Protestant and Catholic Reformation

Protestant and Catholic Reformation

Introduction

The protestant Reformation took place in many forms in the continent of Europe from 1500 - 1700. It was one of the major changes in Europe since the fall of Roman Empire that had its effects on the societal norms throughout the continent. The Reformation was a reactionary movement to the Roman Catholic Church and exposed a major threat to its structure and administration in the Western half of Europe. Key changes in the political landscape and thinking of the people in the western hemisphere took place. The authority of the pope was challenged on political, social and economic fronts. It was a movement against the domination of social order by the Catholic Church. As a result, social order changes of that time continue to impose a significant influence over the behavior and attitude of the people in Europe.

Discussion

In Europe, the Baltic region felt the greatest change on account of the protestant reformation. There were defects on the religious, political and social life of the population. There were also some implications on education and language development. Effects also prevailed on the development of language as religious services were carried out in local languages instead of Latin, and translation of religious works took place. Religious people in the vicinity of the west objected to the new sense of secularism that was gaining ground with the renaissance period in Europe. One of these opponents turned out to be a German priest and professor, named Martin Luther who issued a challenge to the church in 1517 over the rise of worldly interest in their institution. Luther was in favor of the church reverting back to its former ways and sidelining with the recent interest that it had arisen in wealth and power. Luther felt that the church's interest in power and elate was corrupting it. He also translated the Bible into German as he supported the notion of the priesthood to belong to the Christian believer and not the religious chain of command.

This irritated the church which directed Luther to stop his activities. Luther refused, and when the princely political aides came to his support, he led the Lutheran movement across northern Germany which soon spread to Scandinavia. This led the medieval Europe of that time into a civil war.

The church also faced a challenge at the same time from the newly rising middle class of urban Europe. This middle class group was a wealthy and literate group. They started being stimulated by the teachings of Calvin, a Geneva reformer. Calvin took the same stand as that of Luther and started gathering and accumulating scholars and teachers of the protestant sects. These scholars he felt would go back to their home provinces and take the movement with them. As a result, in the latter half of the 16th century, the reformed movement of Calvin gained ground in the cities and towns of Scotland, England, France, Western Germany, England, and Bohemia. It spread to other parts such as ...