3 Chapter 3: The Counter Reformation ~ Reaffirmation and Renewal

The Protestant Reformation prompted so much change across western Europe.  In so many ways it upset the longtime monopoly that the Catholic Church had on the spiritual, social and political lives of people living under the Christian mantle.  As we saw in the previous chapter, it brought forth the belief that salvation was a private matter.  In essence, it is between the individual and God.  One’s salvation does not rely on sacraments, priests, tithing, or attending mass.  Rather, the road to salvation is gotten through grace.  And God’s grace is given to all.  Grace is an enigmatic concept.  But in Christian terms, grace refers to a “supernatural gift” that God gives to humans that exists to aid them in the intellectual, emotional and spiritual journey toward salvation.  Luther insisted that individuals, through contemplation and reading the Bible coupled with God’s grace, can be responsible for their own path to God.

The trouble for the Catholic Church was that Luther’s reforms basically made the Church redundant, unnecessary.  After all, the Church was a powerful institution.   The first global corporation, really.  It had its own military, its own canon law, its own bank.  It had a clear hierarchy, societal and political presence.  The Church was extremely wealthy.  Yes, it was a powerhouse.  So when Luther’s 95 Theses was published and disseminated, the appeal spread like wildfire.  The Catholic Church had to respond.

You’ve heard the expression “Go big or go home”?  That sums up the Catholic Church’s response to the Protestant Reformation.  In this chapter we will look at the Counter Reformation.  In many ways it wasn’t really a reformation.  Rather, it was a reaffirmation of the righteousness of Catholicism.  Throughout the middle ages, the Church had used art and architecture for educational, aesthetic, architecture and political means.  During the Counter Reformation, the Church really “goes big.” 🙂

Who has the keys to heaven?  The Catholic Church.  The Counter Reformation saw the Church use art, architecture, music and exploration to ensure that Christians understood that only St. Peter and the Church have the key:

From SmartHistory, here is a great lecture to give you an overview of the Counter Reformation.  It has closed captioning so be sure to turn those on if that is helpful:

IGNATIUS LOYOLA AND THE JESUITS

From Spain came a man whose stance belief and religious approach encapsulated the spirit of the Counter Reformation.  He had the perfect name: Ignatius.  From the Latin, ignis = fire; lightening; ignite.  And indeed he took a fiery approach to Christianity and was firmly committed to spreading its appeal and more importantly, seeking out those whose ideas and practices were contrary and thus dangerous.  Loyola established The Society of Jesus, known as The Jesuits.

To Loyola, reason and discipline functioned together to aid the individual toward a closer relationship with God.  That individual effort coupled with the sacraments of the Church were the only path to salvation.  It was strict, zealous, and you could even say, militaristic.  To get a sense of this it helps to read a section from the Spiritual Exercises.  In this digital translation, scroll down to read pages 22-24.  In this section, Loyola is offering some methods that one can use to prepare oneself for the sacrament of confession.  Confession is a Catholic practice in which the individual meets with a priest, confesses “sins” and is thus absolved of them through completing the penance that the priest prescribes, usually a series of prayers.  Loyola insists that one must go into this sacrament with a completely clean conscience and a clear understanding of what he terms “bad thought.”  He writes:

I presuppose that there are three kinds of thoughts in me: that is, one my
own, which springs from my mere liberty and will; and two others, which come from
without, one from the good spirit, and the other from the bad.

In addition, this Wiki page gives you a good overview of the Spiritual Exercises:  Spiritual Exercises

As he continues, he points out the relationship between thought, word and deed, and he does so in a methodical and, to his mind, a reasoned fashion.  In this one example you can get a sense of the sensibility of Ignatius Loyola.  He embodies the ethos and pathos of the Counter Reformation.  The Catholic Church’s response to the spread of Protestantism was varied.  The Council of Trent met between 1545-1563 to create a plan for reform and rejuvenation of the Church’s presence and power.  The concepts and dogma that were refined during Trent set the stage for what remain staunch tenets of faith.

Now that we have a sense of the Jesuit theological point of view and the role that played in individual practice of the faith, we turn to look at the influence of the movement.  The Jesuits understood very well that Protestantism was taking hold in some parts of Europe and indeed spreading at alarming rates.  The Jesuits took on an evangelical mode: ardent, zealous, determined, self righteous.  The Society of Jesus understood one way to combat the spread of Protestantism was to go abroad and convert other peoples to Catholicism.  Unfortunately, these “conversions” were more often than not, forced conversions.  The Jesuits had the most success in central and south Americas. They also had campaigns to the Orient, namely Japan, where they struggled to get momentum and were eventually kicked out.  This encyclopedia page is a rich resource and gives you a solid overview of the many directions the Jesuits went and some of their strategies in these different continents.  Pay special attention to the sections on Mexico and South American countries:

Jesuits in North America

In 1632, Bernal Diaz del Castillo’s memoirs were published.  This True History of the Conquest of New Spain is a first hand account of Spain’s domination of what became known as the Spanish Americas.  This conquest was a combination of religious zeal, political impetus, and the so-called Age of Conquest.  Diaz’s account of the civilizations they encountered there is full of awe for not only the wealth displayed, but also the sophistication of the architecture, the complexity of their cosmology, the dignity of the indigenous people, and the order and productivity of their cities.  His first-hand account countered the prejudiced view of the time that these people were savages, i.e., not Christian, and thus it was Spain’s spiritual duty to open their eyes to the “truth.”  Please scan through this digital text and you are more than welcome to read whatever sections catch your interest.  However, two chapters that provide a fascinating counterpoint are: Part 1, Chapter VIII, “Description of the Court and the City,”  and Part II, Chapter 1, “Tlascala, 1520, Subjugation of the Neighboring District by the Spaniards.”  Please read those here:  Diaz del Castillo

THE BAROQUE

In this lecture, I give you an historical overview of the ways the Baroque functioned within the context of the Counter Reformation:

The important takeaways on this lecture is to keep in mind that the Baroque was a style and a rhetoric.  Baroque art had specific characteristics.  It is known for its dramatic qualities, its movement, its sensuality (in some cases), its reverence for Classical associations.  But Baroque art also has a definite rhetorical message.  And that message is one of power, wealth, influence and longevity.

This is a link to a great online academic source, Boundless Art History.  Please read:

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-arthistory/chapter/painting-of-the-baroque-period/

The art of music during this period was also inspired by the stylistic impact of the Baroque.  In this online book, entitled Understanding Music: Past and Present by Clark, Heflin, Kluball, and Kramer, there is a chapter on Baroque music.  Please open this pdf and scroll to pages 73-114.  Please read the historical overview of the rise of Baroque music paying special attention to the points we have covered in this chapter thus far.  On page 89 begins the subsection on “The Rise of the Orchestra.”  Please read that carefully noting how different instruments were developed as well as the “design” of the orchestra.  These together made for an extraordinary new sound!

Unfortunately many of the music links in this book are broken.  I do want you to listen to the marvelous Vivaldi, though.  Here is an excerpt from The Four Seasons.  This is the piece, Spring.  Notice how Vivaldi recreates the sounds of Spring, the melting of ice, the rebirth of the earth, the sounds of birds…..  and with the Master, Itzhak Perlman!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKthRw4KjEg