Timeline of Christianity - Reformation

Reformation

• 1517 95 Theses of Martin Luther begins German Protestant Reformation
• 1518 Heidelberg Disputation, Martin Luther puts forth his Theology of the Cross
• 1519 Leipzig Debate between Martin Luther and Johann Eck
• 1520 Luther publishes three monumental works, To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation, On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church, and On the Freedom of a Christian
• 1521 Luther refuses to recant his works at the Diet of Worms
• 1521 Papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem, It Pleases the Roman Pontiff excommunicates Luther
• 1521 Ferdinand Magellan claims the Philippines for Spain, first mass and subsequent conversion to Catholicism, first in East Asia
• 1522 Luther's NT, German NT translation
• 1524 The Freedom of the Will published by Erasmus
• 1525 On the Bondage of the Will published by Luther in response to Erasmus
• 1525 Anabaptist movement begins
• 1526 Tyndale's NT, English NT translation from 1516 Greek text of Erasmus, first printed edition, used as a vehicle by Tyndale for bitter attacks on Catholicism, reflects influence of Luther's NT in rejecting priest for elder, church for congregation, banned in 1546 by Henry VIII
• 1526 Luther publishes his German Mass and The Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ—Against the Fanatics, his first written work against the Sacramentarians
• 1528 Reformation in Denmark-Norway and Holstein, Lutheranism is officially adopted
• 1528 Luther affirms the real presence of Christ's body and blood in his Confession Concerning Christ's Supper
• 1529 Marburg Colloquy, Luther defends doctrine of Real Presence in discussion with Zwingli.
• 1530 Augsburg Confession, first doctrinal statement of the Lutheran Church
• 1531 Huldrych Zwingli is killed during the Second war of Kappel
• 1531 Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico According to tradition, when the roses fell from it the icon of the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared imprinted on the cactus cloth. The sudden, extraordinary success of the evangelizing of ten million Indians in the decade of 1531–1541.
• 1534 Henry VIII established new independent entity Church of England, see also English Reformation
• 1534 Jesuit order founded by Ignatius of Loyola, helped reconvert large areas of Poland, Hungary, and S. Germany and sent missionaries to the New World, India, and China
• 1535-1537 Myles Coverdale's Bible, used Tyndale's NT along with Latin and German versions, included Apocrypha at the end of the OT (like Luther's Bible of 1534) as was done in later English versions, 1537 edition received royal license, but banned in 1546 by Henry VIII
• 1535 Thomas More refused to accept King Henry VIII's claim to be the supreme head of the Church in England, and was executed.
• 1535-1679 Forty Martyrs of England and Wales
• 1536 Desiderius Erasmus, Dutch scholar, Greek NT used in many 16th century translations
• 1536 Tyndale put to death, left his OT translation in manuscript, English ecclesiastical authorities ordered his Bible burned because it was thought to be part of Lutheran reform
• 1536 Institutes of the Christian Religion written by John Calvin (Calvinism)
• 1536 John of Leiden, fanatic Dutch Anabaptist
• 1536 Jacob Hutter founder of Hutterites
• 1536 Helvetic Confessions of the Reformed Churches of Switzerland
• 1536-1540 Dissolution of the Monasteries in England, Wales and Ireland
• 1536 Pilgrimage of Grace
• 1536-1541 Michelangelo paints the Last Judgement
• 1537 Christian III of Denmark decreed Lutheranism state religion of Norway and Denmark
• 1537 Luther writes Smalcald Articles
• 1537-1551 Matthew Bible, by John Rogers, based on Tyndale and Coverdale received royal license but not authorized for use in public worship, numerous editions, 1551 edition contained offensive notes (based on Tyndale)
• 1539-1569 Great Bible, by Thomas Cromwell, 1st English Bible to be authorized for public use in English churches, defective in many places, based on last Tyndale's NT of 1534-1535, corrected by a Latin version of the Hebrew OT, Latin Bible of Erasmus, and Complutensian Polyglot, last edition 1569, never denounced by England
• 1541 John Calvin returns to Geneva
• 1542 Roman Inquisition established by Pope Paul III
• 1543 Parliament of England bans Tyndale's translation as a "crafty, false and untrue translation"
• 1545-1563 Catholic Council of Trent, counter-reformation against Protestantism, clearly defined an official theology and biblical canon
• 1549 original Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England by Thomas Cranmer
• 1551 The Stoglav Church Council (One Hundred Chapters) Moscow, Russia
• 1552 Joachim Westphal starts controversy against Calvinist, defending Lutheran doctrine of Real Presence
• 1552 Francis Xavier, Jesuit missionary, "Apostle of the Indies"
• 1553 Pontifical Gregorian University founded at Vatican City
• 1553 Michael Servetus founder of Unitarianism, burned at the stake in Geneva
• 1553-1558 Queen Mary I of England persecuted reformers: John Rogers, Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley, Thomas Cranmer; of 238 burned at the stake
• 1555 Peace of Augsburg gives religious freedom in Germany only to Lutheran Protestants
• 1559 Military Order of the Golden Spur founded by Pope Paul IV
• 1560 Geneva Bible, NT a revision of Matthew's version of Tyndale with use of Theodore Beza's NT (1556), OT a thorough revision of Great Bible, appointed to be read in Scotland (but not England), at least 140 editions, first Bible with chapter and verse numbers
• 1560 Scots Confession, Church of Scotland, Scottish Reformation
• 1560-1598 French Wars of Religion
• 1560-1812 Goa Inquisition, persecution of Hindus and Jews in India, see also Christianity in India
• 1561 Menno Simons founder of Mennonites
• 1563 Thirty-Nine Articles of Church of England, also decreed Biblical canon
• 1563 Heidelberg Catechism of Reformed churches
• 1565-73 Examination of the Council of Trent by Martin Chemnitz.
• 1566 Roman Catechism
• 1569 Metropolitan Philip of Moscow strangled by Malyuta Skuratov
• 1571 Dutch Reformed Church
• 1571 Battle of Lepanto saves Christian Europe; Pope Pius V organizes the Holy League led by Don Juan de Austria to defend Europe from the larger Islamic Ottoman forces (230 galleys and 56 galliots)
• 1572 John Knox, founded Scottish Presbyterian Church, due to disagreement with Lutherans over sacraments and church government
• 1572-1606 Bishops' Bible, a revision of the Great Bible checked against the Hebrew text, 1st to be published in England by episcopal authority
• 1572 St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre Thousands of Protestants murdered in France.
• 1577 Formula of Concord adopted by German Lutherans
• 1579 Discovery of the holiest Russian icon, Our Lady of Kazan
• 1580 Book of Concord of Lutheranism
• 1582 St Teresa of Avila
• 1582 Gregorian calendar of Pope Gregory XIII adopted at different times in different regions of the world
• 1587 Toyotomi Hideyoshi expelled Jesuits from Kyūshū
• 1587? Mission Nombre De Dios in St. Augustine, Florida, considered first Catholic mission to North America
• 1589 Metropolitan Jove is elected the first Patriarch of Moscow
• 1590 Michelangelo's dome in St Peter's Basilica completed
• 1591 St John of the Cross
• 1592 The Clementine Vulgate of Pope Clement VIII, replaced the Sistine Vulgate of 1590, the standard Latin Catholic Bible until the Second Vatican Council
• 1596 Ukrainian Catholic Church forms when Ukrainian subjects of the king of Poland are reunited with Rome, largest Byzantine Catholic Church
• 1600 Giordano Bruno, Dominican priest, burned at the stake