The Counter Reformation

Counter ReformationActions taken by Catholic Church to counteract the Protestant Reformation“Counter-Reformation” invented by German Protestant historians. Not liked by Catholic historians, but now generally accepted.

Ingredients of the Counter Reformation

ReformationHumanism– Secularism

Religious WarfareNew versions of the Bible– Vernacular

ScienceRenewed religious emotionalism– Baroque Art

Pope Paul III (1534 – 1539)• The first “Counter-

Reformation” pope• Viewed the church “as

a fortress to be guarded, defended, and kept on the alert”

Council of Trent (1545 – 1563)Debated the legitimacy of Protestant theology.Most attendees were Italian bishops.

Council of Trent (1545- 1563)

Defined Catholicism for the next 400 years– All medieval church law was valid– Latin would remain official language– Re-emphasized the importance of “good

works” and “faith”– No change to sacraments– No more money for indulgences– Priests must be educated

Roman Inquisition

What is an Inquisition?A tribunal designed to find heretics and bring them to justice

How does it work?AccusationAnyone could testify against youNo attorneyNo appealsTorture allowed

Inquisition PunishmentsGo to churchTake a pilgrimageWear a “cross of infamy”Imprisonment (if you confessed)Burned at the stake (if you didn’t)What if you begged for mercy?– They’d strangle and then burn you

What if you died before the trial ended?– They dug up your body and burned you

Results of the Inquisitions?About 5,000 people burnedLand and property of all heretics seized by ChurchPersecution of scientistsWitch hunts

Scientists

Copernicus– Sun is center of

universe– Excommunicated

(posthumously)– Banned his books

Bruno– Believed in aliens and

that Bible was not divine

– Burned at the stake

GalileoWarned by Church to stopWrote books in Italian– “Scriptures teach us how to

go to heaven, not how the heavens go.”

Threatened with tortureGalileo backed downGalileo was acquitted– in 1992

Roman Index of Prohibited Books

Process of reviewing and censoring books– Galileo’s books on list until 1835– All Protestant works– Any Bible not in Latin

Some books on the list until 1960s

Roman Missal

A uniform liturgy for the Mass that would be used in every Catholic church throughout the world.

Jesuits

New religious order devoted to teaching CatholicismExtremely militant, well-educated men focused on revival of CatholicismLoyola was their first leader

Jesuits and Education

Jesuits established excellent schools across EuropeMany famous Europeans educated by Jesuits– Descartes– Voltaire

Even Protestants attendedRatio studiorum became the model for modern universities