...during the Reformation In this woodblock from 1568, the printer at left is removing a page from the press while the one at right inks the text-blocks Propaganda during the Reformation, helped by the spread of the printing press throughout Europe, and in particular within Germany, caused new ideas, thoughts, and doctrine to be made available to the public in ways that had never been seen before the sixteenth century. The printing press was invented in approximately 1450 and quickly spread to other major cities around Europe; by the time the Reformation was underway in 1517 there were printing centers in over 200 of the major European cities.[1] These centers became the primary producers of Reformation works by the Protestants, and in some cases anti-Reformation works put forth by the Roman Catholics. Printed texts and pamphlets There were a number of different methods of propaganda used during the Reformation including pamphlets/leaflets, texts, letters and translations of the Bible/New Testament. Pamphlets or leaflets were one of the most common forms of propaganda during the reformation period. Pamphlets usually consisted of approximately eight to sixteen pages and were relatively small and easy to conceal from the authorities, thus making them very useful to reformers whose ideas were not accepted by the Roman Catholic authorities. The majority of these pamphlets promoted the Reformation and the Protestant ideas; however pamphlets were also used by Roman Catholic propagandists...
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...The Protestant Reformation was one of the most dramatic changes in the religious era that occurred in the Catholic Church. The Reformation showed the decline of the Catholic Church and the rise of questioning authority, leading to the Scientific Revolution. The Scientific Revolution showed a rise in observations, resulting in models that represented the universe and the decline of the authority of the Catholic Church. This all would soon lead into a new era of obtaining knowledge known as the Enlightment, the Age of Reason. The most dominant religion during the fifteen century was Roman Catholicism. The clergy were the only ones who had the power to say if a person could make it to heaven or not, and anyone who opposed them was severely...
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...been fought. Revolutions have been made. However, within Europe’s history there are several religious reformations that shaped a majority of modern Europe. These reformations include the Protestant Reformation, the English Reformation, and the Catholic Reformation. The events that lead to these reformations during the 16th century are quite lengthy. During the 14th century, salvation outside of the church was not possible. Thus, religion played a prominent role in the daily lives of people. However, many issues began to rise amongst all things religion. In 1309, internal conflict within the Catholic Church caused for its capital to be moved from Rome to Avignon. This shift of power started a war between France and England that lasted for nearly a century. To add to the turmoil, in 1347 the Black Death took the lives of more than 25 million Europeans within four years. Due to the plague, the church saw that a second pope was needed and established one in Rome. Then again in 1409, a third pope was elected. As three popes were battling for power, ordinary Christians became confused on who to believe. By the time the church resolved its problems, simple teachings of Christ were abandoned, and people saw the need to reform (HistoryTubeTV). Also known as The Reformation, the Protestant Reformation’s main goal was to reform the beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. During the 15th century, the Christian church was the most powerful institute in medieval Europe...
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...PAPER 1 (PROTESTANT REFORMATION) DOUGLAS HOLLOWAY STUDENT ID# 23766838 CHHI 302_DO5_201340 FALL 2013 DR. KEITH GOAD LIBERTY UNIVERSITY NOVEMBER 05, 2013 As a result of increased corruption in the Catholic Church, a significant number of priests in the 16th century tried to transform Christianity back to its previous Biblical basis and simplicity. Initially, priests channeled much of their efforts in reforming the church, but they discovered that it was very challenging, and the only viable solution was to split completely from the Catholic Church. There were four movements as a result of the reformation events. They include the Anglicans, Lutherans, Reformed Tradition (Calvin), and the Anabaptists. Key figures in the Protestants or protesters included John Knox, John Calvin, Zwingli, and Martin Luther. More doctrinal distinctions became obvious, and the previously integrated Christianity split into numerous warring groups. Between the 16th and 17th centuries, thousands of individuals were murdered as a result of Christian religion. In the current world, Protestants and Catholics in the spirit of ecumenism regard themselves as “brothers in Christ”. Martin Luther was in charge of Lutheranism and Anglicanism, Ulrich Zwingli for Reformed Churches, and Anabaptist and John Calvin broke with the beliefs of the Lutherans. The prominent figures in the reformed movement are discussed in details in this paper. Martin Luther (1843-1546) Martin Luther, a German reformer...
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...The Protestant Reformation The Protestant Reformation was a noteworthy sixteenth century European development pointed first at improving the convictions and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. Its religious viewpoints were supplemented by aggressive political rulers who needed to augment their energy and control to the detriment of the Church. The Reformation finished the solidarity forced by medieval Christianity and, according to numerous students of history, showed the start of a new period. A debilitation of the old ways was at that point under path in Northern Europe, as proven by the development of flourishing new urban communities and a decided white collar class. Martin Luther disagreed with aspects of Roman Catholic religious...
