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I haven’t seen any threads on this yet, aside from one that asks if Protestants are “taught about it.” (The answer is yes, some, but not exhaustively). So this is my first attempt at exploring it from the Catholic perspective. I’m not really sure what to expect. This is how I’ll choose to present the issue:
How has the Catholic understanding of the Counter-Reformation changed over the years? For example, how would someone living 0-50 years out from October 31, 1517 have viewed this…?movement?..compared to someone living in an entirely post-Trent world? If you asked a 16th or 17th century Catholic about the nature, purpose, and effects of Trent, the Jesuits, or the Inquisition (just a few examples), how would that compare to a response from a Catholic from the 18th through 20th centuries?
I realize there are going to be some notable differences between Europe and America, and even greater differences within Europe itself. I’m quite sure that Italy, for example, was effected by the Counter-Reformation in ways that were far different from what happened in France or in Spain. But there is a reason for why I would like to focus on perspectives from different points in history.
There appears to be a certain amount of disconnect between the stated goals of the Counter-Reformation at the time of its inception and the actual reality of what came of it. A great many things certainly came of it, but it’s kind of hard to tell how well it succeeded in certain areas or failed in others. If I may anthropomorphize this movement for a moment, its success is measured by the actualization of its stated goals at the outset and its failures are measured by the lack thereof. It’s not possible to put a label of “success” or “failure” on the thing as a whole, though, as there were a wide variety of goals that changed over time. That’s why I want to explore it in this way: Tease it out a little from the perspectives of those who enacted it, figure out what they wanted to accomplish, see how these goals changed over time, and assess their successes, failures, or ambiguity on a variety of levels.
I hope some of you can help me with this. Thanks!
How has the Catholic understanding of the Counter-Reformation changed over the years? For example, how would someone living 0-50 years out from October 31, 1517 have viewed this…?movement?..compared to someone living in an entirely post-Trent world? If you asked a 16th or 17th century Catholic about the nature, purpose, and effects of Trent, the Jesuits, or the Inquisition (just a few examples), how would that compare to a response from a Catholic from the 18th through 20th centuries?
I realize there are going to be some notable differences between Europe and America, and even greater differences within Europe itself. I’m quite sure that Italy, for example, was effected by the Counter-Reformation in ways that were far different from what happened in France or in Spain. But there is a reason for why I would like to focus on perspectives from different points in history.
There appears to be a certain amount of disconnect between the stated goals of the Counter-Reformation at the time of its inception and the actual reality of what came of it. A great many things certainly came of it, but it’s kind of hard to tell how well it succeeded in certain areas or failed in others. If I may anthropomorphize this movement for a moment, its success is measured by the actualization of its stated goals at the outset and its failures are measured by the lack thereof. It’s not possible to put a label of “success” or “failure” on the thing as a whole, though, as there were a wide variety of goals that changed over time. That’s why I want to explore it in this way: Tease it out a little from the perspectives of those who enacted it, figure out what they wanted to accomplish, see how these goals changed over time, and assess their successes, failures, or ambiguity on a variety of levels.
I hope some of you can help me with this. Thanks!