HTY 310A
Course Paper
Akri Çipa ID: 100092770
The Counter-Reformation
In the beginning of the 16th century, the Church was facing multiple difficulties. First of all, several theologians were voicing the necessity and the urgency for reform. Their concerns spread across the whole of Europe and more and more people started to be convinced by their claims. At the same time, a lot of secular critics started to heavily target and criticize the religious practices, the clerical behavior and the general position of the Church. And these claims were certainly well-grounded. There still existed controversy about some practices that were widespread. Innumerous problems existed related to the clerics. First of…show more content… This happened mainly due to the fact that the reformers were disorganized and that they lacked a real platform about the changes that were to be adopted. Furthermore, there was no open challenge to the authority of the Church. Yet, this all changed when Martin Luther, according to university custom, posted in 1517 the Ninety-Five Theses, which he had composed in Latin, on the door of All Saints' Church in Wittenberg. There is disagreement and maybe a lack of factual information if the nailing of the theses did really occur, or if it is simply a myth. Yet, what is really important is the fact that the Ninety-Five Theses questioned the Church’s practices, including the sale of indulgences. The quickly spread of the Theses marks the start of an organized reform and is regarded as the catalyst for the Protestant Reformation, and for the split between Protestants and the Catholic…show more content… It became clear that it was not just a matter of reform now, but it was an existential issue for the Church. The response towards the Protestant reformers, as well as to the conservative reformers that stayed within the church and that did not join the Protestants, is considered in history as the “The Counter-Reformation”. The Counter-Reformation is generally considered to start with the Council of Trent, in 1545, and to end with the closing of the Thirty Years’ War, in 1648. As it can be seen, its time extensiveness laid the path for a comprehensive effort that aimed to address all controversies that had questioned the continuity of the Church, as well as to stop the spread of Protestantism, which was gaining momentum. There were four major elements that were part of this