The Protestant Reformation Movement in Europe in the 1500s was a Christian reform movement instigated to improve the Catholic Church. It started in 1517 when Martin Luther published Ninety-Five Theses - a very controversial piece that tackled issues pertaining to Catholic Church's indulgences. The Movement was considered to have ended in the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. Martin Luther who was a German monk, theologian and reformist.
Luther played a huge role in the Protestant Reformation Movement in Europe in the 1500s. He challenged the authority of the papacy by stating that the bible is the only source of religious authority. Luther believed that salvation can only be gained through faith in Jesus Christ and does not necessarily require the church’s assistance. Luther’s stand helped spur the Protestant Reformation in the West. It provided the catalyst of change that fanned discontent among Catholics.
The 1500s Upheaval
In 1516-17, Johann Tetzel, a Dominican friar who served as a papal commissioner for indulgences was sent by the Roman Catholic Church to Germany for the purpose of selling indulgences to have money for the reconstruction of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. “Indulgence” refers to reduction of punishment because of the forgiveness of sins.
Indulgence is often granted through the sacrament of confession. In the granting of indulgence, the extension of merit from Treasure House of Merit occurs. This Treasure House is a collection of merits derived from the good deeds of saints. These merits could be sold and bought by the Catholics.
95 Theses
Luther protested the practice of selling indulgences by writing a letter to Albert, Archbishop of Mainz and Magdeburg on October 31, 1517. Luther enclosed a copy of “Disputation of Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences” which was later referred to as The 95 Theses.
His Thesis 86 asks a very sensitive question “Why does not the pope, whose wealth today is greater than the wealth of the richest Crassus, build the basilica of St. Peter with his own money rather than the money of poor believers?”
Johann Tetzel further fueled Luther’s ire by saying “as soon as the coin the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs”. Luther refuted this claim made by Tetzel in his letter by stating that forgiveness is God’s prerogative alone, selling indulgences and promising the absolution were not acceptable. Christians must win salvation by following Christ not by buying indulgences.
Luther posted a copy of the 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenburg the same day he wrote the letter which fueled the Protestant Reformation movement or known today as the Reformation Day. Within two weeks, the theses were all over Germany and in a month’s time had reached the entire Europe. The Protestant Reformation movement began with Martin Luther’s protests in 1517 and ended with Peace of Westphalia in 1648.
Break from the Catholic Church
Martin Luther was soon followed by John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli. Zwingli started his protests in Switzerland about the same time Luther did in Germany. After the excommunication of Luther, Calvin’s writings help spurred the movement by uniting various groups operating independently in Switzerland, Scotland, Hungary, Germany and the rest of Europe.
Luther, Calvin and Zwingli were all referred to as Magisterial Reformers because the movements they started were supported by magistrates. In the case of Luther, Frederick the Wise supported him. Zwingli and Calvin were protected by the city councils of Zurich and Geneva. The important Protestant groups formed due to the reformation were the Lutherans, the Reformed/Calvinists/Presbyterians, the Anabaptists and the Anglicans.
A series of religious wars were waged during the Reformation which ended in the Thirty Years War. For thirty years which spanned 1618 to 1648, Catholic Habsburgs and followers waged war against Protestant princes of Germany. The Reformation period ended when Catholic France broke ties with the Habsburgs and fought side by side the Protestants in the battlefields. Feuding parties signed the Peace of Westphalia which brought them peace.
References:
Whitford, David M. “Europe`s Reformations, 1450-1650.” Rowman & Littlefield.
01 September 2003. http://books.google.com/books?id=M7-GDucH4L4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=Europe%60s%20Reformations%201450-1650&sig=gXdpZO1nkaUohXyt7b-6OP5YugU#PPA4,M1
Wikipedia. “Martin Luther”. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther
Wikipedia. “Reformation”. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reformation
Wikipedia. “The 95 Theses”. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_95_Theses
Wikipedia. “History of Protestantism”.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Protestantism
Walther, Michael. “Similarities and Differences between the Lutheran and Roman Catholic Churches”.
http://www.goodshepherdcollinsville.org/Biblestudy/catholic_lutheran.htm
Forell, George. “Lutheranism”. MSN Encarta, s.v. http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761561935/Lutheranism.html
“Roman Catholic”. Encyclopaedia Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/holocaust/print?articleId=109699&fullArticle=true&tocId=43745
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