Lesson 8: Prelude to the Reformation: A.D. 1090-1517

By the end of this lesson, the student should:

(1) Recognize God’s sovereignty in preparing the way for the Reformation.

(2) See the hunger for God in Christians during the Middle Ages.

(3) Appreciate the role of biblical preaching in the rise of the Reformation.

(4) Understand the importance of Bible translation in the rise of the Reformation.

(5) Be committed to preaching and teaching Scripture in your ministry.

Earlier in this course, I quoted the African theologian John Mbiti. He said that the missionaries did not bring God to Africa; God brought the missionaries to Africa.[1] Long before missionaries arrived, God was preparing the way for the gospel.

In the same way, we could say, “Martin Luther did not bring God to the Reformation; God brought Martin Luther into the Reformation.” Even before Martin Luther, God was reviving His church. God was using monks like Bernard of Clairvaux to express a hunger for truth, preachers like John Wycliffe to make Scripture available in the common languages, and even inventors like Johannes Gutenberg to develop the tools that Luther and others would use to make the Bible available to everyone.

In this lesson, we will see how God prepared the way for the Reformers. This will lay the groundwork for the study of the Reformation in the first lesson of Survey of Church History II.

[1] Cited in Timothy C. Tennent, Invitation to World Missions (Michigan: Kregel, 2010), 75

During the centuries before the Reformation, the writings of the mystics show a continuing hunger for holiness. Even when many members of the Roman Catholic Church were satisfied with empty rituals, there were Christians who sought a vital, intimate relationship with God.

At the same time that Scholastics such as Anselm and Abelard were seeking rational understanding of theology, the mystics emphasized a personal experience of Christ. The mystics were not opposed to learning, but they emphasized personal experience over intellectual explanations.

Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)

One of the leading Medieval mystics was the French monk, Bernard of Clairvaux. Bernard was born into a well-to-do family. His father left to fight in the First Crusade when Bernard was six years old.

Instead of living the life of a nobleman, Bernard became a monk. At the age of 22, Bernard and thirty friends joined a monastery at Citaeaux. Three years later, Bernard was sent to found a new monastery in Clairvaux. During the next forty years, Bernard founded seventy monasteries and was an overseer for an additional ninety monasteries.

Though Bernard rarely left his monastery, he became one of the most influential people in Europe. He was a respected adviser to kings and popes. One of his monks was elected Pope Eugene III.

The weaknesses of Bernard are easy to see. His preaching inspired the failed Second Crusade. He convinced popes to excommunicate his enemies, a practice that laid the foundation for the Inquisition. He divided Christians into monks (a “higher” level of spirituality) and ordinary laymen (a “lower” level of spirituality).

However, in spite of his flaws, Bernard shows a hunger for holiness. Martin Luther called him, “the best monk that ever lived, whom I admire beyond all the rest put together.”

Bernard’s hymn “Jesus the Very Thought of Thee” is a beautiful picture of what it means to delight fully in relationship with Jesus. Bernard represents the hunger for holiness that has marked God’s people throughout church history.

Jesus, the very thought of Thee
With sweetness fills the breast;
But sweeter far Thy face to see,
And in Thy presence rest.

O hope of every contrite heart,
O joy of all the meek,
To those who fall, how kind Thou art!
How good to those who seek!

But what to those who find? Ah, this
Nor tongue nor pen can show;
The love of Jesus, what it is,
None but His loved ones know.

Catherine of Siena (c. 1347-1380)

An Italian mystic, Catherine of Siena, professed to hear Jesus speak in visions. As a result of one of these visions, Catherine committed herself to a life of service. Most of Catherine’s contemporaries who wanted to spend their lives in service to God entered a convent or monastery. Instead, Catherine believed that God had called her to serve in the world. She was called to oppose sin among church leaders, to evangelize, and to nurse the sick and dying.

Catherine lived during the years of the Babylonian Captivity when the pope was in exile in Avignon France. Catherine believed that the reforms in the church would be successful only if the pope ruled from Rome. She convinced Gregory XI to return to Rome from Avignon in 1376. Like Bernard of Clairveaux, Catherine influenced powerful church rulers even though she had no official power. And like Bernard, Catherine shows a deep hunger for relationship with God.

