--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Mangum, Lester collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 3 number: 5 published: 1900-03 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Lester Mangum, "Causes Leading up to the Reformation—II," *Improvement Era* 3, no. 5 (March 1900): 338–346.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera35unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera35unse start_page: 338 end_page: 346 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1900-03) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera35unse publication_year: 1900 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1900, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Causes Leading up to the Reformation—II CAUSES LEADING UP TO THE REFOR- MATION. BY LESTER MANGUM. II. (Concluded^ Daring these long centuries of persecution, the church had held things in common. Their ceremonies had not been elaborate. The early Christians were simple followers of Christ. With the union of church and state, simplicity gave place to gorgeousness, especially in church architecture and church decorations. Bishops, instead of being the earnest teachers of their Master's will, became proud and arrogant dictators of the people's consciences. Pagan temples were used for Christian churches, and so tenaciously did the spirit of these places cling to them that the heads of the church became pagans in appearence, as well as in thought. All that was striking and gorgeous in the attire of the Pagan priests, was eagerly adopted by the Christian bishops. Not content to stop here, they made the ceremonies of the church correspond. "The confession of sins to the priest, the processions, the decoration of images, the prostrations before the priest, are all in their origin pagan observances. "The pagans exhausted their art in reproductions of Venus and Cupid, mother and son. Christians now began to exhaust their art in paintings of Mary and the Christ, mother and son. "The pagans deified certain superior mortals, and prayed to them. The Christians, seizing upon this practice to further conversion, tried to infuse spirit into the same moribund superstition, CAUSES LEADING UP TO THE REFORMATION. 339 and began to pray to men and women, dead and of reputed goodness, calling them saints. "The pagans knelt before their images, adorned them with flowers, burnt incense before them, lighted tapers about them, carried them in processions, and made pilgrimages to them. The degenerate Christians began to do likewise. "The pagan images had a habit of sweating at certain emergencies, nodding at others, oozing blood at others, and curing disease at others. It was not long before Christian images were found to possess similar powers. "The pagans kissed their images, and kissed the toe of their high priest. Not only did the Christians adopt the pagan word pope, and install a priest in his office, but they also adopted the pagan custom of kissing his toe. "The pagans prayed for the dead and believed in a purgatory. When they became Christian, the mass of the people discarded neither the custom nor the belief. "The pagan shaved the head of the priest, and clad him in vestments. The Christians followed the same practices." Christian feasts were substituted for pagan observances. If the time for the two feasts did not fall upon the same day, the pagan day was adopted to secure the readier acceptance of the substitute, the only change being in the name. The ancient Romans would on a certain day go to the banks of the Tiber and worship the river god. The Christians observed the same practice on the same day, but prayed to Christ instead. The pagans worshiped the sun, the day of observance being the shortest in the year. The Christians wished to substitute a Christian ceremony, so they changed it from the worship of the sun to the Son of God. What event in his life should it mark? Why not his birth? But was that the day of his birth? Perhaps not, but that need make no difference. The priests gave out that the 25th of December was the day on which Christ was born,and the people accepted it. Over one thousand years after, scholars proved it false, but the custom still prevails. There were four principal seats of authority in the early church: Rome, Constantinople, Antioch and Alexandria. Over each of these presided a bishop. As was natural, Rome being the 340 IMPROVEMENT ERA. home of the emperor, its bishop had some little precedence. The people of Rome, however, put a slight upon Constantine on account of his plebeian birth on his mother's side, and in retaliation he removed the seat of government from the "Eternal City" to the banks of the Bosphorus, where he built the new capital, naming it Constantinople, in his honor. It might be interesting to add that the building of the city cost the labor of one hundred thousand workman for eight years. While this weakened Rome politically, it gave her ambitious bishops the very opportunity they desired to build up that spiritual power which was afterwards known as the Papacy, and before which kings and emperors were to bow in humble