Euro, Chapter 14

Simony

( to 1545) The selling of Church offices popular in the Roman Catholic church prior to the Council of Trent and the counterreformation

Great Schism

(1378-1417) Pope Urban VI attempted to reform the Church, by attacking clerical luxury, denounced cardinals, and threatened to excommunicate some of them. The cardinals under attack fled to Anagni, where they declared Urban's election invalid because it had come about under the threats of a mob, and excommunicated Pope Urban. The cardinals then named Cardinal Robert of Geneva the Pope, who renamed himself Pope Clement VII. There were two Popes: Urban in Rome and Clement VIII in Avignon. European countries divided their allegiance under political lines: France, Italy, Scotland, and Aragon, Castile and Portugal recognized Clement. England and Germany recognized Urban. The schism undermined the power of the Church.

Johann Tetzel

(1465-1519) A Dominican friar who ran Albert of Mainz advertising of indulgences. He promised the purchase of indulgences would bring full forgiveness for one's own sins or release from purgatory a loved one. His slogan was "As soon as coin in coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs" brought phenomenal success and people traveled from miles around to by indulgences.

Cardinal Wolsey

(1473-1540) Cardinal Wolsey was a prominent Church figure in England while the young Prince Henry. He was archbishop of York, Lord Chancellor, cardinal legate, and papal legate for life in 1524. Because of his power, he effectively united the Church and the State during his time in power. Created the "new law of the Star Chamber," protecting the rights of the underprivileged, and teaching the abbots and bishops that they were subjects as well as ecclesiastical princes.

Sir Thomas More

(1478-1535) Humanist who participated in government service. He wrote Utopia in 1516, his description of an imaginary society in which education is available to all, there is no poverty or greed, there is religious tolerance, and society is ordered by a beneficent government. It is debated over weather this book is a call for a stricter hierarchy or a traditional humanist satire. More was beheaded for opposing King Henry VIII.

Ulrich Zwingli

(1484-1531) A Swiss humanist, priest and admirer of Erasmus. Decided he would preach from Erasmus's New Testament. Zwingli was convinced that Christian life rested on the Scriptures, which were the pure words of God and the sole basis of religious truth, attacked indulgences, the Mass, monasticism, and clerical celibacy. Thought the Eucharist as a memorial in which Christ was present in spirit among the faithful, but not in the bread and wine. Worked closely with city authorities.

Catherine of Aragon

(1485-1536) Catherine of Aragon was Henry VIII's first wife. Because she could not produce a son, and the Pope refused to annul the marriage, Henry split with the Church. Catherine was the daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella, who married King Arthur of England. When Arthur died, Catherine married his brother Henry VIII. Produced one daughter, Mary.

Ignatius Loyola

(1491-1556) Founder of the Society of Jesus. Loyola was a knight who while recovering from a wound, studied Christ and the saints and decided to give up his military career and become a "soldier of Christ." Wrote Spiritual Exercises (1548) after a year of reflection. The book is a training program of structured meditation designed to develop spiritual discipline.

John Knox

(1505?-1572) John Knox was a noble responsible for establishing a Calvinist "Presbyterian Church of Scotland." Knox persuaded the Scottish parliament to end papal authority and rule by bishops, and substitute them for a council of ministers, as was according to Calvin's reforms of Geneva. The Church was strictly Calvinist by doctrine, adopted a simple style of worship and emphasized preaching.

John Calvin

(1509-1564) French lawyer who thought God chose him to reform the church. So he began with the reformation of Geneva. Calvin did not believe in free will, because that would detract from the sovereignty of God. Replaced Lutheranism in terms of popularity. Favored a united Church and state. Key beliefs: predestination, re-order of society based on God's plan, stern approach to religion (punishment for missing church), rejected church practices, wanted a simple, plain area to worship in. Calvinism because the majority religion of Scotland.

Indulgences

(1513- 1563) a document issued by the Catholic Church lessening penance or time in purgatory, widely believed to bring forgiveness of all sins. Pope Leo X authorized the sale of indulgences to fund the building of Saint Peter's Basilica. A piece of paper signed by the pope or other church official that substituted a virtuous act from the treasury of merits from penance or time in purgatory.

95 Theses

(1517) Luther's letter, written in Latin, to Archbishop Albert arguing that indulgences undermine the sacrament of penance, competed the preaching of the Gospel, and downplayed the importance of charity. The myth is that Luther nailed them to the Church at Wittenberg Castle. The Theses were quickly printed, translated to German and circulated in a series of pamphlets. Opened a scholarly debate. Papacy responded with a letter condemning Luther's propositions. Luther publically burned the letter. Basis for public controversies about the church's wealth, power and structure.

Justification by faith alone

(1517) Martin Luther believed that one could reach salvation through faith alone. Good works and sacraments cannot save someone. Jesus died for us, and the only way to reach salvation is through faith alone. Indulgences undermine this concept, because by Jesus dying for us, he paid the price for our salvation.

