The Church History Catechism: The German Reformation

Source: This chapter, which provides a short summary of the history of the RCUS, is taken from J. I. Good's Aid to the Heidelberg Catechism.
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Its name is derived from the city in which it was compiled and first printed. It is also sometimes styled the Palatinate Catechism, from the territory the Palatinate of the prince Frederick III under whose auspices it was prepared. Frederick III, who came into power in , adopted the Calvinistic view on the Lord's Supper, and favored that side with all his princely power.

He reorganized the Sapienz College founded by his predecessor as a theological school, and put at its head Zacharias Ursinus, a pupil and friend of Melancthon, who had adopted the Reformed opinions. In order to put an end to religious disputes in his dominions, he determined to put forth a Catechism, or Confession of Faith, and laid the duty of preparing it upon Zacharias Ursinus just named and Caspar Olevianus, for a time professor in the University of Heidelberg, then court preacher to Frederick III. They made use, of course, of the existing catechetical literature, especially of the catechisms of Calvin and of John Lasco.

Each prepared sketches or drafts, and "the final preparation was a the work of both theologians, with the constant co-operation of Frederick III. Ursinus has always been regarded as the principal author, as he was afterwards the chief defender and interpreter of the Catechism; still, it would appear that the nervous German style, the division into three parts as distinguished from the five parts in the Catechism of Calvin and the previous draft of Ursinus , and the genial warmth and unction of the whole work, are chiefly due to Olevianus. When the Catechism was completed, Frederick laid it before a synod of the superintendents of the Palatinate December, After careful examination it was approved.

The first edition, whose full title is given above, appeared in The preface is dated January 19 of that year, and runs in the name of the elector Frederick, who probably wrote it. The German version is the authentic standard. Two other editions of the German version appeared in What is now the eightieth question What difference is there between the Lord's Supper and the Roman Mass? The Lord's Supper testifies to us that we have full forgiveness of all our sins by the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which he himself has once accomplished on the cross; and that by the Holy Ghost we are engrafted into Christ, who with his true body is now in heaven at the right hand of the Father, and is to be there worshipped.

But the Mass teaches that the living and the dead have not forgiveness of sins through the sufferings of Christ, unless Christ is still daily offered for them by the priest; and that Christ is bodily under the form of bread and wine, and is therefore to be worshipped in them. And thus the Mass at bottom is nothing else than a denial of the one sacrifice and passion of Christ, and an accursed idolatry. This declaration, and the anathemas pronounced at Trent against the Protestant doctrine of the sacraments, had not time to produce their effect before the issue of the first edition of the Catechism.

But the elector soon saw the necessity for a strong and clear declaration on the Protestant side, and such a declaration is furnished in this eightieth question, which was added to the Catechism in The first edition of was for a long time lost; that given by Niemeyer Collectio Confessionum, p. But in pastor Wolters found a copy and reprinted it, with a history of the text Der Heidelb.

The Heidelberg Catechism - History

Who were these two young men, the one only 26 years of age, the other only 28, who were so mature as to prepare one of the most wonderful of creeds? Zacharias Ursinus was born in eastern Germany, at Breslau, July 18, He was a pupil of Melanchthon at Wittenberg and was compelled to leave his native city by the High Lutherans because of his sympathy with Melancthonianism. He then went to Zurich, in Switzerland, where he came under Reformed influences, especially of Peter Martyr. When the latter refused a call to Heidelberg University, Ursinus was called in his place He there became professor in the Sapienz College, which was intended to prepare young men for the ministry.

He was one of the strongest theologians of that second generation of reformers.

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Casper Olevianus, the other author of our catechism, was from Western Germany. He was born at Treves August 30, , and was educated at Bourges, in France. Here an event turned his mind to the Gospel ministry. He had at this university an intimate friend in the son of the Elector of the Palatinate.

Heidelberg Catechism

They were walking together along the shore of the river, when some students called to them to join them in their boat. The prince accepted, but Olevianus refused. A few moments after, the boat was upset and all thrown out. While thus hanging between life and death he vowed that if God would spare his life he would become a minister. The servant of the prince then appeared, rushed into the water and saved Olevianus. True to his promise, he studied theology under Calvin at Geneva. But his heart burned to tell the Gospel to his own city, which was one of the most priest-ridden cities of Europe.

So having gained a position there as teacher, he had the boldness one morning to nail up on the city hall a notice that he would hold an evangelical service that Sunday morning. The people came in crowds to hear this novelty, but the Catholic Elector of Treves, hearing of this, returned with his army, besieged the town, captured it, drove out the Reformed and put Olevianus in prison. Elector Frederick III, of the Palatinate, interceded for him and he was released and appointed as preacher and superintendent at Heidelberg.

These were the two men appointed by the Elector to prepare his new creed, in the latter part of Hence our Church generally observes the Sunday nearest to that date as Reformation Day.

Evangelical and Reformed Church

So popular did this new creed become that four editions of it were required in the first year It was introduced everywhere in the Palatinate and soon began to win its way into other lands. A conference was held at Maulbron, in Wurtemberg, near the Palatinate border, on April, 10, , between the Lutheran and Reformed theologians, but they could not come to an agreement. Then the Emperor of Germany summoned Frederick to appear before the Diet Congress in May, , at Augsburg, to answer for his catechism. It looked as if the Emperor would crush out the catechism and perhaps depose Frederick.

