The Protestant Reformation as a factor for change in the Portuguese mission

Abstract

This article makes a historiographical interpretation on the change of the model of missionary after the Protestant Reformation and the creation of the Society of Jesus, analyzing the process itself, and also what it represented for the Church and for the propagation of Christianity. In a first moment, the Protestant Reformation will be analyzed, the reasons that led Martin Luther to protest against the Catholic Church and what the breakdown of the unity of the Church represented both for the Church itself and for Christianity. In a second moment, we will analyze the Counter-Reformation, the reasons that led the Catholic Church to promote the Council of Trent, and why it was not possible to return to the unity of this institution. In a third moment, we will analyze the creation of the Society of Jesus and the strategies used to expand Christianity. And in a fourth moment, we will explain what kind of change occurred in the model of mission after the unleashing of all these events, starting with the Reformation, followed by the Counter Reformation and the creation of the Company of Jesus. To conclude this research, we will conclude with a position on this process and the implication of the same for Christianity in face of this change in the model of mission.