Together with guest lecturer Prof. Jennifer Wasmuth from the University of Göttingen, the group explored the significance of the patristic heritage for the Reformation. Prof. Wasmuth presented her research on the reception of the Nicene Creed in the German Reformation.
While the Apostolic Creed was used for religious instruction and personal devotion, the Nicene Creed was part of the Sunday worship service and as such attracted a great deal of ecclesiastical and theological interest. It was not only in this respect that the Wittenberg Reformation assertively claimed the Church Fathers for its cause. However, it also made a clear distinction between those teachings that were consistent with the basic tenets of the Reformation and those that were in tension with the core message of justifying faith.
In the evening, the Wittenberg Center invited the Fellows to the first of two concerts. In the Luther House, the Lautten Compagney Berlin presented the program “In the midst of life”. A mixture of secular and sacred songs from the 16th century made the message of the Reformation and its contemporary context audible.
