Professor William Cook
European History 102
September 23, 2013 The Protestant Reformation The protestant reformation was a religious and intellectual disturbance that broke up the Catholic Church in Europe in the 16th century. The reformation forced people to be catholic or protestant, an important choice that resulted in rather you lived or died. Martin Luther and John Calvin were two reformers who argued for religious ratification of power. “The Reformation.” 2013. The History Channel website Martin Luther, the son of Han Luther a copper miner, was a monk and theologian who challenged Catholicism. When Luther wrote his “Ninety Five Theses” he was attaching the Catholic Church and their practice of selling indulges to set free the sins of those who purchased these indulges and the purchase of church offices. It is said that Martin Luther’s ‘Ninety Five Theses’ had two central beliefs. One belief being that the bible is the central religious authority and that humans can only reach salvation by their faith and not by their good deeds. Another belief was that Martin Luther wrote his “Ninety Five Theses” to start the protestant reformation. John Calvin the son of a notary went to the University Of Paris in 1523, where he earned his Masters of Arts in Theology. Calvin was another reformer who has challenged Catholic authority. Calvin traveled to Geneva to find his life’s work. Geneva was interested in reformation, so imposed social order and harsh discipline in Geneva. Calvin forced the citizens of Geneva to yield to his ideals of religion. Due to Calvin’s leadership, Geneva became a Christian republic, to set a model for Calvin’s book Institutes of Christian Religion. Following Martin Luther’s doctrine of salvation, Calvin developed the doctrine of Predestination. Arguing that god had or drained every man, woman, and child to salvation or damnation even before the creation of the world. Martin, Thomas R., Barbara H. Rosenwein, and Bonnie G. Smith. "14." Making of the West Peoples and Cultures: Since 1500. By Lynn Hunt. 14th ed. Vol. 2. N.p.: Bedford/st Martins, 2012. 460-64. Print.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
During the time of Martin Luther the Catholic Church was teaching that one’s sins could be forgiven and punishment from God avoided by purchasing forgiveness. This was very unpopular with the Catholic leaders and they demanded he change his beliefs on this subject. When he refused to recant his beliefs he was excommunicated by Pope Leo X and declared an outlaw by the emperor. He wrote the Ninety Five Thesis to the leaders of the Catholic Church protesting the sale of indulgences. It was his belief that salvation was a free gift given by God to anyone who believed and asked…
- 832 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
1. Protestant reformation: the 16th century schism within western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin, and other Protestants.…
- 351 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
The Reformation of the 16th century had divided the rest of Europe broadly into Catholic and Protestant. By breaking the moral, intellectual and political grip of the Roman Catholic Church, the Reformation made possible new forms of government and gave people a choice of religion. In England, the costs of having a choice included civil war between…
- 153 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
Throughout the history of Europe, people’s lives revolved around the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church taught its beliefs through the clergy and exercised its authority. In 1517, corruption, false teachings, and the challenging of Martin Luther led to a split that created the Protestant Church. During the Reformation, the Protestant belief in “sola scriptura” and “sola fides” was a major source of conflict with the Catholic teachings of a Church authority and salvation through good works.…
- 575 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Martin Luther made radical statements challenging Papal authority, the deliverance of relief of purgatory via a monetary gain by the church, and exposing the corrupt dogma that exemplified the Roman Catholic Church. Luther, after stating the errors of the church, established what he believed was justification by faith. Luther reduced the amount of sacraments to those that were plainly supported by scripture verses the church’s use of sacraments by conjecture, he denounced the sale of paradise, and propounded that the Bible was the true religious authority, whereas, the church gave authority to a fallible man. Furthermore, Luther’s original intent was not to initiate a reformation, but was to allow for academic debate. Luther found questions regarding the church and theological misconduct that would force him to separate from the church in Rome and establish…
- 1160 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
Martin Luther had started to question several of the teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. He disagreed with the teaching, that freedom from God’s punishment for sin could be bought with money. Martin Luther decided to write, Albert of Mainz, and dispute the practice of his “Disputation of Martin Luther on the Power of Efficacy of Indulgences”, later this letter was known as Ninety-five Theses. On October 31, 1517, Martin nailed his Theses to the door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg. Copies of Ninety-Five Theses spread like wildfire through Germany, Europe, France, England and Italy. This thesis made the Pope very angry, to the point that he threatened Martin Luther with excommunication unless he recanted 41 sentences of the Ninety-Five Theses within 60 days.…
