The Reformation in Europe
A talk presented by the Rev'd Laurence Hillel at Ruislip Synagogue on 15 July 2003

Three Basic Divisions
Lawrence began his talk by explaining that Christianity is made up of three basic divisions, Roman Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox. Most people have some knowledge or understanding of Catholicism and Protestantism, but few in the West know much about the Orthodox branch of Christianity. The origins of the Orthodox Church stem from the time of the split of the Roman Empire which resulted in the Christian church being divided into two factions:

The Latin speaking communities governed by Rome, which we now refer to as Roman Catholicism
The Eastern Roman Empire based on Constantinople with its Greek speaking communities, and which formed the Greek/Byzantine Church which we now refer to as the Orthodox Church.

The Orthodox Church was governed by bishops who met in Council, so there was a “bottom-up” structure of governance, as opposed to the Papal monarchical structure of "top-down" governance of the Rome-centred church. Today the Orthodox Church covers much of the Eastern part of the world and as well as the structure of governance there are fundamental differences between the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches in the fields of theology (mainly to do with the nature and status of the Holy Spirit) and liturgy, the liturgy of the Orthodox Church being very complex and long-lasting, with the veneration of icons having a principal place as the channels of God's Grace.

Although the split between the two churches was officially recognised in the 11th century, the de facto split really goes back to the 6th century. In the West we are more familiar with the split between Catholics and Protestants, and it reflected political divisions. Only 50 years ago the two groups kept themselves very much to themselves. Mixed marriages between Catholics and Protestants were rare, and Catholics never went into Protestant churches. However, in this day and age there has been a lot of "bridge-building" and ecumenical activities on both sides. Now it is not uncommon to have mixed marriages and a degree of shared worship.

Why did the divisions take place?
At the beginning of the 16th century there were shortcomings. There was a great deal of resentment at the privileges of the clergy. They were exempt from taxation, but the Church made heavy demands on people, notably the tithe system of 10% of harvest and produce. Grand palaces were built for Cardinals, and also Popes were not particularly moral in their behaviour. A lot of the clergy were poorly educated and at this time the laity were becoming more educated and were not receiving the spiritual leadership they wanted. The concept of nationhood was developing and there was resentment at Rome’s interference in the affairs of other countries. Nepotism was rife and there was a lot of anti-Papal feeling.

Invention Of The Printing Press
But while anti-clericalism was not new, what was new was the invention of the printing press. The "reading- audience" had grown. Humanists such as Erasmus and others made use of the printing press to spread their ideas, and often in a satirical manner. Apart from criticising the Church satirically they also began to look at the Bible. Between the 4th and 16th centuries the only version of the Bible was the Latin Vulgate, which had been translated by St Jerome. It was found to contain certain errors of translation that had theological consequences.

Erasmus produced a Greek version of the Bible and questioned claims made by the Papacy which were based on mistranslations.

Martin Luther
In Germany Martin Luther, a Catholic monk, began to find fault with Catholic Spirituality. In 1545 Luther described in writing his personal situation and feelings of 40 years earlier. At that time he had severe scruples of conscience and regarded himself as an inveterate sinner. He hated this just God whose perceived demands made him virtually irredeemable.

So Luther described what was for him a spiritual crisis. However Luther had been using Erasmus’s Greek New Testament and it seemed to him that he didn’t need to keep placating God through the ministrations of the Church and clergy, what he had to do was to have faith in the redeeming work of Jesus Christ. If faith is the important thing, then what the Church offers is less important. So he began to question the authority of the Papacy in his 95 theses which he nailed to the castle door at Wittenburg, and this is really what started the European Reformation.

Schism
Within four years what had began as a debate became a schism - and Luther was excommunicated. Luther’s doctrine developed further to maintain that the true basis of all understanding was Scripture, and the Bible became the symbol of the Protestant Reformation. In 1521 the religious dispute had become a political affair, with German Princes taking up Luther’s cause against Rome.

In 1529 six of these Princes signed a Protestation (agreement) and there is the origin of the word "Protestant". The situation became complicated politically and religiously as various brands of Protestantism emerged under the leadership of Calvin, Zwingli and others.

Although reading ability among the European peasantry was not universal it only needed one or two in a group who could read to make the output of the printing press widely available. As a result peasants saw things in the Bible which made them challenge not only the authority of the Pope, but also the authority of the nobility. Luther became frightened by this social/political development and he supported the Princes’ brutal suppression of the peasants’ revolt.

Europe Divided
Europe experienced 100 years of turmoil, and in 1529 the question of Henry VIII’s divorce affected Church matters in England. The subsequent reigns of the Tudor Monarchs were beset by intense religious differences - one aspect of the situation being the banning of Roman Catholic priests in England on pain of death. So when the dust settled in the second half of the 17th century, Europe was left divided. In terms of religion Catholicism remained strong in Italy, Spain and Poland, with Protestantism dominating Germany, Scandinavia and Britain (though not in Ireland). France and the Netherlands were in the same split; the Netherlands in fact split in two - the Reformation thus accounting for the emergence of Belgium.

The Church in England
The 1662 the Book of Common Prayer was produced and represents the religious settlement in England. It is a compromise between the extremes of Catholicism and Protestantism. The more extreme Protestants today are represented by Baptists and Presbyterians. Basically their view is that the only things you want for worship are a place to meet and the Bible. In the Church of England the “Evangelical” wing sits alongside Baptists and Presbyterians, and the "Anglo-Catholic" wing aligns itself more comfortably with Roman Catholicism. Methodism is an 18th century development founded by John Wesley. The Roman Catholic Church returned to British shores in 1850 following the Catholic Emancipation, and this coincided with Irish Catholic immigration.

An Ongoing Dialogue
The clock hasn't quite gone full circle - it is more like 11 o'clock. The two sides (Catholic and Protestant) talk to each other. There are still areas of major disagreement such as the Catholic Church not recognising women’s ministry, and Protestants not recognising Papal authority. So there are still difficulties to be overcome.

- Bernard Tiley