What was Cisneros motivation for printing the Bible in its original language? Cardinal Cisneros. One major Spanish figure for church reform was the Franciscan Cardinal Jiménez de Cisneros (also known as Cardinal Ximénez). His first public office was that of Queen Isabella's confessor. She was impressed with his knowledge and wisdom in both religious and political matters. Cisneros continued to assume positions of responsibility; in 1495 he was chosen as Archbishop of Toledo, Spain.

Despite his high offices, Cisneros chose to live a simple life. Wearing simple robes and going barefoot, Cisneros tried to reform the Spanish Friars. He even convinced Queen Isabella and several church officials that his way was God's way.

By the time of Cisneros, printing had been discovered. In his desire to make the Bible more widely available, Cisneros was responsible for the first printed edition of the whole Bible in the original languages, Hebrew Old Testament and Greek New Testament.

His Bible was called Complutensian Polyglot; the first word refers to the Latin name of the town in which it was printed and the second word means more than one language.

After Queen Isabella died, Cisneros worked with Ferdinand and Philip of Burgundy, Ferdinand's son-in-law who succeeded to the throne of Castile. Philip died in 1506, leaving Cisneros in control of Castile for a year.

Cisneros gradually assumed positions of even greater responsibility until he was appointed a cardinal in 1507. He filled his office as cardinal until Ferdinand's death in 1516, when young Charles V succeeded to the throne and Cisneros served as his regent. Cisneros died in 1517.

Jesuit society. Spain was a center for Catholicism in the sixteenth century. Spain was also the strongest European military power of this time. Out of this Catholic stronghold grew a new religious order, The Society of Jesus. The founder of this order was Ignatius of Loyola.

Loyola, a young soldier, had been seriously wounded in 1522. He had experienced a religious conversion, choosing to support Catholicism. He studied theology in Paris and became a priest. Deciding to set up a new order in which to practice his ideas and beliefs, Loyola and nine others, including Francis Xavier, established the "Company of Jesus" in 1534. By 1540 Pope Paul III approved the order, now called "The Society of Jesus." The Jesuits, as members of this order were called, took vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, yet did not lead cloistered lives. Each member obeyed his superior. Only members of the upper class with intelligence, education, physical fitness, and strong character could be eligible for membership. The Jesuits spread Catholicism among infidels, Protestants, and Catholics who had strayed from basic Catholic beliefs. The influence of the Jesuits spread throughout Europe. Jesuits appeared in royal courts and in other positions of political influence.

The Council of Trent. The popes took the lead in reform by the mid-sixteenth century. The Council of Trent paved the way for reform. Convened in 1545 by Charles V to deal with the Lutheran Protestants, the council met intermittently for eighteen years. Although it failed to provide an answer to the problem with the Lutherans, the council decreed certain church reforms. It encouraged more discipline of the members of the clergy and insisted upon removing church abuses. The council, made up of leading European churchmen, recognized the pope as the authority on doctrine. The Catholic doctrines concerning the seven sacraments, indulgences, purgatory, and the saints were reaffirmed by the council.

Because of the council of Trent, clergymen were required to consider religious affairs before secular ones, resulting in a stronger clerical structure. The council also provided a better and more uniform system of educating candidates for the priesthood. One of the most important results of the council was that it tended to unify the Catholic Church and to encourage the clergy.

Other papal methods. The pope attempted to restrict the spread of Protestantism by enforcing Catholic principles. Three methods used were the concordats, the Index, and the Inquisition. Concordats were agreements made with the various Catholic rulers of Europe. The monarchs were accorded a little more freedom from papal controls in return for supporting Catholicism in their respective countries. These concordats helped to prevent southern Europe from supporting Protestantism.

Pope Paul IV drew up the Index which was a list of books that Catholics were forbidden to read. The College of Cardinals used the Index so effectively that some books listed have completely disappeared and are known today only because they are listed in the Index.

A special church court called the Inquisition was established in the thirteenth century to deal with heretics. The Inquisition was used in later centuries as a method for identifying, judging, and punishing anyone, Catholic or Protestant, who was