He was on the run. He had been living in a monastery but left in haste. His loyalty to the Reformation had become a sticking point. A sympathetic friend who operated a print shop in Basel offered him temporary asylum. His friend also gave him a proofreading job–quite a demotion for someone used to turning out scholarly work.
Johannes Oecolampadius (1482-1531) made the most of his meager circumstances and started teaching the Bible on the side to people in German. This was a big deal since the only language read and spoken in church was Latin. There was a day when Latin was common but that was well before his time. Nobody had any use for Latin anymore except the ruling class. People were so enthusiastic to hear the good news about Jesus in their native tongue that they closed their shops to listen.
When the pastor at St. Thomas Church in Basel became seriously ill, Johannes was asked to substitute for him. He spoke the liturgy, read the gospel lesson and preached the sermon, all in German. The people loved it. Only the music continued in Latin since professional choirs did all the singing and were trained to sing musical responses to the liturgy in Latin. On Easter Sunday in 1526, the congregation spontaneously sang the hymns in German during worship. Nothing like this had ever been done before. Traditionalists appealed to the city council to outlaw such singing. Not a chance. The congregation continued to sing the German hymns with gusto.
Worship in the language of the people became a Reformation essential. A few years later, Johannes’ friend who provided him shelter and a job succeeded in printing the Bible in German. Johannes’ prayer reminds us how seriously the Reformers regarded confession: