Trueman, Schnitzel, the Heidelberg disputation and psalms

Fascinating day, partly because in the order of things, I had the day off. Carl Trueman gave a brilliant defense of Creeds and Confessions, so brilliant that it made the "no creed but the Bible" folk sound like the lunatic fringe. Then a tour of the Heidelberg Castle (destroyed during the thirty years war and the Palatine War of Succession), followed by schintzel with Tom Martin and his dear wife (thanks Tom!), and the day ended with a psalm-fest in The Church of The Holy Ghost and a sermon (in German) from Sebastian Heck. Struck once again about the almost mystical quality of psalm-singing among our Dutch brothers and sisters. Carl was bobbing his head throughout, but what can I say?

During the Thirty Years War from 1618 to 1648, the collection of manuscripts and early printed books housed in the church was taken as a booty by Maximillian I, Elector of Bavaria and presented to the Pope. Of the approximately 5,000 books and 3,524 manuscripts taken, in 1816 a mere 885 were returned. The rest form the Bibliotheca Palatina section of the Vatican Library. For the University Jubilee, many of these books were briefly brought back and displayed in Heidelberg. Tragic. One more reason to be Protestant.