Today is the feast of Romanos the Melodist, the renowned 6th century poet and hymnwriter of the Byzantine church.
In your cross, we may all boast.
To it we have nailed our hearts,
that on it we may hang our instruments
and sing to you, the Lord of all,
from the songs of Sion.
Romanos the Melodist, Victory of the Cross, translated by Ephrem Lash
Songs of Praise, the world’s most enduring religious television programme, was first broadcast today in 1961, with congregational hymn-singing from Tabernacle Baptist Chapel in Cardiff, Wales.
Anthony Ashley Cooper, the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, whose campaigning for social reform transformed the lives of children working in factories and mines in the 19th century, died today in 1885. His funeral route to Westminster Abbey was filled with large crowds of working people to whom he had dedicated his life.
The two great Protestant leaders Martin Luther and Huldrych Zwingli met in Marburg, Germany, today in 1529 to resolve their differences about whether the eucharist involves the real body of Christ or is merely symbolic. They agreed that the Bible has the final say in the matter, but couldn’t agree what the Bible actually says, so they and their movements split apart.
It is St Bavo’s Day, in honour of the 7th-century Belgian monk who lived for some time in a hollow tree. He gave his name to St Bavo’s Cathedral in Ghent.
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