This week in Christian history: Puritans apologize for Salem witch trials, Reformation ally dies

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, January 14, 2024

Georg Spalatin dies – Jan. 16, 1545

Georg Spalatin (1484-1545), an official who worked in the royal court of Saxony and friend of Protestant Reformation leader Martin Luther. | Wikimedia Commons

This week marks the anniversary of when Georg Spalatin, a member of the royal court of Saxony known for his support of the Protestant Reformation, died just shy of his 61st birthday.

A humanist scholar, Spalatin was a servant of German elector Frederick the Wise, a nobleman who famously protected Martin Luther after he was excommunicated by the Catholic Church.

“He would continue as an intermediary between Luther and Frederick during the early days of the Reformation, both mollifying Luther’s hard edges and encouraging Frederick to support Luther’s efforts,” explained Reformation 500.

“In addition to his reformatory and diplomatic work, Spalatin left his mark on the Reformation through his translation into German of Latin works by Luther, Melanchthon, and Erasmus, as well as his historiographical studies of Ernestine Saxony.”