The Reformation of the Catholic Church

1. The Reformation of the Catholic Church Martin Luther and his 95 Theses, 1517

2. Martin Luther

3. Disorder in the Catholic Church • Priests not very religious and didn’t live the lifestyle of Christ and the disciples. • Clerical immorality (mistresses, children, drunkenness, gambling) • Clerical ignorance (most couldn’t read Latin, or at all) • Clerical pluralism (held many church jobs at once) • Clerical absenteeism (never at their job) • Indulgences (get into heaven for payment or pardon of sin for payment) • Church jobs given to govt. officials

4. Martin Luther, 1483-1546 • German friar of modest background • Attended college (rare for his upbringing) • Doctorate of Theology • Served as professor at Wittemberg University • Became weary of religious rituals and disorder in the church • After much study and consideration, he came to believe that faith was a free gift and not based on works.

5. Indulgences • Pope Leo X allowed Archbishop Albert to sell indulgences to repay a debt to a banking family (The Fuggers) • Indulgences= the sale of forgiveness of sin or ticket into heaven • Albert hired friar Tetzel to sell the indulgences in his behalf • Launched an advertising campaign • Problematic because people believed they didn’t have to have a relationship with God.

6. The 95 Theses, 1517 • Luther writes an attack on the church and its corrupt practices in this “95 Theses” • Believed that indulgences: • Challenged the seriousness of the faith • Challenged the importance of a Christian lifestyle • He rejected the idea that salvation comes from good deeds • He challenged the authority of the Pope because Leo allowed indulgences to exist • Dangerous for Luther!

7. Reaction of the Church • Luther went as far to say that the church was wrong in condemning Jan Hus at the Council of Constance (concilliarmovement) • Luther threatened with excommunication • Holy Roman Emperor (Germany was part of this empire), Charles V called a meeting of the empire, the Diet of Worms, 1521 • Luther asked to recant, but didn’t

8. Protestant Religion • Comes from the word “protest” • Those who protested at the Diet of Speyer, 1521 • Early protesters were called “Lutherans,” but later the term was attached to all groups protesting the Catholic church

9. Confession of Augsburg, 1530 • Officially determined the Protestant religion, according to Luther: • Salvation comes from faith alone • Church authority comes from the Word of God alone • The Church is a body of Christian believers • Everyone should serve according to their calling

10. The Sacraments • Luther believed only 3 of the 7 sacraments were legitimate • Baptism (symbolic emersion into water) • Penance (forgiveness and actions) • Eucharist (the “Lord’s Supper”) • Differed in symbolism of the Eucharist • Followed consubstantiation- the bread and wine are symbols of the body and blood of Christ. • Catholics followed transubstantiation- the bread and wine ARE the body and blood of Christ.

11. Response Please respond to the following prompt in your notebook: What compelled Martin Luther to write his 95 Theses, specifically, and what was the response of the church?