Why did Protestants object to paintings in churches?
Protestant Reformers did not encourage art in which religious imagery were major features. They believed images of Christ and Mary could lead to idolatry and distracted viewer from the purpose of going to church. The religious conflict may have accelerated the exchange of artistic ideas.
What is the significance of iconoclasm?
Iconoclasm literally means “image breaking” and refers to a recurring historical impulse to break or destroy images for religious or political reasons. For example, in ancient Egypt, the carved visages of some pharaohs were obliterated by their successors; during the French Revolution, images of kings were defaced.
Who led the Catholic Counter-Reformation?
Pope Paul III
Why did the iconoclasts destroy icons?
The Iconoclasts (those who rejected images) objected to icon veneration for several reasons, including the Old Testament prohibition against images in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:4) and the possibility of idolatry.
Does the Catholic Church still believe in indulgences?
Indulgences were, from the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, a target of attacks by Martin Luther and other Protestant theologians. Eventually the Catholic Counter-Reformation curbed the excesses, but indulgences continue to play a role in modern Catholic religious life.
What were the 3 key elements of the Catholic Reformation?
What were the three key elements of the Catholic Reformation, and why were they so important to the Catholic Church in the 17th century? The founding of the Jesuits, reform of the papacy, and the Council of Trent. They were important because they unified the church, help spread the gospel, and validated the church.
What started the Catholic Reformation?
The Catholic Reformation was the intellectual counter-force to Protestantism. The desire for reform within the Catholic Church had started before the spread of Luther. Many educated Catholics had wanted change – for example, Erasmus and Luther himself, and they were willing to recognise faults within the Papacy.
Do Protestants use icons?
Although American Protestants often claim that they are opposed to the use of devotional images in their religious life, they in fact draw on a vast body of religious icons to disseminate confessional views, to teach, and to celebrate birthdays, baptisms, confirmations, and sacred holidays.