The radicalism of The Reformation due 24 hours.

HIS-375

7/31/2018

Radical Reformation:

A Mystery or Reality?

Is it important to change or integrate some beliefs of religious terms in order to make the religion more suitable one? Many times it is important and significant. This statement justifies the time when the radical movements were initiated by the ones who rejected the Roman Catholic tradition and the Protestant alternatives to it. The purpose was to make important changes that could contribute positively to the apostolic Christianity. The people who were involved in the process of radical changes and the movements that were initiated were the ones who changed the pattern of the apostolic Christianity. When the movements were started, the results and reactions by the Catholics and Protestants were disastrous and impacted negatively to the ones who stood for the right and initiated the movements. They were persecuted and their lives were attacked before knowing their actual purpose and without the understanding of what they initiated.

The people who had done important contribution towards Protestant Reformation were Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Jeanne de Jussie. They were the ones who wanted to add value in their Christianity Doctrine by making efforts to reverse the Catholic changes. The main reason behind it was that they wanted to maintain the original values and end the alternative abusive practices that were inappropriate but covered with the slogan of right actions. These practices that were abusive include the selling of indulgence. The radical reformers added great value towards their initiative and fought for several issues. These people were in the favor of right ideas that should be persisted into their religious aspects. The efforts made by Luther, Calvin, and Jussie were revolutionary as they added the role of state and Churches which was extremely different from each other as state cannot make Christians, it cannot be same as Church, it cannot have the right to determine the attitude for the Church, and the state can never be satisfies the longings of human spirit so it cannot be appoint as clergy. Where is the thesis? Comment by gfaundez: Jeanne WAS NOT protestant reforner. She’s a catholic who SAW the radicalism of the Reform through the violence Comment by gfaundez: Again, she’s not a reformer. Comment by gfaundez: Combine paragraph 1-2 in a more concise and compact introduction. Add the thesis here at the end of the paragraph. Comment by gfaundez: THESIS?

The three main important entities were Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli who added value in their efforts when they spoke for the right purpose and rejected the wrong additions in their religious aspects. The Reformer John Calvin explained about the different aspects regarding the availability of God. He states, “We are forbidden every pictorial representation of God” (Calvin, 99). Comment by gfaundez: Instead of availability of god, discuss the fact he is radical because he wants a new form of worship.

(move this up connect to previous paragraph) He presented the ideas that it is not suitable that one or any state took initiative to allow the people making any visible form of God. There is no visible form of God and it should be forbidden and prohibited to make any visible form of God.

(move up/connect) The ones, who are in the favor of making some form of God, are the ones who are in the favors of idols and they it revolts against the true God. Calvin added a title for these people “stupid” and states, “Since this brute stupidity gripped the whole wide world – to pant after the visible figures of God, and thus to form gods of wood, stone, gold, silver, or any other dead and corruptible matter – we must cling to this principle: God’s glory is corrupted by an impious falsehood whenever any form attached to him” (Calvin, 100). It represents the argument of Calvin and an example that is making his statement worthy. Comment by gfaundez: Analyze this quote further. What is he saying about Catholics who do worship images? What about the matter the idols are made of?

He explains that the God is not the one who could be associated with a dead or any kind of material like the idols. There is no need to make idols as it should be prohibited because it’s wrong. If the state or any country make alterations to this point and allow the people to make any form of God, then it would lead the people towards the wrong steps and acts. It will lead to nothing but to corrupt the glory of God. Comment by gfaundez: But why is it wrong?

Moreover, it is prohibited by the God, so how it is possible for any state to allow the one act that is forbidden by the God? It explains the argument of Calvin who challenged the factors associated with the state that could never be linked with the Churches. These both are different entities and should be treated differently. Their roles and responsibilities are different and should never be considered as equal as the state never makes a Christian, it always done by the Church and should be done by it.

Jeanne de Jussie’s written wrote “The Short Chronicle” at the time of during 16th century depicting the radicalism of the Reformation by displaying the violence it enacted on Catholics. . She lived under the walls of convent and explained about the time when radical changes occurred that led to the radical reformation. She was the one who supported the arguments of Calvin but without taking his name, she just added several points that show that she was influenced with the concepts of Calvin. Comment by gfaundez: NO. She was catholic.

She added her own viewpoint and explained about the time when women were treated badly, and the women were truly more Catholics then the men. They were the ones who fought not only for their survival but for their chastity against heretics. She added the example of Marie Dentiere who was the one to encourage the nuns to marry. Comment by gfaundez: Bring in quotes from her text. What does she think that reformers will do to nuns and holy women?

It was wrong and the nuns were never allowed to marry but the radical changes added like Dentiere into the religion. These people were the ones who wanted to add their own opinions and desired changes into the religion for the sake of their own interests or to serve their own motives.

She added several opinions and arguments that show the women were also the part of Reformation and played more active role than men. She provided several examples of events that were mostly wars in which the women were beaten, tricked, and tortured to death. All of this was the result of their beliefs especially by their husbands.

