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Monday 27 November 2017

616) 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation: 10,000 Forint (silver) coin and 2,000 Forint (cupro-nickel) coin issued by the National Bank of Hungary on 31.10.2017:

616) 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation: 10,000 Forint (silver) coin and 2,000 Forint (cupro-nickel) coin issued by the National Bank of Hungary on 31.10.2017:

 About Martin Luther

Martin Luther was a German Professor of theology, composer, priest and an Augustinian monk and a seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation.

He rejected several teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church and strongly disputed the Catholic view on "indulgences" that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money.

He proposed an academic discussion of the practice and efficacy of indulgences in his "Ninety-five Theses" of 1517.

His refusal to renounce all of his writings on the demand of Pope Leo X in 1520 and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms in 1521, resulted in his excommunication by the Pope and condemnation as an "outlaw" by the Emperor.

Luther taught that salvation and consequently eternal life are not earned by good deeds but are received only as the "free gift" of God's grace through a believer's faith in Jesus Christ as the Redeemer from sin.

His theology challenged the authority and office of the Pope by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge from God and opposed sacredototalism (a belief that propitiatory sacrifices forsin require the intervention of a priest) by considering all baptised Christians to be a holy priesthood.

Those who identify with these beliefs and all of Luther's wider teachings are called "Lutherans", though Luther himself insisted on "Christian" or "Evangelical" (evangelisch) as the only acceptable names for individuals who professed Christ.

His translation of the Bible into the German vernacular (instead of Latin) made it more accessible to the laity, an event that had a tremendous impact on both the Church and German culture.

It fostered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art ot translation and influenced the writing of an English translation - the "Tyndale Bible".

His hymns influenced the development of singing in Protestant churches. His marriage to Katharina von Bora (a former nun) set a model for the practice of clerical marriage, allowing Protestant clergy to marry.

With over 80 million adherents, the Lutheran Church presently constitutes the third most common Protestant denomination after the Pentecostal denominations and Anglicanism. The Lutheran World Federation, the largest communion of Lutheran Churches, represents over 72 million people.

"Luther" is the title of a biopic screened in 2003, which was a film covering Luther's life from becoming a monk in 1505 to the Diet of Augsburg in 1530. It was part funded by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.

Reformation Day:


Reformation Day commemorates the publication of the Ninety Five Theses in 1517 by Martin Luther. It is a civic holiday in several German states. Slovenia and Hungary celebrate it due to the great contribution of the Reformation to its culture. Austria declares a restricted holiday for Protestants. Switzerland celebrates the holiday on the first Sunday after 31st October. In addition, it is celebrated in many other parts of the world.

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther, , nailed his Ninety-five Theses to the door of a church in the German town of Wittenberg.

This set off the seminal event known as the Protestant Reformation.

In doing so, he challenged the position of the Catholic Church on the forgiveness of sins. The theses claimed that it was not the Pope, but God alone who could forgive sins, based on the repentance of the sinner. Accordingly, Luther’s theses condemned the practice of selling indulgences. This act initiated the great movement of the Protestant Reformation, which spread very quickly and enjoyed mounting support in society.


The spread of the Reformation to Hungary:

By the middle of the century, the Reformation began to spread in Hungary, contributing greatly to the development of Hungarian language and literature.

One of the Reformation’s fundamental ideas was that everyone should have access to the Bible in their native language.

As a result of the Reformation, new centers of culture developed, and the first full Hungarian version of the Bible, translated by Gáspár Károli, was printed in Vizsoly.

The Reformed Church became the most influential branch of Protestantism in Hungary, but the Lutheran Church and the Unitarian Church also had significant impacts on the nation’s cultural history.

Commemorative coins issued by the Bank of Hungary:

To mark the Reformation’s 500th anniversary, the National Bank of Hungary has issued a 10,000-forint coin in silver and a 2,000-forint coin in cupro-nickel.

An image of the Obverse and Reverse of the 2,000 Forint, (Cupro-nickel) coin against the backdrop of a stained-glass image of Martin Luther holding a translated copy of the Bible


An image of the two coins - Obverses and Reverses - all together

An image of the Obverse and Reverse of the 10,000 Forint Silver coin


                 The Obverse of the 10,000 Forint silver coin

It depicts the facade of a church with open gates, symbolizing that the Reformation brought people closer to religion, as the word of God was preached in local languages as opposed to exclusively Latin.

The sturdy walls of the church allude to the Protestant hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” which was composed by Martin Luther.

The image of a dove, the symbol of the Holy Spirit, appears in the window of the church. The rays emanating from the open gates symbolize the Holy Spirit flowing out.