subjection. Rome and Constantinople were so far apart and means of communication were so primitive that the people of Rome grew to feel that they were practically separated from their ruler. They felt indeed that they were hardly his subjects. The bishops of Rome saw their opportunity and made the most of it. The people grew, through skillful management, to look up to the bishop of Rome as their oracle in things political as well as things religious. The system developed slowly but surely. Its first bold stroke was made by Ambrose, Archbishop of Milan, in the fourth century. The emperor Theodosius instigated a wholesale massacre against the citizens of Thessalonica, because, in a revolt, they had killed some of his guards. His high position guarded him from attack from the leading bishops, but not so with all. Ambrose stood firmly for what he considered the rights of the church, demanding that Theodosius confess his sin and seek absolution. The unequal contest was watched with great interest, by the followers of each side. At last Theodosius was forced to yield. The secret power of the church was beginning to be felt. It was the first signal victory for the church against the state, and the heralder of many that were to succeed. Ambrose had led out, and, as is usual, there were many followers. By this time the political power of the Roman Empire was decidedly on the decline and the power of the church was as decidedly on the advance. In the fifth century, the bishop of Rome claimed precedence over all other bishops, and advanced in support of his claim, the Petrene theory. In effect it was this: Christ CAUSES LEADING UP TO THE REFORMATION. 341 gave the keys of the kingdom to Peter. He stood at the head of the Twelve and had been the first Bishop of Rome. At his death his power naturally descended to his successor. The keys of the kingdom were handed down as a legacy to the church. For awhile this authority had beeen allowed to fall into disuse, but Leo the Great revived it, and with such energy that it holds with unabated force to this day. There was a continual struggle between the emperor in the east and the pope of Rome, as the bishop was now called; but the power of the former steadily declined while that of the latter was ever on the increase. To make matters still more complicated, there was a division on doctrine. The parties were known as the Orthodox and the Arian. At this time western Europe was being overrun by migrating tribes of Goths. The barbarians were Christians of the Arian party, and they came in such numbers that the Orthodox party became alarmed. Several centuries before this, Clovis, king of the Franks, had embraced the faith of the Orthodox party, and now his people were the leading race in Europe. In the eighth century the pope asked the assistance of the Franks in checking the power of the Arians. They responded and were successful. From this time on, the pope looked to the Franks as the defenders of the faith, and he in turn acknowledged them as the head of political affairs. The compact was made more firm v/hen Charlemagne ascended the Frankish throne. On Christmas day, 800, he was crowned emperor of the holy Roman empire, remaining also king of the Franks. This was another union of church and state, but while Charlemagne lived the church was secondary in power. Under his successors, however, the church assumed the lead. The purpose of the union, as far as the church was concerned, was effected. The Arian party had been crushed and the power of the pope rose over its ruins. In the eleventh century Hildebrand was pope, and Henry IV was emperor of Germany. Henry married against the wishes of the pope and was excommunicated. He was determined not to yield, but his subjects were such slaves to the superstitious power of popery that they dared not support their leader. At last he 342 IMPROVEMENT ERA. was forced to yield. In company with his wife, his child and one friend, he crossed the Alps in the dead of winter, making his way to Rome where he presented himself before the pope for pardon and absolution. It had been a hard struggle for the mastery and Hildebrand was determined to make the most of his victory. For three days the penitent king was forced to stand barefooted in the snow. At last he was admitted to the august presence of the pope, when, after due signs of submission, he was received into the bosom of the church and reinstated on his throne. This was considered a great victory for the church, but the day was to come when it would react, and be one of the strong means in furthering the Reformation, The pope from now on made and unmade kings at will. The papacy had a hungry desire and craving for power and riches, and was not over-conscientious in the methods employed in gaining the ends in view. The church preached that at the end of the tenth century the world's history would be completed. As the time drew near, there were fearful forebodings in the hearts of all. The self-righteous ordered their ascension robes, carrying them with them whereever they went, believing that at the blessed moment they would be caught up by the