OneworldunderGod
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CHURCH HISTORY 11-15 (My words in red)
CHURCH HISTORY
11
LIST OF THE POPES AND THE PAPACY 6
The Papal Schism
40 years (1377-1417) in which there were two sets of Popes, one at Rome and one at Avignon, each claiming to be "Vicar of Christ," and hurling anathemas and curses each at the other.
Urban VI, 1378-89, under whom the Papal Palace was re-established at Rome.
Boniface IX, 1389-1404. Innocent VII, 1404-6. Gregory XlI 1406-9. Alexander V, 1409-10.
John XXIII, 1410-15, called by some the most depraved criminal who ever sat on the Papal throne; guilty of almost every crime; as Cardinal, in Bologna, 200 maidens, nuns and married women fell victims to his amours; as Pope he violated nuns and virgins; lived in adultery with his brother's wife; was guilty of sodomy and other nameless vices; bought the papal office, sold cardinalates to children of wealthy families; openly denied the future life.
Martin V, 1417-31, with whom the Papal Schism was healed, but the Schism had been regarded by Europe as a scandal, and by it the Papacy had suffered irreparable loss of prestige.
Eugene IV, 1431-47.
The Renaissance Popes, 1447-1549
Nicolas V, 1447-55, authorized the King of Portugal to war on African peoples, take their property and enslave their persons.
Calixtus III, 1455-8.
Pius II, 1458-64, had many illegitimate children, spoke openly of the methods he used to seduce women, encouraged young men to, and even offered to instruct them in methods of, self-indulgence.
Paul II, 1464-71, "filled his house with concubines."
Sixtus IV, 1471-84, sanctioned the Spanish Inquisition; decreed that money would deliver souls from purgatory; was implicated in a plot to murder Lorenzo de Medici, and others who opposed his policies; used the Papacy to enrich himself and his relatives; made eight of his nephews Cardinals, while as yet some of them were mere boys; in luxurious and lavish entertainment he rivaled the Caesars; in wealth and pomp he and his relatives soon surpassed the old Roman families.
Innocent VIII, 1484-92, had 16 children by various married women; multiplied church offices and sold them for vast sums of money; decreed the extermination of the Waldenses, and sent an army against them; appointed the brutal Thomas of Torquemada Inquisitor General In Spain, and ordered all rulers to deliver up heretics to him; permitted bull fights on St. Peter's Square; was the background for Savonarola's thundering against Papal corruption.
Alexander VI, 1492-1503, most corrupt of the Renaissance Popes, licentious, avaricious, depraved; bought the Papacy; made many new Cardinals, for money; had a number of illegitimate children whom he openly acknowledged and appointed to high church office while they were yet children, who, with their father, murdered Cardinals and others who stood in their way. Had for mistress a sister of a Cardinal who became next Pope,
Pius Ill, 1503, and whose husband he appeased with gifts.
Popes in Luther's Day
Julius II, 1503-13, as richest of the Cardinals, with vast income from numerous bishoprics and church estates, bought the Papacy; as a Cardinal he had made sport of Celibacy; involved in endless quarrels over the possession of cities and principalities, he maintained and personally led vast armies; called the Warrior Pope; issued Indulgences; was Pope when Luther visited Rome, who was appalled at what he saw.
Leo X, 1513-21, was Pope when Martin Luther started the Protestant Reformation; son of Lorenzo de Medici; made an Archbishop at 8; a Cardinal at 13; appointed to 27 different church offices, which meant a vast income, before he was 13; was taught to regard ecclesiastical office purely as a source of revenue; bargained for the Papal chair; sold church honors; all ecclesiastical offices were for sale, and many new ones created; appointed Cardinals as young as 7; was in endless negotiations with kings and princes, jockeying for secular power, utterly indifferent to the religious welfare of the church; maintained the most luxurious and licentious Court in Europe; his Cardinals vied with kings and princes in gorgeous palaces and voluptuous entertainment, attended by trains of servants; yet this voluptuary reaffirmed the Unam Sanctam, in which it is declared that every human being must be subject to the Roman Pontiff for salvation; issued Indulgences for stipulated fees; declared burning of heretics a divine appointment.
Adrian VI, 1522-3. Clement VII, 1523-34.
Paul III, 1534-49, had many illegitimate children; a determined enemy of Protestants, he offered Charles V an army to war on them.
