The Protestant Reformation

1. What were the most important precursors to the Protestant Reformation?

Among the most important precursors of the Protestant Reformation were the Lollards and the Hussites who were among the first to voice their opposition to the Church. The Lollards, for example, stated that the church had gone against the teachings of the scriptures, but had wrongly vested power in itself for its own ends. The Hussites closely followed the teachings of the Lollards, who after their leader was burnt at the stake for heresy, brought about the Hussite wars in Bohemia.

2. What charges did reformers level against the Catholic Church in the early sixteenth century?

Among the charges hat the reformers leveled against the Catholic Church was that the authority of the pope had no grounds in the scriptures and that, in fact, Christ was the true head of the church. In addition, many reformers believed that the celibacy practiced by the priests was on Christian teachings. Furthermore, the priests of the Church wereaccused of not being a good example to their parishioners as their lives did not exemplify the ideal life they preached about. The mandatory confessions prescribed by the church werealsocondemned because of the belief that priests had no authority to grant pardons for sins committed. Related to the latter, there was a strong opposition among the reformers concerning the Church’s selling of indulgences for the reprieve from sins. This was seen as a means through which the Church was enriching itself at the expense of those who sought to have their sins forgiven.

3. How do you account for the spread of the Reformation?

The Reformation spread extraordinarily quickly across Europe because of the fact that many princes saw it as an opportunity to break free from the influence of the church. Moreover, there were some areas in Europe where the moral authority of the church had waned over the centuries due to the corruption within it. Therefore, the Reformation was welcomed in these areas with open arms as many saw it as a new beginning away from the church. Furthermore, many of those who were proponents of the reformation were, and this led many to believe that they had died for the sake of the truth. The brutal actions taken by the church to counter the reformation also played a hand in its spread because it tended to alienate those who would otherwise have defended the church.

4. What impact did the Reformation have on European society?

An impact of the Reformation in Europe is the fact that it led to the division of European society along doctrinal lines. In addition, it led to the reduction of the influence of the Catholic Church from a powerful force to a silhouette of its previous self. The Reformation also led to religious conflict in Europe as those nations that had remained Catholic fought those which had become Protestant. Furthermore, it led to the development of the idea that the church should be under the state and not equal or above it. In this way, the church in many European states came to be under the authority of the state and not all powerful as it previously had been.

5. How did the Catholic Church respond to the Reformation?

The Catholic Church responded to the Reformation by starting its own series of reform so that its teachings could be made clearer to its followers. These reforms were aimed at stopping any more of its followers from leaving the church and joining the ranks of the Protestants. Furthermore, it was a genuine effort to remove the corruption that had been plaguing the church for a long time and restore it to its former glory. The Catholic Reformation was aimed at salvaging as much authority as it had left within Europe.