Early Protestantism in London

Protestantism emerged as a Christian doctrine during the 16^th century in Germany with the words of Martin Luther (and later others), and it quickly expanded throughout Europe. England as a country influenced the course of Protestantism, and in turn, Protestantism played a major role in shaping the lives of Protestants in England, and mostly in London, which was the center of the action.

Protestantism was against the abuses of power (such as the selling of indulgences) done by the Roman Catholic Church, and notably, the Pope, and wished to return the faith to its core: the Bible. They believed that a person should do good deeds for their own sake, and not in order to ‘buy a place’ into the heavenly realm (Smith, 1994). At the heart of Protestantism, therefore, lies the Bible, and following its word precisely is what a good Protestant would do. This is why the Bible itself was important in the lives of Protestants in London.  

The Bible shaped Protestant life because it allowed the doctrine to expand, and provided a theoretical background for political argumentation, and it did so to a great extend- ranging from the everyday activities of Protestants, to the actions of the state and the Church.

The 16^th century was an era of religious, political and social turbulences in England. During its first half, the state was governed by the Tudors: King Henry VII, and later on by his offsprings, Edward, Mary and Elizabeth. The official religion of the state was Roman Catholicism, and most of the people were Catholic (‘Chronologies of People and Events, 2015). At the time, the Bible existed only in a Latin form, which could be read mainly by the clergy while most of the population could not comprehend it, and required a priest to do so (Wallace, 2001).

In this context, the Bible offered a solid ground for Protestantism to expand, as well as a fruitful ground for argumentation with political background, factors that allowed it to shape the lives of Protestants.

In the first half of the 16^th century, Protestants translated the Bible in English, fact which was revolutionary for the time. To add up to that, they published it in print- a cheap medium (in Germany at first), and sold it in a reasonable and approachable price. In this way, they spread the word of the Bible, which was at the center of their beliefs, and brought it closer to the people, since they believed it was the people’s right to be able to read it. After that, not only the people could read and understand the Bible on their own (and had a chance to see some irrational aspects of Catholicism, such as the indulgences), but they could also own a Bible for themselves. This was a major turning point, which allowed Protestants to preach and convert even more individuals. A little while after that, a new version of the Bible, an actual Protestant Bible was created in English, and spread. This made the doctrine even more popular, and expanded its ideas to a large number of people (especially since such efforts of translation were combined with struggles to convert). It was the Bible they so firmly believed in, and it was the Bible that allowed them to progress (Wallace, 2001).

Moreover, the Bible influenced the actions of the King and the state. At the first half of the 16^th century, King Henry VII was married to the widow of his brother who had passed away, Catherine. The royal couple had not managed to give birth to any sons, and Henry, after reading the Bible carefully, came to believe that this was because no man should marry the widow of his brother (so due to a form of punishment by God). When he required the Church (thus the Pope) for an annulment of the marriage, it was denied, so Henry began the process of the reformation of the Church of England, and broke free from Papal authority (‘Chronologies of People and Events, 2015). Underlying Henry’s action was a political motive: he believed that the King should be the head of the Church of his state, and not the Pope, but it was the Bible that provided him with a reason to act upon those thoughts; Henry used the Bible and its words as an excuse for his political agenda (turning against the grand authority of the Pope). This continued with the reigns of his children: Edward sustained the reformations conducted during his father, while Mary returned to the faith of her mother, Catholicism, and prosecuted the Protestants, and finally Elizabeth further reformed the Church towards the opposite direction (‘Detailed History’). In all these instances, the Bible functioned as a catalyst of political (and therefore social) change and shaped the lives of Protestants explicitly (at first they were prosecuted, but later they were accepted by the state), and the lives of Londoners implicitly.

These two reasons are why the Bible shaped Protestant life: it was translated and printed, fact which allowed the doctrine to expand, and it functioned as a front for the political agendas of the Tudors. The Bible influenced the lives to a quite large extend: both the everyday habits, and the relation of the people to the state and the church.

Protestantism emerged during an era of Catholicism, and Papal authority. Protestants believed that through this authority, people had lost touch with the spiritual aspect of the faith, and were living immoral lives, in which even the religious festivities had undertaken an immoral character (with people consuming goods, drinking, dancing, all in excess). So they struggled to differentiate themselves from the majority of ‘immoral Catholics’ by living virtuous and strict lives, according to the Bible. In this way, the Bible shaped the everyday lives of the Protestants, because it made them stand out as moral examples (when others danced and drunk, the Protestants would stay home and pray, or preach their faith) .

But the Bible did not only create the daily activities of the group; its influence extended to the point that the State and the Church were changed. Specifically, whereas Protestants represented a minority of the population at first (16^th century), they quickly grew in size, and by the middle of the century they were accepted by the state- they were no longer to be prosecuted for their faith. On top of that, the parliament defined Protestantism, and formally accepted the translated book of prayers. In this way, the Bible (and in fact its translated form) influenced the Protestants by allowing them to be accepted by the state of England, to become a majority of the population, with great political, economic and religious influence. At that time (17^th century) Protestants had so much influence on the public sphere that could implement their ‘by the book’ moral lifestyle: for example, one hundred years after the book of common prayers was accepted, the Protestants (specifically the Puritans) lead to Christmas not being celebrated (when Catholics wished to do so) (Durston, 1985). Similarly, the Bible (the translated one) came to play a major role in the reformation of the Church of England, which has great Protestant influences up until today. The Bible was a crucial part of the creation, formation, and reformation of the Church, and lead to Protestant elements becoming incorporated to the Church, with it ultimately resulting to what it is today (‘Detailed History’).

To conclude, the influence of the Bible to the lives of Protestants was wide: it created their everyday activities and lifestyles, and lead to them becoming from a pursued minority to a powerful majority (since the translated version was incorporated), and in the end influence the making of the Church of England. The Bible managed to shape the lives of Protestants in London both in the personal and the social sphere because it allowed the doctrine to expand its ideas through its translation, and because it functioned as the front to a political debate of power (among English royalty and the Pope).

In England, Protestants started off as a small group, and ended up having a great status, and the Bible is responsible for that to a large extend. Despite that in England Protestantism did not lead to events as extreme as in other countries (such as Germany), its ideas, and specifically the relation of the doctrine to the Bible shaped the lives of Protestants, and influenced the lives of all Londoners during the 16^th and 17^th centuries.

Bibliography

Chronologies of People and Events (2015, November 22). Retrieved from http://tudorhistory.org/calendar/

Detailed History. Retrieved from https://www.churchofengland.org/about-us/history/detailed-history.aspx

Durston, C. (1985). The Puritan War on Christmas. Retrieved from http://www.historytoday.com/chris-durston/puritan-war-christmas

Smith, H. (1991). The Illustrated World’s Religions: A Guide to Our Wisdom Traditions, UK: Labirynth

Wallace, D., B. (2001, March 21). From Wycliffe to King James (The Period of Challenge). Retrieved from https://bible.org/seriespage/1-wycliffe-king-james-period-challenge