Protestantism is one of the spiritual and political movements, it belongs to the varieties of Christianity. Its appearance is directly related to the development of the Reformation, which began after the split in the Roman Catholic Church. The main directions of Protestantism: Calvinism, Lutheranism, Anglicanism and Zwinglianism. However, the fragmentation of these confessions has been going on constantly for several hundred years.
The birth of Protestantism
The emergence of the Reformation in Europe occurred as a result of dissatisfaction with the immoral behavior of believers and the abuse of their rights by many religious leaders of the Catholic Church. All these problems were condemned not only by simple pious people, but also by public figures, theological scientists.
The ideas of Protestantism and the Reformation were proclaimed by professors of Oxford and Prague University J. Wycliff and Jan Hus, who opposed the abuse of the rights of priests and extortions of the Pope, imposed on England. They questioned the rightclergy to forgive sins, rejected the idea of the reality of the sacrament of communion, of the transformation of bread into the body of the Lord.
Jan Hus demanded that the church give up accumulated we alth, sell positions, advocated depriving the clergy of various privileges, including the rite of communion with wine. For his ideas, he was declared a heretic and burned in 1415 at the stake. However, his ideas were picked up by the Hussite followers, who continued his struggle and achieved some rights.
Key teachings and figures
The founder of Protestantism, who worked first in Germany and Switzerland, was Martin Luther (1483-1546). There were other leaders: T. Müntzer, J. Calvin, W. Zwingli. The most pious Catholic believers, having observed for many years the luxury and debauchery that has been taking place among the higher clergy, began to protest, criticizing them for their formal attitude to the norms of religious life.
According to the founders of Protestantism, the most striking expression of the church's desire for enrichment was indulgences, which were sold for money to ordinary believers. The main slogan of the Protestants was the restoration of the traditions of the early Christian church and the increase in the authority of the Holy Scriptures (Bible), the institution of church authority and the existence of priests and the Pope himself, as an intermediary between the flock and God, were rejected. This is how the first direction of Protestantism appeared - Lutheranism, proclaimed by Martin Luther.
Definition and basic postulates
Protestantism is a term derived from the Latin protestatio (proclamation, assurance, disagreement), which refers to the set of Christian denominations that emerged as a result of the Reformation. The teaching is based on attempts to understand the Bible and Christ, different from the classical Christian.
Protestantism is a complex religious formation and includes many directions, the main of which are Lutheranism, Calvinism, Anglicanism, named after scientists who proclaimed new ideas.
The classical teaching of Protestantism contains 5 basic postulates:
- The Bible is the only source of religious teaching that every believer can interpret in his own way.
- All actions are justified by faith alone, whether good or not.
- Salvation is a good gift from God to man, so the believer himself cannot save himself.
- Protestants deny the influence of the Mother of God and the saints in salvation and see it only through the only faith in Christ. The clergy cannot be mediators between God and the flock.
- Man honors and glorifies only God.
Different branches of Protestantism have differences in the denial of Catholic dogmas and the basic postulates of their religion, the recognition of some sacraments, etc.
Lutheran (Evangelical) Church
The beginning of this direction of Protestantism was laid by the teachings of M. Luther and his translation of the Bible from Latin into German, so that every believer couldread the text and have your own opinion and interpretation of it. In the new religious doctrine, the idea was put forward of the subordination of the church to the state, which aroused interest and popularity among the German kings. They supported the reforms, feeling dissatisfied with the large payments of money to the Pope and his attempts to interfere in the politics of European states.
Lutherans in their faith recognize 6 books written by M. Luther "The Augsburg Confession", "The Book of Concord" and others, which set out the main dogmas and ideas about sin and its justification, about God, the Church and the sacraments.
Widespread in Germany, Austria, Scandinavian countries, later - in the USA. Its main principle is "justification by faith"; of the religious sacraments, only baptism and communion are recognized. The Bible is considered the only indicator of the correctness of faith. Priests are pastors who preach the Christian faith, but do not rise above the rest of the parishioners. Lutherans also practice the rites of confirmation, weddings, funerals and ordinations.
Now there are about 80 million adherents of the Anglican Church in the world and 200 active churches.
Calvinism
Germany was and remains the cradle of the reform movement, but later another trend appeared in Switzerland, which was divided into independent groups under the general name of the churches of the Reformation.
One of the currents of Protestantism is Calvinism, which includes reformist andthe Presbyterian Church, differs from Lutheranism in its greater rigidity of views and gloomy consistency, which were characteristic of the religious Middle Ages.
Differences from other Protestant denominations:
- The Holy Scripture is recognized as the only source, any church councils are considered unnecessary;
- monasticism is denied, because God created women and men for the purpose of raising a family and having children;
- the institution of rituals is being liquidated, including music, candles, icons and murals in the church;
- the concept of predestination is put forward, the sovereignty of God and his power over the lives of people and the world, the possibility of his condemnation or salvation.
