The Protestant REFORMATION, Explained [AP Euro Review: Unit 2 Topic 2 (2.2)]

Summary

This script explores the Protestant Reformation, starting with the unusual papal residence in Avignon, France, due to political disputes between the Pope and European kings. It highlights the corruption within the Catholic Church, including simony and the selling of indulgences, which led to public disillusionment. Martin Luther's 95 Theses, sparked by his realization of salvation as a free gift from God, ignited the Reformation. The script also covers John Calvin's contributions, like the doctrines of predestination and the elect, and the rise of Anabaptists, emphasizing adult baptism. It provides a historical context for the spread of Protestantism and its impact on European society.

Takeaways

• 🏰 The papal palace in Avignon, France, is unusual because popes typically reside in the Vatican in Rome.
• 👑 In 1309, the King of France pressured the Pope to move the papacy to Avignon, leading to a period of corruption and power-grabbing by the Avignon popes.
• 🕊️ The Great Schism (1377-1417) saw the Catholic Church divided, with rival popes in Rome and Avignon claiming absolute authority.
• 💸 The Catholic Church in the 16th century was perceived as corrupt, with practices like simony (buying church offices) and the sale of indulgences contributing to this view.
• 🔥 The doctrine of purgatory and the sale of indulgences allowed people to 'buy' their way out of post-death purification, which was a significant point of contention.
• 📜 Martin Luther's 95 Theses criticized the Catholic Church and sparked the Protestant Reformation, with his ideas spreading rapidly due to the printing press.
• 🙏 Luther's theology emphasized 'sola scriptura' (Scripture alone) and the priesthood of all believers, challenging the Catholic Church's authority.
• 🌟 John Calvin systematized Protestant doctrine, introducing concepts like predestination and the elect, which had significant social and economic impacts.
• ⚖️ Calvin's Geneva was a theocracy, where wealth accumulation was seen as a sign of God's favor, but dissent was harshly punished.
• 👶 The Anabaptists further split from mainstream Protestantism over the issue of baptism, advocating for adult baptism only.

Q & A

Why is there a papal palace in Avignon, France?

In 1309, the King of France pressured the new pope to establish the papacy in Avignon to distance it from Italy, leading to a series of popes living there and focusing on consolidating power and wealth rather than spiritual well-being.

What was the Great Schism, and when did it occur?

The Great Schism occurred in 1377 when the Catholic Church had two rival popes, one in Rome and one in Avignon, each claiming absolute power, which lasted for almost 40 years.

What was the main criticism of the Catholic Church leading up to the Reformation?

The main criticism was that the Church was corrupt, involved in political matters, and engaged in corrupt practices like simony and the selling of indulgences, leading to a perception that the Church was more interested in power than in guiding the faithful.

What is simony, and how was it practiced in the Catholic Church?

Simony was the buying and selling of church offices, where individuals could purchase positions like bishop, often based on wealth rather than spiritual qualifications.

What is an indulgence, and how was it connected to the Reformation?

An indulgence was a document sold by the Church that promised to reduce the punishment for sins in purgatory. The selling of indulgences was a major point of contention during the Reformation, as it was seen as a corrupt practice.

Who was Martin Luther, and what was his role in the Protestant Reformation?

Martin Luther was an Augustinian monk who challenged the Catholic Church's practices, particularly the selling of indulgences. He is known for his 95 Theses, which outlined his complaints and sparked widespread discussion and reform.

What was the significance of the 95 Theses in the context of the Reformation?

The 95 Theses, written by Martin Luther, outlined his criticisms of the Catholic Church and became a catalyst for the Reformation. They were widely disseminated due to the printing press, gaining an eager audience among those discontent with the Church.

What is the doctrine of predestination, and how did John Calvin contribute to its development?

The doctrine of predestination, as developed by John Calvin, taught that God had already decided who would be saved and who would be damned, making salvation and damnation a matter of divine choice rather than human effort.

What was the significance of the doctrine of the elect in Calvin's teachings?

The doctrine of the elect, as taught by John Calvin, held that those chosen by God for salvation were predestined and could not lose their salvation, emphasizing God's sovereignty in the process of salvation.

How did the economic shift in Europe influence the spread of Calvin's teachings?

Calvin's teachings that financial wealth was a proper reward for hard work and a sign of God's favor aligned with the economic shift towards capitalism in Europe. This contributed to the growth of wealth in cities like Geneva and Amsterdam.

What were the Anabaptists, and how did their beliefs differ from those of Martin Luther and John Calvin?

The Anabaptists were a radical reform movement that agreed with many Reformation principles but differed on the issue of baptism, advocating for adult baptism only, as infants could not profess faith.