heavenly hosts to dwell in paradise. Urged on by the church, the people were convinced of the uselessness of this world's goods, and, in fact, that they would serve as a weight to keep them from entering the next. " Of course there was only one thing to do. The dross was to be given to the church. The church appointed her receivers and all went "merrily as a marriage bell." The church thus became very wealthy, but not wealthy enough. Besides, the world had not come to an end, and the people might want their property back again. What was to be done? The question is answered by the history of the crusades. The infidels ruled the holy land. There popery held no sway. Such a condition of affairs must not exist. It was a challenge to the power of the church. The preaching of the crusades was the result. The nobles lacked the necessary cash for such an enterprise. How should they secure it? The church was charitable and came to their assistance, by giving one dollar in cash for many dollars CAUSES LEADING UP TO THE REFORMATION. 343 in landed property. She accomplished two purposes by one stroke —the equipment of the army of invasion,and the enormous increase of her own wealth and power. The next question was, how should the rank and file be secured? It was a church movement, trust the church for its execution. Criminals were pardoned, if they would join the army of the cross. Debtors'obligations were cancelled,and sins were forgiven and blotted out from the book of remembrance. Soldiers who died fighting for the cross immediately found refuge in paradise. In the hour of need, if it should ever come, hosts of angels, so it was declared, would fight on the side of the soldiers of Christ. The last two promises were borrowed from the teachings of Mohammed; but they served the purpose. All this the ecclesiastics promised to the crusaders, and they believed. Such was the power of the church! The crusades failed; the promises of the church failed, and men were forced to think. But thought was sluggish, and hampered at every step by superstition. The few that came to conclusions dangerous to the church were soon disposed of as we shall now see. The first reform movement originated in England in 1438, under the influence of John Wycliffe. He held views diflferent from those held by the pope. He saw prevailing abuses in the church and attacked them with all his might. He tried to reform the church from within. This was an impossibility, and he failed. Neither he nor his followers, the Lollards, could escape the long arm of the pope. But investigation had begun, and it was not to be uprooted so easily. Moreover, the seed had taken root on the continent, and Jerome of Prague and John Huss were the next reform leaders. They preached boldly and successfully. The pope in great alarm began to realize that his monopoly of holiness was being assailed. Something must be done, and at once, to check the spread of heresy. Jerome and Huss were summoned, under promise of safe conduct, to appear at the council of Constance. They came, were tried for heresy and convicted. Regardless of the promise made to them, they were burned at the stake. They also had tried to reform the church from within. It was the secondattempt and the second failure. The leaders were killed but the movement went on. It next sprang up in the city of Florence, with Savonarola as 344 IMPROVEMENT ERA. its champion. He preached against the reigning house of Florence, the Medicis, and they were banished. He preached against the low condition of morals and they were reformed. He preached against the pride of riches; the love of fine raiment and bright jewels; and the wealthy cast their fine silks and jewels at his feet. He next attacked the vices of literature, and the writers of amatory verse and lascivious books burned their productions in his presence. Little children paid their tithes and offerings. The movement could not stop here. Savonarola attacked the church in general and held up for comparison her pristine purity. The profligate Borgia sat on the papal throne, and so the crusade against the impurities of the church proved the reformer's overthrow. Papal thunders shook the foundations of the reform structure, and it fell. Savonarola was deserted by his former friends, tried for treason to the church, made to confess that he had prophesied against it, and was convicted. To the last he declared his belief in the church, denying heresy. But he had dared to attack the pope, and he too suffered death by fire. His was the third reform movement from within and the third failure. Alexander VI squandered the papal revenues in riotous living and rich legacies to needy relatives and favorites. His successor Julius H, known as the "warrior pope," emptied the treasury in support of his political policy. So, when his successor, Leo X, came to the throne and was desirous of completing St. Peter's cathedral, it was necessary to devise some means whereby to refill the depleted coffers of the church. The device hit upon was an ingenious one, to say the least. Leo made use of the Catholic doctrine of supererogation. It is to this effect: one drop of Christ's blood is sufficient to atone for the original sin of the world. The rest he left as a legacy to the church, by it to be "vicariously applied for the wiping out of individual sins and the upbuilding of the church in general. By the same law, it was held possible for man to live a more righteous life than was necessary for his own salvation. In such a case, the overplus of his good works went to swell the moral treasury of the church. The world at large was not supposed to know the exact amount of such capital on hand, so if emergency demanded the stock might be watered. CAUSES LEADING UP TO THE REFORMATION. 