Thomas à Kempis (c. 1380-1471)[1]

Thomas à Kempis (“of Kemperen,” his hometown in Germany) was a member of the Dutch “Brethren of the Common Life,” a group that sought to build a close personal relationship with God while serving the community. Thomas was a gifted teacher and writer.

Thomas’ greatest work was The Imitation of Christ, a devotional book that has become one of the most influential books in history. Thomas More, Martin Luther, and John Wesley all credited The Imitation of Christ as an important influence in their spiritual development. Like the hymns of Bernard of Clairvaux, The Imitation of Christ shows a deep passion for experiencing God.

Most mystics remained faithful to the Roman Catholic Church. However, the mystic movement revealed a growing dissatisfaction with the ritualism of medieval worship. Sincere Christians sought to know God in a real and personal way. This hunger later bore fruit in the Reformation.

► Discuss both the strengths and the weakness of the medieval mystics. Do you lean more in the direction of the scholastics or in the direction of the mystics? Based on this tendency, what dangers do you need to be aware of?

[1]Three quotes from Thomas à Kempis:

“Without the Way, there is no going;
without the Truth, there is no knowing;
without the Life, there is no living.”

“If you will receive profit,
read with humility, simplicity, and faith.
Do not seek the fame of being learned.”

“At the Day of Judgment,
we will not be asked what we have read,
but what we have done.”

One of the marks of the Reformation was the preaching of the gospel. Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox, and their contemporaries returned the preaching of Scripture to a central place in worship. This is one of the biggest contrasts between the Middle Ages and the Reformation.

As with the hunger for holiness that bore fruit in the Reformation, a confidence in the power of the gospel can be seen centuries earlier during the Middle Ages. Long before Luther, God was raising up preachers who believed in gospel as “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”[1]

Peter Waldo (ca. 1140-1218) and the Waldensians

Peter Waldo believed the church had become too rich and powerful. He gave his estate to the poor, recruited two priests to translate portions of the Bible into French, and began to preach. His followers traveled in pairs, preaching in the marketplaces. They called themselves the “Poor in Spirit”; we call them Waldensians.

In 1184, Waldo and his followers were excommunicated by Pope Lucius III for preaching without the approval of the bishops. The Waldensians believed every man should have the Bible in his own tongue, and that Scripture should be the final authority for faith. Although the Waldensians did not teach the full Reformation message of salvation by grace alone, their movement shows an early step away from the authority of the Roman Catholic Church and towards the authority of Scripture.

Francis of Assisi (1182-1226) and the Franciscans

Francis of Assisi was the son of a wealthy Italian merchant, but he abandoned his wealth to preach the joy of “apostolic poverty.” Others soon followed him; he called his group the Friars Minor, or the “Order of the Lesser Brothers.”

This order was approved by the Pope and became known as the Franciscans. Francis remained loyal to the Roman Catholic Church, but his model of humility and service was clearly opposed to the values of the medieval Roman Catholic Church. Although Francis remained loyal to the church, he recognized that the gospel does not call Christians to selfish ambition, church politics, and the pursuit of power at all cost.

[1] Romans 1:16

John Wycliffe of England is called the “Morningstar of the Reformation.”[1] Forty-three years after his death, the Roman Catholic Church dug up his body, burned the corpse, and threw his ashes into the river. However, the destruction of Wycliffe’s body did not destroy his legacy. One writer wrote, “The Swift River  took his ashes to the Avon (River); Avon into the Severn; and the Severn into the ocean. The ashes of Wycliffe, like his doctrine, spread over the world.”

[2]

Wycliffe earned a doctorate at Oxford and was considered Oxford’s leading theologian. When Rome required England to send money to the pope, Wycliffe advised Parliament to refuse. He said that the church was already too wealthy. The pope heard of Wycliffe’s statement and had him charged with heresy.