Twelve Articles

(1524) Inspired by Martin Luther, the German peasants rose up in a rebellion. A revolutionary, Muntzer, wrote the Twelve Articles during the revolt. The document is notable for its declaration that the rightness of the peasants' demands should be judged by the Word of God, a notion derived directly from Luther's teaching that the Bible is the sole guide in matters of morality and belief. Luther responded negatively to his association with the revolts and did not support the peasants in their efforts.

Anabaptists

(1525) Anabaptists believed that only adults could make the free choice about religious faith, baptism, and the entry into the Christian community, thus they considered baptizing infants was preposterous. Derives from the Greek word meaning again. They believed the Church should be separate from the state. Most were pacifists who refused to swear oaths. Jan Matthys is a notable figure: took control of German city and forced people to convert, abolished private property and legalized polygamy. Was defeated by a united Catholic and Protestant force.

Supremacy Act

(1534) English act of Parliament that recognized Henry VIII as the "Supreme Head of the Church of England." The act also required an oath of loyalty from English subjects that recognized his marriage to Anne Boleyn. It was repealed in 1555 under Mary I, but in 1559 Parliament adopted a new Act of Supremacy during the reign of Elizabeth I.

Ursuline Order

(1535) Founded by Angela Merici attained enormous prestige for the education of women. Worked among the poor, sick and uneducated. The first women's religious order concentrating exclusively on teaching young girls, with the goal of re-Christianizing society by training future wives and mother. Rapidly spread from Northern Italy to France and the New World.

The elect

(1536) The elect is a Calvinist term. The elect were the unknown group of people that God chose to save. Each person should live their life with the belief that they are part of the elect, although no one could ever know who was chosen and who was not.

The Institutes of Christian Religion

(1536/1559) John Calvin's book which contains his thoughts and ideas. He primarily believed in the absolute sovereignty and omnipotence of God and the total weakness of humanity. Calvin did not ascribe free will to human beings because it would detract from the power of God. Also outlined predestination which he called a "terrible decree," but preached it should not lead to pessimism or fatalism. Rather, he urged people to believe in the redemptive life of Christ and be confident that God had elected to save them.

Society of Jesus

(1540) Founded by Ignatius Loyola, played a powerful international role in strengthening Catholicism in Europe and spreading faith around the work. Notable for missionary work. Saw the issues of the Reformation as spiritual, and so their goal was "to help souls." Vowed poverty, chastity, obedience and a special obedience to the Pope.

Council of Trent

(1545-1563) The Council of Trent was called under Pope Paul III to address a reformation of the Catholic Church. The council laid a basis for spiritual renewal and tackled disciplinary matters. The council sought to settle Church documents, stop indulgences, created a list of forbidden books, and move people through music.

Peace of Augsburg

(1555) Made Lutheranism the officially recognized religion of Germany, but permitted the political authority in each territory the right to decide whether the territory would be Catholic or Lutheran, and was ordered to let the other territories enjoy their religious beliefs. Most northern and central Germany became Lutheran, and the south remained Catholic. Ended religious wars in Germany for many decades

Catechism

(16th century) the Catechism is a manual of religious instruction usually arranged in the form of questions and answers used to instruct the young, to win converts, and to testify to the faith. catechisms became much more important, both in Protestantism and Roman Catholicism. These catechisms were influenced by the medieval catechism, which had imitated the works of the Church Fathers. The medieval catechisms concentrated upon the meaning of faith (the Apostles' Creed), hope (the Lord's Prayer), and charity (the Ten Commandments). The later catechisms usually included discussions of these three subjects and added others.

Brethren of Common Life

(late 14th century) Brethren of Common life is a religious community started by Geert Groote at Deventer, in the Netherlands. They believed in devotio moderna, a school and trend of spirituality stressing meditation and the inner life They lived a simple Christian life in common, with an absence of ritual. Their aims were the education of a Christian elite and the promotion of the reading of devout literature. They produced finely written manuscripts and, later, printed books.

Puritans

(late 16th century) Puritanism was a religious reform that wanted to "purify" the Church of England of remnants of the Roman Catholic "popery" that the Puritans claimed had been retained after the religious settlement reached early in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Puritans were noted for a spirit of moral and religious earnestness that informed their whole way of life, and they sought through church reform to make their lifestyle the pattern for the whole nation. Their efforts to transform the nation contributed both to civil war in England and to the founding of colonies in America as working models of the Puritan way of life

Absenteeism

(popular until 1545) absenteeism was a common practice in the Catholic Church prior to the counter reformation. Bishops and high ranking members of the clergy often held several different offices and were often never in their own churches. Sometimes paid priests a small percent of their salary to preach in their place.

Nepotism

(to 1545) Nepotism was a common practice in the Roman Catholic Church for many years. Nepotism is the practice of favoring relatives and friends, in this case, giving them jobs. In this way, the corruption of the Church continued as people hired based on familial connections instead of merit.

Predestination

(~1536) Predestination is the teaching that God has determined the salvation or damnation of individuals based on his will and purpose, not on their merit or good works. Promoted by Calvinists. Calvin encouraged people to believe they had been chosen, and to justify their suffering by remembering that heaven was waiting for them.