Reformation
The Reformation or Protestant Reformation movement would have advance slowly at a snarl’s pace without the invention of the Gutenberg’s Printing Press. The printing press revolutionized book printing. And that first book was the Christian Bible. Before this invention, the Bible was carefully written by monks or scribes. “Before the invention of the printing press, the only way to duplicate a manuscript was to spend hours … laboriously copying it by hand. Some estimates say that a scribe would take four years, of writing up to 14 hours a day with fine-tipped markers, to handwrite a copy of the Bible!” (https://www.josh.org/materials-scribes-used-bible)
The Gutenberg Bible is an edition of the Latin Vulgate (The Catholic Church affirmed the Vulgate as its official Latin Bible at the Council of Trent (1545–1563), printed in the 1450s by Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz, in present-day Germany. Forty-nine copies have survived. (https://en.wikipedia.org/valgate) They are thought to be among the world's most valuable books. I first saw a Gutenberg Bible at the Huntington Library in Pasadena, California.
“The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation and the European Reformation, was a major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and the authority of the Catholic Church.” ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reformation )
“In northern and central Europe, reformers like Martin Luther, John Calvin and Henry VIII challenged papal authority and questioned the Catholic Church’s ability to define Christian practice. They argued for a religious and political redistribution of power into the hands of Bible- and pamphlet-reading pastors and princes. The disruption triggered wars, persecutions and the so-called Counter-Reformation, the Catholic Church’s delayed but forceful response to the Protestants. This was a major theological protest from the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and reform movement in Europe or a protest (later called the Protestants) movement (known as the Reformation) in the 16th Century." ( https://www.history.com/topics/religion/reformation )
Some of the leaders of the reformation were: Martin Luther, John Calvin, Arminius, Zwingli, Melanchthon, John Knox, William Tyndale
Video about the Reformation à (see Bing Videos) History 101: The Protestant Reformation | National Geographic
Martin Luther
"Historians usually date the start of the Protestant Reformation to the 1517 publication of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses.” https://www.history.com/topics/religion/reformation#section_1
Most important of the reformers, Martin Luther (1483-1546), who was an Augustinian monk, began questioning the church through his study of the languages and observations (such as traveling to penance trip to Rome). The Church tried to silence his inquisitive mind by putting him a teaching position. But this only opened opportunities to read the scriptures of the Bible more deeply. The Catholic Church translated the Bible to Latin Language including masses in Latin (only the clergy understood Latin while the average attender did not). The Church could both eliminate questions from the common person and prevented them from reading the Bible for themselves. However, the original languages were Hebrew for the Old Testament and Kione Greek (mostly) in the New Testament which Martin learned also.
One day as he was on his way the town’s local church, he passed an intoxicated man inclined on some stairs. He asks the man why he was not attending services at the nearby church. The man responded that he had a in essence a gotten a get out of jail card free on fire insurance for his salvation and guarantee to the pearly gates. Luther question him further and found that for a fee the pope provided with indulgences (defined as in the Roman Catholic Church a grant by the Pope of remission of the temporal punishment in purgatory still due for sins after absolution. The unrestricted sale of indulgences by pardoners was a widespread abuse during the later Middle Ages. or a document releasing an individual from attendance and free entry to heaven). “On November 9, 1518, Pope Leo X issued the bull Cum post Quam (“When after”), which defined the doctrine of indulgences and addressed the issue of the authority of the church to absolve the faithful from temporal punishment.” www.britannica.com/biography/Martin-Luther/The-indulgences-controversy
So why did the pope sell these papers to the congregation? “Leo X, the pope in 1517, needed funds to complete the building of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Leo entered into an arrangement that essentially sold indulgence franchises that allowed the franchisee to retain about half the funds raised by selling indulgences in return for sending to Rome the other half for Leo's construction project.” www.britannica.com/biography/Martin-Luther/The-indulgences-controversy
In England, existed another reformer, William Tyndale, after Martin. William Tyndale (1494 – 1536) was an “English biblical scholar and linguist who became a leading figure in the Protestant Reformation.” He was influenced by Martin Luther who translated the Bible into the German vernacular (language of the common person). Tyndale was quite a linguist being fluent in French, Greek, Hebrew, German, Italian, Latin, Spanish, and of course English. Tyndale, like Luther, translated from the original language of Greek and Hebrew and not the Latin Vulgate as Wycliff did. Both men were greatly aided by the Gutenberg Printing Press and disseminating their translations.
