Term
Protestant Reformation
The 16th-century religious movement that gave rise to Protestantism, sparked by Martin Luther's protest against church abuses and preceded by various medieval reform efforts.
Filed underHistorical TheologyChurch History
Definition
The religious movement of the 16th century which gave rise to Protestantism. Luther's Ninety-five Theses against the sale of indulgences (1517 AD) were from Martin Luther's concern to be obedient to the message of the gospel and to protest the abuses and corruption of the Western Church as he saw it. Others had preceded him calling to reform. Wycliffe and the Lollards in England, John Hus in Bohemia, the Brethren of the Common Life in the Low Countries, Savonarola in Florence, humanists such as Erasmus, conciliarist such as Cardinal Pierre d'Ailly, and the various monastic reform movements in the Middle Ages, all bear witness to the widespread attempts to undergird the eroding prestige of the medieval church.
Connections
Follow this entry through the Lexicon.
- Related to
- IndulgencesTerm
- Influenced by
- John HusPerson
- Middle AgesTerm
- Western ChurchTerm
- Includes
- Influenced
- ProtestantismTerm
Sources
- 1.Jerald C. Brauer and B. A. Gerrish, ed. The Westminster Dictionary of Church History. (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1971). 696Original citation: Brauer, Jerald C., and B. A. Gerrish, eds. The Westminster Dictionary of Church History. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1971, 696.
Last revised August 14, 2026