§ 127. Organization of the Evangelical Provincial Churches,A.D.1526-1529.The nobles had now not only the right but also had it enjoined on them as a duty to establish church arrangements in their territories as they thought best. The three following years therefore marked the period of the founding and organizing of the evangelical provincial churches. The electorate of Saxony came first with a good example. After this pattern the churches of Hesse, Franconia, Lüneburg, East Friesland, Schleswig and Holstein, Silesia, Prussia, and a whole group of Low German states modelled their constitution and worship.
The nobles had now not only the right but also had it enjoined on them as a duty to establish church arrangements in their territories as they thought best. The three following years therefore marked the period of the founding and organizing of the evangelical provincial churches. The electorate of Saxony came first with a good example. After this pattern the churches of Hesse, Franconia, Lüneburg, East Friesland, Schleswig and Holstein, Silesia, Prussia, and a whole group of Low German states modelled their constitution and worship.
§ 127.1.The Organization of the Church of the Saxon Electorate,A.D.1527-1529.—Luther wrote inA.D.1528 an instruction to visitors of pastors in the electorate, which showed what and how ministers were to preach, indicated the reforms to be made in worship, protested against abuse of the doctrine of justification by urging the necessity of preaching the law, etc. The whole territory was divided under four commissions, comprising lay and clerical members. Ignorant and incompetent religious teachers were to be removed, but to be provided for. Teachers were to be settled over churches and schools, and superintendents over them were to inspect their work periodically, and to these last the performance of marriages was assigned. Vacant benefices were to be applied to the improvement of churches and schools; and those not vacant were to be taxed for maintenance of hospitals, support of the poor, founding of new schools, etc. The dangers occasioned by the often incredible ignorance of the people and their teachers led to Luther’s composing his two catechisms inA.D.1529.§ 127.2.The Organization of the Hessian Churches,A.D.1526-1528.—Philip of Hesse had assembled the peers temporal and spiritual of his dominions in Oct.,A.D.1526, at Homberg, to discuss the question of church reform. A reactionary attempt failed through the fervid eloquence of the Franciscan Lambert of Avignon, a notable man, who, awakened in his cloister at Avignon by Luther’s writings, but not thoroughly satisfied, set out for Wittenberg, engaged on the way at Zürich in public disputation against Zwingli’s reforms, but left converted by his opponent, and then passed through Luther’s school at Wittenberg. There he married inA.D.1523, and after a long unofficial and laborious stay at Strassburg, found at last, inA.D.1526, a permanent residence in Hesse. He died inA.D.1530.—Lambert’s personality dominated the Homberg synod. He sketched an organization of the church according to his ideal as a communion of saints with a democratic basis, and a strict discipline administered by the community itself. But the impracticability of the scheme soon became evident, and inA.D.1528 the Hessian church adopted the principles of the Saxon church visitation. Out of vacant church revenues the University of Marburg was founded inA.D.1527 as a second training school in reformed theology. Lambert was one of its first teachers.§ 127.3.Organization of other German Provincial Churches,A.D.1528-1530.—George ofFranconian-Brandenburg, after his brother Casimir’s death, organized his church at the assembly of Anspach after the Saxon model.Nuremberg, under the guidance of its able secretary of council, Lazarus Spengler, united in carrying out a joint organization. InBrunswick-Lüneburg, Duke Ernest, powerfully impressed by the preaching of Rhegius at Augsburg, introduced the evangelical church organization into his dominions. InEast Friesland, where the reigning prince did not interest himself in the matter, the development of the church was attended to by the young nobleman Ulrich of Dornum. InSchleswigandHolsteinthe prelates offered no opposition to reorganization, and the civil authorities carried out the work. InSilesiathe princes were favourable, Breslau had been long on the side of the Reformation, and even the grand-duke who, as king of Bohemia, was suzerain of Silesia, felt obliged to allow Silesian nobles the privileges provided by the Diet of Spires. InPrussia(§126, 4), Albert of Brandenburg, hereditary duke of these parts, with the hearty assistance of his two bishops, provided for his subjects an evangelical constitution.§ 127.4.The Reformation in the Cities of Northern Germany,A.D.1524-1531.—In these cities the Reformation spread rapidly after their emancipation from episcopal control. It was organized inMagdeburgas early asA.D.1524 by Nic. Amsdorf, sent for the purpose by Luther (§126, 5). InBrunswickthe church was organized inA.D.1528 by Bugenhagen of Wittenberg. InBremeninA.D.1525 all churches except the cathedral were in the hands of the Lutherans; inA.D.1527 the cloisters were turned into schools and hospitals, and then the cathedral was taken from the Catholics. AtLübeck, nobles, councillors, and clergy had oppressed and driven away the evangelical pastors; but the councillors in their financial straits became indebted to sixty-four citizens, who stipulated that the pastors must be restored, the Catholics expelled, the cloisters turned into hospitals and schools, and finally Bugenhagen was called in to prepare for their church a Lutheran constitution.
