Counter Reformation

1
Counter Reformation

• The reform of the RCC was at this time only a
  reaction to the noise the reformers were making.
• The increasing dissatisfaction with the RCC among
  the populas centered on three areas
• 1. Abuse of Power
• 2. Abuse of Money
• 3. Moral Corruption.
• Note that Catholics were not too concerned about
  doctrine but more with the overt worldliness of
  the church.

2
Counter Reformation

• The Counter Reformation is also called the
  Catholic Reaction, Catholic Reform, or the
  Catholic Reformation. However, you can pour
  Chanel No.5 all over a pig but it is still a pig.
• The changes were welcome and some good and some
  were bad. But in the end the Roman Catholic Cult
  was still a cult. (by Evangelical standards)

3
Counter Reformation

• The Counter Reformation from the RCC perspective
  focused on 4 things
• 1. Doctrinal Purity in the Field (the
  Inquisition)
• 2. Developing new orders (e.g. the Jesuits the
  Carmelites)
• 3. Getting a Pope who actually wants to reform
  (Concillary Movement)
• 4. Drawing up new policy to insure all the above
  takes place (Trent)

Jesuits at Akbar's court 1600
4
Doctrinal Purity in the Field (The Inquisition)

• It is not the general policy of the RCC to admit
  that the Inquisition was part of their policy of
  reform.
• The Spanish Inquisition was given to Spanish
  rulers, Ferdinand and Isabella by Papal Authority
  in 1480Isabella wanted to improve scholarship
  and Ferdinand wanted to increase his power.

5
Doctrinal Purity in the Field (The Inquisition)

• Ferdinand and Isabella hired Tomas de Torquemada
  (The Hammer) to oversee operations.
• Torquemada invented and allowed every possible
  method of torture to gain a confession of heresy.

Tomas de Torquemada
6
Doctrinal Purity in the Field (The Inquisition)

• Paid informants turned in neighbors. People were
  tortured for days and weeks until confession was
  reached then the torture stopped. Papers were
  signed (giving up their rights to own property)
  then execution.
• After execution the property of the heretic was
  divided among the inquisitors with some going
  to the state. Thus the Inquisition was
  self-financed (very hard to stop).

7
Doctrinal Purity in the Field (The Inquisition)

• It is estimated that over 2000 people met their
  death this way young and old, men, women, boys,
  girls.
• In other countries the Inquisition was in the
  form of witch hunts (along with the regular
  Protestant burnings that occurred in Catholic
  real estate)
•   The Inquisition was finally abolished in Spain
  in 1834. The last official execution for heresy
  was in 1826 when a schoolmaster was hanged for
  substituting Praise be to God instead of Ava
  Maria in school prayers Paul Johnson A History
  of Christianity pg 308

8
New Orders

• New Orders (like the Augustinian, Dominican or
  Franciscan) were drawn up to help stop
  corruption. Included were the
• Barnibitesnot sure
• Theatinesused by the Pope to stop heresy
• Capuchinshelped care fro the poor and sick
• Ursulinesfocused on educating girls
• Jesuitsa group of traveling missionaries
• Carmelitesthe mystical fringe

Modern Carmelite Monks
9
New Orders

• The two most important of the new orders were the
  Carmelites (Teresa of Avila and St. John of the
  Cross) and the Jesuits also called the Society of
  Jesus. Started by St. Ignatius Loyola
• Loyola began his career as a military man. After
  he became wounded he began to struggle with his
  sin and was prone to visions. But unlike Luther
  who got saved Loyola dove further into the Roman
  Catholic Church.
• After his education at Barcelona and Paris he had
  a small following of men who took vows to follow
  the Pope and expand the church

10
New Orders

• The organization was patterned after Loyolas
  military experience. He published a field manual
  called Spiritual Exercises. Meditation was
  ordered by a weekly schedule
• Week 1Intended to make one aware of the damnable
  nature of sin
• Week 2The significance of the life of Christ
• Week 3The passion story
• Week 4The resurrection and ascension
• Week 5Start over at week 1

11
New Orders

• The Jesuits were known for strict discipline but
  not strict ethicsthey were very much
  situationalthe end justifies the means

Ruins of the Church of St. Paul Built by Jesuits
in 1602
12
The Carmelites Teresa of Avila

• Teresa born 1515 of a noble family in Avila in
  old Castile. Canonized in 1622. She used to read
  romance novels of chivalry.
• 1535 she entered the Carmelite convent at Avila
  and took vows to be a nun. Later founded the
  Barefoot Carmelites (for their practice of
  wearing sandals not shoes)