The Catholic Church became at odds with Tyndale over his contrary views of “justification by faith, free will, the denial of the soul.” As years passed, he continued to be at odds with the Pope and the king, he was inevitably found guilty condemned to death. Tyndale was “strangled to death while tied at the stake, and then his dead body was burned". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Tyndale#cite_note-FOOTNOTEPartridge197338–39,_52
The Protestant Reformation
The Reformation brought forth three principles starting with Luther as: Sola Scriptura, the Priesthood of all Believers, and Justification by Faith.
Sola Scriptura is a Latin phrase that means "by scripture alone" and is a central principle of the Protestant Reformation. It is a Christian theological doctrine that states the Bible is the sole, infallible source of authority for Christian faith and practice. This doctrine is held by most Protestant denominations, especially those in the Lutheran and Reformed traditions. Sola scriptura was one of the main theological beliefs that Martin Luther proclaimed against the Catholic Church during the Protestant Reformation. … that posits the Bible as the sole infallible source of authority for Christian faith and practice. The Catholic Church considers it heresy and generally the Orthodox churches consider it to be contrary to the teachings the Church.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sola_scriptura#:~:text=Sola%20scriptura%20was%20one%20of,theological%20pillars%20of%20the%20Reformation.)
Priesthood of all Believers “is a doctrine that asserts that all believers in Christ share in his priestly status. It means that there is no special class of people who mediate the knowledge, presence, and forgiveness of Christ to the rest of believers. All believers have the right and authority to read, interpret, and apply the teachings of Scripture . … doctrine all believers meant that all who have faith in Christ and are baptized are designated priests and share in Christ’s royal priesthood. This meant that every believer has equal access to the Father through Jesus.”
Justification by Faith “ a doctrine that asserts that believers are made right with God based solely on their faith, rather than on their own works or deeds. It addresses the fundamental issue of how sinful humans can have a relationship with a holy God. While good works necessarily follow from faith, they are not the cause of justification (It excludes our works of obedience to the law as a means or because of our justification before God. But it also affirms that acts of love and good works necessarily follow from our faith as the fruit of our faith.). Instead, when believers rest in Jesus by faith alone, God credits His righteousness to their account ( 2 Cor. 5:21).” ( https://www.bing.com/ write: justification by faith alone explained)
Martin Luther to write his 95 Theses, protesting what he saw as the pope’s sale of reprieves from penance, or indulgences to shorten time in purgatory. Martin believed that he could force renewal on the church and rebellion from it. Although he had hoped to spur renewal from within the church, in 1521 he was summoned before the Diet of Worms to be excommunicated.