34& With such unlimited moral treasure at his command, and with multitudes of eager purchasers, Leo felt that there was no further need of trouble or delay, so he commenced his famous sale of indulgences. "Go ye into all the land and sell licenses to commit sin," was the sum and substance of the instructions which he gave to his commissioners. The right to canvass Germany was given to Albert, Elector of Metz. He and Leo were to share the proceeds equally. Albert selected as his agent in this highly lucrative business, John Tetzel> a Dominican monk. Forth he went, prepared to sell forgiveness for sins, past, present, and future. It is related that one man who was able to appreciate the hideous side of the traffic, approached Tetzel one day to buy an indulgence for sin intended. Upon being questioned, it was divulged that the person he was to rob —for such was the crime intendedwas both rich and of high church standing. Nevertheless, Tetzel was willing to sell if the would-be-robber was able and willing to pay handsomely for the privilege. This he did, and left for the field of action with his paper bearing the great seal of Rome. A few days after this, Tetzel was threading his. way through a dark forest in company with his strong box which was well filledIn the deepest recesses of the woods, he was waylaid and robbed. The thief made no attempt to escape, was arrested and placed on trial. When asked for his defense, he calmly submitted his indulgence procured from Tetzel who represented the Pope himself. There was nothing to do but acknowledge the invalidity of the sale or acquit the man. He was acquitted. In this neighborhood lived the foremost theologian of the age. He was by nature a reformer. The unholy trafl[ic carried on by Tetzel roused all that was antagonistic in him, and he began his war against the pope. That man was Martin Luther. On the night of October 31, 1517, Luther walked through the streets of Wittenberg alone, and nailed to the church door a series of propositions, ninety-five in number, which may be regarded as the corner-stone of the Reformation. In substance the seventyfive propositions set forth: "That true repentance for sin ends only with life: "The pope can remit no penalty which he has not imposed. 346 IMPROVEMENT ERA. "No man can be saved from divine punishment by the pope's pardon. "The laws of ecclesiastic, penance should be imposed upon the living and not upon the dead. "The pope has no power over souls in purgatory. "If the pope can release souls from purgatory, he should do so out of pity and mercy, and not for money. "Sins are not forgiven without repentance. "True repentance brings pardon from on high without price." Luther strongly and successfully maintained from the pulpit the points he advocated. "The soil, moreover was ready for the seed. The man and the hour had at last met. The lives, teachings, and works of Wycliffe, Huss, Jerome, Renchlin, Hutten, and Erasmus had prepared the minds of men for great changes." That was the spiritual side of the question; but with those influences alone it could not have succeeded. The higher Germans were awakening to the fact that Rome was literally robbing them of all their surplus cash. Once gone, it never returned. Papal courtiers made sport of the rude German at the court of Rome, choosing him for the butt of their ridicule. The Germans were proud and could resent an injury, and they had not forgotten the humiliation a former emperor had suffered at the hands of papal arrogance, when he had been compelled to stand barefooted in the snow for three days to secure absolution. This all reacted now against the power at Rome, and Luther found willing support from the hands of some of the German princes. It does not appear that Luther at first intended to do more than try to reform prevailing abuses; but the tide of circumstances swept him on. Of course, he became at once the object of papal solicitude, and was summoned before theEmperor Charles V, who was a staunch Catholic, to answer to the charge of heresy. He went as Jerome and Huss had gone before him, but times were changed; and those who favored treating him as other reformers had been treated, found it would not be a safe plan to adopt. He was therefore turned loose, and the reformation from now on was an assured victory. Luther soon severed all connections with the mother church, and became the recognized head of the new faith known as Protestantism. To sum up briefly the points aimed at in this lecture: Pressure