Enter the Jesuits
Rome's answer to the Lutheran Secession: the INQUISITION under the leadership of the JESUITS, an order founded by Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556), a Spaniard, on the principle of Absolute and Unconditional OBEDIENCE to the Pope, having for its object the Recovery of territory lost to Protestants and Mohammedans and the Conquest of the entire Heathen world for the Roman Catholic Church.
Their supreme aim, the destruction of heresy (thinking anything different from what the Pope said think) ; for the accomplishment of which anything was justifiable, deception, immorality, vice, even murder. Their motto: "for the greater glory of God." Their methods: Schools, seeking especially the children of the ruling classes, aiming in all schools to gain absolute mastery over the pupil; the Confessional, especially with kings, princes and civil rulers, indulging them in all kinds of vice and crime, for the sake of gaining their favor; Force, persuading rulers to execute the sentences of the Inquisition.
In France they were responsible for St. Bartholomew's Massacre, Religious Wars, Persecution of the Hugenots, the Revocation of the Toleration Edict of Nantes, and the French Revolution. In Spain, Netherlands, South Germany, Bohemia, Austria, Poland, and other countries they led in the Massacre of untold multitudes. By these methods they stopped the Reformation in Southern Europe, and virtually saved the Papacy from ruin.
CHURCH HISTORY
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LIST OF THE POPES AND THE PAPACY 7
Counter Reformation Popes
Julius III, 1550-5. Marcellus II, 1555.
Paul IV, 1555-9, established the Roman Inquisition.
Pius IV, 1559-65. Pius V, 1566-72.
Gregory XIII, 1572-85. celebrated, in solemn Mass, with thanksgiving and joy, the news of St. Bartholomew's massacre; urged Phillip II to proceed in war against England.
Sixtus V, 1585-90, issued a Bull pronouncing his edition of the Vulgate final; it had 2000 mistakes.
Urban VII, 1590. Gregory XIV, 1590-1. Innocent IX, 1591. Clement VIII, 1592-1605. Leo XI, 1605.
Paul V, 1605-21. Gregory XV, 1621-3.
Urban VIII, 1623-44. with the aid of Jesuits. blotted out Protestants in Bohemia.
Modern Popes
Innocent X, 1644-55. Alexander VII, 1655-67.Clement IX, 1667-9.
Clement X, 1670-6. Innocent XI, 1676-89. Alexander VIII, 1689-91.Innocent XII, 1691-1700.
Clement XI, 1700-21, declared that kings reign only with his sanction; issued a Bull against free Bible reading.
Innocent XIII, 1721-4. Benedict XIII, 1724-30. Clement XII, 1730-40. Benedict XIV 1740-58.
Clement XIII, 1758-69.
Clement XIV, 1769-74, abolished "forever" the Society of Jesuits.
Pius VI, 1775-99.
Pius VII, 1800-20, restored the Jesuits by a decree that "shall remain for all time unchangeable and inviolable"; strange performance, one "infallible" Pope restores what another "infallible" Pope had recently abolished "forever"; issued a Bull that "Bible Societies" are a "fiendish instrument for undermining the foundation of religion."
Leo XII, 1821-9, condemned all religious freedom, tolerance, Bible Societies, Bible translations; declared that "everyone separated from the Roman Catholic Church, however unblamable in other respects his life may be, because of this single offense, has no part in eternal life." Pius VIII, 1829-30, denounced liberty of conscience, Bible societies, and Freemasonry.
Gregory XVI, 1831-46, an ardent advocate of Papal Infallibility; condemned Protestant Bible societies.
Pius IX, 1846-78, lost the Papal States; decreed PAPAL INFALLIBILITY; proclaimed the right to suppress heresy by force; condemned Separation of Church and State, and commanded all true Catholics to obey the Head of the Church rather than Civil Rulers; denounced liberty of conscience, liberty of worship, freedom of speech and freedom of the press; decreed Immaculate Conception and deified Mary; encouraged superstitious regard for relics; condemned Bible Societies, and declared that Protestantism is "no form of the Christian religion"; declared, "every dogma of the Roman Catholic Church has been dictated by Christ thru his Viceregents on earth."
