Colloquy of Marburg

Choosing where to go and what to see in Central Germany represents a challenge.  The choices seem endless, each one providing a new learning experience and adventure. Marburg holds appeal on a number of counts.  Perhaps of pre-eminent importance is its distinction as a university town .  It was founded in 1527. Phillip(the Magnanimous) designated his university as Protestant, thus becoming the world's first and consequently, oldest Protestant University. The university was the first in the world to create a professorship in chemistry in 1609.  The Brothers Grimm studied in Marburg in 1806, after which a discipline in German Studies was established.  Rapunzel, one of the Grimm's Brothers' best loved fairy tales was first published in 1602.  Its best know line is, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair."    The tower to which he was referring is here in Marburg.

The first Noble Prize for Medicine went to Marburg's Emil von Behring in 1901.  It has one of the five high security labs in Europe and was responsible for identifying the deadly Marburg virus. You will remember it as the hemorrhagic virus of the ebola class, that infected many in East Africa.  It has an international reputation in chemistry, medicine and psychology.  This town of 80,000 thousand hums with the energy of its student population.  Just about everyone either goes to school here or is employed by the university.  This town's character is built around the youthful populations with pubs and clubs on every street.  There is an element of the counter-culture here, evidenced by some of the lively protests students engage in.

 

The enchantment of this city lies in its topography.  Walking out of the tourist information kiosk, we turned right, went twenty meters and took an elevator up two flights to the next street.  Upon exiting a narrow access alley, we came out on to the scene above.  Half timbered houses lined the narrow cobblestone lanes, winding up and around picturesque shops and boutiques.  The cold weather and our tight schedule kept us moving briskly.  We climbed up several flights of stairs towards the Schloss perched precariously above us.  We did a lot of climbing that day.  Jacob Grimm pointedly commented "there are more steps on the streets than in the houses".

We went with Gary and Melody Taylor who also work as Mental Health Advisors.  Gary Taylor  has three books to his credit in the field of mental health.  His best selling book "Divine Union" was followed by "Perfect Parent".  He says his best one is "Life is Easy - We Just Decide Its Hard."  He states he had no choice on the title.  This is the one that I am interested in.  He comes very well prepared for this assignment.  We are going to enjoy working with them.

The cultural history museum in the Marburg Castle is maintained by the university and houses a wide assortment of paraphanailia of central Germany from the Bronze Age to 20th century.  The variety and scope of the collection would appeal to just about every taste.  There was the apparel of the aristocracy,  the common folk and the armor of knights, weaponry, furnishings, paintings, tapestries, model reconstruction of churches and castles, an extensive display of porcelain covering many generations, toys, doll houses, stoves, medical utensils and every day household belongings.  In the Bronze Age display there were urns, vessels, tools, bones and a full skeleton as originally found.  One feature unique to this museum was the way they provided glass enclosed viewing areas into the catacombs of the castle. Very cool!

One large painting depicted a gathering of Early Reformers of 1529 under the auspices of the resident Landgrave Phillip of Hesse known as the Coloquy of Marburg.  Here Luther and  Ulrich Zwingli had what was to be a seminal event.  Luther still maintained the vestiges of his Catholic belief system advocating for the Eucherist as practice by the Catholic Faith.  He argued that during the Sacrament, Christ's body was present. Zwingli argued against this, stating this was a metaphor and symbolic of the blood and body of Christ.  This ultimately led to "The Reformers" breaking away from the then emerging Protestant Movement.

A number of Zwingli's Articles of Faith departed sharply from that of the Catholic Church, but also set the stage for closer adherence to biblically based doctrine.  He took extreme exception to the pomp and sophistry, the justification for all the relics, infant baptism and indulgences.  As I studied Zwingli's contributions, I realize he deserves more credit than what history has allotted him.  Calvin, another Swiss reformer who followed after Zwingli, essentially incorporated most of his tenets into his own schema.  In some ways, Calvin's tenets were regressive, more conformist to preexisting beliefs and practices than the highly educated and enlightened Zwingli.

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Our last stop was at the Elizabethan Church.  In earlier blogs, I made mention of Elizabeth who gave so selflessly to the poor.  She gained great favor among the peasant class.  The loss of her husband of only a few years and the trials of her charitable work took their toll.  She died at the age of 24 and was buried in Marburg.

Inside are some incredible works of art. The tomb of Elizabeth is glass encased with what look like gold and precious stones.  I think Elizabeth would have rejected outright such a display, preferring to give of such riches to the sick and needy.  The following is taken from some historical writings: "On Good Friday, 1228, in the Franciscan House at Eisenach, Elizabeth formally renounced the world; she received from Conrad the dress of the Third Order of St. Francis. In the summer of 1228, she built the Franciscan Hospital at Marburg and on its completion, devoted herself entirely to the care of the sick, especially to those afflicted with debilitating and disfiguring diseases.

Soon after the death of Elizabeth, miracles were reported to occur at her grave in the church, especially miracles of healing.  At Pentecost of the year 1235, the solemn ceremony of canonization of the "greatest woman of the German Middle Ages" was celebrated by Gregory IX at Perugia, with Conrad present.   Conrad had written in support of her canonization, a letter, of which a portion is reproduced here:  Elizabeth was a lifelong friend of the poor and gave herself entirely to relieving the hungry. She ordered that one of her castles should be converted into a hospital in which she gathered many of the weak and feeble. She generously gave alms to all who were in need, not only in that place but in all the territories of her husband's empire. She spent all her own revenue from her husband's four principalities, and finally she sold her luxurious possessions and rich clothes for the sake of the poor.

Twice a day, in the morning and in the evening, Elizabeth went to visit the sick. She personally cared for those who were particularly repulsive; to some she gave food, to others clothing; some she carried on her own shoulders, and performed many other kindly services. Her husband, of happy memory, gladly approved of these charitable works. Finally, when her husband died, she sought the highest perfection; filled with tears, she implored me to let her beg for alms from door to door. Good Friday of that year, when the altars had been stripped, she laid her hands on the altar in a chapel in her own town, where she had established the Friars Minor, and before witnesses she voluntarily renounced all worldly display and everything that our Savior in the gospel advises us to abandon. Even then she saw that she could still be distracted by the cares and worldly glory which had surrounded her while her husband was alive. Against my will she followed me to Marburg. Here in the town she built a hospice where she gathered together the weak and the feeble. There she attended the most wretched and contemptible at her own table.

Apart from those active good works, I declare before God that I have seldom seen a more contemplative woman.

Before her death I heard her confession. When I asked what should be done about her goods and possessions, she replied that anything which seemed to be hers belonged to the poor. She asked me to distribute everything except one worn-out dress in which she wished to be buried. When all this had been decided, she received the body of our Lord. Afterward, until vespers, she spoke often of the holiest things she had heard in sermons. Then, she devoutly commended to God all who were sitting near her, and as if falling into a gentle sleep, she died.

In August of 1235, soon after her canonization, the corner-stone of the beautiful Gothic Franciscan church of St. Elizabeth was laid at Marburg.  On May 1, 1236, Emperor Frederick II attended the taking-up of the body of the saint; in 1249, the remains were placed in the choir of the church of St. Elizabeth.