A name first given in Germany to those who adhered to the doctrine of Luther, because in 1529, they protested against a decree of the emperor Charles V. and the diet of Spires; declaring that they appealed to a general council. The same has also been given to those of the sentiments of Calvin; and is now become a common denomination for all those of the reformed churches.
See article REFORMATION; Fell's Four Letters on genuine Protestantism; Chillingworth's Religion of the Protestants; Robertson's Hist. of Charles V. vol. 2: p. 249, 250.
Despite a stated reliance on the plain meaning of the Bible and the dictates of common sense, Buck's Theological Dictionary, first published in London in 1802, seeks to provide a textual basis for the evangelical community. By combining brief essays on orthodox belief and practice with historical entries on various denominations, Buck provided an interpretive lens that allowed antebellum Protestants to see Christianity's almost two millennia as their own history.Wikipedia
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