Papal Infallibility
The idea that the Pope is Infallible found no expression in Christian literature for 600 years. It arose with the appearance of the False Decretals, and grew with Papal assertion in the Crusades, and in the conflicts of Popes and Emperors. Many Popes from Innocent III onward advocated it. But the Councils of Pisa, Constance and Basel expressly decreed that the Popes are subject to the Councils. Pius IX, 1854, "of his own sovereign authority, and without the cooperation of a Council," proclaimed the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, as a sort of feeler to the Roman Catholic world, on the question. Its reception emboldened him to call the Vatican Council (1870) for the express purpose of having himself declared Infallible, which, under his skillful manipulation, they did. The decree reads that it is "divinely revealed" that the Pope, when he speaks "ex cathedra," is "possessed of Infallibility in defining doctrines of faith and morals," and that "such definitions are irreformabie of themselves, and not from the consent of the church." And so the Pope is now INFALLIBLE, because the Vatican Council, at his bidding, voted that he is. The Eastern Church considers this the Papacy's crowning Blasphemy.
Loss of Temporal Power
Since 754 the Popes had been Civil rulers of a kingdom called "The Papal States," which included a large part of Italy, with Rome as its Capital; and many of the Popes had been more concerned with extending the boundaries and wealth and power of this kingdom than they were in the spiritual welfare of the church, and had often used their spiritual position as Head of the Church to enlarge their secular power. Papal corruption was just as glaring in their Secular rule as In their Spiritual rule. Papal misrule of Rome was a byword: venality of officials, frequency of crime, unwholesome streets, exactions upon visitors, falsified coinage, lotteries. Pius IX ruled Rome with the help of 10,000 French troops. On the outbreak of the war between France and Germany, 1870, these troops were recalled; and Victor Immanuel, king of Italy, took possession of the city, and added the Papal States to the Kingdom of Italy. The vote of the people transferring Rome from the Pope to the Government of Italy was 133,648 to 1,507. The Pope, thus, lost not only his earthly kingdom, but himself became a Subject of another Government, which was a deep humiliation to him who claimed to be Ruler of all kings. His Temporal Power was restored, on a miniature scale, 1929, by Mussolini; and tho Vatican City comprises only 100 acres, the Pope is again a Sovereign, king, subject to no earthly authority.
Present-Day
Popes Leo XIII, 1878-1903, claimed that he was appointed to be Head of all rulers, and that he holds upon this earth the place of Almighty God; emphasized Papal Infallibility; pronounced Protestants "enemies of the Christian name"; denounced "Americanism"; called the Masonic Order a "source of all evil"; laid down as the only method of cooperation complete submission to the Roman Pontiff.
Pius X, 1903-1914, denounced leaders of the Reformation as "enemies of the Cross of Christ."
Benedict XV, 1914-22.
Pius XI, 1922-39, in 1928 re-affirmed the Roman Catholic Church to be the only church of Christ, and the reunion of Christendom impossible except by submission to Rome.
Pius XII, 1939—1958
John XXIII, 1958- 1963
Paul VI, 1963-1978
John Paul I, 1978-1978, Just 33 days! The suddenness of the death, together with the Vatican's difficulties with the ceremonial and legal death procedures (such as issuing a legitimate death certificate), have resulted in several conspiracy theories.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_Paul_I_conspiracy_theories
The conclave to elect John Paul I's successor began on 14 October, and ended two days later, on 16 October, after eight ballots. The cardinals elected Cardinal Karol Wojtyła, then Archbishop of Kraków, as the new pope. Resulting in the most recent Year of Three Popes, he accepted his election and took the pontifical name of John Paul II
John Paul II, 1978-2005, In 1986 Pope John Paul II invited numerous false religions and pagans to for a day of prayer in Assisi, Italy. In 1982 after years of separation from America Pope John created as Time magazine “A holy alliance” to help relations between Soviet Union and USA to “Tear down that wall” to Destroy communism.
http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,159069,00.html
One of his famous was quotes was to come to him for forgiveness NOT Jesus! In 1988, when Pope
John Paul II delivering a speech to the European Parliament, Ian Paisley, the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party and Moderator of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster, shouted "I denounce you as the Antichrist!
