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POPE & CIRCUMSTANCES THAT LEAD TO THE REFORMATION Looking In The Rearview As The Church Drives Forward

Lesson 8: What Led Up To The Reformation?

Introduction: How much power should the church have in matters of state? How much control does the church have over one’s salvation?

How would you deal with a church that has abused its power or taken on power that it is not given by God?

What would be the basis of confronting an abusive church? At what personal cost are you willing to risk to stand for the Word of God? These are the painful questions that reformers had to deal with.

Remember that most of the reformers grew up in the Roman Catholic church (e.g. Huss, Luther) and had to deal with the only church they knew

I. Pope And Circumstances

A. The Catholic Pursuit: One Nation Under A Respublica Christiana

The Roman Catholic Church, during the medieval millennium (roughly 500-1500), hoped to achieve a universal Christian empire they called Respublica Christiana.

This would have had the pope as the dual sovereign ruler over spiritual and temporal (political) realms.

This was the governmental concept that Augustine of Hippo espoused.

This aspiration was never achieved after combatting: o Heretical Movements o The Great Split (1054) o The Babylonian Captivity of the church – Pope Clement V moves the papacy from

Rome, Italy to Avignon, France in 1309 The popes were pawns of the state, during this period Martin Luther referred to this period as the Babylonian Captivity where the

state held the church captive. The Roman “see” returned to the Vatican in 1377

o The Great Schism – 2 competing popes in Avignon and Rome This issue would be resolved with the Conciliar Movement in 1415 at the

Council of Constance where Martin V was the first singular pope after the schism

o Several national monarchs who were able to defy many of the popes The Protestant Reformation and the Renaissance was the permanent dagger in this

aspiration B. The Catholic Power: 1. Excommunication

The pope had power over people by pronouncing excommunication

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To be anathematized was to be set apart from the church, thus grace was denied and salvation would be declined

A bishop would read the sentence of excommunication, ring a funeral bell and extinguish a candle, as if the person had died

If the excommunicate individual entered the church during Mass, the priest would either stop the Mass or physically remove the person

The excommunicated person had the privileges of being able to engage in civil matters as a witness, juror, lawyer or judge.

Imagine the fear a poor peasant or a biblically illiterate king would have of the pope and the church when one believes the church/pope has power over one’s eternal destiny!

2. Interdict

Excommunication is the removal of a person from the church.

The interdict locked a whole nation from the church The pope could order the suspension of worship and sacraments (baptism, extreme

unction) Pope Innocent III used the interdict 85x against temporal leaders who would not

submit to his orders, including: o Innocent used interdict against France to make King Philip Augustus conform

to the moral code of the church by remarrying the queen he divorced under approval from the local bishops

o Forcing King John of England (a signer of the Magna Carta) to comply with Innocent’s election of the archbishop of Canterbury by using excommunication against John and the interdict against England. British barons pressured John to let Innocent become England vassal, making England the pope’s fief and paying a hefty annual tribute.

o In the Holy Roman Empire (Germany), Innocent manipulated the civil war between two potential kings fighting for sole rulership. He used his power to make sure his candidate, Frederick II, the heir of Hohenstaufen, was elevated as he would submit to the pope and lead a crusade.

o Bruce Shelley: “Wielding these spiritual weapons Innocent and his successors in the papal office during the thirteenth century led Christianity to its peak of political and cultural influence. We simply cannot understand the pope’s place in our own times without some understanding of these years.” (Church History In Plain Language)

3. The Inquisitions

The third means to control the people and nations of Western Europe was the infamous Inquisition

The Fourth Lateran Council specified how the Inquisition would take shape The Inquisition would be used to question and call Roman Catholics suspected of

heresy to repent or be purged But eventually, the Inquisition was used beyond the Roman Catholic church and was

used as a tool over Jews and Muslims It was also a tool to remove movements that were inconvenient to the pope:

Waldenses, Cathari and Albigensians, for example

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Though employed for hundreds of years, the medieval form rose to prominence with Pope Gregory IX (1227-1241)