Because of his popularity in England (and the weakness of the Roman Catholic Church during the Great Schism), Wycliffe was put under “house arrest” rather than being taken to Rome and killed. He pastored a church at Lutterworth and wrote doctrinal tracts. He argued against the doctrine of transubstantiation, the granting of indulgences, and the practice of the confessional. He stated that we are justified only by faith in Christ.

Most importantly, he began translating the Bible into English. Recognizing Scripture as the ultimate authority for believers, Wycliffe sought to make the Bible available to all Englishmen. He believed, “Englishmen learn Christ’s law best in English.”

Wycliffe died before his translation was complete, but two helpers completed the translation. Even after death, Wycliffe’s influence continued to inspire reform. His followers, nicknamed “Lollards” (“mumblers”) by their enemies, preached throughout England.

A century later, William Tyndale would publish the first printed Bible in modern English. Tyndale stated his purpose to a Catholic priest who criticized him, “If God spare my life, before very long I shall cause a plough boy to know the Scriptures better than you do!"

Wycliffe, Tyndale, and their successors believed that God’s Word would inspire true revival and bring people to salvation. Since their time, others who share their conviction have translated the Bible into more than 2000 languages.

[1]“God gave his sheep to be pastured, not to be shaven and shorn.”
- John Wycliffe

[2]Image: "Portrait of John Wycliffe", Histoire du Concile de Constance (1727), retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_John_Wycliffe.jpg, public domain.

Jan Hus (1373-1415)

Even before the German Reformation, there was an active reform movement in Bohemia (modern Czechoslovakia). One of the leaders in this movement was a popular pastor, Jan Hus.

As a student at the University of Prague, Jan Hus read the writings of John Wycliffe and considered himself a disciple of Wycliffe. After he graduated, Hus was appointed as preacher at the Bethlehem Chapel, a chapel founded by a wealthy merchant as a place where reformers could preach freely.

Like Wycliffe, Jan Hus knew that Christ, not the pope, is the head of the church. Hus was bold in his preaching against corruption in the church. He criticized the pope’s sale of indulgences. He put paintings on the walls of the church that contrasted the pope and Jesus. In one, the pope rode a horse while Jesus walked. In another, Jesus washed the disciples’ feet while the pope asked onlookers to kiss his own feet.

After the Archbishop of Prague complained to the pope about the fiery sermons of Hus, Hus was banned from preaching. When Hus refused to obey, he was excommunicated and forced into exile.

In 1414, the Council of Constance called Hus to defend his preaching.[1] The bishops promised “safe passage” to Hus. Hus hoped to receive a hearing for his concerns and believed that he could persuade the bishops to confront the corruption in the church. Instead, the bishops broke their promise, condemned Hus as a heretic, and had him burned at the stake.

After his death, Hus became a national hero in Bohemia. The preaching and martyrdom of Jan Hus was a spark in the spread of the Reformation message.

► Every lasting revival in church history has started with a return to the authority and centrality of Scripture. What is the role of Scripture in your church? Is the preaching of the Bible central to your ministry?

[1] Remember from the previous lesson that the Council of Constance was the council that ended the Great Schism.

A Prophetic Monk: Girolamo Savonarola (1452-1498)

In the late fifteenth century, the preaching of Savonarola brought revival to his city of Florence and shook Rome. Although Savonarola remained a Roman Catholic, he shows another step towards reform. Savonarola’s message was simple: God promises judgment on the corrupt leadership of the church and mercy on the repentant.

In 1492, Cardinal Borgia was elected Pope Alexander VI. Borgia was one of the most corrupt men to hold the papacy. He had many mistresses and at least seven children. Savonarola responded to Borgia’s election with the warning, “Behold the sword of the Lord will descend suddenly and quickly upon the earth.” When Alexander tried to silence Savonarola by offering him a position as cardinal, Savonarola refused. The pope then banned Savonarola from preaching. Savonarola continued to preach his message of reform.

In response, the pope excommunicated Savonarola and turned him over for torture. Savonarola was tortured for weeks before he was hanged and his body burned. Facing death at the age of forty-five, Savonarola prayed, “O Lord, I do not rely on my own righteousness, but on thy mercy.” As he was taken to the gallows, a bishop stripped him of his robe and said, “I separate thee from the church triumphant.” Savonarola replied, “That is beyond your power.”

