Argula Von Grumbach: The Reformationer And The Reformation

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The Reformation is typically characterized by the groundbreaking work done by men like Martin Luther and John Calvin, yet many people forget the lesser-known individuals who made enormous contributions. Peter Matheson, a Reformation teacher and researcher of thirty years, uncovered what historians for centuries have missed in the life of Argula von Grumbach. Argula was at the forefront of the Reformation controversy, and her eight pamphlets were circulated all over Germany thanks to the explosion of the printing press. She, much like Martin Luther, defied the lords and rulers of the day through her exceptional knowledge of Scripture, becoming a revered and well-known figure in a time where women were seen as second-class citizens. Matheson describes her as an extraordinary woman, a humble believer, and mother of four who became an inspiration to many and a nuisance to others through her bold work that changed the course of Christian history (xii).
Argula grew up in an affluent home, and received her first Bible at the age of ten. Through persistent study she learned the Scriptures well, and in her early twenties she appeared on the political scene when the theologians of the University of Ingolstadt ridiculed …show more content…

Women were supposed to be submissive to their husbands, and she defied her husband openly for the sake of Biblical truth. Most women in this time were considered second-class citizens with a minimal capacity to comprehend the world, and she challenged this idea through her knowledge and exegesis of Scripture. Argula’s pamphlet, the first of eight, rebelled against Duke William’s ordinance that forbade religious dissent, and her ideas gained ground in spite of a society that had been groomed to overlook women (48). Matheson correctly portrays Argula as a popular figure in the public eye, and validates his thesis by showing her as a polarizing Reformation

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