Thursday, October 1, 2026

It is the 1st of October 2026. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

 

Today’s story surrounds two diets and one colloquy. We should probably define those things.

A Diet—well, “auf Deutsch” pronounced De-Et. Not like Weight Watchers. And in German they would call it a “Reichstag”. Nevertheless, the “Diet of Worms” has come down to us in Church History- it’s the meeting with Martin Luther and Charles V in 1521- “Here I stand” and all that.

But there were two more important “Diets” in the 1520s that help fill out the story- both in Speyer (southern Germany), one in 1526 and one in 1529.

The first Diet of Speyer in 1526 was in response to that Diet in 1521 where Luther is condemned as an outlaw (remember, the Pope calls him a heretic, the Emperor calls him an outlaw- both damning). But in 5 years not much had come down from the Emperor as to how these mushrooming bands of Reformers should be handled.

And then, prior to the first Diet, the Ottoman Turks handed the West a defeat at the Battle of Mohacs. The emperor was battling with the Pope, and when the Diet couldn’t reach a settlement, a window was opened for other reform movements to grow and spread. And so, the SECOND Diet of Speyer- this is 1529 and was called by the Emperor. This time, the Emperor and the church took steps against the new movements. Anabaptists were explicitly condemned (those caught were subject to the death penalty), and the Zwinglians and other variations of Reform were explicitly condemned.

These events from the Second Diet of Speyer would have lasting ramifications. First, the Princes in the evangelical minority did not like the teachings of this second Diet and officially protested them with a written “Protestation” for which they would be called “protestants”. But there was a unity problem amongst these “Protestants”- first, the Anabaptists were thrown under the bus. It was clear in the 1520s that the baptism question was a bridge too far for many of the early Reformers. Secondly, the question of unity between Reforming groups had to be addressed. Was the Reformation a movement with one head and many parts, or was it less a homogenized group with various heads and a loose affiliation?

The answer to this question would mark the next half millennium of the church in the West. And it would come down to, not a “Diet” (that’s political) but instead a “Colloquy” (that’s theological). It was on this, the 1st of October in 1529, that the Colloquy at Marburg convened at Marburg Castle at the behest of Phillip of Hesse. It was a who’s who of Reformers- Luther and Melanchthon, Bucer, Brenz, Osiander, Oecolampadius, and Zwingli.

The first article affirmed the Nicene Creed and noted that it should be read (and sung) in church. The 2nd through 7th articles affirm the person of Christ and justification by faith alone. The 8th article connects the gift of the Holy Spirit to the reading and hearing of the external word; the 9th affirms baptism. The tenth extolls Good works, not for salvation but as the result of our salvation. The eleventh retains confession and absolution as elective, not mandatory. The twelfth and thirteenth attempt to put proper civil authority in its place (these are pro-law and order Reformers), and the 14th even affirms infant baptism. All were in agreement until the final and fifteenth.

The famous Luther/Zwingli dust-up- the “here’s where we part ways” part of the story over the doctrines surrounding the Lord’s Supper. The text notes that there is agreement that both bread and wine should be used, that Christ is enjoyed “spiritually,” but ultimately, the document noted, “although we have not been able to agree at this time, whether the true body and blood of Christ are corporally present in the bread and wine [of communion], each party should display towards the other Christian love, as far as each respective conscience allows, and both should persistently ask God the Almighty for guidance so that through his Spirit he might bring us to a proper understanding.”

Andreas Osiander, present and a friend of Luther, would tell a dramatic version of Luther’s heroics, just as we have a letter from Zwingli about the event that assures us that he himself came out the hero. Unfortunately, the Reform movement would never coalesce, save for loose affiliations and, later, “United” movements. What could have been… we remember that important Colloquy after the Two Diets- the Colloquy convened on this day in 1529.

 

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and Colossians 2:

16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. 18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. 19 They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.

 

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 1st of October 2026 brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a new moon officianado… he’d have us all on a lunar calendar! He is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who doesn’t need Paul to tell you that the worshipping of Angels disqualifies you… at least as a fan of October Baseball. I’m 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.