PreReformation History

[philipmarus]

A Protestant keeps telling me that there was organized movement behind the Reformation in England prior to Henry VIII because of Corrupt Catholcism. He bases this argument based on a Protestant book called Tynedale: God’s Outlaw.
My friend seems to be trying to show that presence of an organized movement to “reform” English Catholcism prior to Henry VIII’s ‘accident’ that this proves the inherent corruption of Catholicism and the need for Protestant Reformation and the need to eliminate Catholcism “corrupt doctrines”. Any one know about this and how to respond.

 

[puzzleannie]

he is quite right, the Lutheran movement had strong adherents and in fact moved Henry to write an apologetics for the Catholic faith for which the pope named him Defender of the Faith. This of course was early in his reign. The brief history of Lady Jane Grey illustrates the influence of this party among the nobility that broke out in stronger force after Henry’s death. The uncles of Edward VI, Henry’s son, his governors were also strong Lutherans, and the battle among the churchmen for what direction the reform would take in the Anglican Church was heated all throughout the reigns of Mary and Elizabeth, with of course deadly results. The heretical scripture translations, with especially their commentary attacking the papacy and the orthodox faith, Wyckliffe, Tynedale and others, predated the Tudor era, and were a factor, though maybe not a major one, in the shifting alliances among the nobility during the dynastic wars (of the roses) that culminated in the Tudor ascension to the throne. Any good history of the period will give the particulars. Notable among theologians working for reform within the Church was Erasmus, who greatly influenced Henry (and his friend Thomas More).

 

[Axion]

There have often been heretical “movements” inside or outside the Church. The Gnostics were one group in the 3rd century. The cathars-Bogomils, who believed there were two Gods, were another in the 12th-13th centuries. There are groups like the JWs and Mormons now.

Just because there were sectarian movements doesn’t mean the sects were right and the Church was, or is, “corrupt.”

Protestantism as we know it did not exist before the 1510s when Luther and others developed their ideas on salvation by Faith Alone. before this there had been other dissident sectarians, some of whom may have been anticlerical or disbelieved in the sacraments among other assorted beliefs, but they were not protestants. the idea that there was some long tradition of protestant belief is false.