Wednesday, November 9, 2022

*** This is a rough transcript of today’s show ***

It is the 9th of November 2022. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

November 9th is an important day in German history- working backward, it was the day the Berlin Wall fell, but also Kristallnacht (a day of infamy for Jewish Germans), the day of the failed Beer Hall Putsch of Hitler, and the day the emperor was dethroned in 1918.

But it was on the 9th of November 500 years ago that another momentous event took place- Martin Chemnitz was born- a theologian you may not have heard about, but about whom it is said (in German first)

Wäre der zweite Martin nicht gekommen, wäre der erste Martin nicht bestanden.

If the second Martin had not come, the first one would not have survived.

That is like Mendelssohn was necessary to resurrect and popularize Bach. It was Martin Chemnitz who so systematized the thought of Luther and the Lutheran Reformation that the Lutheran church would not exist as it does without him. This is quite a statement- especially considering his curious life- so let’s give this “second” Martin a look.

He was born on this day in 1522- named after St. Martin of Tours, whose birthday two days later is also the basis for that “First” Martin being called so. His father died when he was young, and his family suffered financial troubles. He would work as an apprentice weaver, but he was terrible at it by his own account. It is of note that he wrote an autobiography which gives us helpful insights, such as he gained a stutter after a fall as a child and was picked on by other kids- this would lead him to be something of a loner- often found reading alone by himself. At 14, he was sent to a public school in Wittenberg; he would hear Melanchthon's lecture as Melanchthon’s son-in-law was related to the Chemnitz family. He heard Martin Luther preach here, but war shut the town down, and Chemnitz left for Königsberg. He took his master's degree there and then was made a librarian for Albert of Prussia, who owned one of the largest libraries in Europe. For three years, he taught himself- languages, mathematics, and some theology but mainly astrology (which was then a kind of astronomy/astrology hybrid)

In 1553 he went back to Wittenberg and showed Melanchthon some of his greek translations- this would lead Melanchthon to ask Chemnitz to teach through Melanchthon’s Theological Commonplaces- a work he did not enjoy on account of Philip’s scholastic method. Later Martin would write his Theological Commonplaces in a decidedly different manner- preferring the use of Bible verses over syllogism.

In 1554 he was ordained by Johannes Bugenhagen- the preacher of Wittenberg, and then made a church superintendent in Brunswick-Wolfenbuettel.

His career as a theologian of note began in 1562 when local Jesuits attacked him and responded with his “Examination of the Council of Trent,” a landmark Lutheran criticism of the Roman Catholic Council. From here on, he would be involved in many disputes after Luther’s death. He wrote “On the Two Natures of Christ,” which is perhaps the most critical work of Lutheran Christology which lays the foundation for, among other things, the Lutheran doctrine of the Lord’s Supper. He would be the chief theologian behind the Formula of Concord, the Confessional document that set the Lutheran church on its way into its later generations. The celebrated JT Mueller wrote, “Luther's work was a work of creation; the work of the second Martin was a work of preservation.” JAO Preuss remarked on his character: "In temperament, he was gentle and calm, in nature cheerful and kind, in appearance serious and orderly. Arrogance and ambition were most foreign to him... Therefore, Chemnitz's distinguished virtue of humility of spirit was, and always remained, great among the gifts."

Martin Chemnitz died in 1586; born on this day (at 12:47 by his own account), he was 63 years old.

The Last Word for today comes from the lectionary for today from John 5:

24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. 25 Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 9th of November 2022, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man for whom November 9th means one thing and one thing only- the birthday of television’s Incredible Hulk: Lou Ferrigno. He is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who celebrates the 9th of November as national chicken sandwich day- I’m off to Popeye’s. And 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.