Reformation in Switzerland

The main cause of the Thirty Years' War, which lasted from 1618 to 1648, was the rising religious and political tensions between the Roman Catholics and the Protestant Christians. The end of the Thirty Years' War created a number of significant consequences and changed the religious, social, and political ways of Western Europe. The ending of this war created the end of the Holy Roman Empire and the Hapsburg's falling out of power. There were also religious divisions in the country which is very…

Protestantism is one of the forms of Christianity that started in Europe in the XVI century as a reaction to the doctrines established by the Roman Catholic Church. The first theologians who promoted the changes in the Church worked in the context of Roman Catholicism, so their works were mainly based on the criticism of the doctrines and practices of the day and eventually led to schism, which was a rejection of unity with the authorities of the Roman Catholic Church (Encyclopedia Britannica,…

Originally written (likely in Latin) by “the lord bishop’s notary” Guillame Pierre Barthe (the lord bishop referred to being Jacques Fournier, Bishop of Pamiers and later Pope Benedict XII) and copied or translated by the scribe Rainaud, this document is an episcopal register detailing the process of an inquisitorial investigation against Guillame Austatz. The expected readership of the document would have been quite limited, primarily to lawyers, future inquisitors (to be used as a guide or…

Yesterday at Notre Dame Cathedral, Eastern Synod Lutheran Bishop Michael Pryse and I took part in a service commemorating the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Catholics and Lutheran adherents and others from a variety of Christian denominations joined us. The service included mixed choirs supported by the Basilica’s powerful organ, sincere prayers for Christian unity, and the tangible witness of being together in prayer. In our own way, we were living out ourselves the prayer of…

Theodore Frelinghuysen is a key figure in the history of the Reformed Church in America. Often seen as a dissenter from the Netherlands church, Frelinghuysen is a staunch support of pietistic Calvinism and expected his church to be the same. What Frelinghuysen’s aggressive theology eventually led to was the Conferentie and Coetus schism. The reason for this schism is set on Frelinghuysen’s upbringing in the Netherlands church and his disdain for those who lacked sincerity while worshipping God…

Colonialism, its mere definition to paraphrase states to occupy a new territory with the country of origin’s population called settlers then exhort its natural resources for the mother country. The complexity of American colonialization stems from the premise to seek freedom. This freedom came in many forms such as social mobility, political freedom, religious freedom, and wealth. Unfortunately, their freedom came at a very high cost to the indigenous people, the people of Africa and their…

Abbot Joachim of Fiore was a highly influential prophet and spiritual writer that shaped the culture of the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. His insights into scriptural interpretation and the unfolding of history flowed from a grave misunderstanding of the Trinity’s unity. His misunderstanding was based on the inappropriate use of the philosophical principle of univocity. This difficulty is but one of the many reasons that Pope Innocent III called the Forth Lateran Council.…

that spurred the reformation, allowance of religious skepticism, and the inclusion of all people in the church, and opening the doors for other protestant churches to evolve. I believe these are true contributions of Lutheranism because they are still in existence today and have been the most influential in my life through my experience both in attending Lutheran services but also my Baptist church back home. When Luther broke away from the Catholic Church he started a reformation in which he…

Medieval society was complex, Church was its main influence, it was governed by laws and they had a remarkable military organization. First, Catholic Church was its main influence, Church played an important role in the Middle Ages society. The Bible was the main educational source and they constituted their own set of laws. In the social structure of feudalism, the only power over the king’s authority was the Catholic Church. The decisions taken by the Church were not questioned by the…

The intentions behind the event in which Charlemagne was crowned Emperor by the Pope at Christmas 800 are an influential part of Medieval history. Barraclough (1976) explains the factors in why Charlemagne did not want to be crowned emperor. The reasons lay in the events that were happening in Italy in 800. The first and foremost reason is that the idea of being crowned emperor did not come from Charlemagne at all. It is said, by his biographer Einhard, that Charlemagne would not have attended…