Scottish Reformation

Background

In the mid-sixteenth century Scotland was a kingdom dominated by the Roman Catholic Church and closely allied with France. While the young Mary, Queen of Scots, resided in France, her mother, Mary of Guise, governed as regent (ruling the realm on the monarch's behalf). French troops were stationed in the country during this period, and their abuses provoked resentment among the Scots. Meanwhile, the ideas of the Reformation were spreading, and John Knox, influenced by the reforming preacher George Wishart, joined the reform movement. After his release from forced labor in the French galleys (ships propelled by oars), Knox worked in England and Geneva.

Course of Events

• 1555: Knox returned to Scotland by invitation. He preached for about nine months and then departed again for Geneva.
• Late 1550s: Protestant nobles formed a group known as the Lords of the Congregation and broke with the Roman Church.
• 1559: In May, Knox returned to Scotland at the request of the Lords of the Congregation. Shortly after his return, his preaching at Perth was followed by a crowd destroying altars and images (carved representations of saints). The Lords of the Congregation drove the regent's forces out of Perth and advanced on Edinburgh. That same year Knox was chosen as minister of the church in Edinburgh.
• 1560: The conclusion of a treaty weakened the political forces that had been resisting Protestantism. In August the so-called Reformation Parliament met in Edinburgh. This Parliament approved the Scots Confession, abolished papal jurisdiction, and prohibited the Mass. In December the first General Assembly of the Reformed church met and examined the First Book of Discipline (regulations for the governance of the church). The First Book of Discipline set out procedures for selecting and appointing ministers and provisions for their financial support. It also divided the country into ten districts, each under a superintendent, and laid out plans for education and poor relief.
• 1561–1567: Mary, Queen of Scots, returned in 1561 and reigned until 1567. Tensions persisted between the Catholic queen and the Protestant party. The legislation of the 1560 Parliament was formally ratified in 1567 under James VI.

Results and Influence

The newly established Church of Scotland (the Kirk) adopted a presbyterian structure, and its doctrine largely followed Calvinism. Worship was conducted according to the Book of Common Order compiled by Knox, and congregations were governed by elders chosen by the members. The church became a source of national pride, and many Scots came to regard their country as a "new Israel." The financial provisions of the First Book of Discipline, however, were never fully implemented, because the nobility did not support them. The 1560 act repudiating papal jurisdiction is reported to remain in force today. Nevertheless, when Pope Leo XIII restored the Catholic hierarchy in Scotland in 1878, no legal sanctions followed. The Scottish Reformation is an important root of the worldwide Presbyterian tradition, and Korean Presbyterianism is likewise regarded, in a broad sense, as an heir of this tradition.

Assessment

Presbyterian and Reformed churches honor this event as an exemplary reformation that established a Bible-centered faith and presbyterian church government. From the Catholic perspective, the process meant the prohibition of the Mass, the destruction of altars, images, and monasteries, and the collapse of the established church's standing. Historians hold that the Reformation was not merely a religious matter; it also had the character of a political revolution that ousted the regent and freed Scotland from French influence. Some have also pointed out that remembering this period chiefly in terms of iconoclasm and religious violence obscures the fact that religious symbols were in reality changed and cleared away gradually over a long period of time.