Introduction:
Reformation was
a great movement beginning from the 13th century A-D. The purpose was
to reform the church morally and doctrinally on the basis of the scripture.
That was far reaching effects in political, economic and social. Reformation
was begun in Germany.
In this paper we are going to discuss about the need for reformation, the
Renaissance and Prominent People involved, The Reformers and the people who
reformed the Church.
The Need For Reformation:
The need for reformation was great
and especially urgent in the case of papal finance. The pope could not live on
his own salary, and the traditional revenue has no longer sufficient for the
increase of papal administration, he used the same expedient as lay rulers. He sells
the office which was known as simony, he introduce the doctrine about
purgatory, the four sacrament which deals with the forgiveness and removal of
sin and the cancellation of the punishment of their sin. These sacraments are
baptism, Eucharist, penance and anointment of the sick. The sacrament of
penance involves three acts the contrition, confess to a priest and
satisfaction.[1] “The
introduction of the indulgence which was a reflecting of the punishment imposes
by the church for transgression against some religious commandment.”[2]
This purpose of indulgence was first refers upon those who risk their life in
fighting. But this system was extended to financial gifts for wealthy spiritual
causes. Further more pope Beneface viii put forward about indulgence that “the
power to remit the punishment for the transgression’s well as to absolve all
guilt incurred in sinning. Thus by buying indulgence man had the right to
expect God’s mercy.”[3]
During the fifteenth century the saint become more and more popular, children
were given then the name of saints ladies followed the virginity of Mary and
become nun leaving their houses.[4]
All this misbehavior in the Roman Catholic Church by the
leader leads reformation and renaissance in the church.
The Renaissance:
Apart from above factor other than
religious movement which prepared for the reformation was the great movement
called renaissance, it was not a religious movement but prepared for the
reformed movement. The used of printing press spread knowledge among the masses.
The scholasticism was replaced by the method of genuine science which is new
and precious discoveries when Constantinople
fell to the truks in 1453. Most of the reformers fled into the west bringing
with them knowledge, Greek literature which have been carefully preserved
throughout the year. Most of the popes during this era were interested in new
learning and arts. Nicolas v was the founder of Vatican
library and was the first pope who was interested in the renaissance. He
ordered many Greek classic to be translated into Latin.
Some of the Renaissances during
1452-1536 are
Savonarola (1452-1498). Although he accepted mediaeval
theology he effect the life of many scholars when renaissance had lead many
members into sensualist of paganism in his native Italy. His stainless and earnest
preaching affected the masses and caused fashionable women vanities. He was
condemned as heresy and was burnt by the Roman Catholic.
John Colet (1466-1519). John was
one of the groups of a brilliant humanist at oxford and was influenced by Savonarola.
He broke the methods of scholastics and lectures on Paul epistles. He taught
the students the important thing in human life was to keep the bible and the
apostle’s creed. He believed that there is no priest hood and denies transubstantiation.
He has a lot of followers one of his faithful students was Erasmus. He was
declares as heresy and burnt in the stake.
Desiderius Erasmus (1467-1536).
Erasmus was born at Rotterdam
and later become one of the greatest in humanist. He was a professor in
divinity and Greek at Cambridge.
His aim was to reform the Church in Rome.
But during reformation many followers were living him. He was accused by the
Roman Catholic and the protestant as lack of courage.[5]
The Reformation
Before
Luther reformation, there were some people who pay their life in reformation.
Erasmus became the most prominent exponent; he protests Devotio Moderna and
Humanist; John Wycliffe and John Huss protest the rank of the secular clergy
but they fail to reform the church. Wycliffe was too radical during his time.
He lost much of his earlier support when he concluded that the pope was the
Anti Christ and harshness on the Babylonian captivity (ca 1304 -1377) and the
papal Schism. The burning of Huss (in1415) and Jerome of prayer 1416 was,
“decreed by the council of Constance
(1414-1418), this effect the Reformation. This Reformation could not occur
sooner because of lack of an effective medium from spreading, but this was
succeeded due to the work of those who preached reform before Luther[6]. For more than three hundred years the church
had violent turmoil in many areas. There had been developed many parties like Albegenses
and the Waldenses. During the 14th century the successor of Pope Boniface
viii were captive for seventy years.
In England there are some people who tried to
reforms the church as we see above like Wycliffe and the Lollard John Huss in Bohemia. After a year
the Dominicans became into power in the church. The Turks in the fifteenth
century captured Eastern Europe and the Constantinople.
The pope began to rule all the empire and began to change all the doctrine of
the church. They made the doctrine which were not found in the scripture of the
bible, such as doctrine of purgatory, Transubstantiation, indulgence, and
declare the pope as the successor of Apostle Paul. When the renaissance started
many scholars and the students look back to the church father writing. They
began to read the scriptures in the original language and found that some of
the doctrines were not found in the scripture and they began to doubts the
church practice.
Some of the reformers during 1320-1564
John Wycliffe (1320-1384): he
was born in England
in the year 1320. He studied in Oxford
University and later he
became professor in that institution and began to criticize the clergy in 1376.