Benedict XVI, 2005-2013, Early life Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger was apart of Hitler’s Nazi youth. As Cardinal he was in charge of the Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, formerly known as the "Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office", the historical Roman Inquisition. Other words in charge of the pedophile cases. Ratzinger's 2001 letter De delictis gravioribus clarified the confidentiality of internal church investigations, as defined in the 1962 document Crimen Sollicitationis, into accusations made against priests of certain crimes, including sexual abuse. This became a subject of controversy during the sex abuse scandal.[31] For 20 years, Ratzinger had been the man in charge of enforcing the document.[32] While bishops hold the secrecy pertained only internally, and did not preclude investigation by civil law enforcement, the letter was often seen as promoting a coverup.[33] Later, as pope, he was accused in a lawsuit of conspiring to cover up the molestation of three boys in Texas, but sought and obtained diplomatic immunity from liability.[34] As Pope promoted the use of Latin and reintroduced traditional papal garments. On February 11, 2013, Benedict announced his resignation in a speech in Latin before the cardinals, citing a "lack of strength of mind and body" due to his advanced age. The truth was he needed to retire because charges were brought up for pedophilia. He still lives in a Vatican City apt. in hiding where he can’t be touched because the Vatican is its own Country.
Francis, 2013-present, Francis (whose parents are Italian) is the first Jesuit Pope. The white Pope became the black Pope. As Cardinal of Argentina Jorge Mario Bergoglio was the subject of allegations regarding the kidnapping of two Jesuit priests during Argentina's Dirty War. He was in charge of a inquisition being responsible for the disappearance of 15,000 to 20,000 Argentine citizens.THE POPE'S DIRTY PAST:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/03/16/the-pope-s-dirty-past.html
As Pope, he has become the humblest man alive. Saying lies and perversities like all atheists go to heaven, he can forgive your sins through Twitter, and he would rather have a suffering Church with bruises and dirt as if it had been out on the streets. Vatican released a preliminary document calling for the church to welcome and accept gay people,( "Who am I to judge a gay person of goodwill who seeks the Lord?") unmarried couples and those who have divorced, as well as the children of these less traditional families.
CHURCH HISTORY
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LIST OF THE POPES AND THE PAPACY 8
Summary
The Papacy is an Italian Institution. It arose on the ruins of the Roman Empire, in the name of Christ occupying the throne of the Caesars; a Revival of the Image of the Roman Empire inheriting the Spirit thereof; "the Ghost of the Roman Empire come to life in the garb of Christianity." The Popes mostly have been Italians.
The Papacy's Methods. It brought itself to power thru the prestige of Rome, and the Name of Christ, and by shrewd political alliances (as with the Franks and Charlemagne), and by deception (as in the Forged Decretals), and by ARMED FORCE (its own armies and the armies of subservient kings) ; and by Armed Force and Bloodshed (as in the Inquisition) has maintained itself in power.
Papal Revenues. Thru a large part of its history the Papacy, by the sale of ecclesiastical office, and its shameless traffic in Indulgences (sale of "remission of sin for money"), has received vast revenues that enabled it to maintain, for much of the time the most luxurious Court in Europe, in the NAME of the LOWLY CHRIST.
Personal character of the Popes. Some of the Popes have been good men; some of them unspeakably vile; the most of them absorbed in the pursuit of Secular Power. God has had its Saints in the Catholic Church, but most of them have been OUTSIDE the VATICAN. The "Vicars of Christ," for the most part, have been anything but saints.
Papal Claims. Yet, In spite of the Character of the general run of Popes, their Methods, and the Secular and Bloody record of the Papacy, these "Holy Fathers" claim that they are the "Vicars of Christ," "Infallible," and that they "hold on this earth the place of Almighty God," and that Obedience to Them is necessary to salvation.
The Papacy and the Bible. Bible reading was urged by Justin Martyr, Jerome and Chrysostom. Translations were considered by Augustine a blessed means of propagating God's V^ord among the nations. Gregory I recommended Bible reading without placing any restrictions. But later Popes took a different attitude. Hildebrand ordered Bohemians not to read the Bible. Innocent III forbade the people reading the Bible in their own language (in Latin the Bible was a closed book to the masses). Gregory IX forbade laymen possessing the Bible, and suppressed translations. Translations among the Albigenses and V^aldenses were burned, and people burned for having them. Paul IV prohibited the possession of translations without permission of the Inquisition. The Jesuits induced Clement XI to condemn the reading of the Bible by the laity. Leo XII, Pius VIII, Gregory XVI and Pius IX all condemned Bible Societies. Papal influence keeps the Bible out of our schools. In Catholic countries the Bible is an unknown book.