Outlines

00:00

🏰 Papal Palace in Avignon and the Protestant Reformation

The script begins with a discussion on the unusual location of the Papal Palace in Avignon, France, instead of Rome. This leads to an exploration of the historical context of the Protestant Reformation. The speaker explains that during the High Middle Ages, there were disputes between the Roman Catholic Popes and European kings, particularly the King of France. In 1309, the French king pressured the new Pope to move the papacy to Avignon. The popes there were more focused on consolidating power and wealth than on spiritual matters. This eventually led to the Great Schism where two rival popes claimed absolute power. By the 16th century, the Catholic Church was seen as corrupt and tangled in political and corrupt practices like simony and the selling of indulgences. This corruption and the Church's focus on power over spiritual guidance set the stage for the Protestant Reformation.

05:00

🔨 Martin Luther and the 95 Theses

The script then focuses on Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk whose theological studies led to a revolutionary shift in his thinking. Luther discovered that forgiveness of sins was a free gift from God based on the work of Christ, not earned through acts of penance. He also developed the idea of 'sola scriptura,' which emphasized the Bible as the ultimate authority over papal dogma. These ideas, along with his '95 Theses,' which he nailed to the Wittenberg Church door, criticized the Catholic Church's practices and sparked widespread discussion and support, especially after being printed and distributed. Luther's defiance before the imperial diet of Worms, where he refused to recant his writings, further solidified his role in the Reformation.

🌟 John Calvin and the Development of Protestant Doctrine

The script continues with John Calvin, another key figure in the Reformation, who systematized Protestant doctrine in his 'Institutes of the Christian Religion.' Calvin introduced the doctrines of predestination and the elect, which posited that God had already decided who would be saved and who would be damned. This belief system had significant social and economic implications, as it justified the accumulation of wealth as a sign of God's favor, contributing to the prosperity of cities like Geneva and Amsterdam. However, it also led to harsh measures against dissenters, as seen in the execution of Michael Servetus. The script also touches on the Anabaptists, who further splintered from Protestantism over disagreements on baptism, advocating for adult baptism only.

Keywords

💡Papal Palace in Avignon

The Papal Palace in Avignon is significant because it represents a period in history when the papacy was relocated from Rome to France due to political pressures. This move is unusual because the popes are traditionally based in the Vatican. In the video, the palace symbolizes the power struggles between the Catholic Church and European monarchs, particularly the French king, leading to the 'Babylonian Captivity' of the papacy from 1309 to 1377.

💡Papal Schism

The Papal Schism refers to the period when the Catholic Church was divided between two rival popes, one in Rome and one in Avignon. This occurred after the papacy returned to Rome in 1377, leading to a crisis of authority within the Church. The script mentions this as a time when the Church's corruption and political entanglements were widely perceived, contributing to the disillusionment that set the stage for the Protestant Reformation.

💡Simony

Simony is the act of buying and selling of church offices or positions, which was a major corrupt practice within the Catholic Church during the time leading up to the Reformation. The script uses the example of a fictional uncle, 'Cletus,' who is willing to buy a bishopric despite his lack of moral qualifications, to illustrate how the Church's focus on wealth and power over spiritual guidance led to widespread criticism and calls for reform.

💡Indulgences

Indulgences were a practice where the Church would offer to reduce the temporal punishment for sins in exchange for money, often to finance projects like the construction of Saint Peter's Basilica. The video explains that indulgences allowed people to effectively 'buy' forgiveness for sins without the need for true repentance or confession, which was a significant factor in sparking Martin Luther's critique and the eventual Reformation.

💡Martin Luther

Martin Luther was an Augustinian monk whose theological insights and criticisms of the Catholic Church led to the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. His realization that forgiveness of sins and salvation were gifts of God's grace, not earned through penance or indulgences, challenged core Church teachings. The video highlights his 95 Theses, which he famously nailed to the door of All Saints' Church in Wittenberg, as a catalyst for reform.

💡Priesthood of All Believers

The concept of the 'priesthood of all believers' was a radical idea during the Reformation, suggesting that all Christians have direct access to God and do not need the mediation of the clergy for salvation. This idea, which Luther began to advocate, democratized religious authority and was a significant departure from the Catholic Church's hierarchical structure, where only certain priests were considered to have a special role in spiritual matters.

💡Sola Scriptura

Sola Scriptura, or 'Scripture alone,' was a guiding principle of the Reformation that emphasized the Bible as the ultimate authority for Christian faith and practice, rather than the teachings of the Pope or Church tradition. This principle was central to Luther's critique of the Church and his call for a return to the original sources of Christian belief, as illustrated by his reliance on the New Testament in formulating his theological positions.

