When was Protestantism distinct?

Yo,

At some point, Protestantism ceased to be another school of thought in Catholicism, like the jansenists for example, and became distinct from it.

When and why?
 
Heterodoxy generally becames considered heretic or schismatic when the main clerical body considers it so, and then create by mirror a distinct religious body even if it wasn't such at first.
The second diet of Speyer of 1529 where was coined the term "Protestants" clearly denouncing the early confessionalisation of german polities at the first diet of Speyer, and considering that the question at hand wasn't a counciliar matter, but a conflict between two religious bodies, could fairly be considered as the term of this aformentioned build-up.
 
Yo,

At some point, Protestantism ceased to be another school of thought in Catholicism, like the jansenists for example, and became distinct from it.

When and why?

When the 30 Year War was over and mostly because it became obvious that the Lutherans would never return to Catholicism and neither would they be destroyed.
 
When the 30 Year War was over and mostly because it became obvious that the Lutherans would never return to Catholicism and neither would they be destroyed.
Catholics and Protestants were already way distinct by that point. For that matter, the various Protestant groups (Calvinists/Lutherans/etc.) had already notably subdivided and started fighting each other by that point.
 
I mean, within the Hussites and before Protestant you had more radical strains that broke more fully with Catholic doctrine, just as Reform churches generally broke further with Rome than Lutherans.
 
The Augsburg Confession of 1530 was a key breaking point in my opinion. From then on, Lutherans had a clearly articulated statement of faith, distinct from Catholicism. They were not simply protesting against aspects of Catholicism, but offering a replacement theology. Then in 1536 there is Calvin's Institution of the Christian Religion, serving the same purpose for the Reformed faith.

Having said that, there were some at this time who still pushed for church reform without breaking away from Catholicism, so arguably the date of total separation is later. I think the latest possible year is 1563, when the Council of Trent concluded. At that point there was no more possibility of reconciliation.
 
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