The Papacy and the State. Hildebrand called himself "Overlord ol Kings and Princes." Innocent ill called himself "Supreme Sovereigr^ of the world," and claimed the right to depose kings. Pius IX condemned Separation of Church and State, and commanded all true Catholics to obey the Head of the Church rather than Civil Rulers. Leo XIII claimed that he was the "Head of All Rulers." At the coronation of the Popes, the Papal Crown is placed on their head with the words: "Thou art Father of Princes and Kings, Ruler of the World, and Vicar of Christ." Rome's official teaching is that Catholics should, in case of conflict, obey the Pope rather than their country.
The Papacy and the Church. The Papacy is not the Church, but a Political Machine that got Control of the Church, and, by assumed prerogatives, interposed itself between God and God's people; and its objective has been and is to keep the people in subjugation to itself.
The Papacy and Tolerance. Pope Clement VIII declared that the Toleration Edict of Nantes whereby "liberty of conscience is granted to everybody is the most cursed thing in the world." Innocent X and his successors have condemned, rejected, annulled and protested against the Toleration articles of the 1648 Treaty of Westphalia. Leo XII condemned religious freedom. Pius VIII denounced liberty of conscience. Pius IX expressly condemned religious toleration and liberty. Leo XIII endorsed the decree of Pius IX. However much Roman priests in our own country may cry "Tolerance," the Official "Infallible" Law of the System to which they belong is Against it. Romanists are in favor of Tolerance ONLY in countries where they are in the Minority. In Catholic countries Tolerance has never been granted Except under Compulsion. The Papacy has FOUGHT Religious Freedom at every step. They want tolerance for themselves, but refuse it to others where they are in power.
Providential Purpose in the Papacy? It may be that, in the Providence of God, the Papacy served a purpose, in the Middle Ages, in saving Western Europe from chaos and in Blending the Roman and German civilizations. But just suppose that the Church had NEVER been made a STATE institution, and that it had entirely avoided the pursuit of Secular Power, and confined itself exclusivelv to its ORIGINAL policy of winning Converts to Christ and training them in His ways,—then there might have been the MILLENNIUM instead of the DARK AGES.
This Story of the Papacy has been written as a background to the Reformation, in the belief that we ought to be familiar with the Wherefore of the Protestant Movement and the Historical Foundations of our Protestant Faith. Some of the things told herein seem Unbelievable. It seems inconceivable that men could take the Religion of Christ and develop it into an Unscrupulous Political Machine on which to ride to World Power. However, all statements made herein may be verified by reference to any of the completer Church Histories.
CHURCH HISTORY
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FORERUNNERS OF THE REFORMATION
Petrobusians, founded by Peter de Bruys, a pupil of Abelard, 1110, in France, rejected Mass, held that Communion was a Memorial, and \hat ministers should marry.
Arnold of Brescia, 1155, pupil of Abelard, preached that Church should be without Property, that Civil Government belongs to the Laity, that Rome should be freed from Papal Control. Was hanged at request of Pope Adrian IV.
Albigenses or Carthari. In S. France, N. Spain and N. Italy. Preached against the immoralities of the priesthood, pilgrimages, worship of saints and images; completely rejected the clergy and its claims; criticised church conditions; opposed the claims of the Church of Rome; made great use of the Scriptures; lived self denying lives and had great zeal for moral purity. By 1167 they embraced possibly a majority of the population of South France; by 1200 very numerous in North Italy. In 1208 a crusade was ordered by Pope Innocent III; a bloody war of extermination followed; scarcely paralleled in history; town after town was put to the sword and the inhabitants murdered without distinction of age or sex; in 1229 the Inquisition was established and within a hundred years the Albigenses were utterly rooted out.
Waldenses. S. France and N. Italy. Similar to Albigenses, but not identical. Waldo, a rich merchant of Lyons, South France, 1176, gave his property to the poor and went about preaching; opposed clerical usurpation and profligacy; denied the exclusive right of the clergy to teach the Gospel; rejected masses, prayers for the dead and purgatory; taught the Bible as the sole rule of belief and life; their preaching kindled a great desire among the people to read the Bible. They were gradually repressed by the Inquisition except in the Alpine Valleys southwest of Turin where they still are found, the only mediaeval sect still surviving, a story of heroic endurance of persecutions. Now the leading Protestant body in Italy.