Frederick II, the Holy Roman Empire, gave an edict to round up religious heretics in 1232 and to have them delivered to government officials

But Gregory IX didn’t want Frederick meddling in spiritual matters, so Gregory employed the Inquisition for the church to deal with the heretics, so that Frederick couldn’t gain political momentum by making heretics a state issue

The Dominicans and Franciscans presided over the Inquisition Painful and torturous tools were used to extract the confession they wanted

The Inquisitions were secretive and no legal representation was possible for the accused

C. The Catholic Problems 1. Major Schism

(This chart and other charts with numbers are from John D. Hannah’s Church History: Charts of Reformation and Enlightenment,

Zondervan, 2004 or Church History: Charts of Ancient and Medieval, Zondervan, 2001 CDs)

2. Heretical Threats

a. The Paulicians Arose c. 7th century Dissented against and persecuted by the Eastern Orthodox church Heretical beliefs:

o Dualism o Docetism o Similar to Marcionism o Accepted Paul’s letter, but denied Old Testament and Peter’s writings

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o Very ascetic The movement declined in the 12th century

b. Bogomils

They emerged from the Euchites and were a significant movement in Eastern Europe

Heretical beliefs: o Dualism o Sabellianism (denial of Trinity) o Rejected sacraments o Asceticism

c. Cathari / Albigensians / Patarenes

Emerged in 11th century from the Paulicians and Bogomils

They were most prominent in southern France, particularly in Albi (which is why they were called the Albigensians)

They were aimed at during the Inquisition and Crusades Their followers were burned at the stake They mixed New Testament teaching with Gnostic, Paulician and Bogomil

dualism and ascetism Heretical beliefs:

o Dualism (similar to Manichaeans) Earle Cairns: “The Albigenses believed that there was an

absolute dualism between the good God, who made the souls of men, and the bad god, who was given a material body after he was cast out of heaven. Following his expulsion, the bad god made the visible world. Consequently matter is evil, and therefore the Cathari (literally, the pure) were opposed to reproduction of the race, to the sacraments, particularly the Mass with its emphasis on the physical presence of Christ in the elements, the doctrines of hell and purgatory, and a physical resurrection.” (Christianity Through The Centuries, Zondervan, 1981, p. 227)

o Docetism (Jesus appeared like a ghost, not in the flesh) – thus Jesus could not have been a man nor die on the cross

o Rejected Old Testament – claiming it was the work of the evil god, Satan, which represented the flesh

o Believed they were only true church o Divided people into the “Perfect” (only ones truly saved) and “Believers” o Rejected sacraments

Except for Consolamentum, where a follower would place the Gospel of John on their chest as an initiation into the “Perfect”

Cairns: “Salvation involved repentance, the rite of consolamentum- performed by the laying of hands and the Gospel of John on the head of the candidate – and an ascetic avoidance of marriage, oaths, war, milk, meat, cheese, and eggs. …The elite, called the perfecti, had forgiveness of sins and an assurance of restoration to the kingdom of God.” (ibid)

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o Believed in reincarnation o Some practiced suicide via starvation

Rejected indulgences and purgatory Pacifists

Ascetic (opposed marriage)

II. The Scholasticism

A. The Rise Of Universities

The Scholastic intellectual movement emerged between 1050 and 1350 The Fourth Lateran Council (1215) under Innocent III mandated greater educational

impetus It developed in cathedral and monastery

schools o The church needed to better address a

Europe that was growing economically and politically

o The church needed to respond to Muslims and Jews

o A simple monasticism didn’t give the answers the world was looking for

Cathedral schools blossomed into the universities in the 13th century

Cairns: “After 1050 the Scholastics replaced the fathers of the church as the main guardians of the truth, and doctor became as great a term of honor as father had been earlier in the history of the church.” (Christianity Through The Centuries, p. 231)

Gr. schole – a place of learning (school) Scholasticism sought to rationalize

theology by strengthening one’s faith through reason

Cairns: “The data of revelation were to be organized systematically by the use of Aristotelian deductive logic and were to be harmonized with the newly rediscovered philosophy of Aristotle.

The reemergence of Aristotle’s philosophy, through new translations of Aristotle by William of Moerbeke (1215-1286) and Averroes (1126-1298), led to the scholastic approach of harmonizing philosophy with revelation

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Abelard led the movement at the University of Paris The movement did not try to seek truth as much as it tried to organize it rationally “so that

truth, whether it came by faith from revelation or by reason from philosophy, might be a harmonious whole. The medieval mind sought intellectual as well as political and ecclesiastical unity.” (Cairns, p. 233)

B. The Debate About Knowledge

Schools of Scholasticism

Realism Moderate Realism or Conceptualism

Nominalism

Relation of faith and reason

I believe in order that I may know

I know in order that I may believe

I believe – separated from I know

Nature of reality

Universalia ante rem Universality before fact

Universalia in re Universalia post rem

Men Anselm Aquinas and Abelard William of Ockham and Roscellinus

Works Proslogion Monologion

Summa Theologiae

Modern proponents

Evangelicalism Roman Catholic Church Renaissance and Enlightenment

(Earle Cairns, Christianity Through The Centuries, Zondervan, 1981, p. 232)

1. Realism There are universals or objective

realities which exist apart from our minds

2. Conceptualism

An idea is universal, but there is no universality of things that correspond to the idea or mental representation

3. Nominalism

There is no universality of a concept or objective reality

Only its name is universal C. The Significant Scholars

1. A Lofty Lombard? Peter Lombard (c. 1000-1060) Professor at a cathedral school in Paris and bishop of Paris

He was one of the earliest synthesizers and expositors of Christian doctrine

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He wrote The Four Sentences in 1158 which was a 4-volume theology citing the Church Fathers using a question and answer format. These books became required text books in the significant universities.

o Dan Graves writes: “Peter arranged quotes from the Bible and from the church Fathers by topics in divisions called books. He subdivided all this material under questions. Since the authorities often did not agree, he analyzed their language and gave his own resolution between them. But when it suited him, he made no attempt to resolve the differences. On the whole, little in the work was original with him--which was as he intended.

“In spite of this, the Sentences became the foremost theology textbook of the thirteenth century, admired for their superb organization. Long after Peter died, which is sometimes given as this day, July 20, 1164, his work was the standard text in universities. In fact, it held a prominent place until the sixteenth century. It was more popular than Thomas Aquinas' writings.” (“Peter Lombard, Author of the Famed ‘Sentences,’” http://www.christianity.com/ChurchHistory/11629804/)

Taking his cue of Augustine, he believed that sanctification preceded justification – which is the main difference between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism’s soteriology

o Lombard taught that salvation is a process of obtaining righteousness

o He believed that salvation is by grace, but that grace is administered by the Roman Catholic church. Grace is dispensed to those who comply with the church.

o Participating in the sacraments was how a person might acquire redeeming grace

o Baptism removes sin man inherited from Adam. Thus the infant/individual only had to struggle against one’s own voluntary actions.

o By participating in the Eucharist, one gets more grace, as Christ’s death is continually reenacted.

o Sin must be dealt with through penance. o But the medieval believer had no idea

how much was enough, where they stood and thus had no basis for security.

o Lombard’s theology would be declared as creed at the Council of Florence (1438-1445).

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2. And Some Anselm? Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109)

Considered the “Father of Scholasticism” He sought to use reason as a tool to comprehend faith Though he believed Christianity can not be arrived at solely

through reason, he did see a teamwork between faith and reason.

Reason guarded one from mysticism, which had no intellectual or reasonable boundaries

He would establish theology through reason, more than through revelation

o He argued the existence of God by establishing the reality of an ultimate truth and goodness

Dan Graves explains: “Anselm's argument went something like this: When we discuss the existence of God, we define him as a perfect being, greater than anything else which can be conceived. If God does not exist, then the name "God" refers to an imaginary being. This makes the definition of "God" contradictory, for to be real, to be living, to have power is greater than to be imaginary. It is clear I cannot even discuss the word ‘God’ as defined if he does not exist, because I have to conceive of him as really existing in order for him to be greater than anything else, for a God who does not exist is not greater than anything else.” (“Anselm's

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Subtle Proof of God's Existence,” http://www.christianity.com/ChurchHistory/11629798/)

o Concerning the atonement, Anselm would argue that Christ could die on behalf of man because He was a man and satisfy God’s wrath because He is God (in his work Why the God Man?)

3. An Able Abelard? Peter Abelard (1079-1142)

Taught in Paris In his commentary on Romans, Abelard departs from

Anselm who believed that Jesus’ death appeased God’s wrath. Abelard contends that Christ’s death on the cross was an example for believers to follow.

He denied the substitutionary atonement of Christ and taught it was nothing more than an example.

4. A Keen Aquinas? Thomas Aquinas (1224-1274) Heralded as one of the greatest thinkers, writers and

theologians of all time. He was a Dominican teacher in Paris His books include Summa Contra Gentiles and the definitive

Catholic theology Summa Theologica o Summa Contra Gentiles was written to instruct

missionaries to apologetically deal with Muslims and Jews

o Summa Theologica was an introduction to theology and would replace Lombard’s “Sentences” as the standard textbook

In his writing about faith and reason, he considered the two related, but distinct. o Some areas of faith accessed what reason could not

E.g. the Trinity is not a merely rational conclusion o Reason does not cause faith, but helps to order facts assessed by faith

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o The ability for a non-believer or heretic to reason is corrupt (mind, will and soul of man are thoroughly corrupted), thus reason, alone, should not be trusted

o Divine intervention is a necessity for one’s understanding of salvation

Aquinas followed Augustine and Lombard on progressive salvation – grace is acquired through the sacraments, justification comes after one’s death

o Christ purchased grace on the cross

o But the Roman Catholic church holds it in reserve to confer on those obedient to the church

Aquinas’ soteriology (doctrine of salvation) would be the target of the Reformation with Martin Luther, John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli

Aquinas also defined the Catholic view of purgatory and Maryology

His writings were enshrined as dogmatic for the Roman Catholic Church at the Council of Trent (1545-1563)

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5. Outcome Occam? – William of Occam (c. 1285-1347)

A Franciscan who was opposite of Augustine, Lombard and Aquinas

He denied that the fall of man was disastrous to man He was more similar to Pelagius than Augustine

He would be excommunicated by the pope for believing that reason could not prove God’s existence

Philosophy and theology were two separate realms and did not co-exist

He also was critical of the papacy for its materialism and

power He believed that the pope

should be under the authority of church councils.

Martin Luther was agree with Occam on the rejection of the supremacy of the pope

He is also famous for Occam’s Razor: “Plurality should not be posited without necessity”

o Or “When multiple explanations are possible, prefer the simplest.”

Similar to Occam would be Robert of Holcot (d. 1349), a Dominican friar teaching at Oxford, taught that a person’s

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sincerity is the basis for God’s mercy o He wrote: “the pilgrim who does what he can to dispose himself for grace

always receives it.”) Gabriel Biel (1420-1495) founded Tubingen University and taught theology there.

He furthered Occam and Holcot’s theology of self-help. Gregory of Rimini (d. 1358) was an Augustinian Hermit teaching in Paris also stated

human ability: “It is the opinion of many moderns that man, by his natural powers alone … can perform a morally good act in the present state of fallen nature … They depart from the definitions of the church and favor the condemned error of Pelagius…. No one can merit first grace….” (cited by John Hannah, Kregels Pictorial Guide To Church History, Vol. 3, The Triumph of the Church, 500-1500, p. 27)

D. The Conciliar Movement

This movement developed within the Catholic church to resolve its deep conflicts

The issue of two popes (Avignon and Rome) The pope being the supreme authority or

subject to church councils The pope having power of church and state

or just the church Those within the church were also

contending that the Scripture is the authority of the church, not the pope

The voting of one pope and deciding that the pope had supreme authority angered those in the church who wanted reform

E. The Renaissance Revolution

The Renaissance was a movement led by humanists, who considered themselves the intellectual and artistic elite in Europe

They contrasted themselves from the Roman Catholic church that was polluted with moral and spiritual compromise

It was a humanist movement in the sense that it empowered people “could solve their own problems by reconnecting with the past, an idea that unwittingly undercut confidence in the church.” (John Hannah, The Kregel Pictorial Guide to Church History, p. 11)

Italy’s Renaissance took shape in art and architecture in a recapitulation to their Greco-Roman heritage

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But in northern Europe, the Renaissance humanism was an effort to pursue the scholarship in returning to original source (e.g. Bible over Catholic tradition; Greek New Testament)

o The study of biblical languages o The study of early church fathers

The Roman Catholic church would ignore the Renaissance as they were too involved with wars, too in debt and building St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome and instead of reforming, became more corrupt.

III. The Pre-Reformers

A. The Issues

The cry for reform grew strong The absolute power of the pope corrupted

absolutely Clergy were purchasing higher offices

(simony) Clergy had wives and concubines Forgiveness of sin or salvation was purchased

(indulgence) Dante wrote Inferno placing several popes in

hell Chaucer depicted a friar on the way to

Canterbury as being lazy and gluttony B. The Leaders 1. Thomas Bradwardine (c. 1290-1349)

English theologian and mathematician Became archbishop of Canterbury in 1349 He taught that salvation is from God’s grace, not works He died of the Black Plague

2. Gregory of Rimini (d. 1358)

An Italian philosopher and Augustinian monk He taught that salvation is from God’s grace, not works

3. John Wycliffe (1324-1384)

a. His Early Years

John Wycliffe was born in Ipresswell, England About 44 miles NW of York, 1324

Nicknamed: “The Morning Star of the Reformation” as his attacks on the Roman Catholic Church laid the foundation for the Reformation

He was steeped in Roman Catholic teaching He was educated at Oxford University and received a

doctorate of theology in 1372

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Oxford was a Roman Catholic University at the time By 30 years old, he served as professor at Oxford and as a pastor in many

churches He was a strong scholar, philosopher and theologian. He held a platotist or

realist (as opposed to nominalist).

b. His Positions

Sola Scriptura – the Bible is the sole authoritative guide for faith and practice, not the Pope + Tradition + Scripture.

Sola Christo – Christ is the only Head of the Church, not the pope. The pope was also said to not be able to sin, which Wycliffe also opposed.

Only two orders in the church – elder and deacon. He contested the orders of monks and nuns.

Against the clergy getting involved in secular matters, especially controlling kings and magistrates

o His position was that the clergy is to tend to spiritual things and if they fail in their calling, the magistrates should discipline the priests

o But the priests and the popes positioned themselves beyond the civil authorities, thus had no checks and balances

Against clerical celibacy – clergy can marry Against baptismal regeneration – baptism does not save Against transubstantiation – the communion elements are representative, not

the actual body/blood, of Christ o Horton: “The storms against him occasioned by these teachings,

however, were as nothing to the gale loosed when he tampered with the doctrine of transubstantiation, which made every mass a miracle. The power to change the consecrated bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper into the very body and blood of Christ was a central point of the medieval exaltation of the office of priest. Only the priest, through magical powers conferred by ordination, could perform the miracle of the mass. Ordinary mortals could never hope to participate in this great wonder except through the service of the priest at the altar.” (The Portable Seminary, p. 464)

Against the Crusade indulgences, which gave forgiveness to those two died on the way to or reached Jerusalem

Against religious orders Taught predestination

c. His Efforts Of Reform

He vigorously opposed the R.C. church on works salvation, indulgences, and transubstantiation (where the elements of communion become the real presence of Christ).

