Protestant Beginnings

Audio • Season 1 • Episode 1  • Protestant Beginnings 

The Artwork is a Painted portrait of Martin Luther, 1528

Artist: Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472–1553). Painting Location: The Coburg Fortress, a medieval fortress, situated above the town of Coburg, in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany.

The Music is Kyrie,  from the Gregorian Plainsong Mass, Missa Orbis Factor.

This episode examines the origins of a Protestant movement that significantly altered fundamental Christian beliefs.

The term "Protestant" originated from the Protestation at Speyer in 1529, where nobles opposed the decrees from the Diet of Worms that threatened the forfeiture of property for supporters of Lutheranism.

Martin Luther, a German priest, theologian, religious reformer, author, and Augustinian friar, was born on November 10, 1483, in Saxony. He was a key figure in the 16th-century Protestant Reformation and is often regarded as the pivotal leader of the movement whose followers became known as Lutherans.

Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam was one of the leading activists and thinkers of the European Renaissance. A man of remarkable intellect, he played a significant role in defining the humanist movement in Northern Europe.

At this point, it is also important to understand the concept of predestination. The Puritans believed that at the time of the world's creation, God had already predetermined who would be saved or condemned.

Lastly, it is essential to mention William Tyndale, who is widely regarded as the greatest English biblical scholar.