Petrarch, 1304-74, great leader of the Renaissance, spoke of Avignon, the Papal Residence, as "a sink of hell."
John Wyclif. 1324-1384, A teacher at Oxford, England. Preached against the spiritual domination of the priesthood, the authority of the Pope; opposed the existence of Popes, cardinals, patriarchs, monks; attacked transubstantiation, and auricular confession. Advocated the people's right to read the Bible. Translated it into English language. His followers were called Lollards.
John Huss. 1369-1415. Rector of the University of Prague, Bohemia. He was a student of Wyclif, whose writings had penetrated Bohemia. He became a fearless preacher; attacked the vices of the clergy and the corruptions of the church; with impassioned vehemence condemned the sale of indulgences; rejected purgatory, worship of saints and worship in a foreign language; exalted the Scriptures above the dogmas and ordinances of the church. He was burned alive at the stake, and his followers, a large part of the Bohemian population, were almost extirpated by a crusade ordered by the Pope.
Savonarola. 1452-1498. Florence, Italy. Preached, like a Hebrew prophet, to vast crowds who thronged his cathedral, against the sensuality and sin of the city, and against Papal vice. The penitent city reformed. But Pope Alexander VI sought in every way to silence the righteous preacher; even tried to bribe him with a cardinal's hat; but in vain. He was hanged and burned in the great square in Florence 19 years before Luther posted his 95 theses.
Anabaptists appeared thru the Middle Ages, in various European countries, under different names, in independent groups, representing a variety of doctrines, but usually strongly Anti-Clerical, rejecting Infant Baptism, devoted to the Scriptures, and standing for Absolute Separation of Church and State; very numerous in Germany, Holland, and Switzerland at the time of the Reformation, perpetuating ideas that had come down from preceding generations; as a rule, a quiet and genuinely pious people, but bitterly persecuted, especially in the Netherlands.
The Renaissance, or Revival of Learning, occasioned, in part, as a result of the Crusades, the pressure of the Turks and the fall of Constantinople, helped along the Reformation movement. There arose a passion for the ancient classics. Vast sums of money were spent in the collection of manuscripts and the founding of libraries. Just at that time printing was invented. And there followed an abundance of dictionaries, grammars, versions and commentaries. There v/as study of the Scriptures in their original languages. "Renewed knowledge of the sources of Christian doctrine revealed the vast difference between the native simplicity of the Gospel and the ecclesiastical fabric that professed to be founded upon it." "THE REFORMATION OWED ITS BEING TO THE DIRECT CONTACT OF THE MIND V/ITH THE SCRIPTURES," and it resulted in the emancipation of the human mind from priestly and Papal authority.
Erasmus, 1466-1536, greatest scholar and most popular author of the Reformation. His great ambition was to free men from false ideas about religion; and thought the best way to do it was to return to the Scriptures. His Greek New Testament gave translators an accurate text to work with. A relentless critic of the Roman Catholic Church; delighted especially to ridicule "unholy men in holy orders." Greatly helped the Reformation, but never joined it.
Conditions. There was widespread discontent with the corruption of the church and the clergy. The people had grown restive under the cruelties of the Inquisition. Civil rulers had grown tired of Papal interference in governmental matters. Western Europe was fretting under the ecclesiastical system that held it in bondage; and "at the blast of Luther's trumpet Germany, England, Scotland and other countries startled, like giants out of their sleep."
CHURCH HISTORY
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THE REFORMATION
Martin Luther, 1483-1546, next to Jesus and Paul, the Greatest Man of all the ages. He led the world in its break for Freedom from the most Despotic Institution in history. "Founder of Protestant Civilization." Born of poor parents at Eisieben, 1483. Entered University of Erfurt, 1501, to study law. "A fine student, great talker and debater, very sociable and very musical," he took his degrees in an unusually short time. 1505 he suddenly decided to enter a monastery. An exemplary monk, and very religious, he practiced all the forms of fastings and scourgings, and invented new ones, and for two years endured, he said, "such anguish as no pen can describe." One day, in 1508, v/hile reading Romans, his enlightenment and peace came suddenly: "the just shall live by faith." He saw, at last, that salvation was to be gained by Trust in God thru Christ, and not by the rituals and sacraments and penances of the Church. It changed his whole life, and the WHOLE COURSE OF HISTORY. "Tho his discover/ made a priestly church unnecessary, he did not at once realize it." He still accepted all the usages of the Church, Masses, Relics, Indulgences, Pilgrimages, and the Papal Hierarchy. 1508 he became a teacher in the University of Wittenberg, which position he held till his death in 1546. 1511 he went to Rome, and, tho appalled at the corruption and vice of the Papal Court, he still accepted the authority of the Church. Returned to Wittenberg. His sermons on the Bible began to attract students from all parts of Germany.
