On the night of 28th February 1551, a man who had spent his life fighting for religious reform took his last breath in Cambridge. His name was Martin Bucer—a theologian, a reformer, and a man whose influence stretched across Europe.
But even in death, his struggles weren’t over. Six years after his burial, his body was dug up, put on trial for heresy, and publicly burned in Cambridge along with his works.
So, who was Martin Bucer? Why was he considered such a threat that even his bones had to be destroyed? And why is he remembered today as a key figure in the Protestant Reformation?
Martin Bucer was born on 11th November 1491, in Sélestat, Alsace. His father, Claus Butzer, was a cooper—a barrel maker—and little Martin’s early years were spent in the bustling town, a hub of learning and trade.
From a young age, Bucer was drawn to the Church. He entered the Dominican priory at Sélestat in 1507, taking his vows a year later. His studies for the priesthood involved him moving to Heidelberg and then Mainz. It is thought that he was ordained in around 1516. He went on to attain a master’s and Bachelor of Theology at Heidelberg. His future seemed clear—he was on the path to advancement within the Catholic Church.
But everything changed in 1518, when he heard a speech that shook him to his core. The speaker? Martin Luther. The ideas? Radical.
Luther’s fiery disputation on grace and salvation challenged everything Bucer had been taught. Faith alone, not good works, was the path to salvation. Bucer was hooked.
Within a few years, he had completely rejected Catholic monastic life, breaking from his Dominican vows and embracing Lutheran teachings, becoming a secular priest. He served as chaplain to the Count Palatine of the Rhine, before becoming pastor of Landstuhl, where he married Elisabeth Silbereisen, a former nun. This was more than just a love story. It was a powerful symbol of defiance against Catholic rules on clerical celibacy.
But Bucer wasn’t content to just practise his faith—he wanted to spread it.
In 1523, he was forced to flee to Strasbourg, where his father was a citizen, giving him some protection. Here, he truly came into his own as a leader of reform.
- He became a pastor there in 1524.
- He wrote his first major theological work, calling for Christians to live for others rather than themselves.
- He clashed with both Catholic bishops and radical Anabaptists, fighting for a balanced, moderate form of Protestantism.
Strasbourg became a centre of religious reform, and Bucer led the charge.
Although Martin Bucer had initially been influenced by Luther, one issue divided them: the Eucharist. Lutherans believed that Christ was truly present in the bread and wine. Zwinglians saw the Eucharist as a symbolic act—Christ’s presence was spiritual, not physical. Bucer tried to bridge the gap between these two Protestant factions. He saw the disagreement as more about words than belief and worked tirelessly to reconcile the different reformers. But not everyone was convinced.
In 1529, at the Marburg Colloquy, he and Zwingli tried to reach common ground with Luther, but Luther refused to compromise. Despite his best efforts, Protestantism remained divided on the Eucharist. Still, Bucer pushed forward, continuing to work on religious reform across cities like Ulm, Augsburg, Hesse, and Cologne throughout the 1530s and 1540s.
His dream? A national church council that would unite Catholics and Protestants and avoid full schism. But once again, the Eucharist proved too divisive.
Bucer’s pragmatic approach—using ambiguous language to appeal to both sides—led to criticism from both Catholics and Protestants. He was too moderate for the radicals and too radical for the moderates.
By 1549, Bucer’s time in Strasbourg was up. The Holy Roman Emperor Charles V imposed the Augsburg Interim, forcing Protestant cities to restore Catholic practices. Bucer refused to comply and was exiled along with his friend, fellow reformer Paul Fagius. But they had a powerful friend—Archbishop Thomas Cranmer of England. Cranmer invited them to England, where the Protestant young King Edward VI was pushing forward Reformation policies. Bucer and Fagius, arrived in May 1549 and met Edward soon after.
Bucer’s influence in England was immense:
- He advised Cranmer on the revision of the Book of Common Prayer—though, in the end, neither Protestants nor conservatives were happy with the final result!
- He was appointed Regius Professor of Divinity at Cambridge.
- His works on church governance, sacraments, and reform shaped the future of English Protestantism.
But Bucer’s health was failing. His friend Fagius died in November 1549, and Bucer himself likely had tuberculosis. On the night of 28th February / 1st March 1551, Martin Bucer died.
His funeral was a grand occasion, attended by 3,000 people. His books went to Cranmer and Catherine Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk, while his manuscripts went to the king for the royal library. But Bucer’s story didn’t end there.
In 1553, Edward VI died, and Queen Mary I, a staunch Catholic, took the throne. The Reformation ground to a halt as she restored Catholicism.
Bucer had been dead for six years, but he was still considered a threat to the Catholic Church and the people of England. In 1557, Mary’s government posthumously excommunicated him and declared him a heretic. His body, and that of Paul Fagius were dug up from their resting places. Their remains were tried, condemned, and burned in Market Hill, Cambridge, along with their books.
A man who had spent his life seeking unity and peace was branded an enemy of the Church, even in death.
But history had the last word.
In 1560, after Mary’s death and the rise of Elizabeth I, Bucer and Fagius’s condemnations were overturned. Bucer was restored to honour, and his contributions to Protestantism were once again recognised.
Martin Bucer was a theologian caught between worlds - a moderate trying to unify extreme factions, a peacemaker in an age of religious war, a man whose compromises angered both sides, yet whose ideas helped shape Protestantism across Europe and England. His influence lived on through his writings, his reforms, and his impact on the English Church. From Strasbourg to Cambridge, from preaching to persecution, his life was one of conviction, courage, and controversy. Even in death, his beliefs were too radical for some, too moderate for others. And that is why he remains one of the most fascinating figures of the Reformation.
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