Hear The Voice And Prayer

No one expects the Spanish Inquisition, however in the case of Francisca de los Apostolés, the inquisition was directly involved in the suppression of her goals to reform the Catholic Church. Her ambitions included reforming the corrupt officials within the church and helping the poor women in the town of Toledo. Listen as we dive into the visions she claims to have and her torment from demons as she fights for reform within the church.

Queen Jeanne III of Navarre was deeply involved in the spread of the reformation in France. She was a member by marriage of the Bourbon family, the primary leaders of the protestant Huguenot faction in the Wars of Religion. Throughout her life she worked to legitimize their cause by strengthening their ties to the crown. Yet, hers was not a political faith but a firm trust built on study and conviction.

In this episode, we will explore the use of images as a persuasive medium in the long reformation. this will be explored through the inventions of new technologies, and a set of images drawn by Lucas Cranach the Elder and Martin Luther.

The Anabaptist belief and practices started in Zurich in the Swiss lands in the early 16th century. Their main purpose and what separated them from the other religions of the time was adult baptisim. They believed that being baptized as a child in “holy” water was not the correct way, and people should live the truth of their religion. Also as Anabaptists, they believed in taking scripture literally, and in polygamy. The Anabaptists were driving out of Zurich, then made their home in Strasburg, and then finally in Munster, Each time claiming that each city was the ‘New Jerusalem”. A sermon by Bernard Rothmann outlined what they believed in, and in the end the Catholics and other Protestants sieged Munster, captured the leadrs of the Anabaptist, tortured them, hung their bodies in cages above the church in Munster, and the religion was dead. Today the closest the world comes to Anabaptist are the Amish.

In this episode of Hear the Voice and Prayer, Elyse discusses her research into hymn writing and the role of music during the 16th century, specifically related to the Protestant Reformation and the bold songs of Martin Luther. The role of melody and lyrics are analyzed as Dr. Robinson and Elyse survey songs that were contemporaries of Luther’s famous A Mighty Fortress Is Our God. They also discuss the varied uses of these hymns, the role of the printing press in distributing these hymns, and how hymns themselves were assertions of Protestant rebellion against Catholicism. 

The episode discusses Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam and his work, Praise of Folly. It covers Erasmus’ background, including his parentage, his education by the Brethren of the Common Life and at the University of Paris, and some of the key people who influenced his Renaissance Humanism. The episode then discusses aspects of Praise of Folly that point to some of Erasmus’ views on religion and society in the 16th century. Finally, in light of Erasmus’ background and his stances in Praise of Folly, the episode discusses the significance of Erasmus’ influence on the subsequent reformations.

Get ready for season 2 of Hear the Voice and Prayer! New episodes dropping in May 2023!

In the final episode of this series of Hear the Voice and Prayer Janae Kennedy joins host Kyle Robinson for a look at the more humorous side of Luther’s personality as well as an extended discussion on the importance of the history of the body for understanding the Reformation.

Art is a window into past worlds. Yet, so much of the Reformation is associated with iconoclasm, or, the destruction of religious art. Thankfully, Abrecht Dürer managed to find a medium that captured and endured religious transformation. In this episode, Sara Waskow joins host Kyle Robinson to examine Durer and his art amidst sixteenth-century Christian change

Coinciding with the expansion of European Empires, the Reformation became a global phenomenon. For the French, their conquests in North America soon became battle grounds for the revitalized spirit of the Catholic Reformation. Mack Brza joins host Kyle Robinson to discuss the nuances, violence, and exchanges of Catholic mission in New France.