The Protestant Reformation Flashcards
Who is known to have been the “father of the Protestant Reformation” in popular narratives?
Martin Luther
What did the reformation begin with?
the publication of Luther’s Ninety-five Theses
What were Luther’s 3 main points of contention with the Catholic church?
Luther criticized the clergy mediation between God and sinners, opposed the practice of the sale of indulgences, and rejected the idea of the merits of the saints in the Catholic doctrine.
What did Luther promote as a source faith?
a complete reliance on scripture
What is the concept of Sola fide, as introduced by Martin Luther?
meaning that faith alone guarantees God’s pardon for sin.
What did Luther argue regarding salvation (3 points)?
- against the mediation practice of clergy, Luther argued that individual Christians do not need the intermediary role of the clergy to achieve salvation
- humans are assured of salvation only by faith, which itself is a gift of God’s grace
- there is nothing the sinner can do to earn salvation without faith. Salvation can only be received through faith.
With reference to Luther, what was the main motive of the Reformation?
theological
Besides the theological factor of the reformation, what do social historians argue also came into play?
- the perceived corruption within the administration of the Catholic church
What happened in Germany that may have led to the reformation?
In Germany, there were concerns with the gap between the clergy who were penniless and ill-educated and bishops who were often from very wealthy families. Many of these bishops became bishops because they were willing to pay for the post.
- The sale of indulgence created a tension: only the rich could go to heaven.
True or False: Social historians also include the rise of literacy as a major cause of the Reformation.
True
How did literacy contribute to the reformation
- With the technology of printing press, religious books and pamphlets including Luther’s translation of the Bible into German, quickly spread in Germany and much of Europe (except in Italy and Spain).
- By then, ordinary people had a better access to religious knowledge
Who represented the second stage of the reformation?
Jean Calvi
Who is the french lawyer-come-theologian who represented the second stage of the reformation?
Jean Calvin
Why did Jean Calvin move to Geneva?
after he was opposed in Catholic France
What was similar between Calvin and Luther?
Like Luther, Calvin minimized the role of clergy in the Christian life, and focused on the authority of faith and scripture.
How did Calvin and Luther differ?
- Calvin and Luther differed in theology of sin and salvation
- Calvin believed in predestination. He argued that since the fall of Adam, no human could ever freely choose faith.
- Before the creation, God had predestined some of us to damnation and some to salvation
- God is absolutely omnipotence.
- By contrast, Luther believed that the death and resurrection of Christ made the give of grace available to all
Describe Calvin and theocracy.
- Calvin is known to have espoused a theocratic state: a state is ruled by God through religious authorities.
What did Calvin and his followers hope?
To convert France to follow his Reformist ideas,but the French Roman Catholic remained strong
What led to the French Wars of Religion (Huguenots Wars), the second deadliest European religious war, after the Thirty Years’ War in Central Europe.
The tension in France
What is notable about Ulrich Zwingli?
A former Roman Catholic priest, Zwingli rejected the authority of the Pope and argued about the authority of the gospels as the sole basis of truth.
How did Ulrich Zwingli differ from Calvin?
- Unlike Calvin, Zwingli rejected the projection of Christ during the Eucharist, in which the bread and wine of the Eucharist ceased being bread and wine, and became the literal body and blood of Jesus.
- For Zwingli, the meaning of the Eucharist was strictly symbolic.
True or False: The voice of reformation was not monolithic.
True
