5.4 Reformation

Question 1

Why did people start to question the Catholic Church?

Answer 1

Because they started to doubt the laws/rules and customs of the Catholic Church. They found out that many of those rules are never mentioned in the Bible.

Question 2

What were the excesses of the Catholic Church?

Answer 2

1. corrupt
2. declared people to be saints
3. rich
4. Bible only available in Latin
5. indulgance sale

Question 3

How did the actions of Martin Luther start the Reformation?

Answer 3

because since in his pamphlet he protested about the church in the point of where the news spread hoping that the pope would reform the church

Question 4

How did the Catholic Church react to the Reformation?

Answer 4

They reacted harshly. 1545, Catholic leaders met in Trent, in Northern Italy. At this Council of Trent they started a new movement to protect the Catholic Church, called the Counter-Reformation. They declared everyone who was Protestant to be a heretic.

When they found Protestants, they would question them, torture them and force them to renounce their faith and become Catholic again. If these Protestants refused, they were killed, usually publicly, by burning.

Question 5

1517

Answer 5

Luther nails his 95 theses to the Churchdoor in Wittenberg

Question 6

1521

Answer 6

Diet of worms

Question 7

1534

Answer 7

first German Bible published

Question 8

1545

Answer 8

Counsil of Trent

Question 9

What was John protesting against

Answer 9

1. For one, the Catholic Church had become corrupt. Any job within the Church was for sale. With enough money you could even become the pope!
2. The Church also declared people to be saints. The remains of these people were put on a display as relics, and people went on pilgrimages to visit them. The worship of saints and relics was never mentioned in the Bible. Erasmus had even made fun of this in his book The Praise of Folly.
3. The Church was immensely rich. The pope, bishops and other clerics lived in beautiful villas enjoying many luxuries, while Jesus had been a poor carpenter and had said that people should live simple lives.
4. The bible was only available in Latin. Therefore only priests could read it. Normal people depended on priests to tell them about God and how they should live to enter heaven when they died. Luther believed that everybody should be able to read God’s words.
5. The greatest offence however was the sale of indulgences. These were letters signed by the pope or a bishop in which all your sins were forgiven, even before you had committed one! Erasmus and Luther however believed only God could forgive sins, not the Church.

Question 10

Indulgances

Answer 10

letters signed by the pope or a bishop in which all your sins were forgiven

Question 11

Why did Luther nail his 95 theses on the church door

Answer 11

The church was the central point of any town or village. It was the place where people came to hear and discuss news. Luther wanted as many people as possible to see his theses. He hoped people would talk about it and he hoped that the pope would hear about it too and that he would reform the Catholic Church.

Question 12

After the diet of worms

Answer 12

The Diet of Worms decided that Luther should be arrested and that all his work should be burned.
After the Diet, Frederick III hid Luther away in one of his castles for protection.