The Pros And Cons Of The Council Of Trent

1083 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Effect of Protestant Reformation on Roman Catholic

The Council of Trent was held between 1545 and 1563, mostly in the Italian city of Trent. Though lengthy and drawn-out, it is one of the most important councils ever held, as it set a variety of institutional norms. For example, the seven sacraments were defined, it “set a uniform seminary system for the training of priests... it made the Roman liturgy a standard for Catholic services, and it defended traditional teaching and practices,” (Flint 327). There were two main purposes for the convening of the Council of Trent, and they were to battle the ever-growing Protestant Reformation, as well as to address the wide-spread corruption lifelong, devout Catholics were noticing. The journey to the Council was a long and winding one. It began with the Protestant reformation, the precipice to the split of Catholicism. Reformers such as Martin Luther and John Calvin argued …show more content…

This portion of the Council, “defined the mass as true sacrifice; issued doctrinal statements on holy orders, matrimony, purgatory, indulgences, and the veneration of saints, images, and relics.” (Britannica, “Council of Trent”). At the end of these eighteen year, there had been 26 sessions spread out over the three convenings (Minnich, Bowker, Knowles “Council of Trent”).
At its core, the Council of Trent was held by the leadership of the Catholic religion as a way to respond to the Protestant Reformation. The Catholic religion seemed to be under fire. After Martin Luther posted his Theses, he translated the Old and New Testament from Latin into German to make it more accessible to the common man (Flint 322). The Protestant belief that there was no need for an intermediary between God and Man undermine the basic tenets of Catholicism, The Catholic Church was forced to respond in a way that answered the people’s

Show More
Related

  • Catholic Reformation Dbq

    1162 Words  | 3 Pages

    This caused a lot of deaths during the Reformation period because the Catholic church decided to prosecute people for following and listening to what Luther had taught them about the real Catholic Teachings. The Council of Trent was a way to stop the teachings of Catholic traditions and state clearly the renewal of the Catholic life. The work of the council was concerned with the organisation of the Church. A seminary was going to be set up for the education of priests in each diocese. During the reformation a Catechism which is a clear summary of Catholic beliefs was set out to help reform the order of Mass throughout the Catholic world which priests then helped educate and teach this understanding to Catholics. Indulgence selling was abolished which means that it was no longer a way for the Church to scavenge money and the infamous Inquisition was

    Read More

  • Music as Propaganda in the German Reformation

    1053 Words  | 3 Pages

    The reformation was a religious and political movement that took place in the year 1517. This movement was spread by the Cristian humanist Martin Luther, when he posted his “Ninety Five Theses”. The reformation itself is one of those things everybody has heard about but no one quite understands, even nowadays, 500 years after this movement occurred.

    Read More

  • Angela Merici Catholic Reformation Essay

    507 Words  | 2 Pages

    Initiated by Pope Paul III to condemn and refute protestant beliefs, it would eventually lay the principles of catholicism for four centuries. They were able to condemn the reformation by approving the Index of Forbidden Books, which would punish anyone who possessed a list of books that supported Protestantism or were critical of the church in Catholic Countries. They defended their religion through scriptures and other traditions. It would eventually acknowledge and curtail the abuses in sale of indulgences, sale of church offices, give bishops more power from clergy, and establish seminaries to train priests. The Council of Trent existed to condemn protestants in order to protect their faith, but in turn would have to decrease some of their

    Read More

  • Beliefs of Luther, Zwingli, the Anabaptists and the Roman Catholics

    1230 Words  | 3 Pages

    In conclusion, Luther, Zwingli, the Anabaptists and the Roman Catholics all had their problems and differences. However, these differences raised many controversial questions that caused people to really think about the government they were serving under and the religion they followed. People like Martin Luther questioned the authority of the pope and the church and caused many people to think of whether they were following the right thing. So despite many of the arguments between these three groups there was still much accomplished for Christ.

    Read More

  • Da Vinci Code and the Nicene Council

    417 Words  | 1 Pages

    The direction now of my research is to begin investigating the context of the debate. To achieve this aim I will need to be consulting books of both secular and church history for the time of Jesus and the Council.

    Read More

  • Differences Between Luther And Calvin

    627 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Reformation was the 16th-century religious, political, intellectual and cultural upheaval that splintered Catholic Europe, setting in place the structures and beliefs that would define the continent in the modern era. It was important because it divided the continent between catholics and protestants. New ideas were introduced and was the subject of tension between catholics and protestant for the next centuries. On Oct. 31, 1517, Martin Luther posted on the door of the castle church at Wittenberg his 95 theses, inviting debate on matters of practice and doctrine. Luther's action was not as yet a revolt against the church but a movement for reform within. It was, however, much more than an objection to the money-grabbing and secular policies of the

    Read More

  • Papal Monarchy In The High And Late Middle Ages

    541 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the Middle ages, there was strong disagreement among church leaders. A prime example of this is what is called the “Great Schism.” The Great Schism occurred in 1378 and lasted until 1417. It represented a time where there was a split in church leadership. To put it simply, this split occurred when two people, Pope Urban VI and Clement VII, disagreed strongly on matters of church reform and both claimed to be the rightful pope (McKay 340). During this time, the people were divided and didn’t know who to look to for strength as they had previously done. Accordingly, Papal power over the people lessened and