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...The Counter-Reformation: Catholic Baroque vs. the ‘Other’ Baroque With every change of power or order in society, whether it is in business or government, there is always a change in structure. Buildings and signage are redesigned with the idea of a complete marketing makeover. The same can be said for the Catholic Counter-Reformation of the mid sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, after the successful Protestant Reformation of the early 1500s. Rome called forth a physical change of the Catholic Church in response, and years later, the Calvinist churches (the Dutch Reformed Church) in the Netherlands called for a complete physical change of their structure as well. As a direct response to the Protestant movement that had turned successful, the Catholic Church met three times over nearly twenty years from 1545 until 1563 in what was called the Council of Trent. The Church decided to elicit an emotional response from current Catholics, as well as Catholics turned Protestants, with the hope of rejuvenating the foundations and population of the Church. Pope Paul III helped the council to redefine Catholic doctrine, as well as redefining the role of the clergy, which was deemed essential to the Church’s system of faith. During the sporadic meetings of the council, Pope Paul III commissioned artists and architects to create paintings and redesign buildings that would remind Catholics of the grandeur of their faith. The outcome needed by the Church was for its...
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...1517, the Protestant Reformation made significant changes on Western civilization. It altered the way people worshipped God and allowed for people to establish their own belief system. The Protestant Reformation allowed for a new definition of what it means to be civilized in Europe. People discovered, and took advantage of their freedom of religion. The Reformation did in fact contribute to a more civilized society because of its development of religious diversity, and its gradual separation between church and state. One of Martin Luther’s teachings states “On the matter of religious practice, is it better to follow one’s conscience?” (Notes Packet - The Reformation Begins; Mr. Johnson) Obviously,...
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...-------------- CONCLUSION----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BIBLIOGRAPHY-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 Introduction It has often been stated and thought that Martin Luther was the founder and originator of the Protestant Reformation. Was Martin Luther the founder of the Protestant Reformation? The historical record reveals that although Martin Luther played a very significant role in the formation of the Protestant Reformation; and contributed greatly to its cause and purpose, reformation against unbiblical doctrine was set into motion long before the appearance of the Roman Catholic Church or Martin Luther. All true Bible believing Christians before and after Martin Luther called for reformation back to the...
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...Referring to the previous paragraph, Haigh persuasively argues that the Supremacy Bill which would provide freedom of theology as mentioned in previous paragraphs; was due to political rather than theological motives. Haigh clarifies the main purposes behind the Supremacy Bill, Chantries Act and the Treason Act 1533-1534. Haigh believes these Acts were devised due to political and economic reasons. This was economical because Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries this politically weakened the Catholic church as a political and fiscal institution, this ensured the transfer of property from the Church to the Crown, attached to monasteries were financial benefits. Nevertheless, hypothetically historians could interpret these acts as a way to...
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...The Protestant Reformation The Protestant Reformation was the 16th century religious and political revolution that disintegrated the Catholic Church. This reformation would define Europe in the modern era. Martin Luther, John Calvin and Henry VIII contested the Church’s power and its faculty to divide Christian religion. On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther published his “95 Theses” which led to start the Protestant Reformation, in which it stated Luther’s terms of his protest against the Catholic Church. Martin Luther argued that Jesus died on the cross for our salvation; therefore, there was no need for lavish cathedrals and offerings that the Catholic Church was accustomed to. Also, he was opposed to the practice of the church collecting indulgences in order to shorten ones stay in purgatory. These indulgences were said to pave the way to heaven for any sinner. In Martin Luther’s 95 Theses the mentions the following: “Those who believe that, through letters of pardon, they are made sure of their own salvation will be eternally dammed along with their teacher”. After the Church’s unsuccessful rebuttal, they ended up excommunicating Luther in 1521. Luther went on to translating the bible into vernacular German, which up to this point was only in Latin and only available to priests who were they only ones who read and interpreted the bible to the masses. Luther’s translation was not word for word but rather sense for sense, which would help ordinary people, read the bible...
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...In the early 16 century the Roman catholic church and by extension its clergy came under heavy criticism. This was due to their financial, legal dealing; as well as change in popular opinion to the convention Catholic concepts of salvation. Along with other contributing factors led to the Protestant Reformation. Some of the contributing factors included criticism of the church, the teachings of Martin Luther, England’s shift towards Protestantism, and Calvinism. As stated earlier the growing resentment towards the basic tenants of Catholicism helped Protestant Reformation appeal to various groups across Europe. We will examine the contributing factors and how the led to mass appeal across Europe in a more exhaustive manner in the paragraphs...
