Page 375 - Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible Christianity. Based on the King James Bible

LUTHERAN

The sale of indulgences brought a fortune into the the pope or to the councils, because it is as clear as day
pope’s coffers, but it also wrecked havoc on the morals that they have frequently erred and contradicted each
of the people. Deceived into thinking that they could other. Unless therefore I am convinced by the
avoid God’s judgment upon sin by the purchase of a testimony of scripture, or by the clearest reasoning,
piece of paper, the people descended into the grossest and unless they thus render my conscience bound by
immorality. the word of God, I cannot and I will not retract, for it is
unsafe for a Christian to speak against his conscience.
On October 31, 1517, Luther nailed his 95 theses to Here I take my stand; I cannot do otherwise: may God
the door of the Castle Church at Wittenberg, protesting be my help! Amen.”
the sale of indulgences. In the spring of the next year, he Upon hearing this, the Emperor issued a judgment
defended his position before an assembly of Augustinian against Luther and forbade him to continue speaking or
monks in Heidelberg, Germany. The pope wrote to writing. If Luther disobeyed the order, the Emperor
Frederick, Elector of Saxony (called Frederick the Wise), vowed to “proceed against him and his adherents, as
and asked him to turn Luther over to Cardinal Cajetan, contumacious heretics, by excommunication, by
but the brave Frederick refused to do so. Luther then interdict, and by every means calculated to destroy
agreed to meet the cardinal at Augsburg, and there he them.”
told him that he was not afraid of the Pope. Upon A plan was made by some Roman Catholics to
learning of the failure of the cardinal to force Luther to assassinate Luther on his way back to Saxony, but
submit, the Pope was outraged and wrote again to Frederick heard about it and arranged to have Luther
Frederick demanding that he surrender Luther. He again kidnapped by his own men, disguised as bandits, and
refused. Soon thereafter, Luther and Andrew Carlstadt carried to the Castle of Wartburg for safe keeping. While
conducted a public debate with Catholic leader John there, Luther assumed the attire and appearance of a
Eccius, commonly known as Dr. Eck. Failing to win over country gentleman and called himself Squire George. It
Luther and the budding reformation through reason, was in this castle that Luther finished the first draft of
Pope Leo issued a papal bull on June 15, 1520, his German translation of the New Testament during the
condemning Luther’s writings to the fire and delivering summer of 1521.
Luther himself over to the devil, unless he recanted
within 60 days. Luther answered by burning the bull in In March 1522, Luther returned to Wittenberg and
December outside the walls of Wittenberg. restored peace in the midst of a great disturbance that
had been caused by Carlstadt and others who were
In the meantime, a deluge of pamphlets defending pushing for a violent overthrow of Romanism. They had
the Protestant position were published and distributed entered churches and destroyed images. Luther was
throughout Germany, France, Switzerland, England, and opposed to the violence and his opinions held sway in
elsewhere, and these accomplished the establishment of the city. He then turned his attention to a revision of his
the Reformation churches. New Testament, and in September 1522, he published
At the instigation of the Pope, the new emperor of it. With its lovely and vigorous German and coming, as
Germany, Charles V, called upon Luther to appear before it did, in the midst of a general religious agitation, it
an assembly of the states of the German monarchy in became a national treasure almost overnight. Within ten
1521. The assembly (diet) was called the Diet of Worms, years, at least 58 editions of the Luther Bible were
so named for its location. Frederick, Luther’s protector, printed and hundreds of thousands of copies were sold.
would only allow Luther to go on two conditions, that The Old Testament appeared in 1530.
he would be given a safe-conduct and that he would be Luther’s chief co-laborer was Philip Melanchthon
allowed to return to Saxony no matter what the verdict (1497-1560), a fellow professor at the University. He
of the assembly. Before Luther arrived, the pope’s helped Luther organize his state church and wrote a
nuncio, Aleander, addressed the assembly with great systematic theology and commentaries on the New
eloquence, claiming that Luther’s writings contained Testament. He had a key role in preparing Lutheran
enough errors to burn a hundred thousand heretics. confessions of faith.
Being promised safe conduct by the emperor, Luther
appeared before the assembly in April to answer for At the Diet of Speyer in 1529, Emperor Charles V
himself. When asked if the 20 books arranged on a table condemned the Lutheran movement and forbade its
before the assembly were his, Luther replied that they spread. Many of the German princes of the various
were. When asked if he would retract, he gave this provinces and free cities protested the order, and they
famous answer: were called PROTESTANTS. These princes formed the
Schmalkald League in 1530, and since Charles V was
“Since your most serene Majesty and the princes already hard pressed by the actions of the warring
require from me a clear, simple, and precise answer, I
will give it thus: — I cannot submit my faith either to

Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible & Christianity 375