Zwingli
“Huldrych or Ulrich Zwingli (1 January 1484 – 11 October 1531) was a leader of the Reformation in Switzerland. He noted corruption in the ecclesiastical hierarchy, promoted clerical marriage, and attacked the use of images in places of worship. Among his most notable contributions to the Reformation was his expository preaching … {doing} a Biblical exegesis to go through the entire New Testament, a radical departure from the Catholic mass.[9] In 1525, he introduced a new communion liturgy to replace the Mass. … His legacy lives on in the confessions, liturgy, and church orders of the Reformed churches of today.” ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huldrych_Zwingli )
Anabaptists
Anabaptism (from Neo-Latin anabaptista,[1] from the Greek ἀναβαπτισμός: ἀνά 're-' and βαπτισμός 'baptism';[1] is a Christian movement which traces its origins to the Radical Reformation in the 16th century. Anabaptists believe that baptism is valid only when candidates freely confess their faith in Christ and request to be baptized. Commonly referred to as believer's baptism, it is opposed to baptism of infants, who are not able to make a conscious decision to be baptized.” They practice a different form of communion or Eucharist than the Roman Catholics. This With one exception of the Lutheran who practice a Eucharist called consubstantiation definition. “In Lutheranism, the Eucharist is called the Lord's Supper or Holy Communion. It commemorates the Last Supper and affirms the real presence of Christ in the bread and wine.” (In Lutheranism, the Eucharist is called the Lord's Supper or Holy Communion. It commemorates the Last Supper and affirms the real presence of Christ in the bread and wine - Search (bing.com)
“Consubstantiation … describes the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. It holds that during the sacrament, the substance of the body and blood of Christ are present alongside the substance of the bread and wine, which remain present. It was … considered a heresy by the Roman Catholic Church.” ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consubstantiation)
The Amish, Hutterites, and Mennonites are direct descendants of the early Anabaptist movement. The Amish are the strictest of the three. Today they are mostly farmers and carpenters. To this day, they live a simple way of life rejecting modern technology, electricity, and internal pipes in their homes. To this day, they drive around in a horse and buggy (no cars). They live mostly in Pennsylvania and Indiana.
In addition, the Anabaptists practice simplistic service, antithesis from the ostentation of the Roman Catholic with golden chalices and jewels, stain glass windows, elaborate robes, Jesus on a cross, statutes of saints, pope, and spoke in Latin.
The contrast the Roman Catholics practice the Eucharist in what is called Transubstantiation.“...Roman Catholic teaching referring to a change that takes place during the sacrament of Holy Communion (Eucharist). This change involves the whole substance of the bread and wine being turned miraculously into the whole substance of the body and blood of Jesus Christ himself. During the Catholic Mass, when the Eucharistic elements -- the bread and the wine -- are consecrated by the priest, they are believed to be transformed into the actual body and blood of Jesus Christ, while keeping only the appearance of bread and wine.” (https://www.learnreligions.com/meaning-of-transubstantiation-700728)
Protestant View of Communion
“Most Protestants practice communion, often referred to as the Lord's Supper or Holy Communion, holds a central place in worship and spiritual practice. Unlike the Catholic view of transubstantiation, most Protestant denominations adhere to the concept of a memorial or the Lord's Supper. The bread and red juices symbolizes the last supper of Christ before his disciples. "and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." 1 Corinthians 11:24 and “In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.'” – 1 Corinthians 11:25 (Perhaps it is necessary to include that the Lutherans celebrate the Eucharist differently in what they call Consubstantiation: "Christian theological doctrine that (like transubstantiation) describes the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. It holds that during the sacrament, the substance of the body and blood of Christ are present alongside the substance of the bread and wine, which remain present. ...considered a heresy by the Roman Catholic Church. " -Consubstantiation - Wikipedia).(https://christian.net/theology-and-spirituality/what-are-the-different-views-of-communion/#:~:text=In%20the%20Protestant%20tradition%2C%20communion%2C%20often%20referred%20to,regarding%20the%20nature%20of%20the%20bread%20and%20wine.)
In conclusion, the Reformation was an antithesis to the control, ostentation, communion, baptisms (except for the reform churches and Lutheran denominations), and forms of worship of the Roman Catholic Church. The sermon became the central stage for Protestant worship. The Bible was in the vernacular (language) of the people not Latin as it was in the Catholic Church. Communion for the Protestants is a memorial (except for Lutherans) antithesis to the Catholic literal actual blood and body of Christ in the Catholics’ Transubstantiation (just a note that when I was in the U.S. Army one chaplain’s assistant got an article 15 for throwing away the remainder of the Eucharist after a Catholic priest’s service. It was looked at as sacrilegious or killing Jesus). The Anabaptist went to extremes with very simplistic form of worship. The main Protestant principles were: priesthood of all believers (confession to one another and not to a priest), solo scriptura (scripture alone is the authority of a Christian’s life), and justification of faith (believers are made right with God based solely on their faith).
Sola Scriptura
Priesthood of all Believers
Justification by Faith