§ 127.1.The Organization of the Church of the Saxon Electorate,A.D.1527-1529.—Luther wrote inA.D.1528 an instruction to visitors of pastors in the electorate, which showed what and how ministers were to preach, indicated the reforms to be made in worship, protested against abuse of the doctrine of justification by urging the necessity of preaching the law, etc. The whole territory was divided under four commissions, comprising lay and clerical members. Ignorant and incompetent religious teachers were to be removed, but to be provided for. Teachers were to be settled over churches and schools, and superintendents over them were to inspect their work periodically, and to these last the performance of marriages was assigned. Vacant benefices were to be applied to the improvement of churches and schools; and those not vacant were to be taxed for maintenance of hospitals, support of the poor, founding of new schools, etc. The dangers occasioned by the often incredible ignorance of the people and their teachers led to Luther’s composing his two catechisms inA.D.1529.
§ 127.2.The Organization of the Hessian Churches,A.D.1526-1528.—Philip of Hesse had assembled the peers temporal and spiritual of his dominions in Oct.,A.D.1526, at Homberg, to discuss the question of church reform. A reactionary attempt failed through the fervid eloquence of the Franciscan Lambert of Avignon, a notable man, who, awakened in his cloister at Avignon by Luther’s writings, but not thoroughly satisfied, set out for Wittenberg, engaged on the way at Zürich in public disputation against Zwingli’s reforms, but left converted by his opponent, and then passed through Luther’s school at Wittenberg. There he married inA.D.1523, and after a long unofficial and laborious stay at Strassburg, found at last, inA.D.1526, a permanent residence in Hesse. He died inA.D.1530.—Lambert’s personality dominated the Homberg synod. He sketched an organization of the church according to his ideal as a communion of saints with a democratic basis, and a strict discipline administered by the community itself. But the impracticability of the scheme soon became evident, and inA.D.1528 the Hessian church adopted the principles of the Saxon church visitation. Out of vacant church revenues the University of Marburg was founded inA.D.1527 as a second training school in reformed theology. Lambert was one of its first teachers.
§ 127.3.Organization of other German Provincial Churches,A.D.1528-1530.—George ofFranconian-Brandenburg, after his brother Casimir’s death, organized his church at the assembly of Anspach after the Saxon model.Nuremberg, under the guidance of its able secretary of council, Lazarus Spengler, united in carrying out a joint organization. InBrunswick-Lüneburg, Duke Ernest, powerfully impressed by the preaching of Rhegius at Augsburg, introduced the evangelical church organization into his dominions. InEast Friesland, where the reigning prince did not interest himself in the matter, the development of the church was attended to by the young nobleman Ulrich of Dornum. InSchleswigandHolsteinthe prelates offered no opposition to reorganization, and the civil authorities carried out the work. InSilesiathe princes were favourable, Breslau had been long on the side of the Reformation, and even the grand-duke who, as king of Bohemia, was suzerain of Silesia, felt obliged to allow Silesian nobles the privileges provided by the Diet of Spires. InPrussia(§126, 4), Albert of Brandenburg, hereditary duke of these parts, with the hearty assistance of his two bishops, provided for his subjects an evangelical constitution.
§ 127.4.The Reformation in the Cities of Northern Germany,A.D.1524-1531.—In these cities the Reformation spread rapidly after their emancipation from episcopal control. It was organized inMagdeburgas early asA.D.1524 by Nic. Amsdorf, sent for the purpose by Luther (§126, 5). InBrunswickthe church was organized inA.D.1528 by Bugenhagen of Wittenberg. InBremeninA.D.1525 all churches except the cathedral were in the hands of the Lutherans; inA.D.1527 the cloisters were turned into schools and hospitals, and then the cathedral was taken from the Catholics. AtLübeck, nobles, councillors, and clergy had oppressed and driven away the evangelical pastors; but the councillors in their financial straits became indebted to sixty-four citizens, who stipulated that the pastors must be restored, the Catholics expelled, the cloisters turned into hospitals and schools, and finally Bugenhagen was called in to prepare for their church a Lutheran constitution.