(by Lorie Codispoti)
The Protestant Reformation officially began on October 31, 1517, with Martin Luther’s 95 Thesis - though I know the waters began stirring before then with men like John Wycliffe & John Huss.
Most Christ-followers are familiar with the Reformation.
This historical event - whose main tenants had to do with the Bible being the sole authority for the faith of believers, and that salvation is by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ - quite literally changed the world.
But, what of the courageous & bold women of the Protestant Reformation? Each of these unsung heroes of this movement have their own riveting stories to tell.
These women were formidable advocates of truth, armed with Bibles written in their own language. And, when I say “armed” that is exactly what I mean. They, along with many of the men, went after false ideology and doctrine with great tenacity. A formidable force against the powers of darkness, they were not only wives and mothers, (As if that wasn’t a grand enough task.) but they were also well-educated, theology devouring authors, apologists, ex-nuns and nobles. They took in refugees, organized studies, and taught others how to read & interpret the Bible. Their revolutionary influence added greatly to the spread of the Gospel message.
Some of these stalwarts include:
Katharina von Bora
She was among the nine nuns who escaped her convent and later married the ex-monk, Martin Luther. They both endured public criticism for marrying, and it was difficult for two people raised in monastic houses to learn to live together. However, their strong personalities united and became quite a force to be reckoned with.
Katharina not only rose to the challenge of dealing with her husband’s health issues, but she excelled in managing their household of “six children; Luther’s seven nieces and nephews who the couple adopted; the four orphaned children of a friend who they had also adopted; Katharina’s ex-nun aunt; tutors and students from the University; and numerous religious refugees from all walks of life.” (It’s a good thing they had a 40 room house.)
After Martin died, though poor, she was able to sustained her family through her farm and by renting rooms. She suffered a terrible accident while fleeing with her family from the plague. After three months of debilitating agony she died. Her last words were, ““I will stick to Christ as a burr to a topcoat.”
Wibrandis Rosenblatt
Married and sadly widowed to four reformers. She lived through plagues & witnessed more than half of her 11 children die. She took in refugees & was even exiled at one point herself. Her life was filled with intense hardship & great tragedy, but she never lost sight of her mission and zeal for Christ.
Olympia Fulvia Morata
She was considered a child prodigy, whose professor father made sure she was fully educated in the areas of literature, history, philosophy, theology and languages. She was fluent in Greek and Latin by the age of 12, and became a companion and tutor to the daughter of an Italian duke and duchess. She also frequently lectured at court.
After her father’s death, she was unable to reclaim her position at court, as the duke no longer allowed his subjects to read and discuss Scripture. Her writings were banned in Italy. Olympia married a German doctor and they both fled to Germany. During their exile, her faith grew deeper and she began writing poetry in Greek and Latin. She even translated the Psalms into Greek, and her husband put it to music so they could sing them with other believers.
When their city became a war zone, starvation and disease became prevalent. Most of Olympia’s writings were lost when the city was burned.
She was only 29 when she died of Tuberculosis. One writer notes, “As she was languishing at the end of her life, she would say that God had measured out a certain course of life for her, brief, but full of work and woe, and she did not want to turn ‘from the finish line back to the starting gate.'”
Argula von Grumbach
(Bavarian noble woman and first published Protestant female writer.)
Argula’s affluent family encouraged spirituality and education, and at the age of 10 she began to read the Bible that her father gave her. During a time when lay people were discouraged from engaging with Scripture, she participated in public theological debates. However, after her parents died she was forced to leave court and ended up marrying a man who did not agree with her reformed views and bore him four children (three of whom died before her).
She began writing in defense of Protestant views, including a theological defense of Martin Luther, using 80 verses to support her claims. She closed her defense with, “What I have written to you is no woman’s chit-chat, but the word of God. And I write as a member of the Christian church, against which the gates of hell cannot prevail.”
Argula’s writing became widely distributed and read. Her husband was abusive, and at one point he was encouraged to shut her up by strangling her or breaking her fingers so that she could not write.
“These women were scholars and theologians…They were writers of plays, poems and music. They corresponded with those who were sympathetic to the protestant cause, and with those who were completely opposed to the recovery of the true gospel. They were encouragers, expending their resources, hospitality and relationships to demonstrate the greatness of God through His Word.” (Master’s University)
When I read about the Protestant Reformation, I am not so much in awe of the reformers (though I admire them); rather, I am in awe of the God these brave men and women loved & served.
Reading about their lives encourages and challenges my faith in much the same way as do those I read about in Scripture. These were all ordinary people (in that they were sinners like us), who purposed to use what they were given to shine God’s light into a corrupt world of darkness. It was their extraordinary God that emboldened them to stand for truth and persevere through much persecution and hardship.
The clarion call of the Protestant Reformation was Semper Reformanda. It means “always reforming.”
That tells me that the work of fighting for sound doctrine and biblical truth is ongoing.
Today’s church is still in need of reforming and conforming to Truth, and our love for God’s word should compel us to - like these women - be tenacious.
Armed with the truth of God's word, may we “stick to Christ as a burr to a topcoat” (KVB), and “as a member of the Christian church, against which the gates of hell cannot prevail” (AVG), refuse to turn “from the finish line back to the starting gate.” (OFM)
