THE COLLAPSE AND THE QUEST OF REFORMATION

THE COLLAPSE AND THE QUEST OF REFORMATION

 

1. New Conditions: Social, Economical, Political changes

* Introduction and Overview (324)

* The collapse of the Feudal system (324-5)

1) The rise of bourgeoisie and monetary economy

2) The need of centralized government with the clash of the feudal lords

3) Increasing nationalism (325)

 

 

* Disasters (328-9)

1) The plague swept the whole Europe (328) # Jewish Massacre

2) The Hundred Year's War between England and France # Joan of Ark

2. Declining influence of Christianity

 

* The final fall of Constantinople by Turkish Moslems (329)

 

* The collapse of the Papacy

1) Papacy under the shadow of France: Avignon Exile since 1309 (329-337)

2) More than one pope: The Great Western Schism (337-341)

4) The corruption of the Roman Catholic Church (336-7)

 

* After the restoration of the stable papacy (370-374)

1) To recover the authority

2) "Supremacy of the pope" declared at the Ferrara Council in 1430

3) Simony and Indulgences for the church fund. (Innocent VIII and Alexander VI)

4) In the midst of the Turkish threat, the pope (Alexander) had secret dealing with the sultans.

5) A Chronicler says, "Alexander is ready to sell the keys, the altars, and even Christ himself.

He is within his rights, since he bouth them." (373)

6) Secret wives and children of the popes and other clergies

7) Leo X's dream to complete the basilica of St. Peter (374)

 

 

3. Reforming endeavor from inside of the Catholic Church

* In quest of Reformation (Overview, 342)

* The Conciliar Movement (342-346)

1) A conciliar theory developed

A universal council, representing the entire church, has more authority than pope. (343)

2) Arose to solve the schism of papacy

3) It failed. (Rather it made the situation worse)

three popes, two councils and two popes, two councils and one pope...

4) Finally, the council disbanded, and then "it became to be clear that the papacy had won."

4. Early Reformers

 

* John Wycliffe of England

1) His quest about the authority (346-7): "to serve, not to be served"

2) The true church is not visible hierarchy but the invisible body of the predestined. (347)

3) Importance of the Scripture over the church (347)

# His followers translated the Bible in English

4) The renewal of the doctrine of transubstantiation (347)

5) The limitation of Wycliffe (347-8)

6) Influenced to Later reformers and many were followed after his death (The Lollards)

7) condemned by Roman Catholic Church and re-punished his dead body

 

* John Huss of Bohemia

1) Influenced by Wycliff's writings

2) Led the public discussions on the idea of reformation of the church

3) The church authorities warned him, but he disregarded

4) More radically challenged to papal authority (349)

"unworthy pope is not to be obeyed."

"A pope who does not obey the Bible is not to be obeyed."

5) He was condemned as a heretic and burnt at the stake by the Church Council (1415)

"I appeal to Jesus Christ, the only judge who is almighty and completely just. In his hands

I place my cause, since he will judge each, not on the basis of false witnesses and erring

councils, but of truth and justice." (350)

6) The later followers of Bohemia including Moravians (352-3)

 

 

5. The Mystical Alternative (356-359)

 

* In the 14-15th century were a time mystics abound, and were most strong in Germany (356)

 

* Meister Eckhart

1) Meister Eckhart (Eckhart von Hochheim): Emphasis of Neoplatonic meditation

2) condemned as a heretic

3) Many followers among the Dominicans such as John Tauler and Henry Suso

 

* Devotio Moderna (Modern Devotion)

1) a life of disciplined devotion centered on the contemplation of the life of Christ.

2) Ruysbroeck: emphasis of direct experience with God,

He radically argued that one does not need intermediaries such as the church and the Bible.

3) Groote's founding of "Brethren of Common Life"

He did not call his followers to the monastic life.

Rather he insisted a genuine monastic vocation in one's daily life.

4) Thomas a Campis, "The Imitation of Christ"

 

* Characteristics and Influences of the mystics (358-9)

1) They generally avoided emotional stimulation

with focusing on inner peace through inner and intellectual contemplation.

2) Later influenced to the foundation of good schools (One of alumni was Erasmus)

3) The mystic movement itself was not opposed to the church and its hierarchy

4) Yet, it tended to weaken the authority and reached to a radical conclusion

"If through direct contemplation one can achieve communion with the divine, such traditional

means of grace as the sacraments, preaching, and even Scripture lose their importance."

 

 

6. Popular Movement (359-361)

* Most of knowable reforming endeavors were among the wealthy and educated.

Yet, such dreams were numerous among the common falk (359)

1) there were many communities of apocalyptic expectations of the poor

2) Overflowing women in monasteries such as Franciscan and Dominican. (359)

3) "Beguines" a monastic community of mystic women (359)

4) The flagellants: whipping oneself in penance regarding that as "second baptism" (360)

5) Hans Bohm's apocalyptic message and his followers among the poor (about 50,000)

Prepared a march of rebellion against the church and the state. failed and arrested. (360-1)

 

 

7. The Rise of Modernism (Chapter 34-36)

 

* Three Movements of Modernism and their influences

1) Renaissance:

2) Reformation:

3) Discovering the New Lands:

 

* Renaissance (Chapter 34)

1) Late Scholasticism

2) The rise of humanism with the revival of classical learning

3) Gutenberg's invention of movable metal types

4) Renaissance Art

5) Realism

 

* New Discovery and the beginning of colonial Christianity (Chapter 35-36)

1) Great scientific discoveries

2) Great geographical discoveries

3) Spain and the New World (America)

4) The Portuguese Enterprise in Africa, Asia, and Brasil

6) Catholic missions

Colonial mission

Franciscan and Dominican mission

GRAND and OPEN CONCLUSION

Tradition is the living faith of the dead,

but traditionalism is the dead faith of the living."

Yaloslov Pelikan