💡John Calvin

John Calvin was a key figure in the development of Protestantism, particularly in his role in Geneva, where he systematized Protestant doctrine. His 'Institutes of the Christian Religion' outlined key Reformation beliefs and introduced concepts like predestination and the elect. The video notes Calvin's influence on the economic development of Geneva and the broader impact of his ideas on the spread of Protestantism.

💡Predestination

Predestination was a doctrine formulated by John Calvin, which held that God had already decided who would be saved and who would be damned before the creation of the world. This belief removed the element of human choice from the process of salvation, emphasizing God's sovereignty. The video explains how this doctrine was a significant innovation in Protestant thought and had implications for the understanding of God's role in human affairs.

💡Anabaptists

The Anabaptists were a radical group that emerged during the Reformation with beliefs that diverged from both the Catholic Church and mainstream Protestantism. They are noted for their belief in adult baptism, as they felt that only those who could profess faith should be baptized, contrasting with the practice of infant baptism. The video mentions the Anabaptists' persecution, including the execution of Michael Servetus by John Calvin, highlighting the religious tensions of the era.

Highlights

The papal palace in Avignon, France, was established due to pressure from the King of France in 1309, marking a period of papal residence outside of Italy.

The Avignon papacy was characterized by a focus on consolidating power and wealth rather than spiritual well-being.

The papacy's return to Italy in 1377 was marked by efforts to prevent future violations, leading to conflicts and the emergence of two rival popes.

The Catholic Church in the 16th century was perceived as corrupt and flawed, with popes more interested in power than guiding the faithful.

The practice of simony, or the buying and selling of church offices, was a significant corruption within the Church.

The doctrine of purgatory and the sale of indulgences allowed for the reduction of time in purgatory in exchange for financial contributions to the Church.

Martin Luther's study of the New Testament led to a revolutionary understanding of forgiveness and salvation as gifts of grace, not earned through penance.

Luther's concept of 'sola scriptura' emphasized the Bible as the ultimate authority over papal dogma.

The 95 Theses, written by Luther, outlined his complaints against the Catholic Church and were rapidly disseminated due to the printing press.

Luther's defiance at the Diet of Worms, where he refused to recant his writings, became a symbol of the Reformation's resistance to Church authority.

John Calvin's 'Institutes of the Christian Religion' systematized Protestant doctrine, including the doctrines of predestination and the elect.

Calvin's Geneva was run as a theocracy, with the Bible as the rule of law, leading to economic growth but also religious persecution.

The Anabaptists' belief in adult baptism only, as opposed to infant baptism, led to further divisions within Protestantism.

The Reformation's impact on Europe included both theological shifts and significant social and economic changes.

The Reformation challenged the centralized authority of the Catholic Church, leading to a more diverse and decentralized Christian landscape.

The rise of Protestantism was influenced by both religious and political factors, as well as the technological advancement of the printing press.