She insisted on the fact that men are the ones who easily makes changes or alterations into their religion but the women are more strong and never take deliberate decisions to make alterations rather they made efforts to preserve the religious aspects. She also added importance of privacy issues and sexual segregation. It is due to the fact that she had faced several issues like this in her convent.

The people who were the ones to add several changes into the religion became the ones who assaulted nuns and wanted to take their rights to live with their own will. The different people with the wrong intentions broke into the convent. She explains that why these people are making changes with the wrong acts and wrong intentions. That is showing that these people not the ones who added changes into the religion with the right intentions but to serve their own interests.

Jussie was the one who faced several issues behind the wall of convent. She states, “The two cantons of Bern and Fribourg arrived in Morges and did much damage. For when they left their lands and entered Monseigneur’s, they began to pillage, rob, and plunder the poor ones, and they did not leave any wheat, wine, food, or furnishing in the houses, which was the piteous thing” (Jussie , 43).

She faced the reformation era when the soldiers tried to break into the convent, lied to them, tried to kiss them, and smashed the statues that were the part of the convent. Jussie wanted to highlight all aspects regarding the reformation era and its events, also the role of women in it that was nothing but positive. Comment by gfaundez: Bring in what she says as evidence. How does she describe all of this?

Martin Luther provided reformation of marriage law and divorce measures according to the teachings of Bible. It was the time when divorces never occurred but the people resist marrying and preferring to make sexual relationships with the other ones. It was the time when prostitution was widespread. Comment by gfaundez: Good. Explain why this is radical. It challenges the doctrine of the church, who up to this point have enforced chastity.

(move up)Luther states that, “Therefore, priests, monks, and nuns are duty bound to forsake their vows whenever they find that God’s ordinance to produce seed and to multiply is powerful and strong within them” (Luther, 101). It shows that the God is asking its people to marry and to multiply the seed that means to produce children. Comment by gfaundez: Expand analysis. Luther is not just asking but he’s saying that it causes people to leave their vows of chastity because it is a natural thing.

Later, Luther explains that the monks, nuns, and priests are not ones who have some power by any authority except their God. This shows that the guidance provided by the God is more important than any authority and in the case of state, it should never implement such laws or rules that are not appropriate and prohibited by God.

The ones or state that tries to make changes and make hindrances to the provided guidance’s of God, people needs to stop it. He states, “If they do hinder it, however you may be sure that they will not remain pure but inevitably besmirch themselves with sins or fornication” (Luther, 101).

(move up)It shows that the people who have fear that the state is changing the laws in a way that is making alterations in their religion, and then they should stop it and make it difficult or make hindrances in it.

But he added another point that alterations are acceptable unless these do not make one person sinful towards God. But the alterations are wrong when it implemented to change the purity of the religious aspects. Comment by gfaundez: Like what? Not sure what you mean here

In the 95 Theses, Martin Luther added several important features of bible that are important and significant to understand the reformation era. He states, “Yet it means not inward repentance only; nay, there is no inward repentance which does not outwardly work divers mortifications of the flesh” (Luther, 1). It displays the importance of repentance that is very significant towards God. Repent means to seek forgiveness from God after attempting something sinful or wrong. Comment by gfaundez: Good explain in a topic sentence here that he is again challenging the doctrine of the church, especially their beliefs on how salvation happens.

It is necessary for the believers as it helps the people to be guilty and ashamed on their acts that are sinful and wrong. The people who serve their own purposes are the ones that are more likely to do wrong and sinful.

So, the repentance is necessary in this case. Repentance is not the one that is based on the factor that God forgive me and then God forgives easily. But it requires serious attention and guilt that makes one person guilty enough to never act in the sinful way again in the life.

The efforts made by Luther, Calvin, and Jussie were revolutionary as they added the role of state and Churches which was extremely different from each other as state cannot make Christians, it cannot be same as Church, it cannot have the right to determine the attitude for the Church, and the state can never be satisfies the longings of human spirit so it cannot be appoint as clergy. The concepts that are important and added value to the history of reformation includes the way that states should never be the one that determines the punishable acts under the religious terms. This work is linked with the Churches and the religious terms are important more than the state rules to provide information regarding punishment aspects. Similarly, the state is not the one that could determine the personal ethics and the values of morality. These aspects are also linked with the Churches. The morality values and aspects are important and provided by the religious material such as with the Bible one could understand the morality values easily. There is also another aspect such as spiritual longings that are significant when the Church provide details of it. It is due to the fact that the spiritual emotions are satisfied with the spirit. All these measures and important aspects were delivered by the three people Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli who spoke for the right and to preserve their religious values. Comment by gfaundez: This is a bit confusing.

Works Cited

Luther, M. (1517). Martin Luther's 95 theses: Disputation Of Doctor Martin Luther On The Power and Efficacy Of Indulgences.

Karant-Nunn, S. C., & Wiesner-Hanks, M. E. (2003). Luther on women: A sourcebook. Cambridge University Press. 100-109, DOI: 10.1017/CBO9780511810367

Calvin, John. “Institutes of the Christian Religion”

Jussie, Jeanne. “The Short Chronicle” 98-111.