Although Savonarola never left the Roman Catholic Church, he was an influence who helped prepare the way for the Reformation. Like the Reformers, he refused to allow church traditions to replace the authority of Scripture. Much like Luther in the next generation, Savonarola wrote, “I take the Scriptures as my sole guide.” This confidence in the truth of Scripture became one of the primary characteristics of the Reformation.

An Inventive Printer: Johannes Gutenberg (1398-1468)

Around 1450, Johannes Gutenberg, a printer in Mainz, Gemany, developed a movable-type press that allowed the widespread printing of books. This has often been called the most important event of the modern world. A single press could print as many as 1500 pages per day.

In 1454, Gutenberg printed the entire Bible on his press. Instead of slowly copying pages by hand, Bibles could be mass-produced. The Word of God would soon become available to the common man. This would be a key to the Reformation.

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Church. During the next two years, twenty-two editions of Luther’s attack on the sale of indulgences were printed. Although the majority of Germans did not read, a literate teacher or professional would acquire a copy of Luther’s writing and read it to crowds that gathered in the city square.

Within ten years after Luther’s first publication, there were more than one hundred printers in Germany printing Reformation tracts. Through the technology of the printing press, the message of justification by faith alone traveled throughout Germany and the western world. The pope could kill preachers; he could ban translations of the Bible; he could burn copies of the Bible, but he could not stamp out their message. Printers printed Bibles and Christian books faster than the pope could burn them!

…From Then to Now…

Did God have to wait for Gutenberg? Of course not! But just as God used Caesar Augustus to bring Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus, God used Gutenberg to develop technology that would spread the message of the Reformers far beyond the reach of their travels. As you serve God, know that you are not alone. God is preparing the way for the ministry to which He calls you.

A Greek Scholar: Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536)

Erasmus was a Dutch scholar who rejected the excesses of the Roman Church. As a Greek scholar, Erasmus was able to read the New Testament that was hidden from most people in the sixteenth century. He soon realized that much of what was taught by the Roman Catholic church was contrary to Scripture. His book In Praise of Folly attacked pilgrimages and the adoration of relics. He wrote, “Oh the folly of those who revere a bone of the Apostle Paul and do not feel the glow of his spirit in his epistles.”

Though Erasmus did not leave the Roman Catholic Church, his 1516 publication of the Greek New Testament was influential in the Reformation. As people compared the text of Scripture to the teachings of the Catholic Church, they realized how far Roman Catholicism had strayed from the gospel. The Latin Vulgate which was available prior to Erasmus had mistranslations that supported false Roman Catholic teachings.[1] God used Desiderius Erasmus to prepare the way for the Reformation.

[1] One of the clearest problems was the Vulgate translation of Matthew 3:2.
John the Baptist preached,
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
In the Vulgate, this was translated,
“Do penance: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
This was used to defend the Roman Catholic doctrine of penance.

The 14th century was one of the lowest spots in the history of the Roman Catholic Church.[1] The popes during this period were corrupt and immoral men who were much more interested in political power and wealth than in the gospel. In 1302, the pope declared that no one could be saved without absolute submission to his authority. And as seen in lesson 5, this was the century of the “Babylonian Captivity” in which the pope was under the power of the French King. At the end of the century, the Great Schism resulted in three popes elected simultaneously.

During the 14th century, over 5,000,000 Christians were martyred by Muslims in Africa and Asia, by Mongols in China, and by Roman Catholics in Europe. More than 335,000 Coptic Christians, 150,000 Iraqi Christians, and 200,000 Indian Christians were killed by Muslims. The Mongul ruler Timur killed more than 4,000,000 Christians as he tried to restore the Mongol Empire as a Muslim power. In Europe, men such as John Wycliffe and Jan Hus were persecuted for preaching the gospel. As a result of these factors, the percentage of the world population that professed the Christian faith dropped from 24% in 1300 to 18% in 1400.

