Friday, January 16, 2026

It is the 16th of January 2026. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

 

One of my favorite aspects of doing history is finding the pieces parts that fit together just so; a chance encounter or timely information that sets off a historical event.

And, here at 1517, we often tell stories that center on the Protestant Reformation- that rediscovery of the Gospel and its proclamation from the 16th century.  

And, here on the Almanac, we have told stories of the Reformation- its characters and ideas. Today, I have a character to introduce to you- one of the “behind the scenes” characters of the Reformation, without whom it is unlikely things would have played out the way they did.

He was George Burkhardt- although no one called him that. He would be known as George Spalatin- born in 1484 in Spalt in Bavaria- a student and a humanist, he changed his name after his birthplace. Fascinated with the new learning, he would attend the University of Erfurt in 1501. He would have been a classmate of Martin Luther, although we don’t know the extent to which they knew each other at this point. George went on to become a teacher and a priest, and by 1509 had caught the attention of Frederick the Wise of Saxony.  

Frederick made George the tutor to his nephews and then called him to his new university town, Wittenberg, where George would become the librarian at the Castle library and serve as Frederick’s most trusted advisor.

You know the story: Luther starts making a fuss, and Wittenberg becomes the center of attention in 1517. Frederick, Luther’s benefactor, was no fan of Luther’s theology- he would be sympathetic to the Reformers but theologically remained Catholic.

The Pope and the Emperor were threatening Luther and, by extension, his university and its supporters. Frederick, a man once considered to be Emperor, was no pushover, but the backlash was stiff.

Enter Spalatin. George Spalatin was only half as theologically concerned as Luther and probably about the same concerned politically as Frederick. This gave him an ideal position to weigh the options moving forward. He knew that the easiest chain of events would be the execution of Luther. It was Spalatin who convinced Frederick not to let Luther leave the German lands. And then, when Luther was called to Worms, it was Spalatin who devised the plan for the Elector Frederick to “kidnap” Luther and keep him safe at the Wartburg castle.

It was an advisor to the Pope, Wolfgang Agricola, who claimed that “if there had been no Spalatin, Luther and his heresy would never have gained so much”. Spalatin was a constant advisor to Luther, and while he did not keep his correspondence with Luther, we do have Luther’s collection of over 400 letters between the two men discussing everything from theology to practical life issues.

In the treatments of Spalatin, you are likely to read about his friendship with Luther, his effects on Frederick the Wise, and his impact on the Reformation, his later career as a pastor in Altenberg, and also a reference to “profound melancholy”. Spalatin, like Luther, seems to have been prone to depression, and while we only have one side of the correspondence, a letter from Luther to Spalatin has long been one of my favorite occasional writings- I will link to it in the unofficial transcript- https://www.doxology.us/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Luther-to-Doctor-George-Spalatin-on-Melancholy.pdf

From 1544, Luther writes his despondent and suicidal friend:

“In this way, my dear Spalatin, listen and believe everything which Christ is saying to you through me, for I am not mistaken (of this I am certain) and I am not speaking Satan’s lies. Rather, Christ is speaking through me and is commanding you to trust this brother of yours, with whom you share the one faith. He himself absolves you from this sin of yours, and all sins. In this way, let me be a partaker of your sins so that I may help you carry them. Likewise, make sure you are a partaker along with us in our consolation, which is sure and true, which the Lord himself has commanded, so that we may give orders even to you, in order that you will accept them. For while we hate to see you being tortured by depression, Christ hates it even more.”

Spalatin didn’t live much longer- the letter came in August of 44, and Spalatin died the next January- a day before his birthday on the 17th- on this, the 16th of January in 1545- born in 1484, George Spalatin- a crucial cog and advisor in the early Reformation- was 61 years old.

 

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and the beginning of Psalm 40:

I waited patiently for the Lord;
    he turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

    out of the mud and mire;


he set my feet on a rock

    and gave me a firm place to stand.

He put a new song in my mouth,

    a hymn of praise to our God.


Many will see and fear the Lord

    and put their trust in him.

Blessed is the one

    who trusts in the Lord,


who does not look to the proud,

    to those who turn aside to false gods.

Many, Lord my God,

    are the wonders you have done,

    the things you planned for us.


None can compare with you;

    were I to speak and tell of your deeds,

    they would be too many to declare.

  

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 16th of January 2026 brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by Christopher West Lafayettensis.

The show is written and read by Dan van san Bernardino.

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.