The Religious Reformation
While the southern humanists were busy redefining the relationship between humans and God by ignoring what the Pope said, the northern Europeans, far and away from the Pope and remote from his political intrigues, still took him seriously and took church practices seriously. Therefore they sometimes would try to initiate serious debates with the Pope. In the 16th century, from a questioning of the church’s practices, northern Renaissance quickly snowballed into a religious and political movement that separated the “protestants” against the church into a separate religious denomination.
1. The Northern Renaissance
Unlike in Italy, the northern Renaissance was much more subdued and lacked a flamboyant glorification of man. On the other hand, a gentle humanism firmly took root.
Humanism also led to a reinterpretation of religion by some theologians: simplify Christian rituals, and emphasize love and piety.
The hermeneutic readings of Greek and Roman texts also led to similar methods of reading of the Bible, which encouraged a more independent interpretation of the Bible.
2. Problems of the church
Besides the sale of indulgences, the church also sold offices (bishoprics, archbishoprics, etc., to the highest bidder, called simony; and allowing individuals to hold multiple church offices, called pluralism.)
3. Martin Luther (1483-1546) and argument with the Pope
4. Luther’s impact
- Response from the pope and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.
Charles V was the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain. He was the pope's ardent supporter and he used much of the silver Spain acquired from the New World to fund the Catholic coalition against the Protestants in the Holy Roman Empire, eventually depleting Spain's financial resources. But he did not immediately react to Luther's 95 thesis and delayed it to 1521, four years afterwards, because he did not want to offend Luther's patron, the duke of Saxony, or other German princes whom he needed to fight the French or the Ottoman Turks. This gave Luther time to spread his word.
Both the pope and Charles V asked Luther to take back what he said, which Luther refused.
Spread of Luther’s influence in Germany (think of the small princes who did not want to obey the emperor).
The peasants and apprentices that followed Luther.
5. John Calvin (1509-64) and predestination
More than Luther, Calvin emphasized a literal reading of the Bible, and his idea of predestination was aimed at getting at the root of free will and good works, which Calvin thought was the basis of indulgence. More than Luther, Calvin did away with the hierarchy and authority of the priesthood.
6. The Anabaptists (1520s on)
The Anabaptists: an offshoot of Calvinism in the Netherlands that called for adult instead of infant baptism: it gave rise to the Mennonites and a few other denominations, including the Amish people in the U.S. Their greatest distinction from the Protestants, besides emphasis on adult baptism, was the boycott of state run churches and refusal to swear oaths. They differed from the Baptists today in that the latter, who emerged in early 17th century in England and the U.S. as a result of internal reforms of the churches in these areas.
7. The Anglican Church (1536):
It gained independence from the Roman papacy, but retained a lot of Catholic characteristics.
8. The Catholic Reformation
The Society of Jesus (Jesuits) (1540) by St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556)
The affirmation of the sacraments and the good works, and abolition of the indulgences.