Chapter 8 - The Reformation

Question 1

What was The Reformation?

Answer 1

The Reformation was a period in history when people began to question the teachings of the Catholic Church and to challenge the authority of the Pope.

Question 2

When and where did The Reformation begin?

Answer 2

The Reformation began in Germany in 1517.

Question 3

What is simony?

Answer 3

Simony is the buying or selling of positions within the Church.

Question 4

What is nepotism?

Answer 4

Nepotism is the appointing of relatives to Church jobs regardless of merit.

Question 5

What is pluralism?

Answer 5

Pluralism is holding more than one Church job at the same time.

Question 6

What is absenteeism?

Answer 6

Absenteeism means a priest or bishop being absent from their parish or diocese for long periods of time.

Question 7

What is the sale of indulgences?

Answer 7

The sale of indulgences is the selling of special prayers that were said to reduce the time a soul spent in purgatory.

Question 8

What is excommunication?

Answer 8

Excommunication is expulsion from the Catholic Church and being unable to receive the sacraments.

Question 9

What was the Diet of Worms?

Answer 9

The Holy Roman Emperor (the ruler of Germany) Charles V called a meeting (Diet) of German princes at Worms in 1521 about Luther. Luther was given safe passage there to discuss his beliefs, but he refused to change his mind and recant.

Question 10

What does “Justification by Faith Alone” mean?

Answer 10

Justification by Faith Alone meant that only faith in god could get a person to heaven.

Question 11

What is a papal bull?

Answer 11

A papal bull is a formal letter and command.

Question 12

Who was Martin Luther? (Not needed)

Answer 12

Martin Luther was the man who started The Reformation. Luther was born in Saxony, Germany in 1483. He was a professor of Theology in the University of Wittenberg. Luther spent much of his time studying the bible to ensure he was doing all he could to go to heaven. Luther believed in the teaching ‘justification by faith alone’ which meant that only faith in god could get you to heaven.

In 1517 John Tetzel arrived in Wittenberg selling indulgences. Half of the money he raised was for the rebuilding of St Peter’s Basilica, with the other half going to the Archbishop of Mainz. Luther wasn’t happy, especially as Tetzel was telling the locals they were guaranteed a place in heaven if they bought an indulgence from him. Luther was furious and wrote 95 theses in Latin and nailed them to the door of a church in Wittenberg. Thanks to the printing press the 95 theses were translated into German and they were spread across Germany. Pope Leo X ordered Luther to recant but Luther refused. Leo then sent a papal bull threatening excommunication (formal letter and command) to Luther but he publicly burned it and he was excommunicated.

Charles V called a meeting (Diet) of German princes at Worms in 1521 about Luther. Luther was given safe passage there to discuss his beliefs, but he refused to change his mind and recant (take back what he said). After the Diet, Charles issued the Edict of Worms, making Luther an outlaw. Luther’s supporters protested against this and afterwards became known as ‘Protestants’. Luther was to be arrested and punished for heresy (knowingly holding beliefs that went against the official teachings of the Church). Prince Frederick of Saxony feared for Luthers safety and arranged a fake kidnapping and hid Luther in Wartburg Castle for a year. There Luther translated the Bible into German, so that everyone could read it for themselves.

Luther had many beliefs such as ‘justification by faith alone’, thinking the clergy should be allowed to marry and mass and the Bible should be in the vernacular instead of Latin, so that everyone can understand them.

Question 13

What were the causes of the Reformation?

Answer 13

1. The influence of the Renaissance - The invention of the printing press meant that the ideas of the Reformers (such as Martin Luther) could spread quickly around Europe and this encouraged people to support them and challenge the Church themselves.
2. The wealth of the Church - The church was very wealthy because people had to pay a tithe (1/10 of their income) to their local Bishop every year
3. Abuses within the Church - There was many abuses of power in the church such as simony, nepotism, pluralism, absenteeism and the sale of indulgences.

Question 14

What is a Protestant?

Answer 14

At first, a supporter of reform to the Catholic Church; later, a member of the churches that broke away.

Question 15

What is heresy?

Answer 15

knowingly holding beliefs that went against the official teachings of the Church.

Question 16

What is predestination?

Answer 16

the belief that God had already decided before a person was born whether they would go to heaven.

Question 17

What are the Courts of Inquisition?

Answer 17

The Courts of Inquisition were Catholic courts set up during the Counter-Reformation to try to arrest and punish anyone thought to be a threat to Church teachings.

Question 18

Who was Martin Luther? (Exam Question)

Answer 18

Martin Luther was the man who started The Reformation. Luther was born in Saxony, Germany in 1483. He was a professor of Theology in the University of Wittenberg. Luther spent much of his time studying the bible to ensure he was doing all he could to go to heaven. Luther believed in the teaching ‘justification by faith alone’ which meant that only faith in god could get you to heaven. He also believed that the clergy should be allowed to marry.

Question 19

Who were the Jesuits?

Answer 19

The most important of the new religious orders was the Jesuits, founded by Ignatius Loyola in 1534. His order was like an army, with a general at the top and priest ‘soldiers’ who were expected to follow orders without question. They quickly gained a reputation as being highly educated and very successful in their two main tasks:
1. Travelling the world, especially the newly discovered lands in the Americas and Asia, as missionaries.
2. Setting up schools to educate the sons of the nobility or of wealthy families.

Question 20

What were the 95 theses? And who wrote them?

Answer 20

Martin Luther wrote out ninety-five theses (arguments) in Latin. He is said to have nailed them to the door of a church in Wittenberg, though some historians doubt that this actually happened. Some of the main ideas within Luther’s 95 theses included ‘The Pope had no power to forgive sins’ and ‘indulgences do not save people from punishment from their sins’.

Question 21

What was the Edict of Worms?

Answer 21

After the Diet, Charles V issued the Edict of Worms, making Luther an outlaw. Luther’s supporters protested against this and afterwards became known as ‘Protestants’. Luther was to be arrested and punished for heresy (knowingly holding beliefs that went against the official teachings of the Church). Fearing for his safety, Prince Frederick of Saxony arranged a fake kidnapping and hid Luther in Wartburg Castle for a year. There Luther translated the Bible into German, so that everyone could read it for themselves.

Question 22

What was the Council of Trent?

Answer 22

The Council of Trent was the Church’s response to the attack on its teachings by the Reformers. Senior bishops and cardinals from various countries met between 1545 and 1563 in Trento, Italy.

Question 23

What did Pope Leo X do?

Answer 23

Pope Leo X ordered Luther to recant (take back what he said) but Luther refused. Leo then sent a papal bull (formal letter and command) threatening excommunication to Luther but Luther publicly burned it and he was excommunicated shortly after.