Indulgences. Tetzel's sale of Indulgences was the occasion of Luther's break with Rome. An Indulgence was a lightening of the pains of Purgatory, that is, a remission of the punishment for sin. According to Romanist teaching, Purgatory is very much the same as Hell, only it does not last as long; but all have to pass thru it. But the Pope claimed to have the power to lessen, or altogether remit, these sufferings; and this prerogative belonged exclusively to the Pope. It began with Popes Pascal I (817-24) and John VIII (872-82). Papal Indulgences were found to be exceedingly profitable, and soon came into general use. They were offered as inducement to go on Crusades, or Wars against Heretics, or against some King whom the Pope wished to punish, or to Inquisitors, or to those who brought faggots for the burning of a heretic, or for Pilgrimages to Rome, or for any Public or Private Enterprise of the Pope, or SOLD for MONEY. Pope Sixtus IV, 1476, was the first to apply them to souls already in Purgatory. Indulgences were farmed out, to be retailed. Thus "selling the privilege to sin" became one of the main sources of Papal Revenue. In 1517 John Tetzel came thru Germany selling certificates, signed by the Pope, offering pardon of all sins, to buyers and their friends, without confession, repentance, penance, or absolution by the priest. He said to the people, "as soon as your coin clinks in the chest the souls of your friends will rise out of Purgatory into Heaven." This horrified Luther.
The 95 Theses. On October 31, 1517, Luther posted on the church door in Wittenberg 95 theses, nearly all of which related to Indulgences, but which in substance struck at the authority of the Pope. It was merely a notice that he was willing to discuss these things in the University. But printed copies were eagerly sought all over Germany. It proved to be "the spark that set Europe aflame." Tract after tract followed, in Latin for the scholar, and in German for the common people. By 1520 he had become the most popular man in Germany.
Luther's Ex-Communication. In 1520 the Pope issued a Bull excommunicating Luther, and declaring that, unless he would retract within 60 days, he should receive the "penalty due for heresy" (which meant death). When Luther received the Bull he Burned it Publicly, Dec. 10, 1520. "A New Age in History began That Day." (Nichols.)
The Diet of Worms. 1521 Luther was summoned by the Charles V, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (which at that time included Germany, Spain, Netherlands and Austria), to appear before the Diet of Worms, and in the presence of the assembled dignitaries of the Empire and the Church, ordered to retract. He replied that he could retract nothing except what was disproved by Scripture or reason: "Here I stand; I can do naught else; so help me God." He was condemned; but he had too many friends among the German Princes for the Edict to be carried out. He was hid by a friend for about a year, and then returned to Wittenberg to continue his work of speaking and writing. Among other things he translated the Bible into German; it "spiritualized Germany and made the German language."
The Pope's War on the German Protestants. Germany was made up of a great many small States, each ruled over by a Prince. Many of these Princes, with their whole States, had been won to Luther's cause. By 1540 all North Germany had become Lutheran. They were ordered to return to the Romanist fold. Instead, they united for defense in what was called the Smalcaid League. Pope Paul III urged the Emperor Charles V to proceed against them, and offered him, an army. The Pope declared the war a Crusade, and offered Indulgences to all who would take part. The war lasted from 1546 to 1555, ending with the Peace of Augsburg, by which the Lutherans won legal recognition of their religion. The Pope instigated this war for the purpose of whipping the Lutherans into Submission. He was aggressor; Lutherans were on the defensive.
The Name "Protestant". The Diet of Spires, 1529 AD, at which Roman Catholics were in the majority ruled that Catholics could teach their religion in Lutheran States, but forbade Lutheran teaching in Catholic States, in Germany. Against this the Lutheran Princes made formal protest, and henceforth were known as "Protestants". The name, originally applied to Lutherans, has now come to be applleo in popular use, to those protesting against Papal Usurpation,— Includ ing all Evangelical Christian Bodies.