Wibrandis Rosenblat – Unsung Hero of the Swiss Reformation

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I want to present the following paragraph without comment, at least as much as possible. Suffice it to say that when I came across this recently I was immediately struck by this woman’s hugely important role in the Swiss Reformation, and by the unique constitution, determination, and commitment that must have gone into it. But you will be able to form your own opinions.

Machiel A. van den Berg, Friends of Calvin (Eerdmans, 2009), 103.
Wibrandis Rosenblat’s life (1504-1564) is a story in its own right. She married Bucer after her husband, Bucer’s inseparable colleague and friend Capito, died in the same epidemic to which Bucer had lost his beloved first wife. Bucer was Wibrandis’s fourth husband: prior to her marriage to Capito, she had been married to two other scholars in Basel, Cellarius and the famous Oecolampadius. Thus she had been the wife of four different Reformers, and she bore them all children.
I dare say that in our own milieu, what with our emphasis today on equality between the genders in society and ecclesiastical ministry, we might well prefer to honor someone like Katharina Zell. But it is useful to remember that other women supported the Swiss Reformation in other ways as well.

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Comments

Matthew Dowling said…
Yowzers! Now *that's* a contribution to the Reformation.
July 18, 2014 8:25 PM
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