Corruption in the Medieval Church

The state of the Church just prior to the ReformationUse the slides provided to you to answer the

questions. Be focused and thorough.

What forms of corruption existed within the Medieval Church?http://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiSCnZ4wSMo&feature=related

Popes used excommunication to force monarchs to obey the Church

Many priests were illiterateMany clergy broke their vows of chastitySome officials led lives of luxury and leisureSome clergy

Charged repentant Christians to see holy remainsSold church offices to the highest bidder (simony)Sold indulgences

Babylonian Captivity 1305-1375Philip IV of France quarreled with the pope

over his power to tax the clergyPope Boniface kidnapped in 1296 and

replaced with French pope, Clement VSeven popes ruled the Church from Avignon,

FranceMany Christians thought these popes were

only puppets of the French king

The Great Schism 1378-1417Papacy moved back to Rome in 1376French cardinals elected a new pope,

Clement VIIBoth Urban VI and Clement VII claimed to be

the rightful popeMany Christians questioned the authority of

the papacy

Early Calls for ReformWho were some of the first people to speak out against Church corruption?

John Wycliffe of EnglandThought Christians did not need Church or

sacraments to achieve salvationRegarded the Bible as the most important

source of religious authorityCompleted first translation of Bible into

EnglishOutcome: the Church persecuted his

followers as heretics

Jan Huss of BohemiaCriticized the wealth of the Church

Wanted religious services conducted in the language of the worshippers

Opposed the sale of indulgences

Outcome: Burned at the stake for refusing to accept importance of Church rituals

Other methods of reformCatherine of Siena

Popularized mysticismBelieved that people could experience God through

intense prayerOutcome: maintained that Christians did not need

priests, rituals or sacramentsGirolamo Savonarola of Florence

Launched crusade against immoral societyEncouraged book burningsClaimed the Vatican was filled with sin and corruptionOutcome: Burned at the stake by angry citizens of

Florence

Luther kicks things off!

Lutheranism spoke diagramUsing the handout, create a spoke diagram of

the origins, beliefs, ultimate source of authority, ritual and worship and community life of Lutheranism.

Now let’s go back to questions 8 and 9. Expand your answers.

Others reformed in their own ways

Let’s make some more spoke diagrams!

Martin Luther and the Beginnings of Reformation Why did Luther question

the practices of the Catholic Church?

Troubled by the idea that salvation was attainable through good works

Interpreted St. Paul to mean that path to salvation was by faith alone

Believed that forgiveness of sins could only come from God’s mercy

Early LifeSon of middle-class

German peasantsReceived his BA and MA

degrees at Erford University

The plague compels a turning point for Luther at 23; vowed to become a monk

Became an Augustinian

How did his criticisms expand into an effort to form a new Church?What Martin Luther saw when he went to

Rome:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiSCnZ4wS

Mo&feature=relatedIn this clip, Luther travels to Rome and

witnesses the corruption of the church

How did his criticisms expand into an effort to form a new Church?Wrote 95 Theses to start debate on Church

abusesPublished books and pamphlets questioning

Church teachingsIdeas for reform led to a new church:

Congregations choose their own ministersWorship of saints and holy days was considered

sinfulMass conducted in German instead of LatinClergy allowed to marry

Why did his reforms create widespread revolt in Germany?

Peasants, believing everyone was equal under God, revolted against lords

Princes, who wanted freedom from the pope, seized Church land

Peace of Augsburg forced many to move in order to worship freely

The Help of the Printing PressAmidst church corruption,

Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press.

This allowed for rapid reproductions of the Bible

Not only did literacy rates increase, but also people began to question the practices of the Catholic Church.

How did the Church Respond?Martin Luther at the Diet of Worms:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=r5P7QkHCfaI&feature=endscreen

Charles V summoned Luther to Diet of Worms (meeting of all German princes from Holy Roman Empire)

Other Protestants of the Catholic Church

Anabaptists (1525)Founded by dissatisfied followers of Zwingli

No baptism until adulthoodTrue Christians should live in a separate

community

(Considered “weird” even by other Protestants.)

Anglicans (1534)King Henry VIII of England wanted a divorce.Pope said no. Henry enraged. Created a new

Church.King at the top, not the Pope.Beliefs were pretty much the same as

Catholic Church.

Calvinists (1546)John Calvin (Started in France, but moved to

Switzerland where they had a better acceptance)

Predestination was key – God had predetermined who would gain salvation

Thought that a discipline, austere life would prove who had been chosen.

Why did Protestantism spread beyond Germany?Political leaders wanted to escape the power

of the ChurchPeople were tired of Church abuses and

corruptionCharismatic individuals questioned Church

teachings and provided leadershipRising literacy rate allowed for rapid spread

of new ideas

So…How did the Catholic Church respond?They took two major paths…A. Reform the Church from within

Pope Paul IIIThe Council of Trent

And

B. Tried to stop the spread of ProtestantismJesuitsInquisitionIndex of Prohibited Books

Reform From Within…Pope Paul III

Led the Counter, or Catholic ReformationPromoted reform-minded cardinals to the CuriaHad Church abuses cataloguedCalled meeting at Trent to deal with the

growth of Protestantism

Reform From Within…Council of Trent (1545-1563)

Defined Catholic beliefs and corrected abusesSale of indulgences prohibitedSimony outlawedSeminaries established to train parish priestsMonasteries and convents cleansed of immoral

clergy

Tried to Stop the Spread of ProtestantismJesuits (1540)

Disciplined and well-educated order of Catholic priests

Won Poland and southern Germany back into the Catholic faith

Spread Christian message across Africa, Asia, and the Americas

Tried to Stop the Spread of ProtestantismInquisition (1542)

Church court designed to judge and convict heretics

Designed to stamp out heresies by interrogating all people suspected of unorthodox views

Imprisoned, exiled, or executed those with unorthodox views

Less brutal than Spanish Inquisition

Tried to Stop the Spread of ProtestantismIndex of Prohibited Books (1559)

List of banned books with Catholics were forbidden to read

List included Protestant Bibles and some scientific writings