13
Teresa of Avila

• Teresa developed definite steps for her
  attainment of perfect and lasting peace of
  mind.The soul ascends on the mystical ladder on
  the rungs of prayer of recollection attained by
  concentration the prayer of quietude in which
  the half-asleep soul touches the supernatural.
  They prayer of union, in which the soul is
  overcome by love for the divine and prayer of
  ecstasy or spiritual marriage of the soul with
  Christ, which conveys to it knowledge not
  obtainable in any other way Harold J. Grimm The
  Reformation Era pg 304
• If the Roman Catholic Church cant get you
  justified how can we possibly believe they will
  get you sanctified? Pastor Terry Enns, Grace
  Bible Church

14
Papal Reform or (How to get a Pope that wants to
reform)

• The history of reform at the top in the RCC is
  checkered. Pope Leo X (1513-1521) the Pope in
  power when Luther nailed the 95 Thesis at
  Wittenberg was more interested in nepotism and
  personal luxury than religious reform.
• The next Pope Adrian VI 1522-1523 wanted to
  reform but did not live long enough to see it
  happen

Pope Adrian VI
15
Papal Reform

• Clement VII 1523-1534 was a clone of Leo X so no
  reform. But instead had to hide in St. Angelo
  while Charles V sacked Rome.
• The next Pope Paul III 1534-1549 was interested
  in astrology nepotism. Electing teen grandsons
  as Cardinals

Pope Clement VII
16
Papal Reform

• The next Pope Julius III 1550-1555 was cut from
  the same cloth as the rest. No reform here
• Marcellus II wanted reform but only lived a few
  months (see a pattern here?)
• At this point the mutual opinion of the RCC was
  that they needed to spread the power around.

Pope Julius III
17
Papal Reform

• The Conciliar Movement was a move to
  de-centralize power away from just the Pope and
  to have a balance of power with the college of
  Cardinals. Much like our Congress Supreme Court
  balances the power of the President.
• This gained in strength until partially
  instituted at Trent.

18
The Council of Trent

• The Council of Trent was partially initiated by
  the RCC and partially by Charles V who was tired
  of the corruption of a church he so vigorously
  supported.
• Charles V insisted that the Council meet on HRE
  soil so Trent still in Italy yet in the HRE was
  selected as the site.

19
The Council of Trent

• Trent met in three stages 1545-47 1551-52 and
  1562-63. when it was over very little new
  doctrine was instituted. However it did do away
  with some of the abuses of indulgences and priest
  holding multiple pastorates (for more money) Also
  Trent encouraged seminary for priests and that
  they learn Latin.

20
How It All Shook Out By 1600--The RCC

• The RCC in reaction to the Reformation and due to
  declining revenues due to Protestant cities and
  counties emerging agreed to (what they call) the
  9th Ecumenical Council Trent.
• The counter Reformation produced new orders, i.e.
  Jesuits, and a new organizational blueprint. Much
  of the doctrine from the Middle Ages was
  re-affirmed with a softening of indulgences a
  icons.

21
The Lutheran Church

• With the writing of the formula of Concord (1577)
  and later the Book of Concord 1580, 1584 the
  Lutheran Church was defined in distinction to the
  RCC and Calvinism.
• With Concord and the Augsburg Confession the
  denomination of Lutheran was established.

Book of Concord 1580
22
Calvinist or Reformed

• The theological position formulated in the
  Institutes were accepted more or less by most
  Reformed churches.
• Several documents emerged which presented
  slightly modified versions of Reformed Doctrine.
  The Belgic Confession (1561) The Heidelberg
  Catechism (1562) then under Bullinger (Calvins
  successor) the 2nd Helvitic Confession. Later the
  Synod of Dort crystallized reformed thinking on
  soteriology.(salvation)

23
Anglican

• Following the English Reformation and more
  especially the first and second books of Common
  Prayer (1549, 1552) and the 39 Articles the
  doctrinal position of the Anglican Church was
  established.
• The Anglican tradition continued unchallenged
  until the Westminster Confession of 1647 which
  was Calvinist and Presbyterian.

24
Anabaptist

• Not all who were lumped into the category of
  Anabaptist held to even the same views on
  baptism.
• 4 groups can be identified with Anabaptist roots
• 1. Inspirationists e.g. Thomas Monzer These
  were political revolutionaries for the most part.
• 2. Rationalist (anti-Trinitarian) like Michael
  Servetus
• 3. Spiritualists like Sebastian Franck The
  radical fringe

25
Anabaptist

• 4. Anabaptist
• This group includes the Swiss Brethren with
  leaders like Grebel, Hubmeier etc.
• The South German Brethren with guys like Philip
  Marpeck
• The HutteritesJacob Hutter
• The Dutch Mennonites with Menno Simons