Between 1378 and 1417, there was a separation between the eastern church and the western church. This is known under the name of “ schism ”, a term traditionally defined, as the rupture in the organizational unit of a specific system. Within the ecclesiastical sphere, this fact is recognized more as the disintegration of the Unity of the Church, than the fading of the faith under which they are governed. It was in this way that various doctrines, beliefs and rites were born, brought together under new religions.
What is Protestantism
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Protestantism is considered a movement of Christian origin, arising from the Protestant Reformation led by Martin Luther, it is groups that split from the Church Roman Catholic. For this reason it is said to be a bourgeois variant of Christianity.
In this movement are all the groups that separated from the Roman Catholic Church, when the reforms were carried out.
However, this would not have happened if Martin Luther had not promoted the Christian religious movement known as Protestantism, the main reason for the schism of the Church.
Origin of Protestantism
The Protestant name first appeared in the Diet of Speyer of 1529, when the Roman Catholic Emperor of Germany, Charles V, rescinded the provision of the Diet of Speyer in 1526 that had allowed each ruler to choose whether to administer the Edict of Worms.
According to the history of Protestantism, on April 19, 1529, a protest against this decision was read on behalf of 14 free cities in Germany. The Lutheran princes who declared that the majority decision did not bind them because they were not part of it and that if they were forced to choose between obedience to God and obedience to Caesar, they should choose obedience to God. They appealed to a general council of all Christendom or to a synod or council of the entire German nation.
Those who joined in this discontent became known to their opponents as Protestants, and gradually the label was applied to all who adhered to the principles of the Reformation, especially those living outside of Germany. In Germany, the supporters of this Reformation preferred the name of evangelicals and in France the Huguenots.
The name was attributed not only to Luther's disciples, but also to the Swiss disciples of Huldrych Zwingli and later John Calvin. Swiss reformers and their followers in Holland, England and Scotland, especially after the seventeenth century, preferred the name Reformation.
Protestantism, as such, was founded by Jan Hus, a theologian and philosopher from the Germanic Roman Empire, and influenced by the ideas of John Wyclif, an English translator and theologian, founder of Wyclifism.
Later, Luther contributed a series of quite important ideas; For example: at first it was proposed that Protestantism would only be influenced, in matters of faith and beliefs, by the Bible and its content, in addition to the fact that its followers need a constant "dose" of God's grace, thus becoming, both essential elements to achieve salvation.
Among the causes of the Protestant reform, they are cited: the friction of political and economic powers, in addition to the intense questioning that deeply characterized the Renaissance era.
Lutheran Protestantism is a custom within Christianity that has its origin in the Protestant Reformation. With an estimated membership of around 80 million members worldwide, Lutheranism is the third largest Protestant movement, after Anglicanism and Pentecostalism.
Who founded Protestantism
The three great founders of Protestantism are:
John Wycliffe (1320-1384)
Theologian, translator, reformist and founder of the Lolardos or Wyclifism movement, also considered the spiritual father of the Hussites and Protestants. Worked as an ecclesiastical lawyer in court and in his dual capacity as expert in law canon lawyer and English, he was accused of writing a defense of the rights of the English crown against the claims of the Pope.
However, it turned out that the defense of royal rights in the controversy with Urban V was for John Wycliffe the starting point of an increasingly vast and profound criticism, exacerbated by the claims of the Popes regarding their supremacy and due the excessive wealth of the Church, ended up also affecting the points of confession, the Eucharist and the primacy of the Roman see.
Due to his radical and controversial criticisms directed at the ecclesiastical institution and being classified as the antichrist, I can avoid on several occasions, thanks to his contacts, being prosecuted by the Roman pontiff himself.
Jan Hus (1370 - 1415)
Successor of John Wycliffe and precursor of the German Luther in the fight for religious reforms, where they left an indelible mark on the religious and civil history of the Czech Kingdom.
He set about devising a plan to renovate the church, which he considers corrupt from the ground up. For this he continued the ideas of another reformer at the University of Oxford: John Wyclif.
His thought condemned the practice of indulgences, by which the Papacy sold the forgiveness of sins in exchange for money. He also preached for a return to the purity and simplicity of the Bible, thus, in essence, he proposed a complete reform of the institutions and works of the Christian church of the time.
For all this, the ecclesiastical authorities condemned him as a heretic, for which he had to leave his post. To this he had to add the persecution suffered by his followers, beheading several of them, who were himself treated as martyrs, having to leave the city and go underground.
Martin Luther (1483 - 1546)
He was born in Eisleben, Turkey, he was the first-born of nine children of Hans Luder, a miner son of peasants and very Catholic, and his mother was Margarethe Ziegler, a devout and pious hard-working woman. Luther was a prophet, but for others a renegade heretic. He was the great initiator of the reforms, for this reason numerous persecutions began in Europe during the origin of the Protestant churches and the Counter-Reformation.
On October 21, 1517, he exhibited at the door of the church of All Saints in Wittenberg, a thesis with 95 propositions, all written in Latin, where he was against acquittals for the realization of a work for the Popes Julio II and Leo X, which consisted of the building of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, from this moment on he became a public figure and his thesis was quickly translated into German and achieved wide dissemination.
Throughout the sixteenth century, due to the action of Luther and other reformers, and with the support of princes and monarchs eager to increase their power and independence, the Reformation would lead to the establishment of several Protestant Churches in Northern Europe and the called wars of religion, between Catholics and Protestants.
With the schism of Christianity, called the Protestant schism, the hegemony of the Catholic Church in the old continent ended and the religious map that has lasted to this day was configured. Managing to separate the national churches of Rome in the northern countries and the survival of the Catholic Church in the southern countries.
"> Loading…Characteristics of Protestantism
The main characteristics of Protestantism are:
- It is based primarily on writing.