- 414 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Life in Europe changed dramatically in the sixteenth century. The church was extremely powerful and central to all parts of the lives of Europeans, but the events that took place during this new reformation would challenge that. Once the church was challenged, change was almost immediate. What once was a unifying force split, and although a period of violence and unrest followed, it was a major turning point in history sparked by Martin Luther and the posting of his 95 Theses. Martin Luther was born in 1483 during the time of the Renaissance when there was a growing attitude of rejecting medieval values and a turn towards education, humanism, and other more classical values (Class Lecture, 2/22/16).…
- 1819 Words
- 8 Pages
Good Essays -
The Protestant Reformation separated Europe and it affected the power of the church, monarchs, and individual states. Because the Reformation lowered the authority of the church, the monarchs and independent states took advantage and seized more power. Many people started asking about their place in society, for it was tied into politics and religion. Hence they demanded more of democracy. The base was laid for the future without taking notice of religion because church authority wasn't accepted by the majority of people. In the end, the Protestant Reformation lead to the division of the church and state, the Enlightment, revolutions, imperialism, and the contemporary world.…
- 2986 Words
- 12 Pages
Powerful Essays -
The Protestant Reformation was a movement aimed at calling attention to the Roman Catholic Church practices and doctrine…
- 1260 Words
- 6 Pages
Better Essays -
In 1517, Martin Luther, a professor of Moral Theology at the University of Wittenberg, Germany wrote the Ninety-Five Theses for an academic disputation. These propositions also identified as Disputation on the power of indulgence began reformations in the Catholic Church which caused division and intensely changed the world. The renowned preacher wrote against indulgence, a system in Catholic Church in which a Christian confessed a sin and received absolution from punishment in hell momentarily although the penitent could satisfy the punishment by performing works of mercy. At purgatory, an individual received absolution of sin unsatisfied before death, therefore, clergy abused this system and benefited by selling indulgence. Luther began vehemently preaching about indulgence when his parishioners claimed they had attained forgiveness without repentance after their return from purchasing an indulgence from Johann Tetzel, commissioned by the Church to preach about and sell indulgences in cities near Wittenberg.…
- 965 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
The Protestant Reformation was time a time of tremendous change for Europe and the Christian Church. The reformation is said to have begun in 1517 when Martin Luther challenged the authority of the pope (Perry 324). He did this by creating the ninety-five these, which was a series of arguments against papal authority and their corruptness. Various people had tried to reform the church previously, but the real protestant movement did not begin until the time of Martin Luther. Following the ideas of Luther, the Christian church split for good which had a great effect on all of Europe that is still seen to this day.…
- 963 Words
- 4 Pages
Better Essays -
The Reformation was a large, unique movement away from the Catholic Church in 16th and 17th century Europe. Starting with Martin Luther being the first to officially oppose the theology of the Catholic Church, he posted his work, 95 Theses, to the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church. This act allowed for multiple movements away from the Catholic Church, consequently creating multiple new religions, some of which remain today. Some movements began with the sole idea of rectifying the Christian religion, while others were seen as an opportunity for gain of power or in umbrage of a political adversary. Due to the unmitigated diversity of each distinct reforming sect, the Reformation as a whole is to be considered as both a religious…
- 542 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The Protestant Reformation, known to many as the “Protestant Revolt”, was a European Reform movement made to correct the wrongs of the Roman Catholic Church. Its entire purpose was to reform the beliefs, values, and teachings of the Church in a way that people respected or thought the Church should be. This Reform was led by Martin Luther, John Calvin, Huldrych, and other future Protestant Reformers in the early 1500s-1600s. The humanist ideas during the Renaissance gave rise to an extensive call for Church reform. Thus, leading to, the Protestant…
- 91 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
The Protestant Reformation was the 16th Century move to democracy for Christians and time of reform from the “dark ages” or from the strict control of the Roman Catholic Church. The reformation was initiated by a schism within the Eurpoe Christian community within the church, and among other Christians that had divergent interpretations of the Bible. It was also a time of change and time for new opportunities and asking new questions. The reformation brought new structures and beliefs that would change everything and have a definite impact on our modern era.…
- 679 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The Protestant Reformation was a religious movement that sought to reform the Catholic Church. This led to the creation of the new Protestant Church. The Protestant Reformation first broke out in Germany and Switzerland because Germany was not a strong centralized state and many people agreed with the Reformation. The criticism of the Church that helped begin the Reformation included absenteeism of members of the clergy, pluralism that led to absenteeism, the poor behavior of some of the members of the clergy, and the poor education of some of the members of the clergy. Key figures such as Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, and John Calvin influenced the Protestant Reformation, and although it was unsuccessful, the Catholic Church responded with the Council of Trent.…
- 500 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays