The more things change, the more they stay the same. Half a millennium ago, as Europeans entered the year 1524, they were gazing at the heavens in trepidation, fearful of a Grand Conjunction that was set to occur. Johann Stöffler, a professor at the University of Tübingen who counted the reformer Philip Melanchthon among his former students, correctly predicted that in February all seven planets would align in the region of Pisces. He took this as proof that a great upheaval would soon strike the earth on the order of the deluge of Noah.

That will show an indubitable transformation, change, and reversal over nearly the entire world, the climate zones, empires, countries, cities and classes, in insensible creatures, the creatures of the sea, and everything born on earth, as forsooth has not been heard of for many years, neither by historians nor by the forefathers.

Many of Stöffler’s readers took this prediction with deadly seriousness. After all, the past few years had already brought a sea change in how they understood God, their institutions, and religious practice. They even viewed themselves differently, for they were being told that marital procreation was just as righteous as monastic celibacy.

But as spring turned to summer and summer to autumn, they were given a more pressing reason to fear, for the peasants of the German empire ceased harvesting wheat with their scythes and began cutting down men. By 1525, it was the largest popular rebellion in European history, with perhaps 100,000 peasants perishing at the hands of better armed princes while the words of apocalyptic preachers rang in their ears. Even theologians like Martin Luther suspected the end of the world was nigh. Writing to his brother-in-law at the height of the rebellion, Luther’s mood turned dark.

If it be God’s will, let us suffer it and call them lords, as the Scripture calls the devil prince and lord. May God keep all good Christians from honoring and worshiping them as the devil tried to make Christ worship him. Let us withstand them by word and deed as long as ever we can and then die for it in God’s name.

The crumbling of institutions, political radicalization, novel teaching on human sexuality! Though separated by half a millennium, our historical moment bears similarities to theirs. As if knowing he would later be seen as a predecessor of the global Left, Thomas Müntzer led the peasants into battle beneath a rainbow flag—only he meant it to symbolize the days of Noah when God destroyed the world with water and made it anew.

If history is the thing that rhymes, our moment is a paired couplet with the Reformation moment.

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Amy Mantravadi | “The Reformation Moment Is Our Moment” | December 12, 2024

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