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A major leader in the 16th-century Reformation of the Catholic Church, John Calvin established a new religion with strict codes of belief and behavior. Calvin taught the virtues of faith above good works and advanced the theory of universal priesthood, in which all Christians could practice their religion without the daily guidance of priests. Calvin also established the idea of the “Elect,” a preordained group of people whom God chooses for Salvation. Many European princes and citizens embraced Calvinism, and his ideas spread to other countries and sparked other major Protestant religions.
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John Knox introduced the strict codes of Calvinist doctrine to Scotland. In contrast to John Calvin’s focus on the bourgeoisie, however, Knox preached the idea of “the Elect” to the peasant masses of 16th-century Scotland. Later called Presbyterianism, this Protestant religion became a symbol of Scottish nationalism in the struggle against Catholic monarchs.
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Martin Luther (1483-1546)
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German theologian and religious reformer Martin Luther precipitated the Protestant Reformation with his publication in 1517 of his Ninety-Five Theses, which detailed the indulgences and excesses of the Roman Catholic church. Luther felt that the essence of Christianity lay not in an elaborate organization headed by the pope, but in each person’s direct communication with God. Luther’s protest set off a flood of departures from the Roman Catholic church and set the stage for further Protestant movements, including Calvinism and Presbyterianism.
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Huldreich (Ulrich) Zwingli (1484-1531)
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The most important reformer in the Swiss Protestant Reformation and the only major reformer of the 16th century whose movement did not evolve into a church. Like Martin Luther, he accepted the supreme authority of the Scriptures, but he applied it more rigorously and comprehensively to all doctrines and practices.
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