Transcripts

okay we're gonna talk about the

protestant reformation but first the

contest this is the papal palace in

avignon france and that's weird who can

tell me why that's weird yes carl in the

back of the room say it like you mean it

don't all the popes live in italy on the

nose carl on the news so if all the

popes have always lived in the vatican

in rome why is there a papal palace in

france and can you taste that sauce well

if you can there's time to get them

bring cow's milk let's get to it i'm not

going to give you a bunch of names and

places you don't need to know for your

exam so let me just talk in generalities

for this contextualization piece in the

high middle ages there was a series of

bitter and ongoing disputes between

roman catholic popes and european kings

especially the king of france so in 1309

the king of france pressured the new

pope to establish the papacy in avignon

and away from italy the series of popes

who lived in avignon were all kinds of

nasty focusing almost none on the

spiritual well-being of the church and

all unconsolidating power and wealth and

satisfying their uh urges now eventually

the seat of the papacy moved back to

italy in 1377 under the leadership of a

new pope who was all about making sure

that such a violation never happened

again he was pretty intense about it and

that led to a lot of fighting and so

back in france they just elected another

pope to rule from avignon so if you're

keeping track at home in 1377 the

catholic church in europe was dominated

by two rival popes who both claimed

absolute power this situation lasted for

almost 40 years and so going into the

16th century the average european

thought the church was corrupt and

hopelessly flawed people had the general

sense that popes were more interested in

consolidating power than guiding the

lives of the faithful and you know they

were so by the 1500s the catholic church

had gotten tangled up in political

matters and it accumulated a lot of

wealth and engaged in some corrupt

practices one of those corrupt practices

was simony which was the buying and

selling of church offices okay we've got

a bishop position open so who's the most

spiritually qualified priest we can find

well my uncle cletus is about as immoral

as they come but he does have a

hankering to wear one of them funny hats

and so he's prepared to offer you this

much for the office well i'm sure your

uncle cletus will make a fine bishop but

for sure the main corrupt practice you

need to know in the context of the

reformation is the buying and selling of

indulgences now back in the 12th century

the church developed the doctrine of

purgatory which said that after death

you went to neither heaven nor to hell

but to a kind of middle space called

purgatory here the soul was to be

purified before it entered heaven and

depending on how much of a turd you were

in life you could spend longer or

shorter in that place and you know it

wasn't a pleasant place to be so early

in the 16th century pope leo the 10th

offered catholics indulgences for

purchase to finance the completion of

saint peter's basilica and the deal was

the more you spent on indulgences the

less time you spent in purgatory now

prior to this confession was required

for the remission of sin but now if you

bought an indulgence you could

effectively have a sin forgiven without

ever confessing it now while all this

was going on an augustinian monk by the

name of martin luther it was right in

the struggle buzz though he was

fastidious about making confession and

doing his works of penance his anxieties

concerning personal sin would not leave

him in peace but around 1515 a

revolution occurred in his thinking as

he was studying the new testament

specifically romans chapter 1 he

discovered that it was not acts of

penance which rendered forgiveness to

the sinner but rather god forgave sins

for free based on the finished work of

christ additionally he came to see that

even salvation itself was a gift of

grace and not a reward for good works

and from there the reformations in his

thoughts just kept coming the further he

studied the bible the more he saw the

conflict with the catholic church he

began to hold to the priesthood of all

believers which challenged the

entrenched catholic dogma of the

priesthood of only a few believers and

because the papacy and the priesthood

had been severely demoted in many

people's estimation thanks to all the

conflicts i mentioned before this idea

of the priesthood of all believers would

later become very attractive luther also

began to formulate an idea that would

later be a tenet of the reformation

namely sola scriptura which means

scripture alone the idea here is that

the final authority for christians was

the bible and not the papal dogma so

with all this swirling around in his

monkish mind he composed a document

called the 95 theses which outlined in

detail his complaints against the

catholic church and as legend has it he

nailed them to the wittenberg church

door now the fact that he wrote these

theses in latin meant that he was

interested in sparking a discussion

among a few educated monks and priests

but because of the printing press the 95

theses were spread throughout the german

states of the holy roman empire with

great speed and he quickly found an

eager audience because apparently many

other germans felt the same way about

the catholic church's abuses now once

luther's complaints and new

interpretations of doctrines made it to

the church officials they officially

denounced him as a heretic they called

him to stand before the imperial diet of

worms and demanded that he recant his

writings to which he reportedly said

unless i am convinced by scripture and

plain reason my conscience is captive to

the word of god i cannot and i will not

recant anything for to go against

conscience is neither right nor safe god

help me amen now while luther was

developing his ideas and hiding after

the diet of forms the protestant

reformation began to spread rapidly and

the next most significant player in the

reformation was our boy john calvin he

was a minister in geneva switzerland and

one of his most significant

contributions to the reformation was to

systematize protestant doctrine which he

did in a lengthy treatise known as the

institutes of the christian religion and

in that treatise we can see an emphasis

on two of calvin's major innovations on

doctrine first was the doctrine of

predestination which taught that god had

from before the foundation of the world

decided who would be saved and who would

get all crispy in hell therefore

salvation and damnation was not a matter

of human choice but of god's choice the

second doctrine he formulated was the

doctrine of the elect which is related

to predestination the elect were those

whom god had chosen to save and those

who were truly elect had no choice in

the matter and further could never lose

their salvation now calvin's geneva was

essentially run as a theocracy which is

to say that the bible was the rule of

law in that city and not surprisingly

that had some upsides and it had some

downsides the upside was that calvin

taught that financial wealth was the

proper reward for hard work and so that

as long as the elect didn't allow money

to become their god then the

accumulation of wealth could be seen as

a sign of god's favor and since this was

going on in the context of the economic

shift in europe into the atlantic states

places like geneva and amsterdam grew

wealthy with the support of such

doctrines but the downside is that if

you disagreed with calvin you know he'd

have you burned at the stake like he did

michael servatus who disagreed with

calvin on baptism so that's funny and

then there was an even further

splintering of protestantism with the

rise of the anabaptists they believed in

the reformation principles that luther

and calvin did but they separated from

them on the question of baptism and

that's a recipe as we've already seen

for john calvin to burn your crap the

main beef the anabaptists had about

baptism was that they believed that only

adults should be baptized and not

infants on account of only adults could

profess that they had faith and infants

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