Where there is a Reformation there has to be a Counter Reformation and that is where the papal took the next step in the counter attack on the Protestant. The Council of Trent (1545 – 1563)proposed by Pope Paul III to look into the Protestant heresies by going back to the scriptures and tradition that were implied by the bible to work against the Protestant. It was mainly used to answer the Protestants’ disputes and look into their own dealing to fix what had faltered from the Rules of Benedict.
The Council of Trent wanted to go back to the words of the Bible to demonstrate that their way was the way of God and that the teaching of the cardinals and fathers were the words of God, they decreed “that they themselves shall personally, each in his own church, announce the Scared Scriptures and the divined law, or, if lawfully hindered, have it done by those whom thay shall appoint to the office of preaching” (Janz, 421). They also looked into the path of the clergy men were following, the Council wanted to emphasize the Rules of Benedict again; some official had stray away from it, they had mistresses and lived a life of luxury, “they shall forthwith and always wear the tonsure and the clerical garb”; in other words give up all worldly possession and only have a relationship with God.
The Council of Trent did not just “attack” the Protestant but look in the Catholic System itself and try to fix what was broken before they started to preach and reach out to others.
Reference
Janz, Dennis R. A Reformation Reader. Fortress Press. MN. 2008.
I really like how Emily uses graphics in her blog site. It's nice to have visuals as well as the text in learning about events during the Reformation. Emily discussed how the Council of Trent was not just an attack against the Protestant movement, but an opportunity for the Catholic church to look inward, remedying abuses and clarifying doctrine. It was well written. She made use of quotes well to give us examples of how the Catholic church was trying to look at biblical doctrine to justify the changes that they needed to make. Well done.
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