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...Social and Political Consequences of the Protestant Reformation The Catholic Church had become increasingly corrupt due to the selling of indulgences, clerical ignorance, pluralism and absenteeism. In desperate need of improvement and restructuring, a man named Martin Luther began a religious reformation. Luther was opposed to the selling of indulgences, believed the key to salvation was by faith alone and that the scriptures of the bible held all authority. The ideals of Martin Luther, radically different from those of the Roman Catholic Church, created a religious reform disturbing politics throughout Europe and changing society. Numerous political effects occurred because of the Protestant Reformation, which consequently happened because of Luther’s reforms. The area that was affected most by the Reformation was Germany. Luther was favored there and he gained support by appealing to German patriotism and evoking a national pride and feeling that influenced many princes. Luther stated that the only way Reformation could come about was by the princes to abolish papal power. This happened when Charles V excommunicated Luther and the German princes did not enforce the banning of Luther’s teachings. Charles V was also to blame for the disintegration of imperial authority because during his reign, he never took an interest in the constitutional problems of Germany that were left over from the Middle Ages. Germans princes used the religious issues as a way to extend political...
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...HST5152: CATHOLICS AND ELIZABETHAN POLITICS IN ENGLAND, 1558-1603: BOOK REVIEW Christopher Haigh- English reformations, religion, politics and society under the Tudors (Oxford University Press 1993) Through Haigh’s analysis, his book does not seek to offer explanations of a great English Reformation event; instead, it will seek to tell the story of all the lesser events which in sum became some English Reformations. This suggests Haigh’s book is delving into more detail over the causes which constituted a reformation. According to Christopher Haigh, in recent attempts to get at the grass roots of Reformation history are frustrating and perhaps futile. Why has it been so difficult for historians to uncover English Reformations? One historical and geographical reason could be: In Tudor England there was no public opinion polls and in a fragmented and localized society there was no public opinion towards the measure of reformation. Thus, there is no form of evidence that will tell us unequivocally what people believed. However there are several sorts of evidence which Haigh displays throughout his book, one being...
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...A Brief Talk on Protestant Reformation It was on the night before All Saints’ Day on which one of the largest crowds of the year would gather to see the relics which was rebuilt with the money came from the sale of indulgence in Wittenberg, Germany, Martin Luther posted on the door of the castle church his Ninety-five Theses, the Protestant Reformation began. That time was to some extent influenced by the Renaissance. On the one hand, the humanist called for a return to the study of classics and accurate texts, people applied recovery techniques to the study of the authorities and texts of the Church, prospering the printing industry by the large demand and flourishing the intellectual movement known as Christian humanism. A growing sense of individual accomplishment let people emphasize on good works, the obsession with original sin and salvation among the people imposed by the church made indulgence so popular. These factors spread the religion more widely and consolidated the status of Catholic Church. On the other hand, through the study of classical texts, people intended to believe the equality of everyone before God and questioned the use of indulgences which the church didn’t want to see. With the help of printing press, the new idea of church dispersed quickly. Besides, the princes wanted to centralized more power and money for the development of the social economy. The Church itself was always involved in the corruption scandal such as simony, nepotism, pluralism...
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...Samantha Kondrisack Professor Joseph Parot History 364 October 12, 1996 Protestants and Catholics in America: Historical Tensions and Efforts Toward Religious Unity When America was being discovered, many of the people brought their beliefs over from Europe and other countries. People tried to educate the natives and have them convert. People needed to have their belief flourish so it that there would be a chance for their religion to survive. Among several different groups of people and their religions trying to gain the largest following, many ideas and people collided. This collision began many years of protests, fighting and wars. There was much tension toward many religious groups but there was a strong opposition between Protestants and Catholics. Protestants and Catholics view many beliefs in the same light but there are beliefs that separated these two groups. There were beliefs that separated Protestants from each other, but most of them began their beliefs protesting against Catholicism. Protestants were not developed in America. For Protestants,"Europe was the original scene of operations. The opening event was a movement that today goes by the name of Protestant Reformation."(Nuesner, 1994, p37) Catholic groups have their own reformations but for Protestants this was the beginning of their journey. The Reformation began because there were many leaders who did felt, Catholics were operating in immoral ways. Actually, Protestantism was a branch of western...
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