the process, order, and meaning of the text. ‘ Luther did not support radicalism. He called upon German rulers to suppress the peasants’ rebellion, which they did in . But radicalism survived, and merged with the resistance of Protestants in France, who, persecuted by the Catholic rulers, started claiming the right of a people to remove an oppressive ruler and to choose someone of their own liking.
Eventually, in France, as in many other parts of Europe, the Catholic Church allowed Protestants to worship as they chose. In England, the rulers ended the connection with the Pope. The king/queen was from then onwards the head of the Church. The Catholic Church itself did not escape the impact of these ideas, and began to reform itself from within.
In Spain and in Italy, churchmen emphasised the need for a simple life and service to the poor. In Spain, Ignatius Loyola, in an attempt to combat Protestantism, set up the Society of Jesus in . His followers were called Jesuits, whose mission was to serve the poor and to widen their knowledge of other cultures. ACTIVITY What were the issues on which the Protestants criticised the Catholic Church?
The New Testament is the section of the Bible dealing with the life and teachings of Christ and his early followers.