Happy Reformation Day!
Over 500 years ago, Martin Bucer gathered fellow theologians to approve Prince Philip of Hesse’s second marriage. Though courageous in opposing Rome, these reformers faltered when confronting polygyny—pressure to conform to human tradition was even stronger than today’s secular resistance. Fortunately, we now live in liberal societies where Catholicism’s monopoly on access to God has been dismantled.
I’m finishing The Attitude of Martin Bucer Toward the Bigamy of Philip of Hesse by Hastings Eells (1924), which reveals the dramatic struggle around this issue.
Also, I am attaching Martin Bucer's work which is 66-page defense of polygyny—it may be the first English translation from German. I asked one of our brothers in the group to scan the book and produce the attached translation.
This gripping history, involving contemporaries of Martin Luther and Philipp Melanchthon, deserves retelling by skilled storytellers or even a film adaptation. I’ll summarize it and mention other works from that era soon.
May we honor their partial courage by being fully courageous today—challenging unjust traditions and defending religious liberty for all.
Over 500 years ago, Martin Bucer gathered fellow theologians to approve Prince Philip of Hesse’s second marriage. Though courageous in opposing Rome, these reformers faltered when confronting polygyny—pressure to conform to human tradition was even stronger than today’s secular resistance. Fortunately, we now live in liberal societies where Catholicism’s monopoly on access to God has been dismantled.
I’m finishing The Attitude of Martin Bucer Toward the Bigamy of Philip of Hesse by Hastings Eells (1924), which reveals the dramatic struggle around this issue.
Also, I am attaching Martin Bucer's work which is 66-page defense of polygyny—it may be the first English translation from German. I asked one of our brothers in the group to scan the book and produce the attached translation.
This gripping history, involving contemporaries of Martin Luther and Philipp Melanchthon, deserves retelling by skilled storytellers or even a film adaptation. I’ll summarize it and mention other works from that era soon.
May we honor their partial courage by being fully courageous today—challenging unjust traditions and defending religious liberty for all.
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