So threatening did matters look that his brother warned Frederick not to go to Augsburg. Indeed a rumor came to Heidelberg after he had gone to Augsburg that he had been deposed from his throne because of his catechism. But Frederick had the martyr-spirit and said he was ready to suffer for his catechism if necessary. So he went to Augsburg to the Diet. He defended his catechism, and asked that it be shown to be contrary to the Word of God. His address was so able, so convincing and so spiritual that it disarmed all opposition.

Introduction

The Elector of Saxony said: He is more pious than all of us. It was a magnificent defence and revealed the true greatness of Frederick. He continued to rule the Palatinate until October 26, , when he died. He was one of the most pious princes of an age that produced many pious princes. He was a true nobleman, a nobleman by character as well as by birth. After his death his successor and son, Elector Lewis, re-introduced Lutheranism into the Palatinate and both Ursinus and Olevianus had to leave Heidelberg.

Ursinus went with Prince Casimir westward to Neustadt, where the latter opened a new university Here Ursinus taught theology with great acceptance till he died, March 6, While Ursinus went to Neustadt, Olevianus went northeast from Heidelberg, first to Sayn Wittgenstein and then settled at Herborn in Nassau a district east of the Rhine and north of Frankford.

There Count John of Nassau founded a new university and made him professor of theology. He taught there till he died, March 15, The Reformed doctrine, like the banyan tree, sending forth its shoots, which rapidly grow into new trees, spread rapidly through Germany from province to province. The Reformed faith was introduced into Nassau in , about into the northern Rhine region, into Bremen in , into Zweibrucken , into Anhalt , and Lippe Two large and influential provinces received it early in the seventeenth century.

The first was Hesse Cassel. There Landgrave Maurice, the ruler, weary of the attacks of the High Lutherans on the Melanchthonians, with whom he sympathized, ordered in that bread be used instead of wafers at the communion. This change was usually the first sign that a church became Reformed. He not only introduced it into lower or Eastern Hesse, but attempted to introduce it into upper or Western Hesse, and for this purpose went to the capital of the latter province, Marburg.

After he left, on August 6, , the people, who were strong Lutherans, became alarmed by all sorts of rumors about this and broke out into an open riot.


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They forced the Reformed ministers from the pulpit, drove them into a corner of the church, where they assaulted them. One of them, Schonfeld, thought they were going to kill him. Another Reformed minister, Cellarius, was pursued through the streets until he escaped to the country to a place of safety.

The Reformed faith was not, therefore, introduced into upper Hesse, although a few congregations were formed there, but lower Hesse became almost entirely Reformed. But the most important addition to the Reformed ranks was the Elector of Brandenburg. His conversion created a great sensation, especially as he was not followed in it by his people, who remained Lutheran.

Various catechetic models

His conversion was most important, for it gave to the Reformed two of the six Electors of Germany who elected the Emperor. And when the Elector of the Palatinate afterward lost his throne, or was no longer Reformed, it was this Brandenburg family of princes, who were always prominent as the great protectors of the Reformed. Many a time did they defend or intercede for their persecuted Reformed brethren. This Brandenburg family afterwards became the Kings of Prussia, who are now the royal family of Germany, and from them the present Emperor of Germany is a direct descendant.

Thus the Reformed faith spread from Switzerland northward along the Rhine and to Bremen; and then eastward through Hesse and Anhalt to Berlin, so that perhaps one-fourth of Germany may be said to have become Reformed. But although the Reformed faith had gained so much influence, it was not yet recognized by the laws of Germany. The treaty of Augsburg had made the only legal Protestant creed to be the Augsburg Confession of the Lutherans. As the Reformed had not existed then as a distinct denomination in Germany, and the Heidelberg Catechism was not published till later than , of course they were not mentioned by that treaty.

So during their first century the Reformed existed only by sufferance in Germany, though not by law. This caused a war, for Archduke Ferdinand of Austria, who had just been elected Emperor of Germany, also claimed the throne of Bohemia. He was compelled to flee and became an exile from his home till his death, Nov.

The Edict of Milan in made Christian religion official. The meaning of sacraments changed and they became sacred rituals allowing people to obtain salvation and become part of society. Religious education belonged to a branch of scholastic theology, which meant that the biblical and historical approach of the Fathers was replaced by a scholastic method founded on an abstract, logical approach in which truth-based beliefs overrule the preaching of the Good News and the conversion of hearts.

In , Luther wrote 2 catechisms and had them published: Thanks to their structure questions and answers and their contents they became the template for a number of other catechisms in the 16 th century beyond the boundaries of Protestantism. The latter was written in by a team of theologians gathered by Frederic III, prince-elector of Palatinat, who had joined the Reformation.

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The nature of these catechisms, sometimes doctrinal, was balanced by the existential message of a personal God who could be trusted. Nevertheless, these texts were difficult and often had to be learnt by-heart to be remembered. Indeed they contained nothing practical to help guide catechumens in their everyday life.

Nevertheless, the texts left their mark on the Protestant mind-set. The revival movement at the end of the 18 th and beginning of the 19 th centuries was aimed at making the whole world read the Bible. It was then that the first Sunday schools appeared, along with the first Bible Societies and Missionary Societies.

The first Sunday school was created in Great Britain in In groups of 6 to 8 the children were taught to read, particularly the Bible.