The Beginning of the Protestant Reformation

Martin Luther at the Diet of Worms, 1877 (painting by Anton von Werner)

The Protestant Reformation was a religious, political, intellectual and cultural upheaval against the Catholic Church that established European beliefs in modern times,¹ and it was by far one of the most significant events during the Renaissance. The word Protestant derives from the word “protest” and “reformation” comes from “reform”, as the Protestant Reformation was a protest against certain aspects of the Catholic Church, and stood for reforming organized religion.² The Reformation consisted of the ideas of purifying the church, and that the Bible is the source of spiritual authority (as opposed to church traditions).³

To understand why people challenged the Church, it is vital to understand the history of the Church’s dominance. During the Renaissance, the the Roman Catholic Church was the only church in Western Europe and was extremely powerful both spiritually and politically.⁴ The influence of the Church had increased in the last century, and Popes and Cardinals lived more like royalty than spiritual leaders.⁵ As well as having spiritual authority, Popes exercised political power through commanding armies, forming political alliances and enemies, and even waging wars.⁶ There was corruption within the hierarchy of the Church, as the selling of Church positions and biases based on familial connections were commonplace.⁷

Many wanted the authority of the Pope limited and their own powers increased so that they were more equal to the Church.⁸ In northern and central Europe, attempts were made to reform the Church, by reformers such as John Wycliffe and Jan Hus, but it was not until Martin Luther protested the Catholic Church’s power and their interpretation of Christian practices when the Church was successfully challenged.⁹

Martin Luther was a German monk and Professor of Theology at the University of Wittenberg, and according to tradition, he posted his “95 Theses” on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, which were a list of statements of his concerns about the sale of indulgences and his overall opinions on Church beliefs.¹⁰ Indulgences were pieces of paper given in acknowledgement of donations or other charitable works, and through indulgences the Church guaranteed the reduction of one’s time in purgatory (where souls made up for their sins before being allowed to enter heaven).¹¹ Luther was critical of how entering heaven was connected with a financial arrangement; he believed that people reach heaven by faith alone.¹² He claimed that God’s grace is freely given to humans, and that it could not be earned through any sort of good works.¹³

Typically, the beginning of the Protestant Reformation is considered the publication of Martin Luther’s “95 Theses” in 1517.¹⁴ The reformers were the first to skillfully use the printing press to reach a wide audience, and between 1518 and 1525 Luther published more works than the next 17 most prolific reformers combined.¹⁵ Though he was summoned before the Diet of Worms in 1521 and excommunicated, Luther later translated the bible into German and continued spreading his ideas,¹⁶ contributing greatly to the beginning of the Reformation.