The Protestant Reformation 1517

The Protestant Reformation 1517 Martin Luther: The Rebel One Opportunity.

Background – a loss of confidence • The Catholic churchTHE church in Western Europe • Black Plague had devastated Europe – people thought God was punishing them & Church couldn’t stop it • Indulgences- pay money in order to get into heaven.

• The Church was extremely wealthy – Taxes

• Church officialsmany not very concerned with spiritual matters • Pope Leo X was trying to raise money to build a big new church in Rome (selling indulgences)

Pope Leo and his crib

The Protester • Martin Luther was a strange person plagued by the idea that he could never be good enough for God to love • Became a monk when he was frightened by being caught outside during a thunder storm • Was very worried about his soul’s salvation – confessed his sins for hours, fasted, went without sleep, trying to make up for sins

Luther’s cell as a monk Cell sweet Cell

Luther’s Breakthrough • Developed the idea of justification by faith • Have faith in God-all that was needed to get to heaven • Luther wanted to share this information with everyone – Thought Pope would agree, but he didn’t • The Pope just wanted $$ for his cathedral in Rome

The Conflict • A Catholic agent was in town, selling indulgences (get out of Purgatory free cards), giving people guilt-trips • “As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs” – John Tetzel’s selling slogan

Signed by John Tetzel, with whom Luther has his disagreement

The 95 Theses • Luther began seeing the church as corrupt, especially in selling indulgences • Wrote 95 complaints about indulgences and the church’s power • Nailed them to the castle church door in Wittenberg, Germany on October 31, 1517 causing a debate to begin

Spread of Luther’s Ideas • Printing press let Luther’s ideas spread quickly – Luther becomes even more radical and gains popular support • Pope condemns Luther • Luther burns the Pope’s excommunication in the public square

• German princes called Luther to the town of Worms, for a diet, or meeting • Told Luther to take back what he’d said • Luther refuses to take back what he said and is forced to go into hiding • German princes use Reformation as a rallying cry to free Germany of Papal interference

The Results • People soon take up Luther’s ideas, sparking wars and religious/political problems all over Europe • The church in Europe would never reunify – it would remain split between Catholics and Protestants Luther’s protector, Frederick the Wise

Protestant Reformation Task

• Create a comic strip (at least six slides) depicting the stages of the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther is the main character and should be included on every slide. • For each slide, write a short explanation (at least two sentences each). • Last, go view the 95 Theses on the door. Write one down and explain what it means.