|
||
Definition:
The Council of Trent, which met off and on in Trento, Italy between 1545 and 1563, was
called by Pope Paul III (1534-1549) and under pressure from Emperor Charles V in order
to address the various issues raised by the Protestant reformers around Europe. For
Roman Catholics, the Council of Trent is considered the 19th ecumenical council and
Pius IV ratified its enactments by the bull "Benedictus Deus."
Because of the issues addressed and context of the meetings, the Council of Trent became one of the most important in church history, leading to the creation of the modern Catholic Church. The council made a number of important decrees which established the nature of Christian doctrines.
One, in reaction to Protestant insistence on use of the Bible alone as a source of revelation and authority (sola scriptura), asserted that Christian revelation can be found in both "written books" and in "unwritten traditions." Others include referring to the Mass as the Eucharist again, prohibiting any ordinations in exchange for money, validating justification by faith supported by good works, asserting that the Latin Vulgate with the Apocrypha constituted the official scriptures, and the reaffirmation that transubstantiation literally occurs during the Mass, rather than it being symbolic.
Another important development was the creation of an Index of Prohibited Books, a list of condemned authors and their works. This reaction to offensive Protestant writings would have repercussions for centuries as various ideas which the Catholic Church disliked were declared "Prohibited" and Catholics were not permitted to own or read them.
Devout Catholics had wanted a council called earlier and it is unfortunate that it wasn't. Had it been called early in the 16th century, when moderates still dominated, it may have been possible to reunite the Protestants with the Catholic Church - or, at the very least, the division may have ended up more amicable. As it was, by the time the council was called, the Church had come to be dominated by conservatives who reacted harshly to the Protestants and were in no mood to compromise on any level.
Also Known As: none
Alternate Spellings: none
Common Misspellings: none
Related Resources:
What is Christianity?
What are the various Christian groups, denominations, sects and heresies? What are some key concepts in Christian theology? What are some of the most important events in Christian history? All of this and more are covered in the Christianity FAQ.What is the Philosophy of Religion?
Sometimes confused with theology, the Philosophy of Religion is the philosophical study of religious beliefs, religious doctrines, religious arguments and religious history. The line between theology and the philosophy of religion isn't always sharp, but the primary difference is that theology tends to be apologetical in nature, committed to the defense of particular religious positions, whereas Philosophy of Religion is committed to the investigation of religion itself, rather than the truth of any particular religion.What is Theism?
What is the difference between monotheism and monolatry? Between pantheism and panentheism? How about between animism and shamanism? Or theism and deism? What the heck is henotheism?What is Religion?
A system of human beliefs, ideals and practices which is harder to define than it may at first appear. Read more about how dictionaries, scholars and others have tried to define and explain religion.