Today, Reformed churches are located in England, many European countries and the USA. In 1875, the "World Alliance of Reformed Churches" was created, which united 40 million believers.
Jean Calvin and his books
Calvinism scientists refer to a radical trend in Protestantism. All reformist ideas were set forth in the teachings of its founder, who also showed himself as a public figure. Proclaiming his principles, he became practically the ruler of the city of Geneva, introducing his life of transformation, which corresponded to the norms of Calvinism. His influence in Europe is evidenced by the fact that he earned himself the name of "Geneva Pope".
The teachings of J. Calvin were set forth in his books "Instructions in the Christian Faith", "Gallican Confession", "Geneva Catechism", "Heidelbergcatechism”, etc. The reformation of the church in accordance with Calvin has a rationalistic direction, which is also manifested by distrust of mystical miracles.
Introduction of Protestantism in England
The ideologist of the Reformation movement in the British Isles was Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury. The formation of Anglicanism took place in the 2nd half of the 16th century and was very different from the emergence of Protestantism in Germany and Switzerland.
The Reformation movement in England began at the behest of King Henry VIII, who was denied a divorce from his wife by the Pope. During this period, England was preparing to start a war with France and Spain, which served as a political reason for the debunking of Catholicism.
The King of England declared the Church national and decided to lead it, subjugating the clergy. In 1534, Parliament announced the independence of the Church from the Pope. All the monasteries in the country were closed, their property was transferred to the state authorities to replenish the treasury. However, Catholic rites were retained.
Basic Anglicanism
There are few books that are a symbol of the Protestant faith in England. All of them were compiled in the era of confrontation between the two religions in search of a compromise between Rome and reformism in Europe.
The basis of Anglican Protestantism is the work of M. Luther "The Augsbrug Confession" edited by T. Cranmer, en titled "39 Articles" (1571), as well as the "Book of Prayers", which gives the order ofdivine services. Its last edition was approved in 1661 and remains a symbol of the unity of adherents of this faith. The Anglican Catechism did not adopt its final version until 1604
Anglicanism, in comparison with other areas of Protestantism, turned out to be closest to Catholic traditions. It also considers the Bible to be the basis of doctrine, services are held in English, and the need for intermediaries between God and man, who can only be saved by his religious conviction, is rejected.
Zwinglianism
One of the leaders of the Reformation in Switzerland was Ulrich Zwingli. Having received a master's degree in art, from 1518 he served as a priest in Zurich, and then the city council. After getting acquainted with E. Rotterdam and his writings, Zwingli came to the decision to start his own reform activities. His idea was to declare the independence of the flock from the power of the bishops and the pope, specifically putting forward the demand for the abolition of the vow of celibacy among Catholic priests.
His work "67 Theses" was published in 1523, after which the city council of Zurich appointed him a preacher of a new Protestant religion and introduced it in Zurich with their power.
The teaching of Zwingli (1484-1531) has much in common with the Lutheran concepts of Protestantism, recognizing as true only what is confirmed by Holy Scripture. Everything that distracts the believer from self-deepening, and everything sensual must be removed from the temple. Because of this, music and painting, the Catholic Mass, instead ofit introduced biblical sermons. Hospitals and schools were established in the monasteries closed during the Reformation. At the end of the 16th-beginning of the 17th century, this movement united with Calvinism.
Baptism
Another direction of Protestantism, which arose already in the 17th century in England, was called "Baptism". The Bible is also considered the basis of the doctrine, the salvation of believers can come only if there is a redemptive faith in Jesus Christ. In Baptism, great importance is attached to the "spiritual revival" that occurs when the Holy Spirit acts on a person.
The adherents of this trend of Protestantism practice the sacrament of baptism and communion: they are considered symbolic rites that help to unite spiritually with Christ. The difference from other religious teachings is the rite of catechiment, which goes through everyone who wants to join the community during a trial period of 1 year, followed by baptism. All cult accomplishments take place rather modestly. The building of the prayer house does not look like a religious building at all, it also lacks all religious symbols and objects.
Baptism is widespread in the world and in Russia, has 72 million believers.
Adventism
This trend emerged from the Baptist movement in the 30s of the 19th century. The main feature of Adventism is the expectation of the coming of Jesus Christ, which should happen soon. The teaching contains the eschatological concept of the imminent destruction of the world, after which the kingdom of Christ will be established on the new earth for 1000 years. And all the peopleperish, and only Adventists will be resurrected.
The trend gained popularity under the new name "Seventh-day Adventists", which proclaimed a holiday on Saturdays and a "he alth reform" necessary for the body of the believer for the subsequent resurrection. Bans have been introduced on some products: pork, coffee, alcohol, tobacco, etc.
In modern Protestantism, the process of confluence and the birth of new directions continues, some of which acquire church status (Pentecostals, Methodists, Quakers, etc.). This religious movement has become widespread not only in Europe, but also in the United States, where centers of many Protestant denominations (Baptists, Adventists, etc.) have settled.
