Most folk think that ‘Luther’ is a form of the family name ‘Luder’ and that Martin Luther simply took to spelling his name in the more modern format. Not so. Rather, sometime after the 95 Theses made him well known he adopted the Greek name Ελευθηριυς and though he signed his work with that name […]
March 21, 1556, Thomas Cranmer is burnt at the stake in Oxford. Rather than recant at his public execution, Cranmer reaffirmed his belief that the Pope was the antichrist, and refused to return to the Catholic Church. Via. Happy ‘I’d Rather Be Burnt Alive Than Be A Roman Catholic’ Day!
You may not be familiar with Johann Hilten, but he was a strange little Monk with some fairly bizarre apocalyptic inclinations who was fairly influential on Luther in terms of the latter’s self understanding. In the Franciscan Convent at Eisenach, in Thuringia, was a monk named John Hilten. He was a careful student of the […]
ST. PATRICK or Patricius (died March 17, 465 or 493) was the son of a deacon, and grandson of a priest, as he confesses himself without an intimation of the unlawfulness of clerical marriages. He was in his youth carried captive into Ireland, with many others, and served his master six years as a shepherd. […]
On 14 March, 1542, Calvin wrote to Myconius “I value the public peace and concord so highly, that I lay restraint upon myself; and this praise even the adversaries are compelled to award to me. This feeling prevails to such an extent, that, from day to day, those who were once open enemies have become […]
Calvin perhaps the longest (though Bullinger wrote the most). Here’s a sample from the 14th of March, 1542. In it, Calvin updates Myconius on the latest doings in Geneva. Enjoy! (Especially the fourth paragraph…) GENEVA, 14th March 1542. On my first arrival here I could not, as you have requested, write you with certainty as […]
The names and order of the birth of the brothers and sisters of the Zwingli family were: Heini (also called Hainy or Henry), Klaus (or Nicholas), Huldreich (also called Ulrich), Hans, Wolfgang, Bartholomäus, Jacob (or James), Anna, Andrew, and an unnamed daughter. Of Heini there has been preserved one letter (viii., 430, 431), dated from […]
[One] Mr. Ducrest, who had a seat in the ordinary council [of Geneva] as one of the ancient syndics, and who was at the head of the Popish party in the city, repeatedly attacked Farel with great violence of language in the Council, and threatened that if a stop was not put to his preaching, […]
Zwingli suffered from ulcers, and died of a halberd in the face. Luther suffered from gall stones, and died of liver disease. Calvin suffered from a plethora of illnesses, and died of only God knows what. What’s this mean? That being a Reformer ruins your body. Don’t be a Reformer.
Luther left the Wartburg on March 1, 1522, arriving at Wittenberg on March 6. One of the first things he did was to preach a series of eight sermons, during the week beginning March 9, in an effort to counteract the extreme reforms which had been forced through by Karlstadt and Gabriel Zwilling. Luther was […]
In 1532 Luther lectured on Psalm two on the following dates: March 5, April 9, April 16, May 27, May 28, June 8, July 5. He took his time with the text (obviously) and in the course of those lectures snidely remarked That the kings and rulers rage against us at the present time, that […]
From Luther’s table talk- When news of the bigamy of Hesse spread abroad, the doctor [Martin Luther] said with a serene countenance, “He’s a remarkable man. He has his [propitious] star. I think he wishes to obtain it [consent for his bigamy] through the emperor and the pope in order to gratify his desire. It’s […]
You may not know this, but Erasmus’ edition of the GNT appeared on the 2nd of March, 1516. Zwingli made a copy, by hand of course, of the Letters of Paul that same year. Interestingly, and significantly, those marginal notes demonstrate that Zwingli was moving towards reform then (in 1516) before anyone had ever heard […]
In the 16th century a distinction was made between the ‘poor’ and the ‘deserving poor’. In general terms, the ‘deserving poor’ were members of one’s own Church community who lived properly and dressed properly and avoided gambling and promiscuity. These persons were granted Church aid. The ‘poor’, i.e., unworthy beggars and members of another faith […]
On 25 February, 1559 Calvin wrote a little letter in which he … again spoke of the anxiety and distress which he suffered. The ministers were quarrelling with each other. He exhorted them not to read either the German Theology (La Théologie Germanique), or a little work, entitled ‘Der Neue Mensch”.* Calvin was a person […]
Before he will return to Geneva, Calvin expects certain conditions to be met. On February 19, 1541, he says to them, ‘I beg you to bethink yourselves of all the means of wisely constituting your church, that it may be ruled according to the command of our Lord.’† Calvin was therefore anxious to make the […]
Did you know that Reginald Pole, erstwhile friend of Peter Martyr Vermigli, actually had Vermigli’s wife exhumed so her body could be tossed on a pile of dung (as a show of contempt) for the good woman’s Reformation views? Well it was on this day that her body was recovered and burned and the ashes […]
It was a series of Catholic ‘Indulgences’.* ________________ *According to Read Mercer Schuchardt in ‘The Reformation as Media Event‘ in The People’s Book: The Reformation and the Bible, p. 95.
Sébastien Castellio (1515–63), who was six years younger than Calvin, was a Savoyard by birth, had risen from very humble origins to distinction in humanistic learning at Lyons, had fled to Strassburg by reason of his Protestant sympathies, and, while there, had for a brief time been a member of Calvin’s household. Impetuous and rather […]
The number of books in the library of the Augustine friars’ monastery in Möðruvellir dropped from 127 in 1461 to 76 in 1525. – From Gutenberg to Luther: Transnational Print Cultures in Scandinavia 1450–1525. Interesting snippet (from a footnote) in a very interesting book.
Zwinglius Redivivus 