He said that “wealth and political had so corrupted the church that a radical
reform was necessary.”[7] He
also called the pope Anti Christ. He declared the bible as the authority rather
than the church. He began to translate the bible into English. He had many
followers and they began to spread throughout England. Event though he opposed
the pope and the church, he was not died as martyr because the people of England were sympathy to him as well as his
followers so the people in England
protected Wycliffe and his followers. He died in natural death in the year
1384.
John Huss (1369-1415): he was
born in Bohemia
in 1369. Huss trained for priesthood in his own birth place. He began to work
as a dean in theological seminary in Prague
University. Later he
became the head in that university. He accepted Wycliffe and began to teach his
theology. He preached about the corruption of clergy and against the teaching
of indulgence. In the year 1414 general council was held in Constance
conducted by emperor Sigismud to make an end of the schism. Huss was invited to
attend this meeting. After the meeting was over Huss was put into prison as a
heresy. On July 1415 he was tied in a stake surrounded by the firewood and the
flame licked his body and died as a martyr death.
Martin Luther (1483-1546): He
was born in Eisleben, in Germany
on 10th of November 1483. His father worked in mining industry. Martin received
his elementary education in Erfurt
and obtained his master degree in 1505. His father wanted him as a lawyer, but
martin did not interest as a lawyer so he dropped his study and entered in
Augustinian monastery in Erfurt
in the year 1507. He studied theology and became a tutor in Wittenburg. Martin
was a devoted catholic church. On one occasion he climbed in his knees at the
step called Scala Santa (a stairway which was said to be the one which Jesus
climbed to reached Pilate). Some books reported that on his way he have the
sense of hearing a voice “the just shall live by faith.” He was shocked at that
moment so he got up and worked down from the stair way. Some said that his
conversion was not on the stairway. His conversion was on 1512 when he began to
read the epistle of Paul to the Romans, 1:17. His heard become joy and
happiness and become new believers in Christ. In his life he started to see the
false doctrine made by the church. He started to appose the selling of
indulgence. To appose this indulgence he published his ninety-five thesis and
pasted on the door in wittenburg church. He also apposed much catholic practice.
He also debated with many catholic monks but they could not stop him. Instead
he received many followers from the people. On June 15.1520, Pope Leo
excommunicated Luther and sign the bull as heretic. He also stands before the
diet of worm but they could not put Luther down. He wrote many books as well as
songs, one of his popular songs was “A Mighty fortress is our God.” he also
translated many bible from the original copy. He married a nun name Catherine
Van Baron[8].
In 1564 he was asked to go to Eisleben due to the quarrelling of the two
princes. He was old and become ill, but he moved on under the snowy winter
leaving his wife and children. He was died in Eisleben the place he was born on
February 18, 1546.[9]
Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531): He
was born in Switzerland
on 1 January 1484. He did not live like a monk in a convent. He received his
education under the influence of renaissance and was interested in ancient
writing of Greek and Latin. He studied in Basil, Bern
and Vienna. In
1506 he received Master of Arts and become pastor in the church in Zurich in 1519. He was
also a Chaplian in the army. He was strongly under the influence of Erasmus. In
1518 he attacked indulgence and was also a great inspired by Luther activity in
burning the papal bull and the leipzing debate. But he was differing on the
Lord’s Supper. He taught that Christ body was in heaven and the word this is my
body signifies the symbol of Christ body and blood. In October 1529, Luther and
Zwingli held a conference in Marburg
but they could not come into agreement. He was died in the battle on 1531.
John Calvin, (1509-1564): Calvin
was born in Noyon on July 10, 1509. His father was secretary of Noyon bishop.
When he was just twenty six years he published a book “institute of the
Christian religion.” He met with Farel in Geneva
and worked with him to reformation. He became pastor among the French refugees.
After Calvin left Geneva
the church become confusion and disorder. When his friends in Geneva
come into political power they invited him to come back to Geneva. He entered to Geneva for the second time on September 13,
1541. He started to renew the church order and set some rules in for the
church. The rule was best upon the teaching from the scripture. He chooses
elders to govern the church. He set up Protestant
University in Geneva.
He died in May 27, 1564.
Conclusion
Reformation was a great event for the protestant; because of
their hard working we can receive the real gospel. If they did not reform the
church we will not know the real gospel from the bible. Now we are here because
of their hard working in reforming the church. They teach us that we need to be
aware of the false teaching within the church because, like the early church
people may preached about the false doctrine and we are here to correct them,
to teach the people about the truth of the gospel.
References:
[1]B K.
Kuiper, The Church in History
(Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1966), p158.
[2] George
L. Mosse, The
Reformation (USA: Henry Holt and company, inc. published, 1953), p04.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Hans J.
Hiller brands, the reformation: a
narrative history related by contemporary observer and participants
(Grand Rapids: Baker Book House Published, 1972) p17.
[5] AM
Renwick, The
Story of the Church (London: Inter-Varsity fellowship published, 1968),p
[6] William
R. Estep, Renaissance and
Reformation (Grand Rapids:
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1986), p58.
[7] B K.
Kuiper, The Church in History
(Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1966), p143.
[8] B
K. Kuiper, The Church in History
(Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1966), pp143-186
[9] The New Encyclopedia Britannica. Vol.
30 (Chicago: Henry Heming Way Benton Published, 1974), p195.
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