The Synod of Homberg was a

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Synod held on October 20–22, 1526 with

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, and representatives of various European cities attending. The

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...

proposed to introduce democratic church

governance Governance is the overall complex system or framework of Process, processes, functions, structures, Social norm, rules, Law, laws and Norms (sociology), norms born out of the Interpersonal relationship, relationships, Social interaction, intera ...

and clerical discipline. The synod was initiated by theological disputes occurring in

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regarding the introduction of the Zwinglian Reformation reforms. Governmental authorities in

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, and

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had extended influence in ecclesiastical affairs. The Diet of Speyer on August 27, 1526, stipulated that each sovereign authority, pending a general council, could decide matters of faith for their territory, so long as they recognized their accountability to God and their monarch. This laid the foundation for territorialism in support of the Reformation.

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Philip of Hesse seized this opportunity and convened an assembly of "spiritual and temporal estates" at Homberg on October 20, 1526, "to deal, by the grace of the Almighty, with Christian matters and disputes." The proceedings commenced in the church at Homberg on Sunday, October 21. To facilitate discussion, the former

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

preacher François Lambert (son of a Papal official in

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and, at the time, a Protestant reformer) presented 158 articles for debate (paradoxa), which were posted on the church doors of Homberg. After an opening speech by the

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

, Johan Friis, Lambert read his theses, supporting them with Scripture and enumerating the abuses of the Church. In the afternoon, Adam Kraft of

Fulda Fulda () (historically in English called Fuld) is a city in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district (''Kreis''). In 1990, the city hosted the 30th Hessentag state festival. Histor ...

translated Lambert's theses into

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

and challenged anyone who found them "at variance with God's Word" to speak out. The Franciscan prior, Nicholas Ferber of

Marburg Marburg (; ) is a college town, university town in the States of Germany, German federal state () of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf Districts of Germany, district (). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has ...

, responded the following morning. He contested

Philip of Hesse's authority to hold a synod, enact ecclesiastical changes, or legislate on matters of Christian faith, arguing that these privileges belonged to the Pope, bishops, and the clergy. When Chancellor Johan Friis urged the civil authorities to abolish abuses and

idolatry Idolatry is the worship of an idol as though it were a deity. In Abrahamic religions (namely Judaism, Samaritanism, Christianity, Islam, and the Baháʼí Faith) idolatry connotes the worship of something or someone other than the Abrahamic ...

, maintaining an iconoclastic stance, Ferber continued to contest the synod, attacking the chancellor's character for seizing church property without refuting the articles of debate. He soon left

Hesse Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...

and issued ''Assertiones trecentat ac viginti adversus Fr. Lamberti paradoxa impia'' (Three hundred and twenty assertions against Brother Lambert's impious arguments) at

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

, followed by ''Assertiones aliœ'' (Other assertions). On the synod's final day, Master Johann Sperber of Waldau, near

Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in North Hesse, northern Hesse, in Central Germany (geography), central Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel (region), Kassel and the d ...

, attempted to justify the invocation of

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, the Holy Mother of

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, citing the Angelical salutation from the

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References

Philip Schaff Philip Schaff (January 1, 1819 – October 20, 1893) was a Swiss-born, German-educated Protestant theologian and ecclesiastical historian, who spent most of his adult life living and teaching in the United States. Life and career Schaff was ...

''History of the Christian Church'', Volume VII, 1882 * {{coord, 51, 02, 02, N, 9, 24, 20, E, region:DE-HE_type:landmark_source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title Reformation in Germany 1526 in the Holy Roman Empire History of Rhineland-Palatinate 1526 in Christianity