By opposing the corrupt Roman Catholic church collecting taxes, he was popular with the government.

But when he also opposed governmental corruption, his popularity disappeared

He taught in On Civil Lordship that righteousness is the basis for authority, not a title or holding an office

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Church History Magazine cites: “Wycliffe even criticized the pope. When Urban VI and Clement VII were each claiming to be pope and excommunicating each other, Urban called for war. Wycliffe replied, ‘How dare he make the token of Christ on the cross (which is the token of peace, mercy, and charity) a banner to lead us to slay Christian men, for the love of two false priests!’” (“The Fiery Man Behind The First English Bible,” Issue 43)

He wrote On The Power Of The Pope that the papacy was not biblical and that the immoral popes are the antichrist

The RC Church wanted England to support them, but Wycliffe advised Parliament not to comply because the nation was poor and trying to raise money to ward off the French

As a result of his opposition, he was expelled from his teaching position

He then went to the church in Lutterworth and took up Bible translation

d. His Translation He became convinced everyone had a right to

read the Scriptures Wycliffe stated: “Englishmen learn Christ’s law

best in English. Moses heard God’s law in his own tongue, so did Christ’s apostles.”

The R.C. church was against putting the Bible in the common language of the people in fear that it might corrupt them and cause a rebellion

Wycliffe translated the Bible from Latin to English (common to man)

He completed the NT in 1380 with help of these friends, and OT in 1382

With no printing press, each Bible was copied by hand, each Bible taking 10 months

The Wycliffe Bible was not translated from the Hebrew and Greek, but from the Vulgate (Erasmus’ Greek NT wasn’t until 1516)

It is noted by some that Wycliffe was the influence and inspiration of several disciples that did the actual translation work and that Wycliffe did not do any of the actual translation

e. His Persecution

The RC Church rejected the translation, mostly because it was in English (they only accepted the Latin language)

Christianity Today writers Coffman & Lane specify: “The main problem was that it was the Wycliffe Bible: it was distributed by his followers (the “heretical” Lollards) and used to attack the teachings and practices of the church. In addition, the church was concerned about the effect of Bible reading upon the uneducated laity. The Bible was best left to the eyes of educated clergy, since salvation was mediated through the teachings of the

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church and the clergy-led sacraments.” (“Church History Corner: Translation Wars”)

The Wycliffe Bibles, as well as several of the translators (Lollards), were burned

Yet 170 of these Bibles still exist - all handwritten before 1430. This is a testimony for the passion of the believers who wanted the Bible in their own language

Though there were five papal bulls (edicts) that demanded Wycliffe’s arrest, his friends and supporters protected him and was never tried as a heretic

John Wycliffe died on Dec 31, 1384 by a stroke He was declared a heretic at the Council of Constance

1415. His body was exhumed and burned with his ashes were thrown into the Swift

River in 1429. Thomas Fuller: “They burned them to ashes and cast them into Swift, a

neighboring brook running hard by. Thus this brook hath conveyed his ashes into Avon, Avon into Severn, Severn into the narrow sea, they into the main ocean. And thus the ashes of Wyclif are the emblem of his doctrine, which now is dispersed all the world over.” (The Church History of Britain, cited by Horton, p. 464)

4. John Huss (c. 1373-1415)

A.k.a. Jan Hus

He was born into a peasant family His surname, Huss, means “goose” An ordained Roman Catholic priest from Bohemia (modern day

Czechoslovakia) He attended University of Prague and in 1401 became the

Dean of the philosophy His students brought in the teachings of Wycliffe and he had

to consider whether to burn Wycliffe’s books, as demanded by the R.C. church.

The archbishop of Prague, Zbynek Zajic of Hazmburk, who once supported Huss, followed the papal bull, but Huss refused.

