This was our big day for getting to know Luther and the Reformation in Wittenberg. In the morning we visited the Castle Church where the 95 Theses were (likely) posted in 1517 and where Luther is buried. Then we spent time in the City Church, where Bugenhagen and Luther did most of their preaching. That church also has an amazing altarpiece and other wonderful paintings.
For our lunch break, the kids and I ducked out of the rain into a nice Italian restaurant. As usual, we were asked to show our vaccination status before sitting down. This time, though, the server used a neologism that I hadn't heard before. She asked to see our "Impfo." That's a great combination of "Impf" (vaccine) and Information (also a word in German). Vaccination Information = Impfo. Classic German wordplay! The food was good, too.
The abundance of historical riches continued with visits to the Lutherhaus Museum and Philip Melanchthon's house. I've been to these places several times, but it's always great to see things like the pulpit Luther used, first editions of monumental works like the Ausgburg Confession and the Luther Bible , the original Wittenberg common chest, and the room where Luther hung out with his family, friends, and guests.
Several group members remarked today how being here helped the history they learned in classes come alive. I definitely agree. I'm grateful that I got to spend almost three months here in 2008 when I was working on my dissertation. Something about the flesh-and-blood reality of what the reformers were doing comes through by visiting their homes and churches and by walking down their streets. It's nice to see what it looks like when people do what they can to care for the people around them.
For our lunch break, the kids and I ducked out of the rain into a nice Italian restaurant. As usual, we were asked to show our vaccination status before sitting down. This time, though, the server used a neologism that I hadn't heard before. She asked to see our "Impfo." That's a great combination of "Impf" (vaccine) and Information (also a word in German). Vaccination Information = Impfo. Classic German wordplay! The food was good, too.
The abundance of historical riches continued with visits to the Lutherhaus Museum and Philip Melanchthon's house. I've been to these places several times, but it's always great to see things like the pulpit Luther used, first editions of monumental works like the Ausgburg Confession and the Luther Bible , the original Wittenberg common chest, and the room where Luther hung out with his family, friends, and guests.
Several group members remarked today how being here helped the history they learned in classes come alive. I definitely agree. I'm grateful that I got to spend almost three months here in 2008 when I was working on my dissertation. Something about the flesh-and-blood reality of what the reformers were doing comes through by visiting their homes and churches and by walking down their streets. It's nice to see what it looks like when people do what they can to care for the people around them.