On the right periphery of this face is mentioned the year of issue "2017".

On the lower periphery is mentioned "MAGYARORSZAG. 10,000 FORINT" (meaning "Hungary, 10,000 Forint").


                    The Reverse of the 10,000 Forint Silver coin

It shows an open Bible, with the Greek letters alpha on the left and omega on the right, standing for the beginning and the end, placed on a window-sill.

Believers say the Reformation sharpened the focus on the Holy Scriptures as the one true source.

Above the Bible, a dove can be seen in a window, indicating that the Bible can be understood only with the help of the Holy Spirit.

The legend "REFORMACIO 500 EVE" (meaning "500th Anniversary of the Reformation") is at the bottom of a ribbon-like bookmark, also indicating that the process has not ended and that reformation and renewal are always needed.

The mark of the sculptor, Róbert Csíkszentmihályi ("CSR"), is on the other end of the ribbon.

The specifications of this coin are:

Coin Quality: Proof; Metal Composition: .925 silver;  Diameter/Size: 38.61 mm (1.52 inches);  Weight: 31.46 grams;  Mintage limit: 5,000 coins. Year of issue: 2017; Issue Date: 31.10.2017.


An image of the Obverse and Reverse of the 2,000 Forint Cupro-nickel coin
                      The Obverse of the 2,000 Forint Cupro-nickel coin

It depicts the facade of a church with open gates, symbolizing that the Reformation brought people closer to religion, as the word of God was preached in local languages as opposed to exclusively Latin.

The sturdy walls of the church allude to the Protestant hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” which was composed by Martin Luther.

The image of a dove, the symbol of the Holy Spirit, appears in the window of the church. The rays emanating from the open gates symbolize the Holy Spirit flowing out.

On the right periphery of this face is mentioned the year of issue "2017".


On the lower periphery is mentioned "MAGYARORSZAG. 2,000 FORINT" (meaning "Hungary, 2,000 Forint").

              The Reverse of the 2,000 Forint Cupro-nickel coin

It shows an open Bible, with the Greek letters alpha on the left and omega on the right, standing for the beginning and the end, placed on a window-sill.

Believers say the Reformation sharpened the focus on the Holy Scriptures as the one true source.

Above the Bible, a dove can be seen in a window, indicating that the Bible can be understood only with the help of the Holy Spirit.

The legend "REFORMACIO 500 EVE" (meaning "500th Anniversary of the Reformation") is at the bottom of a ribbon-like bookmark, also indicating that the process has not ended and that reformation and renewal are always needed.

The mark of the sculptor, Róbert Csíkszentmihályi ("CSR"), is on the other end of the ribbon.

The specifications of this coin are:

Coin Quality: Brilliant Uncirculated; Metal Composition: .925 silver;  Diameter/Size: 38.61 mm (1.52 inches);  Weight: 30.80 grams;  Mintage limit: 5,000 coins. Year of issue: 2017; Issue Date: 31.10.2017.

Posted on 12.01.2018:

A Miniature Sheet of Stamps from Belgium Post, commemorating 500 Years of Reformation

Technical Details:

Issue Date: 12.06.2017

Size: 189.0 mm x 155.0 mm

Printer: Stamps Production, Belgium 

Process: combined photo-and rotogravure

Colours: four

Designer: Guillaume Broux and Myriam Voz

















26 comments:

  1. On the blog achieving 3.0 million pageviews on 27.11.2017:
    Dhruv Kumar Seth has commented:
    "mubarke sir"

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    1. Krishna Jee Verma has commented:
      "Great going. Congratulations."

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    2. Ramchandra Lalingkar has commented:
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    3. Krishnayya Ramadana has commented:
      "Congratulations on yet another mark Rajeev...."

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    4. Thank you so much, Krishnayya.

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    5. Greeshm Sinha has commented:
      "Congratulations Rajeev. It has always been a pleasure going through your posts. Very informative and interesting. Best wishes."

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    6. Thank you so much, GK. Much value your encouragement, as always.

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    7. Santosh Khanna has commented:
      "Congrats!"

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    8. Satyajit Pratap has commented:
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    10. Mita Banerjee has commented:
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    11. Thank you so much Mitaji for the constant encouragement.

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    12. Ajeet Shukla has commented:
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    13. Rsanker Sharma has commented:
      "Heartiest congratulations".


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    14. Thank you so much, Sharma sahab.

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    15. Kalpana Pratap has commented:
      "Congrats!"

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    16. Brijendra Singh Hora has commented:
      "Great, Rajeev. Keep it up. We are proud of you."

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    17. Thank you so much for your nice and encouraging comment.

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    18. Jayashree Mukherjee has commented:
      "Congratulations."

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