2017-10-14 Sat

An Augustinian monk named Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of a church in Wittenberg on 31st October 1517. The theses claimed that depending on the repentance of the sinner, God, and not Pope could forgive sins. He also opposed the practice of selling indulgences. This led to Protestant Reformation which became popular and was accepted by the society.

The Reformation started spreading in Hungary in mid-15th century. Hungarian language and literature started developing. According to the new ideology, the Bible should be available in native languages. New centers of culture developed. The first full Hungarian version of the Bible was translated by Gaspar Karoli and printed in Vizsoly. Apart from the Reformed Church, Lutheran Church and the Unitarian Church also had a great impact on the nation’s cultural history.

On 31st October, Hungary will be issuing a special 10,000-forint coin in silver and a 2,000-forint coin in copper-nickel to celebrate the Reformation’s 500th anniversary. Both coins have a mintage limit of 5,000 pieces. The proof quality .925 silver coin weighs 31.46 grams and costs $59.75. The brilliant uncirculated 2,000 forint copper-nickel weighs 30.8 grams, and costs $19.75.

The obverse depicts the facade of a church with open gates. The walls of the church depict a Protestant hymn composed of Martin Luther “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”. The window of the Church features a dove which is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. The rays from the open gates portray the flowing Holy Spirit. The reverse shows an open Bible, with the Greek letters alpha and omega for the beginning and the end. A dove is shown in a window above the Bible. The inscription “500th Anniversary of the Reformation” is placed below a ribbon-like bookmark. The mark of the sculptor, Róbert Csikszentmihalyi, is also featured on the coin.