    Read More

  • Reformation and Music

    867 Words  | 2 Pages

    While numerous theological issues had been brewing for some time, the Reformation was officially began in 1517 by a man named Martin Luther. Martin Luther was a professor of biblical theology who had several issues with the Catholic Church. His complaints or disputes with the Catholic Church are known as his 95 Theses. In his 95 Theses, Martin Luther argued that God offers salvation through faith alone and that religious authority comes from the Bible alone which posed a challenge to the authority of the Catholic Church. After sparking the Reformation, Martin Luther made it his goal to incorporate the church congregation in the praise and worship part of church service. A detrimental and vital aspect of Christianity, Martin Luther believed this needed to be done. Along with his followers, Martin Luther made continuous...

    Read More

  • Mercantilism In America

    2010 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Protestant Reformation started with Martin Luther he believed that the Catholic church’s bible did not apply to everyone, he did not want anyone to be left out. So he rejected Churches and began gaining followers,these followers believed in the same things as martin. So they all started a new branch of the Christian religion. Eventually even more branches began to spring up so everyone was happy and believed in

    Read More

  • The Protestant Reformation And The Counter-Reformation

    1405 Words  | 3 Pages

    “It [The Council of Trent] confirmed that the Church alone could interpret the Scriptures, and that

    Read More

  • Lutheranism And Calvinism Similarities

    518 Words  | 2 Pages

    The two leaders of Lutheranism and Calvinism, Martin Luther and John Calvin, reformed the Catholic religion in their own way to lead their followers

    Read More

  • The Hardships Of The Protestant Reformation And The Catholic Reformation

    1708 Words  | 4 Pages

    Having a religion change, many times, takes a toll on those who follow. This would include the hardships of the Protestant Reformation and the Catholic Reformation. Religious tensions were spreading throughout Europe, starting from the Protestant Reformation. Some of those who followed the Catholic church began to question how much was true and how many lies they were told to believe in. Many important Leaders of the Reformation stated their opinions about that Catholic church. These opinions would then be evaluated in the Catholic Reformation, The Council of Trent. Beliefs would be revised and practices would be evaluated. The core beliefs would still be Catholic, thus still different from a protestant beliefs. This led to officials of states

    Read More

  • The Protestant Reformation

    2541 Words  | 6 Pages

    The Protestant Reformation: What it was, why it happened and why it was necessary. The Protestant Reformation has been called "the most momentous upheaval in the history of Christianity." It was a parting of the ways for two large groups of Christians who differed in their approach to the worship of Christ. At the time, the Protestant reformers saw the church- the Catholic church, or the "universal church- " as lacking in its ways. The church was corrupt then, all the way up to the pope, and had lost touch with the people of Europe. The leaders of the Reformation sought to reform the church and its teachings according to the Scriptures and the writings of the Apostles. They sought to simplify the church by returning to its roots, roots long lost by the Catholic church at the time, or so the reformers believed. After the fall of the Roman Empire, life in Europe declined rapidly into the Dark Ages. The Dark Ages were a time of misery and darkness. There were only two socioeconomic classes: the very rich nobility or the very poor peasants. Small kingdoms popped up everywhere, and were constantly at war with one another. Whole libraries were destroyed, and the only people who remained literate were the clergy of the Christian church. Life became such a struggle to survive that, for a period of five hundred years, very little artwork or literature was produced by the whole of Europe. Eventually, around the year 1000, the conditions in Europe began to get better. This marked the beginning of the Middle Ages. The Crusades began as an effort to revitalize the spirits of the people. However, things still weren't very good. Plagues ravaged the land, carried by rodents and destroying whole villages. With th...

    Read More

  • The Reformation and the Church

    1602 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Reformation was a decisive period in the history not only for the Catholic Church, but also for the entire world. The causes of this tumultuous point in history did not burst on the scene all at once, but slowly gained momentum like a boil that slowly festers through time before it finally bursts open. The Reformation of the Church was inevitable because of the abuses which the Church was suffering during this period. At the time of the Reformation, a segment of the Church had drifted away from its mission to bring Christ and salvation to the world. Throughout the Middle Ages, the Church had gradually become weaker because of abusive leadership, philosophical heresy, and a renewal of a form of the Pelagian heresy.

    Read More

  • The Influence of the Roman Catholic Church

    1137 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Roman Catholic Church had complete influence over the lives of everyone in medieval society, including their beliefs and values. The Church’s fame in power and wealth had provided them with the ability to make their own laws and follow their own social hierarchy. With strong political strength in hand, the Church could even determine holidays and festivals. It gained significant force in the arts, education, religion, politics as well as their capability to alter the feudal structure through their wealth and power. The Church was organised into a hierarchical system that sustained the Church’s stability and control over the people and lower clergy, by organising them into different groups.

    Read More

More about The Pros And Cons Of The Council Of Trent

Open Document