Welcome to five minutes in church history hosted by Dr Stephen Nichols, where we take a little break from the present to go exploring the past.

Travel back in time as we look at the people, events, and even the places that have shaped the story of Christianity.

This is our story, our family history. Let's get started.

On January 1st, 1538, Martin Luther wrote this of the German city of Leipzig.

Leipzig is so immersed and greed that 45 florins are taken annually from every 100

florins under the pretense of piety. For its deemed charity to lend a person 100 florans and justice to take 45

florans from them. Luther, never won short for sarcasm, continues, in 10 years, 100 florans will yield 1,000 florans.

Isn't this epicurianism?

He asks.

Leipzig is submerged only 15 cubits under the waves,

but Leipzig lies 15 miles under the waves of Averis.

All the others are the same. Alas, bad times are yet to come. Our

Epicureans are worse than the Italian Cardinals who say, let the others be godlyly we don't want to.

Now that is classic Luther.

He's taking a stab not only at greed and avarice but also at the Roman Catholic Church.

And he's talking about the city of Leipzig.

Now Leipzig is probably not one of the top three or top five cities that we would identify with the life of Martin Luther.

But this city played a very crucial role in Luther and in the Reformation itself.

So let's visit Leipzig, Martin Luther's, how shall we say,

sarcastic comments notwithstanding. Leipzig is an ancient town with establishment back in the early Middle Ages.

As early as the 1200s, there was a religious school there, founded by Tomists, and in 1409 that school officially became a

university. Well, 110 years later, it was the site of a very significant debate between Martin Luther and

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