In Module 5, you focus on the religious developments north of the Alps, as well as the Renaissance church and Renaissance Rome. After the Council of Constance, the papacy and church came to be dominated by Italians, a phenomenon that continued until recently. The church became increasingly wealthy and worldly, and abuses crept in. In Germany, Martin Luther, a devoted and intelligent monk and priest, became increasingly disillusioned by what he saw and experienced. Having been educated in the northern humanist tradition of the Brethren of the Common Life, he began a meticulous investigation of the Bible, particularly the New Testament, and developed a new understanding of Christianity that challenged the established order in what became the Protestant Reformation.

Module Outcomes
By the end of this module, you will be able to:

  • Analyze the major developments and features of the Renaissance church and the Reformation in the broader European world
  • Distinguish the main factors that led to the Protestant Reformation
  • Compare and contrast the main ideas of Luther’s theology with the strongly held beliefs of the society of 16th century Europe

Course Outcomes
The course outcomes that will be addressed in this module are:

  • Course Outcome 2: Discuss a major theme in ethics, philosophy, religion, or spirituality in the European Renaissance.
  • Course Outcome 3: Analyze the main events, persons, institutions, trends, and developments that are involved in the history of the Renaissance.

Please complete the items below, due at the end of this module, unless otherwise stated.
Read the following:

  • Module Notes: The Renaissance Church and the Reformation
  • Zophy, Jonathan W. A. Short History of Renaissance and Reformation Europe, Boston: Pearson. 2009 4th ed., Chapters 10-13

View the following websites:

  • Kenneth Clark, Civilization, “The Hero as Artist.” from the PBS series Civilization. Copyright © 1996 by BBC Worldwide Ltd.

Videos

Additional resources (required):

  • Virtual Tour of St. Peter’s Basilica from the Vatican website: Sistine Chapel
  • Kreis, Steven. “The Protestant Reformation,” The History Guide: Lectures on Early Modern European History. 2002, Revised 2009.
  • Martin Luther and the 95 Theses, History Channel:
  • Martin Luther Starts RevolutionFrom Title: The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance—The Medici Popes
    In 1517, Martin Luther publishes the “95 Theses” and sparks a religious revolution. Item Number: 41036 © 2004
  • Internet Christian Library, Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses:
  • Ward, W.R. The Protestant frame of mind. (cover story) History Today 40, no. 9:18 (September 1990). Historical Abstracts with Full Text. EBSCO host (accessed November 1, 2013).

Participate in the following discussions:

  • M5D1: The Renaissance Church
  • M5D2: The Reformation

The election of Martin V as Pope in 1417 at the Council of Constance ended the Great Schism of the church, but it heralded the beginning of an Italian dominated papacy. This papacy became increasingly worldly and luxurious, culminating in the papacy of Leo X, Giovanni de’Medici, who was the second son of Lorenzo the Magnificent, and the huge and costly project of the building of the new St. Peter’s Basilica, which would not be completed until 1626. But, while the worldliness of the church was taken in stride by the Italians, further north in Germany, at least one young monk and priest, Martin Luther, was appalled by what he witnessed, and it motivated him to challenge the papacy itself. His challenge opened a new chapter in the religious history of Europe and opened the floodgates of discontent in some parts of Europe, splintering the European church into Catholic and Protestant branches of Christianity—a divide that still exists today.

The Renaissance church and papacy, like the Renaissance itself, reflected a new worldliness and preoccupation with luxury that had never been seen before in the history of the church. As the Renaissance waned in Florence, it was growing in Rome in the 16th century, as humanist and artists and great papal patrons made Rome the center of the Christian world. The building of St. Peter’s exemplified all that the Renaissance meant in Rome, as great artists from Bramante to Raphael and Michelangelo would provide their talents in service of the great project. But, in the process, the Italian dominated church may have lost sight of its role in society and paid the price, as discontent and nationalistic fervor motivated a revolution against it, which led to the permanent splintering of Christianity.

After you have completed your reading, participate in first discussion on the Renaissance church.

The election of Martin V, Odonne Colonna, as pope in 1417 ended the Babylonian Captivity and Great Schism in the Western Roman Church and resulted in the permanent return to Rome of the papacy. But, these traumatic events in the previous century may have irreparably damaged the prestige of the papacy and the church and may have set the stage for the Reformation almost exactly one century later, in a large part because the church came to be dominated by powerful and wealthy Italian Renaissance families who often viewed the papacy and church as personal property to be used as their own. Papal taxes and the complex sacramental system of the church were often burdensome, particularly in places like Germany, and may have given rise to the discontent that fueled Luther’s challenge to Rome.

After reading and viewing the assigned material, discuss the following in your initial post:

Was the Renaissance church as corrupt and worldly as Luther and the Protestant reformers claimed, or was there simply a different form of religiosity in Germany that made this seem so? In other words, did the Reformation result from a cultural difference in perspective, the troubled soul of a young priest, or a real need for reform? Inaddition to your text, please reference Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses in your response and discussion. Your post should be about 250 words.

After posting your initial response, choose the initial posts of at least two of your classmates and expand on the issues surrounding the origins of the Reformation or possibility of the troubled soul of a young priest.

Your initial post is due by Wednesday at 11:59 PM.

The Reformation was a turning point in the social, cultural, and religious history of Europe. It disrupted the religious unity of Christian faith in Europe and paved the way for a more secular society in many ways—for instance, by desacralizing the sacraments and the role of the clergy and church and by giving greater social value to marriage and daily life. As such, the Reformation fit in better with the growth of urban middle-class culture in Germany and elsewhere. But, to Luther’s dismay, the Lutheran Reformation gave way to further and further splintering, as Calvin, Zwingli, and other reformers developed their own theologies and created their own churches. The net result was a more complex religious culture than the European continent had ever experienced since pagan times.

After reading and viewing the assigned material, discuss the following in your initial post:

Although there had been heretics and reformers in the Catholic Church before Martin Luther, none had threatened the unity of the church. Why do you think Luther succeeded where many others before him had failed? What social, economic, and political conditions in Germany might have contributed to the enormous success of Lutheranism? Include at least one additional resource other than the textbook in your post. Your post should be about 250 words.

After posting your initial response, choose the initial posts of at least two of your classmates and compare and contrast your reasons for Luther’s success to theirs.

Your initial post is due by Wednesday at 11:59 PM.