Friday, June 20, 2025

It is the 20th of June 2025. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis. 

Yesterday was the anniversary of the Council of Nicaea in 325- so for its 1700th anniversary, we did a “things you may not have known” about the famous council and the creed that came out of it.

You may or may not be familiar with the Diet of Augsburg and the Augsburg Confession that came out of it- but for Lutherans this is a key confession (so much so that when they altered it churches have since called themselves, as we learned about Gillespie’s church- Churches of the “Unaltered Augsburg Confession”.  

The Diet of Augsburg opened on this day in 1530- 1530 being a year, along with 1517 and 1580, that Lutherans tend to mark as significant for their own confessional positions. But what might not have caught our notice, if indeed you know about this momentous occasion?

Let’s do another five things you may not know about the Diet of Augsburg and its Confession.

#5 While religious issues were at the heart of the matter, the speed with which it all came together was remarkable on account of the growing threat of the Turks. This looms behind the entire Reformation- by 1529, the Turks had besieged Vienna, and a divided Holy Roman Empire didn’t stand a chance- they were looking for a theological document to help keep the political peace, or at least an alliance against the Turks should they continue westward.  

#4 Luther wasn’t there. He was still under the ban from all of that business in 1521- the “Here I Stand” stuff. And while he was threatened with death, in light of the approaching Turks, the Emperor (now the new Charles V) likely wouldn’t risk alienating the German people who saw Luther as a celebrity.  He was at the nearby Coburg castle working on his translation of the Bible into German. The man behind the confession was the irenic Philip Melanchthon, but some were concerned he was too willing to give up doctrines in order to keep the peace. Letters between he and Luther from around this time expose this rift.

#3 The Augsburg Confession was not the only confession to make its way to the Diet for discussion. IN fact, four other cities- also Imperial Cities like Augsburg (that is, they were free from a territorial lord- either religious or secular) wanted in on the action; these were led by the reformers Martin Bucer and Wolfgang Capito. The only place where the Lutherans and other Reformers disagreed was over the language of the presence of Christ in the Lord’s Supper. This would be the sticking point that came out of a colloquy the previous year with Zwingli and Luther and would forever be the barrier between uniting the churches of the Reformation.

#2 Between 1540 and 1542 Philip Melanchthon would try to draw the groups together by altering his Augsburg confession to make the language of how Christ is present in the Lord’s Supper more palatable to the other Reformers- this “variata” or “altered Augsburg confession” would be a legacy altering moment for Melanchthon.

And #1- there was a Catholic response written by Johannes Eck, Luther’s longtime Catholic interlocutor. The Emperor, Charles V, thought it was too inflammatory and asked for another draft. When it was received, the Lutherans asked for a copy but were told they would not receive one, and if they did, they had to promise not to print it or respond. Fair enough, so the Lutherans transcribed it on the spot as it was being read. Melanchthon, not yet besmirched, responded, and this response would be called “the apology to the Augsburg Confession,” another one of the crucial documents, along with the Confession and Luther’s Catechisms, that made up the first confessional documents of the movement. These tightly drawn confessions have long served to retain Lutheran identity amongst other Reformation groups. When I’m inevitably asked, “Why aren’t Lutherans more like the other Protestants?” we can trace the answer back to these documents and “confessional subscription” by some Lutherans. The primary confession- unaltered-  The Augsburg Confession would be the primary document to come out of the Diet of Augsburg, which began on this day in 1530. If you’re interested in the theology of the Augsburg Confession, the 1517 academy has a class on it- it’s free, check it out.

The Last word for today comes from Galatians 3:

18 For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.

19 Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator. 20 A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one.

21 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22 But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 20th of June 2025, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by the unaltered Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by  Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.