Along with religious persecution, there were terrible political and natural disasters. The bubonic plague killed nearly 75 million people worldwide – as much as 70% of the population in many areas. The Hundred Years War between England and France brought instability to Europe.

Given such negative statistics, it is surprising to learn that the fourteenth century was the beginning of a great missionary movement led by Roman Catholics monks and priests. Thousands of monks and priests traveled to places like India and Indonesia to preach the gospel. Even while the church hierarchy was controlled by corrupt bishops, God raised up laymen and local priests who were faithful to His call. Nearly 75,000 Catholic missionaries served during the fourteenth century. Thousands of these gave their lives for the cause of the gospel.

Why do I focus on fourteenth century Roman Catholic missions in a course directed to twenty-first century evangelicals? To encourage you to realize that a sovereign God can work even in times of turmoil and trouble to accomplish His purposes. In spite of political and even church opposition, God is looking for committed individuals He can use to accomplish His mission in our world.

[1] Statistics in this section are drawn from Patrick Johnstone, The Future of the Global Church (IL: InterVarsity Press, 2011), 48-49

At the beginning of this course, we saw four principles from Matthew 28 and Acts 1 that should guide us when we study the history of Christianity. As we see these principles at work in the history of the church, we are encouraged to know that God is at work in the church today. The God of the first century church and of the Reformation is the same God who is at work in the church of the twenty-first century.

• “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” The principle of sovereignty teaches that God is accomplishing his purposes in and through the church.
• “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” The principle of mission teaches that the church grows both outwardly as it takes the gospel to all nations and inwardly as it learns true discipleship and is formed in the image of Christ.
• “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” The principle of empowerment teaches us that despite the failings of the church, Christ continues to work in the church to accomplish his mission in the world.
• “You will be my witnesses…to the end of the earth.” The principle of contextualization teaches us that the gospel belongs to all cultures. The history of Christianity shows that the gospel must be translated, both linguistically and culturally, for all nations.

► As we end this course, review these lessons to find one example of each of these principles. Share the examples you find with the rest of the class.

Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153). A medieval mystic and hymnwriter. Influential in persuading people to fight in the Second Crusade.

Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536). A Dutch scholar of the Greek language who published a copy of the New Testament in Greek. This allowed the Reformers to read the New Testament in its original language.

Jan Hus (c. 1372-1415). Pastor and professor in Prague who propagated John Wycliffeʼs teachings. He was burned at the stake as a heretic.

Girolamo Savonarola (1452-1498). Although he remained loyal to the Catholic church, he attacked the immorality of the church hierarchy.

John Wycliffe (c. 1330-84). English reformer who argued for the authority of Scripture, the priesthood of all believers, and the translation of the Bible into the language of the people. He was condemned as a heretic after his death.

(1) Take a test on this lesson. The test will include dates from the “Key Events in Church History” timeline (1090-1517).

(2) Prepare a biographical sketch of one of the following Christian leaders: Jan Hus, Girolamo Savonarola, or Desiderius Erasmus Your sketch should include four parts:

• Biography: When did he live? Where did he live? When and where did he die?
• Events: What are the most important events in his life?
• Influence: What was his lasting influence on the Christian church?
• Application: What is one lesson for today’s church from this leader?

You have two options for presenting this sketch:

• Submit a 2-page written paper to your class leader.
• Give a 3-5-minute oral presentation to your class

(1) The primary emphasis of the scholastics was a rational understanding of theology. The primary emphasis of the ________________ was a personal experience of Christ.

(2) The most influential devotional work of the Middle Ages was _____________________ written by Thomas à Kempis.

(3) The first two English translations of the Bible were done by _____ __________ and his helpers in the 14th century, and _______ __________ in the 16th century.

(4) The Prague whose martyrdom inspired the reform movement in Bohemia was ____ __________.

(5) The monk who brought revival to the city of Florence was _________________.

(6) The printing press was developed by ___________ _____________.

(7) The first Bible printed from moveable type was published in ______________.

(8) The 1516 publication of the Greek New Testament by ________________ made the text of Scripture available to preachers and sparked the message of the Reformation.