The European Reformation Period

[celtman]

I am curious as to the opinions of those on this forum as to the relative merits of the various Christian reformations within Europe in the sixteenth century from the Catholic/Counter-Reformation, through the Calvinist, Lutheran and Zwinglian reformations to the Radical reformation.

To what extent would you agree that the Catholics were unable to prevent the spread of protestantism within Europe? Why was Luther successful? Why did the Radicals fail? Why was Calvinism popular within both Geneva and the wider Europe?

I have my own ideas on all of these questions, but I am curious to see the views of others and present arguments for my own views once others have made theirs known.

[Lab-rat]

Oh, this is a good one. I will ponder what I think I know and remember about this time and surely get back to you with my oopinion.

[Professor Phantom]

Thank God for a reformation and Joann Guternberg's Printing Press or we would still be under the thumb of the Roman Catholic Church. No offense to those that might be.

[Comet]

The Catholics were unable to stop the spread of ideas due to the creation of the Printing Press and the establishment of Renaissance ideas. Although Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, and others were so successful was because of the damage done by the Renaissance. The rebirth of learning throughout Europe directly challenged Church authority.....not only spiritually, but also in the temporal realm. Take the English group known as the Lollards for example....John Wyclif believed people benefited better reading the bible for themselves rather than blindly following the clergy whom many were uneducated about the faith. To learn from the bible was to learn how to live a pious, christian life. Wyclif then pushed for the bible to be in English (which his followers succeeded in doing). Being able to read the bible directly attacked the spiritual base of the Church. Wyclif also pushed for secular authority to take away the wealth of the Church.....a direct attack against their temporal power. Although Wyclif's ideas were driven underground by Henry V in 1415, these same ideas continued to circulate throughout England and the Continent. The Renaissance aided in an already developing problem for the Church......the fact that people believed that they had the ability to think for themselves. Therefore, the Reformation became the end result.....I tell my colleagues that it liberated the mind of the common man throughout Christian Europe. This was why Luther was so successful, he not only was able get his ideas out to wider audience, but the Renaissance seeds were planted throughout society.

My theory on the lack of success by the radical reformers was the fact that they did not have the support of the Protestant camp. Catholics already sought to destory them, but Lutherans also sought to silence them. They took a very literal interpretation of the bible....one in which Luther believed to be outrageous. Although they were not successful then, many of their ideas survive today.....such as the idea of adult baptism only.

Calvinism, on the other hand, was much more successful in spreading their ideas than even the Lutherans. Zwingli and Calvin both took advantage of missionaries throughout Europe. Calvin especially took interest in "Calvinizing" France.....his home country. These missionaries preached the idea of a true Christian community of believers.....an idea that took Geneva by storm. A much simpler explanation of Geneva's success is the fact that they became the Reformation intellectual center....many thinkers such as Martin Bucer, Calvin, John Knox, and others put Geneva on the map as a major reform center.