The Reformers

On Reformation Day, the university library invites you to an online painting exhibition with a lecture. The date of the opening has been chosen deliberately: October 31st is a day of remembrance that commemorates Martin Luther's posting of theses against abuses in church practice at the time. The team at the university library lets viewers take a digital look at its exhibition "If the reformers would visit us today ...". Library director Raul Cervantes describes the issue as follows: “In this corona situation, culture in Friedensau should not be neglected. That is why it only takes one click - and the audience stands in front of the portraits of the reformers, which are currently on display in the library, but can no longer be viewed directly due to the library being closed. The speaker, church historian Dr. Johannes Hartlapp, explains in his lecture the importance of the individual personalities at that time 500 years ago and for us today. "

"If the reformers would visit us today ..." – We people in the 21st century take almost for granted the right to education, school attendance for all children, equality between men and women, the separation of church and state - to name just a few. The Reformation 500 years ago inspired all of this. Let's get to know better the people who stand for the Reformation.

The Friedensau Adventist University is a state-recognized university sponsored by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Eight B.A. and M.A. degree programs - some of them part-time - in the fields of Christian Social Work and Theology as well as a 'German as a Foreign Language' course can be taken here. Around 30 nations are represented among the students and lecturers.

(around 1140 – around 1218)

Petrus Waldus was a very wealthy merchant in the southern French city of Lyon. He devoted himself to Bible study and commissioned the priest Stephan von Anse to translate the Latin Bible translation, Vulgate, into the dialect of southern France so that the simple people could understand the Bible.

During a famine in 1176/77, Waldus experienced a revival. This prompted him to give his wealth to the poor. From then on he led a life as a poor wandering preacher with the goal of spreading the true gospel. Many people were inspired by him and his message and joined his movement. This Bible movement was called "the poor of Lyon" or "Waldenses."

Because of their church criticism and their biblical faith orientation, they were soon persecuted as heretics by the Roman Catholic Inquisition. Of all the pre-Reformation movements of the Middle Ages, only the Waldenses survived persecution by the church. Their communities still exist today (in Italy, Switzerland, Germany and South America).

The Seventh-day Adventist Church wants to learn from the courage of the Waldensians to remain faithful to the Gospel even in times of distress. Petrus Waldus and his movement have impressively exemplified both the ability to think further and to hold on to biblical knowledge.

(around 1330 – 1384)

John Wycliff came from a small noble family from Yorkshire, England. After successfully studying theology, he was awarded his doctorate degree in 1372. He became a professor in Oxford and then entered the service of the King of England. In this position, he took a stand against the authority of the Pope and the Church. He rejected the trade of letters of indulgence, celibacy and the worship of relics and saints. He also criticized the Catholic understanding of the Lord's Supper.

This led to tensions with the ruling church. At a Synod convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Wycliff's writings were classified as heretical, and he lost his office at the court. Until shortly before the end of his life, he held back from politics and devoted himself to his translation of the Latin Bible, the Vulgate, into English.

From about 1400, shortly after his death, the persecution of his followers began. Later even his body was dug up and publicly burned. Nevertheless, his theses and ideas had an influence on the later events of the Reformation.

Adventists see in Wycliff someone who was far ahead of his time and who referred to the foundations of the Holy Scriptures, even if he had not yet arrived at an encompassing reformatory knowledge.

(around 1466 – 1536)

Erasmus of Rotterdam was one of the most important humanists and is regarded as a pioneer of the European Enlightenment. His humanistic ideas exerted a great influence on the Reformation events of his time.

Erasmus was a prolific writer, and according to current knowledge, wrote about 150 books. In addition, over 2000 of his letters have been preserved. Because of his fine style, his letters enjoyed great literary attention in Europe.

Despite initial sympathies, the paths of Luther and Erasmus diverged. The dispute was sparked off by the topic of the free will. Luther broke with the Roman Catholic Church, while Erasmus did not have this courage. Personally, he remained a doubter and submitted to the authority of the church.

Although Adventists do not share many of Erasmus's insights and views, his irenic attitude and humanistic striving to explore the roots of Christianity, especially through a thorough knowledge of the biblical languages, Hebrew and Greek, remain exemplary.

(1484 – 1531)

Zwingli was a Swiss pastor and parish priest. His recovery from the plague in 1519 was a key experience for him that strengthened his faith. Zwingli felt encouraged by the success of the Wittenberg Reformation and strove for a reformatory renewal in Zurich. Many of Luther’s writings and theses inspired him.

On January 29, 1523, the Zurich City Council approved Zwingli's 67 theses, thus paving the way for the Reformation.

But there was also disagreement and dispute between Luther and Zwingli. The climax of the conflict was their controversy about the Lord's Supper. While Luther saw a real presence of Jesus in bread and wine, Zwingli was convinced that the Lord's Supper was a symbolic act, a view that the Reformer Calvin later elaborated on.

Zwingli and Calvin founded the "Reformed Church" in Switzer­land, which represented the second great reformatory movement besides Lutheranism.

Seventh-day Adventists especially appreciate Zwingli's under­standing of the Lord's Supper and the emphasis on Christian life in discipleship (sanctification), as the Swiss Reformers consistently demanded.

(1484 – 1536)

William Tyndale was an English scholar and priest. He accepted various teachings of the Reformation and gained a reputation as a heretic.

Because Wycliff’s English translation of the Bible was banned, he planned to make a translation himself. This was denied to him. So he traveled to Germany, where he probably made his translation in Wittenberg. In Worms, about 3000 copies of his "The New Testament" were finally printed and shipped to England. About 100 years before the King James Bible was printed, this translation was not the first one in English, but it was widely spread by letterpress printing.

His translation of the Bible and his criticism of the King and Pope finally led to his condemnation as a heretic in 1536. He was burned at the stake near Brussels.

(1483 – 1546)

In 1505, Luther studied law according to the will of his father. But he fell into a life crisis. In a severe summer thunderstorm on July 2, 1505, fear of death is said to have caused him to take a vow. Luther entered the order of the Erfurt Augustinian hermits and became a monk. A few years later, he received a doctorate in theology and taught at Wittenberg University.

On October 31, 1517, he nailed his 95 theses at the Castle Church in Wittenberg. In these theses, he criticized primarily the indulgence trade and called for a theological discourse on this controversial issue. This is regarded as the starting point of the Reformation. The conflict between Luther and the Roman Pope Church began. In order to protect him from the church, Luther´s friends hid him at Wartburg Castle near Eisenach.

There he translated the New Testament into German. After his return to Wittenberg, Luther again took the leading role in the Reformation. From now on, church services were held in German and no longer in Latin and the celebration of Holy Communion was practiced in both forms, with bread and wine.

For a long time, it was no longer just a matter of criticism of the indulgence trade. Luther developed a new theology based solely on the Holy Scriptures (Sola Scriptura), with the doctrine of justification by grace alone (Sola Gratia) at its center. Man has no merits before God but is redeemed by grace alone through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

Originally, Luther did not want to divide the church, but to reform it. However, his biblical theology and his vehement criticism of the Pope and the Church did not allow this to happen. A new evangelical movement emerged that changed the world.

(1509 – 1564)

Born into a wealthy French family, Calvin studied law and theology. He belonged to the humanistic educational elite of his time. The originally faithful Catholic found access to the Reformation ideas during his studies until he openly professed the Protestant faith in the 1530s.

This change of heart was also the reason why he had to flee, until he finally landed in Geneva via detours. Under his leadership, Geneva became the new stronghold of Protestantism in Switzerland.

Although he shared many theological concerns with Luther, Calvin set his own accents in his theology. He was concerned with morality and simplicity, advocated church halls without images and decorations and pleaded for music without instruments. His doctrine of double predestination is still contentious today.

Calvin himself never met Luther and belongs to the second generation of Reformers.

Even today, "Calvinism" is still formative for large parts of the Protestant world, especially in the Anglo-American region.

Calvin's doctrine of sanctification and his striving to give God the highest honor in life ("Soli Deo Gloria") had a great influence on many churches and free churches. Methodists, Baptists and also Adventists are influenced by Calvinism.

(1514 – 1572)

John Knox was the Reformer of Scotland. Already during his studies of theology and law, he came into contact with Luther's theses. After the execution of the theologian George Wishart, whom he emulated, he joined an uprising, which brought him two years in prison.

After the accession to the throne of the Catholic Queen Mary, Knox fled to Geneva, where Calvin worked. Knox became a staunch supporter of Calvin's reformation. During this time, he also produced a Bible translation into English, the so-called "Geneva Bible."

His return to Scotland paved the way for the Calvinist Reformation in that country. Severe conflicts with the Regent of Scotland, Marie de Guise, and her daughter Mary Stuart shaped his life.

(1497 – 1560)

Philipp Melanchthon, actually Philipp Schwartzerdt, was a humanistic scholar and Luther's closest ally. He worked together with him in Wittenberg. Together they wrote many Reformation writings as well as school and worship service regulations and worked on the translation of the Bible.

Melanchthon was the first to write a coherent Protestant dogmatic theology. He also wrote the "Confessio Augustana," the first official Protestant creed. Due to his position as Rector of the University of Wittenberg and his pedagogical abilities, he was already called "Praeceptor Germaniae," the "teacher of Germany," during his lifetime.

After Luther's death in 1546, he became the leading figure of the Wittenberg Reformation. With his irenic spirit, he sought, unlike Luther, an understanding with the Catholic Church beyond all differences. He remained faithful to his great teacher and friend until the end of his life, despite some differences of opinion.

"Man possesses freedom of choice to do good and to direct his actions." Melanchthon saw the cause of sin in abused freedom. This view, combined with the conviction that one is saved by the grace of God alone, also well reflects the theological standpoint of Adventists.