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The 16th century Protestant Reformation sent shockwaves through Christendom and the Catholic Church mounted a dynamic counteroffensive. This period, known as the Counter-Reformation, was a time of intense self-examination, fervent spiritual renewal, and bold institutional reform.
- Medieval Church & Reform
- Luther & Zwingli
- Augsburg, Loyola, & Trent
- Truth & Untruth
- Architecture, Art, & Music
- Conclusion
The medieval Church was understood as the only valid spiritual authority for Christians, claiming a direct commission from Jesus Christ to Saint Peter(regarded as the first pope) as given in Matthew 16:18-19. In order to carry out its divine mission, a hierarchy had been instituted with the pope as head of the Church, followed by cardinals (advisor...
The efforts of men like Valla and Erasmus to redirect the Church back to its mission failed to address the divide between ecclesiastical authority and the people and, further, did not prevent abuses of power by clergy or official policies that put a price on salvation. Among these was the sale of indulgences – writs promising to lessen the time spe...
The Reformation's message appealed to anyone who felt disenfranchised by the Church and social hierarchy, as evidenced by the Knights' Revolt (1522-1523), which sought to establish the 'new teachings' in Germany, and the German Peasants' War (1524-1525), an attempt to overturn the status quo. By 1530, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, understood he ne...
The reforms of The Council of Trent, while sincere, were also aimed at undermining the Protestant criticism of the Church and marking a distinct difference between Protestant and Catholic visions of Christianity. The rejection of Luther's 'faith alone' and 'scripture alone' claims was central in establishing the Catholic claim as the sole authority...
The Jesuits became famous for their skills in debate and refutation of Protestant claims and were among the best-educated and most articulate defenders of Catholicism. While these 'soldiers of Christ' were at work as missionaries and apologists, the Church furthered its aim of reestablishing its centrality and authority through grand architectural ...
The Church responded to the criticism that the hierarchy ignored individual interpretations of Christianity by recognizing figures such as Saint Theresa of Avila (l. 1515-1582) and Saint John of the Cross (l. 1542-1591) while also noting their earlier recognition of other mystics including Hildegard of Bingen (l. 1098-1179) and Julian of Norwich(l....
- Joshua J. Mark
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Jun 25, 2019 · Updated on June 25, 2019. The Counter-Reformation was a period of spiritual, moral, and intellectual revival in the Catholic Church in the 16th and 17th centuries, usually dated from 1545 (the opening of the Council of Trent) to 1648 (the end of the Thirty Years' War).
The age of Reformation and Counter-Reformation. The most traumatic era in the entire history of Roman Catholicism, some have argued, was the period from the middle of the 14th century to the middle of the 16th. This was the time when Protestantism, through its definitive break with Roman Catholicism, arose to take its place on the Christian map ...
The Counter-Reformation ( Latin: Contrareformatio ), also sometimes called the Catholic Revival, [1] was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to, and as an alternative to, the Protestant Reformations at the time.
Dec 3, 2023 · The Counter-Reformation, also known as the Catholic Reformation, was a period of religious reform initiated by the Catholic Church in response to the Protestant Reformation. It was a time of significant changes and conflicts within the Catholic Church, particularly during the Council of Trent.
The Counter-Reformation, also known as the Catholic Reformation or Catholic Renaissance, in Christian history, was based on a time when the efforts of the Catholic Church were directed during the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries both against the Protestant Reformation and for internal renewal. The Counter-Reformation took place during ...