Huss preached: “Now is fulfilled the prophecy of Jacob of Tamaro that in the year 1409 one should arise to persecute the Gospel and the faith of Christ, for the late Pope, I know not whether he be in heaven or in hell, has written on his wretched parchments to the archbishop to burn the books of Master John Wyclif, wherein are many good things.” (cited in Horton, p. 465)

He was a powerful and respected preacher at the Bethlehem Chapel His emphases:

o The Church is about living like Christ, not the sacraments o The Scripture is the church’s sole authority o The opposition of indulgences, transubstantiation and clerical celibacy

He was quite outspoken against indulgence sold for the purpose of raising up Crusaders. Three of Huss’s supporters were executed and Huss was forced to flee Prague.

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While in exile, he published De Ecclesia, (“Concerning the Church”), where he challenged the authority of the pope and cardinals stating that Christ, not Peter, is the foundation of the Church.

Alexander V issued the papal bull against Wycliffe’s followers, doctrines and books. Huss was part of this condemnation (1410).

The government took the side of Huss and his death brought riots. The pope pronounced an interdict against Prague.

He was burned at the stake after being condemned at the Council of Constance which convened in 1414

He went through extreme humiliation and torture

After being burned alive, his ashes were thrown in the river

Contained in the library at Prague, Czechoslovakia are three medals minted in 1572. One pictures Wycliffe striking a spark from a stone, the second depicts Huss kindling the sparks into a fire and the third portrays Luther holding up the lit torch from the fire.

5. John Of Wessel (d. 1481)

A German theologian who taught at the University of Erfurt His emphases:

o Salvation by grace alone (sola gratia) o Scripture is sole authority for the Church (sola scriptura) o Opposed: sale of indulgences, transubstantiation, clerical celibacy

He died in prison after being arrested for heresy and refusing to recant

6. Girolamo Savonarola (1452-1498)

The Italian Dominican monk who instituted the Bonfire of the Vanities, which was a public burning of immoral books and implements (gambling, make-up, etc.)

He preached against the immoral papacy, brought down the Medici family, called out the sins of Alexander VI and dealt with the evil behavior in Florence, Italy.

Savonarola: “When I reflect upon the priests, I am constrained to weep … A terrible chastisement awaits them … O prostitute church, thou hast displayed thy foulness to the whole world and stinkness unto heaven!”

He was hanged and burned for heresy in Florence 7. Francisco Ximenes de Cisneros (d. 1517)

A Franciscan monk and a Castilian statesman He served under the regime of King Ferdinand or Aragon and Queen

Isabella of Castile, both of whom were devoted to the papacy

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He was appointed confessor to the queen in 1492 (when Ferdinand and Isabella launched Columbus to sail the ocean blue), then became archbishop of Toledo three years later

He first sought to reform the Franciscan monastery, which became worldly. A thousand monks refused to comply and left Spain.

He reestablished the Inquisition to bring the church in line But he also became devoted to studying the Bible scholastically, with the new

framework that humanism brought in He then sought to use the Scriptures to help the church, rather than to keep it away

from the people He led a form of a Spanish reformation with a fresh love for the Word of God

8. Desiderius Erasmus (c. 1466-1536)

Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam was a brilliant Catholic scholar and Dutch Christian humanist

He was born in around 1466-1536 in the Netherlands as an illegitimate son of a Dutch priest

As an orphan, he entered the monastery (1492), was released from his vows, studied the College de Mantaigu in Paris

He advocated a peaceful reform in the church, as opposed to the fiery methods of Savonarola

He produced the first full Greek NT in 1516 employing textual criticism (comparison of six later manuscripts)

Erasmus dedicated his 1516 edition of the Textus Receptus to Pope Leo X This Greek text of the New Testament that would be the basis for Martin Luther’s

translation

He would protest the hypocrisy and inconsistency of the Roman Catholic church He had several debates with Luther, via letters, on the topic of free will Frederick Norwood: “He certainly personified a most successful marriage of

Christianity with the new humanism, indicating one way in which the profound differences between the Renaissance and the Reformation could, in part at least, be resolved.” (The Portable Seminary, ed. by Horton, p. 469)

C. The Dissenting Movements

These dissenting movement were still considered heretical according to the Roman Catholic church and are frequently grouped in with the other truly heretical movements like the Cathari.

