The Early Reformers

1. The Early Reformers John Wycliffe, John Huss, Girolamo Savonarola,Thomas à Kempis, Desiderius Erasmus

2. Thomas à Kempis • Thomas Hammerken (or Hammerlein -- both mean "little hammer") was born at Kempen in Germany c.1380 • Educated by and later joined Brethren of the Common Life • Wrote a manual of spiritual advice known as The Imitation of Christ • True enlightenment comes from self-knowledge and knowledge of and trust in God • After plague ravaged Cologne, He and the Brothers left their seclusion and moved into the city to give what comfort they could- by then Thomas was now known as a saintly man • He hated this reputation because he did not want to be considered particularly holy • Wished to return to the basics in Christianity- "Disdain that which is superficial, dedicate yourself to your inner being and you shall see that the Kingdom of God grows inside you." (II,1,1f.)

3. John Wycliffe • During the calamitous 14th century Wycliffe criticized abuses and false teachings in the Church • 1382 he translated the Bible into English; it was the first European translation in over 1,000 years • Formed the Lollards who were itinerant preachers that traveled throughout England in order to start a spiritual revolution • Lollardy didn’t last long – He was expelled Wycliffe from his teaching position at Oxford • After he died, the Pope had his bones exhumed and burned while intense persecution stamped out his followers and teachings

4. John Huss • Peasant origin- born in Husinec, Bohemia • Studied theology at Univ. of Prague, was ordained a priest c.1400 • Influenced by the writings of John Wycliffe • Attacked the abuses of the clergy, • Angry priests turned the archbishop of Prague against him • He had the support of Wenceslaus IV (HRE) who made him rector of the university • Bishops banned his books and ordered them to be burned • He spoke out against antipope John XXIII and denounced indulgences • Was excommunicated, found guilty of heresy and burned in 1414

5. Girolamo Savonarola • Nobleman from Ferrara- b.1452 • Became a Dominican Friar in 1474 • Preached at San Marco, Florence on the sinfulness, materialism and apostasy of the city • A great popular triumph, and by some he was hailed as an inspired prophet • Under Lorenzo the Magnificent art and literature had felt the humanist revival of the 15th century, whose spirit was utterly at variance with Savonarola's conception of spirituality and Christian morality – bonfires of the vanities • His preaching began to point plainly to a political revolution as the divinely-ordained means for the regeneration of religion and morality • The republic of Florence was to be a Christian commonwealth, of which God was the sole sovereign • 1497- excommunication from Rome • Brought to trial for falsely claiming to have seen visions, false prophecies, religious error, and sedition • May 23, 1498- he and two Dominican disciples were hanged and burned, still professing their adherence to the Church.

6. Desiderius Erasmus • leader of German humanism- born in Holland-c.1466; died in Switzerland 1536 • Ordained priest in 1492; Became Doctor of Divinity in Turin 1506 • In Italy he was honored by the most distinguished humanists • His literary works made him the intellectual father of the Reformation • Saw Scholasticism as the greatest perversion of the religious spirit; • Stemming from primitive Christological controversies, which caused the Church to forget its simplicity and become the victim of endless philosophizing, which culminated in Scholasticism • Thought the church had moved from salvation of souls • Wanted to replace complex tradition with the simplicity of scripture, the interpretation of which should be left to the individual • Ordinances of the Church, fasts, pilgrimages, veneration of saints, the prayers of the Breviary, celibacy, and religious orders were considered the perversities of a formalistic Scholastic Tradition • Epitome of the Renaissance spirit