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1526 - Martin Luther Note, autograph letter signed
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Date: 1526
Language: German / Latin
Dimensions: 20.32 x 15.24 cm.
Materials: Cotton rag and ink.
The note inscribed is believed to be a personal message from Dr. Luther given as a gift to the publisher. The book is entitled “Ysidorvs. S. Avgvstinvs. S. Hieronymvs.” Notation at the end of the book reads, “Litteraria Ingeniofi viri, Ioan nis Grieninger, 1523.”
During his preparation to teach college courses, German Martin Luther studied the Scriptures and found 95 questions about the Bible that he wished to discuss with others. As was common practice, he nailed his discussion topics to the church door. However, the results were anything but common as Luther's act was merely the first in a series of actions that would revolutionize the church of his day. His contention with the pope became so sharp that in 1520, he invited friends, professors, and students to attend the ceremonial burning of the Papal Bull against him and the Cannon Law of the church. Luther asked his friends to choose between hell and martyrdom. As part of his church reforms, Luther and a team of the best German scholars also translated the Bible into German, the language of the people.
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1540 - Thomas Cromwell, Earl of Essex, autograph, letter signed
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Date: 1540
Language: English
Dimensions: 8.50 x 6.02 cm.
Materials: Parchment and ink.
Born: 1485
Executed: July, 28 1540
English statesman Thomas Cromwell (1485-1540) lived abroad as a young man, working as a soldier, accountant, and merchant. On his return to England (c.1512), he engaged in the wool trade and eventually became a lawyer. He negotiated King Henry VIII's marriage to Anne of Cleves, as a means of securing the North German princes as allies against the Catholic Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. When Anne proved unattractive and the alliance failed, Henry allowed charges of treason and heresy to be brought against Cromwell by his duke of Norfolk. Cromwell was condemned by act of attainder and beheaded.
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1544 - Martin Luther, signed Ordination Certificate
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Date: 1544
Language: German / Latin
Dimensions: 26.5 x 19.5 cm.
Materials: Parchment and ink.
Martin Luther (1483-1546) was the leading figure in the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century. An Augustinian monk by training, he broke with the Church of Rome in 1521. He desired to reform the church on the basis of Holy Scripture and proclaimed the Doctrine of Justification by faith alone. He translated the Bible into his native German tongue, and published numerous sermons and commentaries. His great hymn, "A Mighty Fortress is Our God," is sung by Christians of all traditions today.
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1545 - John Calvin, autograph, letter signed
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Date: 1545
Language: French
Dimensions: 14.5 x 17 cm.
Materials: Parchment and ink.
John Calvin (1509-1564) was the leading figure and force in the Reformation Movement in France and Switzerland. He was born in Noyon, France, and died in Switzerland. Banished from Paris in 1533, he took refuge in Switzerland where he published his famous Institutes of Christian Religion, Protestantism's classic statement of faith. In 1559, he founded in Geneva an academy where he taught theology. His zeal and writings were brought into one body of doctrine, known as Calvinism, the reformed theology of the period.
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1550 - King Henry VIII, autographed letter signed:
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Date: Circa 1550
Language: English
Dimensions: 7.62 x 5.08 cm.
Materials: Parchment and ink.
While at university, William Tyndale became very interested in the ideas of John Wycliffe, and the Lollards. Tyndale became convinced that the church had become corrupt and selfish. Like Wycliffe, Tyndale thought it was important that people had the opportunity to read and interpret the Bible for themselves. Tyndale wanted to translate the Bible into English, but at that time King Henry VIII and the English church were very much against the idea.
In 1530 King Henry VIII gave orders that all English Bibles were to be destroyed. People caught distributing the Tyndale Bible in England were burned at the stake. This attempt to destroy Tyndale's Bible was very successful as only two copies have survived.
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1550s - Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, autograph, letter signed
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Date: Circa 1550
Language: English
Dimensions: 7.62 x 5.08 cm.
Materials: Parchment and ink.
Thomas Cranmer (1489 - 1556), a man of fine theological judgment, was a crucial figure in the separation of the Church of England from the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome. His sensitive ear for English was evident in his classic liturgies and prayers that he composed for the "Book of Common Prayers," which greatly shaped English-speaking Christianity for over four centuries.
After surviving a harsh schooling, Cranmer proved himself an able student. In 1523, he was ordained a priest and soon gained a reputation as a biblical and patriotic scholar. Cranmer's period of greatest influence came under King Edward VI. Both were deeply concerned for religious unity. His contributions to the "Homilies" were influential among ordinary people and his "Forty-two Articles" provided the Church of England with an authoritative and balanced standard of Evangelical and Catholic belief. Eventually his defense of Protestant sacramental theology led him to be charged with sedition, tried for treason, and sentenced to death. Cranmer died bravely, being burned on March 21, 1556.
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1555 - Circa: John Calvin-Iohan Calvin, autograph letter signed
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Date: 1555
Language: French
Dimensions: 8.50 x 6.02 cm.
Materials: Parchment and ink.
Famous Protestant reformer John Calvin brought many changes to the church of his day, including the introduction of personal Biblical counseling and the introduction of congregational psalm singing in Geneva. He also brought proper establishing to the offices of pastor and teacher, and proper function to the offices of elder and deacon. He also was the first to organize a missionary training school for ministers, called the Academy of Geneva. Calvin was the leading proponent of the doctrine of predestination and has been credited as "The Father of Modern Capitalism." However, not everyone liked Calvin and his church reforms, as his enemies were known to name their dogs after him and let them free to bite him as he passed by.
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16th century - Papal Indulgence, affixed with Popes wax seal
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Language: Latin.
Dimensions: Single sheet format: 64 x 36 + 7 cm.
Text: 55 x 28 cm.
Materials: Parchment and ink.
Illumination: The initial letters of the incipit are decorated, the initial "P" takes up 8 lines
Seal: Shows two bearded men with a cross centered in waxed medallion seal
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