David Horton: “They were heretical with reference to the orthodox position of the Roman church, but apostolic in their own interpretation. Insofar as they turned from the authority of the church to the authority of the Bible and from the example of ecclesiastical tradition to that of Christ and his disciples, they may be described as forerunners to the Reformation.” (The Portable Seminary, Bethany House, 2006, p. 457)

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1. Where’s Waldo – The Waldensians Founded by Peter Waldo (d. 1215) in southern France

o Peter, from a rich family, was so moved by the New Testament that he gave up all he owned, except what was needed to feed his family (c. 1176)

o He encouraged others to take on a life of poverty A.k.a. Poor Men of Lyons or Poor Lombards

The movement began in the late 12th century and spread from Lyon to Lombardy to Italy, Austria and Germany

They are compared to the Puritans They drew ire from the R.C. church because they would read

the Bible without help or direction from the R.C. priests

G. G. Coulton recounts a story of a young cowherder who lived year with a Waldensian family: “Whatsoever is preached and not proved by the Bible text, they hold for fables.” (cited by Horton, p. 458)

Waldensian preachers were called “barba” (uncles) to differentiate themselves from Catholic “fathers”

They went two by two, dressed imply and preached to the poor

They had bishops, priests and deacons Their emphases:

o The Bible should be in the hand and in the tongue of every person o The Bible, alone, is man’s authority o Sermon on the Mount was the major focus o Communal lifestyle and manual labor o Lay preaching (including women) o Preaching in the language of the common

people o They denied the R.C. doctrine of Purgatory

They were anathematized for preaching without the permission of the pope in 1184

That only led them to preach against the corrupt Catholic church with greater fervor

There were “friends” who were secret allies with the Waldensians, who still remained in the R.C. church

They were persecuted in northern Italy and Austria

They consented to the Reformation in 1532 The persecution would drive the Waldensians

into the Alps of southern France, northern Italy, southern Switzerland and western Austria

They still exit as a group of around 35,000 believers in northern Italy.

They are known as the Vaudois in the French-Italian alps who have their origins 350+ years before Luther and Calvin

Figure 1 A Waldensian school in Waldensian Valley, Italy

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2. L.O.L. With The Lollards John Wycliffe established a group of itinerant preachers known as the "Lollards" to

share the Bible with England They spread the English Bible

Their emphases:

o Lay preachers o Pacifism o Against transubstantiation, pilgrimages,

auricular confession (to a priest), iconoclasm (veneration of images), purgatory and clerical celibacy

Many were martyred, but several recanted under the pressure of being put on trial

Sir John Oldcastle, a Lollard leader, was the inspiration for Shakespeare’s Falstaff

3. The Huff Over The Hussites

The Hussites followed John Huss and were influenced by the Waldensians

They were split into the Taborites and the Utraquists

They were later known as the Unitas Fratrum or Bohemian Brethren

Their emphases: o Sola Scriptura – authority of the Bible

over the church, not the pope o The Scriptures should be translated in

the language of the common people o The laity can partake of the

communion cup o Against transubstantiation, veneration

of saints, sale of indulgences (forgiveness of sins) and auricular confession

They were the object of attack for five papal crusades called the Hussite Wars, but the Hussites were victorious each time (1420-1431).

Within a century, 90% of the Czech people would follow Huss and deny Catholicism The Council of Basel brought compromise with the Hussites Their movement continues through the Moravian church, today

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Discussion: 1. Why did the Catholics forbid the common man from reading the Bible? 2. What are the results of Biblical ignorance? 3. In what ways do we see movements and religions try to suppress the Bible today? 4. How does 2 Timothy 3:16-17 apply to this issue? 5. What other verses encourage you in the importance of reading the Word?