The Reformation Flashcards
What was the Protestant Reformation?
It was a schism in Christianity from the Catholic church initially led by Martin Luther and then continued on by spiritual leaders like John Calvin.
What was the Catholic Reformation?
It was a counterreformation in which the Catholic church reformed its internal structure.
How was the Reformation a reflection of the way Europe was changing?
The humanism of the Renaissance led individuals to question practices such as the efficacy of religious relics and the value ton one’s salvation. The printing press allowed Bibles to be printed, which weakened the Church’s authority now that anyone could read it.
Who was the central figure in the Reformation?
Martin Luther
What were problems that the Church faced right before the Reformation?
Anticlericalism rising from the Black Death, the rise of pietism, the Avignon Papacy, and the Great Schism, where there were three competing popes. Other problems were poorly educated lower priests and simony, which promoted priests who did not know how to preach.
Why did the Black Death spawn anticlericalism?
The people lost respect for the clergy because of the poor performance of clergymen during the plague. This anticlericalism was seen in Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales and Boccaccio’s The Decameron.
What was pietism?
It was the notion of a direct relationship between the individual and God, which reduced the importance of the Church.
What was the Avignon Church?
The Church moved to Avignon and became under French control after the French invasions made the French government above the Church.
Why were poorly educated lower priests a problem?
They could not properly respond to Luther’s challenge to the Church.
What was simony?
The selling of church offices
What movements arose in the late Middle Ages that responded to these problems in the Church?
The Lollards and the Hussites
Who was John Wycliffe?
John Wycliffe was an English preacher who questioned the wealth of the Church, transubstantiation, the teachings of penance, and the selling of indulgences. His followers were known as the Lollards, and he translated the Bible into English.
Who was Jan Hus?
Jan Hus was a Bohemian preacher who led a religious and nationalistic revolt. Hus argued that the authority of the Bible mattered, not the Church, and spoke out against the immoral behavior of the Church. He asked the the congregation should be given the cup during mass as well as the wafer, which was reserved to clergymen.
What was the Council of Constance?
It was one of the last Councils of the conciliar movement in which the Western Schism was resolved and one pope was chosen at Rome. John Hus was burned at the stake at this meeting.
What was Martin Luther horrified by?
He was horrified by the selling of indulgences.
What was the selling of indulgences?
The church sold indulgences to raise money, which in turn released the buyer from purgatory.
Who was Johann Tetzel?
He was a Dominican friar who raised money for the Church throughout Germany by selling indulgences. Lutger was horrified by his selling of indulgences.
What were Luther’s 95 Theses?
They were tacked the the Castle Church at Wittenberg. Luther complained that German money was going to Rome. Luther also argued that the pope had no right to sell indulgences and that the pope could only remit penalties he himself had placed on someone.
