my witness that I
have never taught that of which I have been
accused by false witnesses. In the truth of the
Gospel which I have written, taught, and
preached I will die to-day with gladness." Among
his dying words he proclaimed, “In 100 years,
God will raise up a man whose calls for reform
cannot be suppressed.”
• Almost exactly 100 years later, in 1517, Martin
Luther nailed his famous 95 Theses of
Contention (a list of 95 issues of heretical
theology and crimes of the Roman Catholic
Church) into the church door at Wittenberg. The
prophecy of John Hus had come true!
Martin Luther
The Father of Protestantism
• During the early phases of his life first
as a university student and then as a
Monk working within the church, Luther
was characterized by his search for
religious understanding.
• The life of a monk during Luther's time
was hard, and consisted of fasting,
prayer and work. A monk's day began
at 3 am with the first hourly prayers.
This time molded Luther, above all he
found a close relationship to the Bible
which characterized his later life and
work.
• After receiving his doctorate
in Theology in 1512, Luther
took a position as Theology
Professor at the Wittenberg
University.
• His final conclusion of what
eh was searching for (the
truth) was that the church
was falsely teaching the
people. In other words, he
realized that there are many
problematic issues within
the church itself, and thus
decides to speak up right
away.
• On October 31, 1517, Luther
nailed his 95 Theses to the
door of the Castle Church in
Wittenberg with a hammer
which echoed throughout
Europe.
Luther’s 95 Theses: a break
away from Catholicism
• The starting point for the Reformation was
Luther’s attack in 1517 on the church’s
practice of selling religious indulgences.
• The church taught that some individuals
go directly to heaven or hell, while others
go to heaven only after spending
sometime in purgatory – a waiting period
necessary for those who have sinned
excessively in life but have had the good
fortune to repent before death. To die in a
state of mortal sin was to suffer in hell
eternally. Naturally, people worried about
how long they might have to spend in
purgatory. Indulgences were intended to
remit portions of that time and were
granted to individuals by the church.
• Luther’s Theses challenged the entire notion
of selling indulgences, not only as a corrupt
practice, but also as a theologically unsound
assumption – namely that salvation can be
earned by good works. In other words, a
person can earn salvation through inner
religious faith, a sense of contrition for sins,
and a trust in God’s mercy.
• Luther also believed that every individual can
discover the meaning of the Bible without the
aid of the clergy. The church, however,
asserted that only the clergy could interpret
the Bible properly.
• Luther argued that in matters of faith there
was no difference between the clergy and the
laity ( people); each person can receive faith
directly and freely from God. The church, on
the other hand, held that clergy were
intermediaries between individuals and God,
and that in effect, Christians reached eternal
salvation through the clergy.
• Luther stressed that no priest, no ceremony,
no sacrament could bridge the gulf between
the Creator and his creators. Hope lay only in
a personal relationship between the
individual and God, as expressed through
faith in God’s mercy and grace.
• By holding these beliefs, clergymen and the
church rituals do not hold the key to
salvation as people used to believe. Luther
rejected the church’s claim that it alone
offered men and women the way to eternal
life.
• In 1520, in an Address to the Christian
Nobility of the German Nation, Luther
appealed to the emperor and princes to
reform the church and to cast off their
allegiance to the pope who used taxes and
political power to exploit them for centuries.
• Politics vs. Religion (no more ONE)
Reaction to his thoughts and to
his 95 Theses:
• Even though Luther never expected to
receive a prompt response to his 95
Theses, copies of it have been printed and
distributed. By 1522, Lutheran services
were celebrated more than the Roman
Catholic Church itself.
Spread of Reformation:
• Protestantism grew strong in northen
Europe – northen Germany, Scandinavia,
the Netherlands, and England. In France,
it did not show great success, people
prefered to stick to the Catholic views.
• The Reformation in England was initiated
not by religious reformers, BUT, by the
king himself. (Henry VIII) ……> NEXT! 