- The word of God is proclaimed according to biblical texts with a guide to the truth.
- They believe that the only thing that can save man is the grace of God.
- The word of God is part of the ecclesial interpretation and human reason is excluded within religious life.
- The Pope is not recognized as a vicar of Christ.
- According to Protestantism, only faith in Jesus Christ grants salvation through his good works.
- Their services have no order.
- The church was not to possess material goods.
- Baptism and the Eucharist are the only valid sacraments.
- Regular Clergy and celibacy were abolished.
- The bible was to be the only source of God's word.
- The crucifix, the cross of Christ crucified, is the symbol of Protestantism since the Reformation.
- The most important Protestant rituals are celebrations for the praise and preaching of the Word.
Principles and Doctrines
The Protestant creed, despite being indefinite and vague, is based on standard rules or principles that rest on the "Sources of Faith", the constitution of the church and the means of justification. The Protestant goes directly to the word of God for instructions and to the throne of grace in his devotions, while a Roman Catholic consults the teachings of the church and prefers to offer his prayers through the Virgin Mary and the saints.
From this general principle of evangelical freedom, and the direct relationship of the believer with Christ, proceed the three main doctrines of Protestantism and the absolute supremacy of
1) The Word.
2) the grace of Christ and
3) the universal priesthood of believers.
In the sixteenth century, from the reform of Luther, Protestant Christianity arose, separated from the authority of the Pope of Rome and in whose bosom there are also various doctrines. Some of them are:
- Lutheranism.
- Anglicanism or Episcopalianism.
- Methodism.
- The Baptist Churches.
- Presbyterianism.
- Mennonite Christians.
- The Quakers or Society of Friends.
- Mormons.
- Scientism or Christian Science.
Historically, there has never been a fully Protestant group; It is possible to find them in the temples of the Church, next to the Puritans or among the Evangelical, Baptist and Pentecostal churches. Even so, they share various symbols such as the cross, in addition to having marked similarities in terms of the composition of the Clergy. His holy writings are in the "Protestant Bible."
The Five Solas
The Five Solas were the five slogans that were used in the Reformation to identify the beginnings of this movement, which is considered the greatest revival in the entire history of the Church. These slogans were:
Sola Scriptura
The reformers exhorted the Church to return to the holy scriptures and abide by them only, rejecting the authorities of the councils and any other religious leader who contradicted the principles of the Bible.
Sola Gratia
The Reformers claimed that salvation was an undeserved gift, bestowed by God and only God's work. Man-made works have no merit as far as salvation is concerned. The only one who saves sinners is God to the praise of the glory of His grace. Those who are not saved must attribute repentance, faith, and works that arise out of true faith to the grace of God.
Sola Fide
Only faith is the instrument of justification, the unworthy sinner will be imputed the justice of Christ, since his sacrifice was vicarious, which is the same, in justification of the believers. He who is in Christ Jesus will never be condemned.
Solus christus
The only way to the Father is Christ, he is the only mediator, there is no other means of salvation apart from Christ, no one will be saved unless he is a genuine believer of the only Savior Jesus Christ, he has been made by God wisdom, redemption, justification and sanctification.
Soli Deo Gloria
God is the only one worthy of glory, honor and praise. The true gospel must be theocentric and not homocentric, that is, what matters is knowing God, enjoying him and glorifying him with all actions.
Instead of presenting a message focused on man and his needs, everything that is done inside and outside the church should be focused on ensuring that God's name is sanctified.
The Roman Catholic approach to free will, which claims to give man the ability to please God or make correct spiritual decisions, without the prior action of the Holy Spirit, is rejected and it is not believed that man can stop rejecting the gospel until the Spirit Holy transform your heart. The inversion of this order in the preaching of the gospel diminishes the glory of God and gives merits to man and his will.
Differences with the Catholic Church
Some of the differences that exist between the Catholic Church and Protestantism are:
1. Catholicism:
- The Catholic Church considers itself as universal, unique and true led by the Pope.
- For Catholics, the successor of the Apostle Peter is the Pope and for this reason he is appointed by Jesus as the head of the Church, this is done under an interrupted ordination of bishops, deacons and priests dating from the Apostles of the 1st century to the present.
- With the sacrament of Holy Orders and consecration to the ministry of church service, priests, bishops, and deacons receive a special God-given power and the service they render places them above other people.
- The Catholic Eucharist should only be performed by an ordained priest. Only he can transform in the name of Jesus, the bread and wine in the blood and body of Christ. No Catholic who has not received communion can participate in the Eucharist.
- The Virgin Mary mother of Jesus is the " Queen of Heaven ", in addition all the saints are venerated and they pray to exemplary characters who have died and have been sanctified by the church asking her to intercede before God and help the believers, they exist more than 4,000 saints and worship their relics.
- Celibacy, which means living single and in sexual abstention, exists in many religions, but in the Roman Catholic, it is mandatory and is interpreted as a sign of unconditional fidelity to the Lord.
2. Protestantism:
- For the churches that emerged with the Reformation, there is no unified Evangelical church, but rather a variety of them and all are considered valid.
- Protestants do not tolerate the Papal figure, they think that it contradicts the sacred scriptures.
- The Evangelical Church does not consider the priesthood to be the consecration of a person. The priest only exercises a position and fulfills a function, of course that by the will of God, this function can be transmitted to any believer.
- According to the Evangelical Church, any baptized person can be invited to participate in the ceremony.
- The veneration of saints is rejected by evangelicals and they consider it anti-biblical. According to the Lutheran Reformation, each individual must and can address God through prayer.
- Celibacy is rejected by the Evangelical Church, this fact had its birth in the year 1520 when Luther demanded the abolition of celibacy and married a former nun named Katharina von Bora and they formed a family.
