England and the European Reformation

The Reformation was…

-An act of God

-The rise of the popular people

-The break from the tyranny of the Pope

-A rejection of the Bible’s teaching

-The destruction of English ways of life

- The result of a adulterous King’s passion

Complex!

Some perspectives…

- Martin Luther

- Henry VIII

- Zwingli

- Erasmus

Martin Luther

Justification By Faith

“The old Church was immensely strong, and that strength could only have been overcome by the explosive power of an idea.” Diarmaid MacCulloch

Luther’s ‘Conversion’:

Romans 1 v. 17 “…the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith…”

- Idea of imputation

Implications:

- Personal salvation

- No need for a Pope, priest or confession

- The power of an idea

Henry VIII

“…the real - if most unlikely - revolutionary was Henry himself.” David Starkey

The power behind the Reformation?

Henry’s motivations:

- Love

- Money

- Power

- Theological persuasion

The results:

-The formation of the Church of England

- The role of Parliament (Elton’s ‘Revolution in Government’)

- Reformation from above

Ulrich Zwingli

Zwingli’s difference:

- Emphasis on adult baptism

- Rejected the veneration of Saints

- Rejected the need to fast e.g. Lent

- Questioned the rue nature of mass e.g. symbolic over literal

Anabaptist Movement:

-Zwingli’s teaching and the birth of Anabaptism

- Huge later implication for denominational Christianity

- Again, the power of ideas and questions

Desiderius Erasmus

Humanism:

-Closely tied with the Renaissance

- Europe’s intellectual heavyweight

- Huge impact of Classical study

Defender of the Faith?

-He criticised the Roman Catholic Church, especially before Luther’s doctrine became established

- Yet he eventually sided with the Catholic Church

“He was a vocal critic of church abuses, but unlike the reformers he did not advocate doctrinal changes or challenge the teaching authority of the Church.” Erika Rumnel

The Effect on the English People

“….[Catholicism] exerted an enormously strong, diverse, and vigorous hold over the imagination and the loyalty of the people up to the very moment of Reformation.” Eamon Duffy