1. Transubstantiation Transubstantiation is the Catholic belief that during the Eucharist in Mass, the bread and wine is transformed into the actual body and blood of Christ (Lindberg (L.) 402). This is significant, because during the Reformation in the 16th century, Luther developed the idea of “sola scriptura” or scripture alone (Harris Lecture (H.L.10/14/14). This concept meant that since it did not actually say in the scripture that the bread and body of Christ had been transformed, it hadn’t really happened. Instead, God is present with the bread and wine, but it hasn’t been transformed, a concept known as consubstantiation or “sacramental union” (H.L. 10/28/14). This change from the Catholic Church’s belief in transubstantiation
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Priesthood of all believers
The priesthood of all believers was an idea that was started by Martin Luther in the 16th century and appears in Luther’s The Pagan Servitude of the Church (L. 116-17). The priesthood of all believers was the community of all baptized Christians (ibid). This concept is significant, because it was extremely radical during this time as the Catholic Church separated the clergy from the laity. With Luther’s concept of the priesthood of all believers, the clergy were on the same level as the laity (H.L. 10/23/14). This had far ranging implications, as the clergy, being equal to the laity, could now marry, have children, and do everything the laity could do (H.L. 10/23/14). This concept also implied that religion was for everyone. Luther used this concept to emphasize the direct relationship between the laity and God; not with the clergy as a mediator between God and the laity (H.L. 10/23/14). Religious life was for everybody, not just the clergy.
1. Why was Martin Luther's insistence that only Scripture carried religious authority so significant for the Reformation period? What are the implications and effects of the Protestant insistence on sola scriptura? Be sure to think broadly about this …show more content…
People attended Mass regularly and participated in the sacraments (everyone was baptized into a community of Catholics; most received communion and confirmation; confession to a priest was a regular practice, marriages and burials were also performed through the Church) (L. 30 and H.L. 10/7/14). Moreover, people routinely used the concept of facere quod in se est to shorten their anticipated time in purgatory (L. 64-5). There also was a large market for the selling of indulgences to Catholics to “buy” family members out of purgatory (L. 71-3). In contrast, Martin Luther focused on the idea of scripture alone as the basis for religion, not the rituals developed over centuries by the Catholic Church. Focus on the literal text of the Bible meant that individuals could understand how far the Catholic Church had deviated from the original scriptures (H.L. 10/14/14). As such, it not only called into question the elaborate hierarchy of the Catholic Church and its many rituals, but had broader implications for society at
Priesthood of all believers
The priesthood of all believers was an idea that was started by Martin Luther in the 16th century and appears in Luther’s The Pagan Servitude of the Church (L. 116-17). The priesthood of all believers was the community of all baptized Christians (ibid). This concept is significant, because it was extremely radical during this time as the Catholic Church separated the clergy from the laity. With Luther’s concept of the priesthood of all believers, the clergy were on the same level as the laity (H.L. 10/23/14). This had far ranging implications, as the clergy, being equal to the laity, could now marry, have children, and do everything the laity could do (H.L. 10/23/14). This concept also implied that religion was for everyone. Luther used this concept to emphasize the direct relationship between the laity and God; not with the clergy as a mediator between God and the laity (H.L. 10/23/14). Religious life was for everybody, not just the clergy.
1. Why was Martin Luther's insistence that only Scripture carried religious authority so significant for the Reformation period? What are the implications and effects of the Protestant insistence on sola scriptura? Be sure to think broadly about this …show more content…
People attended Mass regularly and participated in the sacraments (everyone was baptized into a community of Catholics; most received communion and confirmation; confession to a priest was a regular practice, marriages and burials were also performed through the Church) (L. 30 and H.L. 10/7/14). Moreover, people routinely used the concept of facere quod in se est to shorten their anticipated time in purgatory (L. 64-5). There also was a large market for the selling of indulgences to Catholics to “buy” family members out of purgatory (L. 71-3). In contrast, Martin Luther focused on the idea of scripture alone as the basis for religion, not the rituals developed over centuries by the Catholic Church. Focus on the literal text of the Bible meant that individuals could understand how far the Catholic Church had deviated from the original scriptures (H.L. 10/14/14). As such, it not only called into question the elaborate hierarchy of the Catholic Church and its many rituals, but had broader implications for society at