It was a religious movement that turned against the actions and rules of the Catholic Church. The main agent of Remodeling it was the German monk Martin Luther (1483-1546), who, in 1517, published 95 theses that fundamentally criticized the sale of indulgences (when the Church “granted” divine forgiveness to anyone who paid). The act gave rise to a process of rupture that seriously undermined Catholic dominance in Western Europe and allowed the emergence of offshoots of Christianity, such as Lutheranism, the first religion Protestant.
– (André Toma/)
VISIONARIES AND REVOLUTIONARIES
A Remodeling occurred in the 16th century, but before that, thinkers already condemned the practices of the Church, such as the English theologian John Wycliffe (1320-1384) and the Czech philosopher Jan Huss (1369-1415). Wycliffe wanted the Church to confine itself to spiritual matters, leaving politics to the State. Huss, on the other hand, started a movement based on the ideas of Wycliffe and opposed the sale of indulgences and the wealth of the clergy.
THE POWER OF GRAND
A Remodeling it gained strength in the economic and political spheres because the Church bothered the nobility: the feudal lords had to pay tributes which were controlled by the pope. The bourgeois class, in turn, also supported the movement, as it defended the ideas of prosperity and capital accumulation, important factors in that period, marked by the transition from feudalism to the mercantile system.
WHO STUDY KNOWS
The movement was supported by scholars of the time. In the Renaissance, even before Luther’s insurgency, European researchers studied the beginnings of Christianity and had access to original biblical texts (written in Greek and Hebrew). Having the ancient dogmas in their hands, they began to question the Church’s changes and actions.
HOLY FIGHT
A Remodeling Protestant it was also supported by thinkers and religious – including Catholics themselves. They identified abuses of power by the Catholic Church, which was strengthened by its economic power and its political and social influence. They began, therefore, to question the morality of the Church and to ask for changes in its structure.
NEIGHBORING SUPPORT
Although the German Luther was the main figure of Remodeling, the movement also gained strength in other European countries. The Swiss priest Huldrych Zwingli, for example, was one of the most important members. In addition to criticizing the sale of indulgences, he also advocated that Christians should follow the teachings of Bible without the interpretation of priests.
MY DIVORCE, MY RULES
The Catholic Church lost territory as Protestantism spread across Europe and encouraged the emergence of new Christian beliefs. The Anglican religion was created in 1533, as the English king Henry 8th wanted to divorce his wife – but the pope did not authorize the separation. In addition to founding another religion, the monarch confiscated part of Catholic lands and assets.
MY CITY, MY RULES
Calvinism was another popular doctrine. Conceived from the radical ideas of the French lawyer John Calvin, it not only rejected the pope’s authority but also argued that God already predestined certain people for salvation. In 1536, Calvin created, in Geneva, a system of government based on this belief.
POPULAR CHILDREN
The dissidents of Remodeling led to the emergence of other Christian religions, such as Presbyterian and Methodist, in addition to Pentecostal and Neo-Pentecostal ones. Today, Protestant faiths add 784 million followers in the world, while Catholics are 1.4 billion. In Brazil, 29% of the population is Protestantwhile 64.6% adhere to Catholicism
Sources Books From the Remodeling to the Counter-Reformation – Christianity in Crisisby Fernando Seffner, and History of Protestantism, by Jean Boisset; CNBB and Pew Research Center.