Heidelberg turns on a hymn - 1545
Heidelberg, a belated Reformation center.
Introduction
Although Heidelberg is identified with the Reformation because of its famous catechism, the Reformation did not prevail there until twenty-eight years after Martin Luther posted his ninety-five theses to the church door in Wittenberg. On this day, 20 December 1545, Catholic parishioners filled the Church of the Holy Spirit in Heidelberg. As the priest prepared to begin the Mass, a lone voice began singing a Reformation hymn by Paul Speratus. The people sat in silence listening. Soon other voices joined. The priest fled the sanctuary and Heidelberg became a center of the Reformation. The song that brought the Reformation to Heidelberg began:
Quote
“Salvation unto us has come
By God’s free grace and favor;
Good works cannot avert our doom,
They help and save us never.
Faith looks to Jesus Christ alone,
Who did for all the world atone;
He is our one Redeemer.”
Schlegel, Doug. “A Reformation Hymn: Salvation Unto Us Has Come.” Leben 2 (2005) 10.