Reformation Unit Study

I wish we had the time and resources to travel all over Europe to study the Protestant Reformation.

We’ve traveled to Prague to view the statue of Jan Huß.

Jan Huß was a Czech priest, philosopher, early Christian reformer and Master at Charles University in Prague. After John Wycliffe, the theorist of ecclesiastical Reformation, Hus is considered the first Church reformer, as he lived before Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli.

Hus was a key predecessor to Protestantism, and his teachings had a strong influence on the states of Western Europe, most immediately in the approval of a reformist Bohemian religious denomination, and, more than a century later, on Martin Luther himself. He was burned at the stake for heresy against the doctrines of the Catholic Church, including those on ecclesiology, the Eucharist, and other theological topics.

After Huß was executed in 1415, the followers of his religious teachings (known as Hußites) rebelled against their Roman Catholic rulers and defeated five consecutive papal crusades between 1420 and 1431, in what became known as the Hußite Wars. A century later, as many as 90% of inhabitants of the Czech lands were Hußites.

This was almost 100 years before Martin Luther nailed his 95 These to the church door.

We really love the humongous statue to Martin Luther and other Protestant Reformers in Worms, Germany.

Most of us are familiar with Martin Luther and his 95 Theses.

Luther focused on the doctrine of justification by faith alone.

Martin Luther’s story is fascinating, involving legal tangles with the Catholic church and government authorities, excommunication, kidnapping, hiding away in a castle where he translated the Bible, then he married an ex-nun. They had six children. He wrote and taught and composed hymns until his death.

It is legend that Luther said the words: “Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen.”

What Luther really said:
“Unless I am convinced by Scripture and plain reason – I do not accept the authority of the popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other – my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen.”

The monument is quite massive.

Luther stands in the center and the four seated on the base are Girolamo Savonarola, Peter Waldo, John Wycliffe, and Jan Hus.

The two men standing on either side in front are Frederick III, Elector of Saxony and Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse.

The two standing in the back are Johannes Reuchlin and Philipp Melanchthon.

Three seated women on the sides and back center represent the first German cities to adopt Protestantism: Augsburg, Speyer, and Magdeburg.

This map of the monument shows more info and where everyone is.

Where I’d like to go:

The city of Wittenberg, Germany, has a 500-year anniversary celebration of the 95 Theses!

There’s a John Calvin Museum in Geneva, Switzerland. But Switzerland is sooo expensive to eat and stay.

We’ve been reading lots.

I love these series: Christian Biographies for Young Readers by Simonetta Carr and Historical Biblical Fiction by Louise A. Vernon.

Resources:

• Reformation Day activity list from Blessed Beyond a Doubt
• Reformation notebooking from Proverbial Homemaker
• Homeschool Helper Online Martin Luther Notebooking Pages
• Reformation Unit Study and Lapbook from I Choose Joy
• Homeschool Giveaways activity list
• Homeschool Share Reformation Unit and Notebooking Pages
• Reformation Day Party Ideas from Intoxicated on Life
• Resource List from Curriculum Choice
• Reformation Coloring Book
• Women of the Reformation series
• Fun activities from Reformation Lady
• The Queen’s Smuggler by Dave and Neta Jackson
• Martin Luther: Reformation Fire by Catherine MacKenzie
• John Knox: The Sharpened Sword by Catherine MacKenzie
• Ink On His Fingers by Louise A. Vernon
• The Beggar’s Bible by Louise A. Vernon
• The Man Who Laid the Egg by Louise A. Vernon
• The Bible Smuggler by Louise A. Vernon
• William Tyndale: The Smuggler’s Flame by Lori Rich
• Morning Star of the Reformation by Andy Thomson
• The River of Grace: The Story of John Calvin by Joyce McPherson
• When Lightning Struck!: The Story of Martin Luther by Danika Cooley
• Martin Luther: A Man Who Changed the World by Paul Maier
• Courage and Conviction: Chronicles of the Reformation Church by Mindy and Brian Withrow
• Reformation Sketches: Insights into Luther, Calvin, and the Confessions by W. Robert Godfrey
• Famous Men Of The Renaissance & Reformation by Robert G. Shearer
• Following the Reformation Trail in Germany and Switzerland – Part 1
• Torchlighters: William Tyndale
• Torchlighters: The Martin Luther Story
• Luther
• Zwingli and Calvin
• Martin Luther: A Journey to the Heart of the Reformation
• Truth Prevails: The Undying Faith Of Jan Hus

The Reformation is a fascinating time in history and helped to usher in the Renaissance!