Wednesday, October 14, 2026

It is the 14th of October 2026. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

 

Would you believe it- the host of the Christian History Almanac- and the sometimes guest host (who lives on the East Coast) were both at SoFi Stadium on Monday night. Unfortunately, Sam was wearing a Bills jersey, had better seats, and a dumb blocked field goal left my family very sad. But mustering the will to move on… let me tell you the story of a forgotten Swiss reformer whose name was a joke about his receding hairline.

 

He was Oswald Myconius. But not really. He was Oswald Geisshuesler, but as you might know, the 16th-century Reformers loved to give themselves made-up last names. Let’s stop on this for a second.

 

Why? It was more of a Humanist tradition than a Reformation tradition- but many Reformers were also humanists. Humanism, the study of the “humane arts,” was part of the “rediscovery” of the ancient world that fuels the Renaissance. Humanists, going back to the original texts, were often also Reformers. Humanists, with their love of all things ancient and Latin, had a tendency to Latinize their last names or invent Latin names based on homonyms, puns, and inside jokes.

 

There are two such men who took the name “Myconius”- Latin for an inhabitant of the Greek island of Mykonos. Friedrich Myconius, a Lutheran reformer, was originally called “Mekum”; “Myconius” was a kind of sound-alike and could connote humility, as people from the island were considered historically insignificant. But today we remember Oswald- an often overlooked Reformer who was born in Lucerne in 1488; he studied in Basel and taught there between the years of 1510-1514. He was part of a circle of humanists there that included the painter Hans Holbein and Erasmus. Erasmus, a lover of puns, called Oswald “Myconius” on account of his receding hairline. A classical reference to all the men on that island being bald. The connection to Erasmus was more than just a joke about his head- Oswald's earliest works were a historical description of Switzerland and a now-lost antiwar dialogue. By 1516- a year before the Reformation kicks off he was given a job teaching at the Latin school associated with the Grossmunster in Zurich.

 

Yes- the church where soon Zwingli will be called to and will kick off the Swiss Reformation. And we have reason to believe that it was Myconius who had befriended Zwingli as a fellow humanist and helped get him the call to the important Swiss church.

 

In the 1520s he was teaching at the Fraumünster school in Zurich- his credentials are another story that bears examination. He never received an advanced degree and was never ordained. Nevertheless, from his teaching posts and with his work with Zwingli, he became known as an able bible teacher. He was also in conversations with the Swiss Brethren- the likes of Conrad Grebel and Balthasar Hubmaier. Myconius would compose the Basel Confession of Faith- a simple twelve-point confession of Faith that nonetheless took one of those points to condemn the so-called “Anabaptists”.

 

With the death of Zwingli and Oecolampadius (he’s the winner for best made-up Humanist name), there was a dearth of leaders in the Swiss church.

 

I should note that Myconius would write a life of Zwingli shortly after his death that helped solidify Zwingli’s role in the Reformation and help the legend of his death on the battlefield grow. Myconius tells the story of Zwingli’s body torn apart by his killers, but later his heart was found whole. I guess that’s a good omen- save the part about his body being torn apart.

 

 

Despite his lack of credentials, Myconius was called to Basel, where he served as the Antistes- a kind of Bishop for people who don’t like to call people “Bishop”. Despite his antipathy for the Anabaptists, he was criticized by the Swiss for his attempts to unify the Lutherans and the Reformed over their doctrine of the Lord’s Supper. As we know, there was historically very little wiggle room for partisans on this issue. If anything, it left Oswald with fewer allies. Nevertheless, he would hold his position in Basel for over two decades- teaching and preaching until his death on this, the 14th of October in 1552. The humanist whose name was a pun on his bad head- the Swiss Reformer Oswald Myconius was 64 years old.

 

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and John 6:

30 So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’

32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”

35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

 

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 14th of October 2026 brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man whose last name could be Servus Episcopi- a Latinized version of “Bishop's Servant”- the meaning of Gillespie - he is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man whose last name is already complicated enough- 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.