The Protestant Reformation Part 1 Quiz

Answer: 1517

The Reformation began on October 31, 1517 when Martin Luther nailed the Ninety-Five Theses on the door of the Castle Church Wittenberg in Germany. Since about 1500, people's ways of thinking started to change, making men aware of the principles of individual liberty and responsibility before God.

Answer: Movable type printing press

The movable type printing press was invented around 1440 by Johannes Gutenberg. Before the invention of the movable type printing press, printing was a tedious job, and as a result, literature was not very accessible to the public. Blocks were carved out of wood, and then discarded. Creating a technique that allowed setting individul letters together to print a page made printing books and pamphlets easier and less expensive. Because of this invention, people could more readily afford to buy more books.

The first book to be printed from the movable type was, appropriately, the Bible.

Answer: All of these

The Italian Rennaisance lasted from about A.D. 1300 to 1600 and emphasized the humanities through pagan culture. The Northern Renaissance, which can scarcely be distinguished from the Reformation movement, began in the A.D. 1500s, and occured in countries north of Italy.

It emphasized the humanities as well, However, the men of the Northern Renaissance felt that there was no book about man or any other subject more important than the Bible.

Answer: John Wycliffe

Because he lived before the Reformation began, John Wycliffe is called the "Morning Star of the Reformation". Born around 1329 and educated at Oxford University, Wycliffe was an outstanding scholar who could not accept the doctrines of the Roman church.

He became the first man to translate the entire Bible into English. Wycliffe was harrassed by priests, monks, and friars, and his books were banned in England. Although he died in 1384, the Roman church condemned his beliefs and at the Council of Constance in 1415 ordered his writings be burned. Finally, in 1428 the pope ordered that Wycliffe's remains be dug up and burned.

Answer: John Huss

John Huss was born around 1374 to a poor family. Encouraged by his mother to get an education, he studied theology and philosophy at the University of Prague. Huss became a great preacher causing a movement for reformed Christianity to break out in Bohemia. Alarmed at the growth of support Huss was getting, the Roman church persuaded Huss to go to the Council of Constance in order to explain and defend his beliefs. Repeating his idea that the pope can make mistakes, he refused to recant his belief that the church meant all believers, not just popes and priests. Even though Huss had gone to Constance with a safe-conduct guarantee, he was condemned by the Council and burned at the stake in 1415.

His last words were, "Lord, unto Thy hand I commend my spirit".

Answer: Desiderius Erasmus

Born about 1466 in Rotterdam, Erasmus lived and studied all over Europe. Either in person or through letters, he had come to know nearly every major scholar on the continent. In March of 1516, Erasmus printed the first edition of the New Testament in the original Greek, which opened the eyes of many to how much the Vulgate had distorted the New Testament. Erasmus lived to see the Bible translated into many different languages.

He died in 1536 as the most famous figure by far of the Northern Renaissance.

Answer: Martin Luther

Martin Luther was born in 1483 in Eisleben, Germany. Graduating from the University of Erfurt in 1505, he abandoned his parents' wishes for him to become a lawyer by becoming a monk. In time, Luther went back to school, earned a doctorate, and taught Bible at the University in Wittenberg.

After a serious study of the New Testament, Luther began to protest the practices of the church, particularly indulgences. On October 31, 1517, he nailed the Ninety-five Theses to the church door at Wittenberg. After reading a copy of the Theses, Pope Leo X charged Luther with heresy and contempt for church authority. Luther's protest against the church's corrupt ways lead to the Diet of Worms in 1521, where he was put on trial in an attempt to force him to recant his writings and beliefs. Still, Luther took a stand and said, "Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason - I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other - my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen."

Answer: Ulrich Zwingli

Born in 1484, Zwingli was appointed to the post of "people's priest" in the city of Zurich in 1519. He preached through the whole book of Matthew in the New Testament during a time when preaching of the Bible by a priest was unheard of. He also attacked many Roman doctrines.

After a debate in which Zwingli defended his faith as stated in sixty-seven theses, the city council of Zurich decided to support the Reformation in 1523. However, not all of Switzerland agreed with this, and as a result, wars broke out between the Swiss Protestants and the Swiss Catholics until 1531 when both sides accepted that some areas of Switzerland would be Protestant and others Catholic. During the wars, Zwingli served the Protestant forces as a chaplain and was, unfortunately, killed in battle in 1531. Nevertheless, it was thanks to Zwingli's leadership that the Reformation had come to Switzerland.

Answer: John Calvin

John Calvin was born in Noyon, France in 1509 and became committed to the Protestant faith by 1534. Having to flee France due to King Francis I's anti-Protestant law, Calvin put many ideas into practice in Geneva. He lived there for twenty-eight years while writing and preaching which influenced every aspect of the city's life. Calvin died in 1564. Today, he is known as the founder of the Presbyterian church as well as other churches that are called Reformed.

Answer: To better understand the Bible

Luther, for example, knew that the Bible was to no avail if the people could not read. The emphasis on educating the public distinguished the Modern Age from all previous eras, and the difference was made by the Reformation. This is the difference between the Northern Renaissance and the Italian Renaissance: in Italy, learning was exclusively reserved for a priviledged few. Whereas in the Northern Renaissance, all men were able to have the opportunity to learn. Thank you for taking my quiz. I hoped you learned something new.