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Jews Readmitted to England (27 July 1656)

The readmission of Jews to England in 1656 marked a quiet but profound shift in English religious life, revealing how the Reformation reshaped ideas of tolerance, Scripture, and national identity. A Return After Centuries of Exile On 27 July 1656, a small group of Sephardic Jews petitioned Oliver Cromwell’s government for permission to live openly in England. Their request was simple: allow them to worship freely, bury their dead, and trade without fear of expulsion. It was a modest appeal. Its significance was enormous. Jews had been expelled from England in 1290 by Edward I. For more than three centuries, England had no legally recognised Jewish community. Their return in 1656 was not announced with fanfare. No public decree was issued. No formal act of Parliament was passed. Instead, Cromwell quietly allowed them to stay. This understated decision became one of the most important moments in the history of religious toleration in the English-speaking world. Why Jews Were Expelled in ...
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The Five Solas: A Beginner’s Guide

The Reformation produced many things: controversy, new churches, angry popes, and a surprising number of pamphlets. But its most enduring legacy might be the Five Solas, which are basically a summarisation of the reformation.

The Five Solas weren’t written by a single person or at one moment in history — they emerged gradually from the ideas of several Protestant Reformers in the 16th century.

  • Martin Luther first expressed solus Christus, sola gratia, sola fide, and later sola scriptura through his writings and sermons.
  • Philip Melanchthon, Luther’s colleague, used the phrase sola gratia justificamus et sola fide justificamur (“only by grace are we justified and only by faith are we justified”) in 1554.
  • John Calvin reinforced these same principles in his Institutes of the Christian Religion, though he never listed them formally.

The five statements were not assembled as a unified set until the 20th century, when theologians such as Theodore Engelder (1916), Emil Brunner (1934), and Eberhard Jüngel (1957) systematised them into the familiar list:
Sola Scriptura, Sola Fide, Sola Gratia, Solus Christus, and Soli Deo Gloria.

Sola Scriptura — Scripture Alone

This doesn’t mean Christians ignore tradition. It means the Bible is the highest authority. If Scripture and tradition disagree, Scripture wins.

Sola Fide — Faith Alone

You don’t earn salvation. You trust Christ. No indulgences, no spiritual point‑scoring, no cosmic loyalty program.

Sola Gratia — Grace Alone

Salvation is a gift, not a reward. God saves because He is gracious, not because we are impressive.

Solus Christus — Christ Alone

No saints, no priests, no spiritual middle‑management. Salvation comes through Christ and Christ alone.

Soli Deo Gloria — To the Glory of God Alone

Everything — salvation, worship, life — is ultimately for God’s glory, not ours.

Why do the Five Solas matter today?

Because they answer questions people still ask:

  • Who has authority?
  • How are we saved?
  • What is the Church for?
  • What is life ultimately about?

The Solas remain a clear, simple summary of the Reformation’s basic ideas.

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