Martin Luther, Council of Trent, Baroque Art, Missions, and the Enlightenment
Martin Luther
Born in 1483 in Eisleben, in the German region of Saxony. At that time, funds were being raised for the construction of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Luther rebelled against the sale of indulgences, advocating that salvation is a gift from God attained through faith, not by payment. In 1517, he published his 95 theses, arguing the uselessness of indulgences, and proposed them for debate at the University of Wittenberg. Despite popular support, Church authorities condemned him in Rome in 1520, excommunicating him the following year. He also translated the New Testament from the Latin Bible into German, reorganized the mass, and published two catechisms.
Council of Trent
Pope Paul III convened a council, a meeting of all bishops, in 1545 in Trent, after overcoming religious and political difficulties. The Council of Trent was a reaction to the Protestant Reformation. Its importance lies in the fact that its approaches influenced the Second Vatican Council. The Council of Trent clarified various issues raised by Protestant reformers: the relationship between faith and works, the number of sacraments, church organization, the importance of tradition, and the number of books in the Bible. To ensure that renewal proposals were not just written, it was supported by states that remained loyal to its authority.
Baroque Art
Baroque art followed the Renaissance and preceded Neoclassical art. It was promoted by Christianity, particularly the Catholic Church, as an expression of renewal motivated by the Protestant Reformation led by Martin Luther. Baroque art aimed to depict the reality of the people, expressing life in all its rawness, without hiding anything, regardless of whether it met classical standards of beauty. The conclusions of the Council of Trent needed to be expressed in art to reach the masses of believers clearly and powerfully.
Missions
In the late fifteenth century, Pope Alexander VI urged Iberian governments to obey the papacy. From then on, the rulers of Spain and Portugal organized Christian community life. The kings were to support missionaries, build churches, and maintain worship. The kings were patrons of these new forms of organization in their territories. This patronage meant that the direction of Catholic missions was in the hands of the Iberian kingdoms. In 1622, the Holy Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith was created in Rome to centralize all tasks related to missions. There were two forms of evangelization: one that rejected everything it found and imposed a Western Christian model, and another that tried to understand the traditions and cultures of the evangelized peoples, adapting the message of Jesus to their context.
The Enlightenment
The Enlightenment was formed by people who sought knowledge and understanding of the world. It promoted progress and aimed to end privileges, establishing three important values: liberty, equality, and fraternity. The Church faced increasing criticism during the Enlightenment, and important authors emerged, such as Voltaire, Rousseau, and Montesquieu.
18th Century: Reason and Progress
In the eighteenth century, changes that had been building for centuries took shape. Man realized he possessed a powerful tool to relate to reality: human intelligence. Reason became a lamp to illuminate all areas of reality: politics, society, literature, nature, and even religion. Reason was also considered the best instrument for advancing society.