Reformation Fun Facts – St. Peter's Lutheran Church

John Tetzel was one of the main sellers of indulgences. His famous catch phrase was, “Every time a coin in the copper rings, a soul in purgatory springs.”
Because paper was valuable, printers did not waste misprinted paper. Instead, they bound these mistakes into other books as end paper. In 1520, a printer reused misprinted indulgences as the end paper to Luther’s writings.
Christian Beyer was selected to read the Augsburg Confession to Emperor Charles V because he had a loud voice. The Lutherans wanted to make sure everyone was able to hear.
Martin Luther was not able to be present at the Diet of Augsburg for fear of being put to death. Therefore the Lutherans set up a pony express to Coburg to keep Luther informed and to receive his input.
In 1530, Emperor Charles V ordered the Lutheran princes to forbid any Lutheran preaching. Prince George responded, “Before I let anyone take from me the word of God and ask me to deny my God, I will kneel and let them strike off my head.”
In 1523, Martin Luther helped twelve nuns escape from a cloister. They hid in the back of a wagon full of empty herring barrels. On Easter Eve, they hid in the barrels until they reached the safety of a neighboring town.
On June 13, 1525, Martin Luther married a runaway nun, Katharina von Bora.
In 1524 the peasants revolted and attacked the noble men. The peasants used Martin Luther’s writings to justify their war. When Luther learned of this, he preached against their action and encouraged them not to fight. Unfortunately, many fought and were defeated.
In response to the Confutation, Philip Melanchthon wrote the Apology to the Augsburg Confession. Apology means “defense.” Despite the objection of Emperor Charles V and the Catholic princes, the Augsburg Confession became the standard of beliefs for the Lutheran Church. Elector John and the Lutheran princes signed the document.
At the Diet of Augsburg, the Catholics wrote a response to the Augsburg Confession called the Confutation. The princes refused to give the Lutherans a copy. Thankfully, the secretaries took great notes.
In 1530, Philip Melanchthon wrote the Augsburg Confession. The Augsburg Confession was a document presented at Augsburg which stated what Lutherans believe.
Martin Luther and his followers faced increasing pressure to defend their beliefs. One Catholic leader, John Eck, wrote a book listing over four hundred “errors” in Luther’s teaching.
Philip Melanchthon helped Martin Luther translate the Old Testament into the language of the people. Although Luther translated the N.T in a matter of months, the O.T took about 12 year to be completed.
While hiding at the Wartburg Castle, Luther continued to reform the Church. One of Luther’s biggest accomplishments was translating the New Testament from Greek into German. Finally, people could read God’s Word in their own Language.
While hiding at the Wartburg Castle Luther let his hair and beard grow long. He called himself “Knight George.”
As Luther was leaving the Diet of Worms, Frederick the Wise arranged for Martin to “disappear.” He had his men capture Luther and bring him to safety at the Wartburg Castle.
In April of 1521, Martin Luther appeared at the Diet of Worms and was asked to recant the so called errors of his 95 Theses. Luther famously refused to recant. Emperor Charles V issued a decree to capture Luther and punish him.
On February 18, 1546, Martin Luther died in his home town of Eisleben Germany. He was buried in the Castle Church in Wittenberg beneath the pulpit.
The Roman Catholic Church taught that by looking at, praying over, or kissing the relics of saints or Christ Himself, could earn rewards toward Heaven. Relics include; thorns from Jesus’ crown, a nail from the cross, a branch from the burning bush, and many more.
Books were so expensive to produce so only universities, libraries and churches had access to books. In Martin Luther’s Day it was still possible to read every book ever written.
During the Medieval period, people thought disease was caused by bad blood. The cure was to intentionally cause bleeding. One of the tools used to cause bleeding were leeches.
Because most people could not read, the Barber pole became a universal sign for the barber. The barber pole was traditionally red because the barber not only cut hair but also performed surgeries.
During the Reformation a new art technique was perfected known as the woodcut. Woodcuts allowed the artist to produce multiple copies of the same image.
During the Renaissance the large majority of art work depicted religious themes. This was because the Catholic Church sponsored and supported many artists; including Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci.
Martin Luther became a professor at the University in Wittenberg on October 19, 1512. He served as professor for 34 years until his death.
At the time of the Reformation, it was a common practice for people to take a pilgrimage to a holy site in order to gain favor with God. Martin Luther took his own pilgrimage to Rome in 1510.
During the Medieval period, students who misbehaved might end up wearing a donkey mask as part of a punishment. The mask was meant to demonstrate to others how foolish your behavior was.
When Martin Luther became a monk, he received a special haircut called a “tonsure,” which involved shaving the top of his head.
At the time of the Reformation, one third of all the land was owned by the Catholic Church.
St. Peter’s Basilica was built during the time of the Reformation through the sale of indulgences. St. Peter’s is the 2nd largest church in the world.
Martin Luther’s famous hymn, “Lord Keep us Steadfast in Your Word” was originally written, “Lord keep us steadfast in your word. Restrain the murderous Pope and Turk.” It was later changed to include all enemies of the Church.
Martin Luther was born on November 10, 1483, in Eisleben, Germany and was Baptized the next day on November 11.
October 31, 1617, 100 years after Luther posted the 95 theses was the first time the church celebrated Reformation on that date. For the first 100 years, the church recognized the presentation of the Augsburg Confession (June 25, 1530) as the beginning of the Reformation.