Luthers trial

The universities of Paris and Erfurt are chosen as judges. The eighteen-day debate addresses matters ranging from purgatory to indulgences to the primacy of the Church in Rome.

The Babylonian Captivity questions all but two of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. June 15, Pope Leo X, in the papal bull Exsurge Domine , warns Luther that he will be excommunicated unless he recants 41 sentences included in his 95 Theses within sixty days.

July 8, The pope writes to Frederick the Wise, sending him a copy of the bull and asking him to take Luther captive unless he recants his heresies. August Luther appeals to Caesar, in the person of Charles V, asking that his cause be heard and arguing that ecclesiastical authorities should be answerable to the state. October 11, The day after receiving a copy of the pope's bull, Luther writes, "This bull condemns Christ himself.

December 10, In Wittenberg, Luther publicly burns the papal bull threatening him with excommunication. January 3, Pope Leo X excommunicates Luther. February 6, Charles V receives Luther's appeal to Caesar and tears it up and tramples on it. Within weeks, however, concerned with the reaction of the German people if Luther were to be condemned without a hearing, he reconsiders his decision. March 11, The emperor sends an invitation to Luther to come to the Diet meeting at Worms within twenty-one days to "answer with regard to your books and your teaching.

Two thousand people help escort him to his lodging. Luther is to be asked by the Archbishop of Trier, Eck but not the Eck of the Leipzig debate , about the content of his books and his 95 Theses, and whether he stands by all of what he said.

He asks for time to consider his response. April 18, At his second hearing, Luther distinguishes between his books, allowing him to make a statement. On key points, however, he stands firm. He says, "My conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. The committee is unsuccessful in its efforts. April 26, Luther departs Worms.

A week later, after a staged kidnaping, Luther is taken to Wartburg. May 25, Charles V presents the final draft of the Diet of Worms "The Edict of Worms" that declares Luther an outlaw, authorizes his arrest, and bans his literature. The Edict makes it a crime to shelter Luther and permits anyone to kill Luther without risk of punishment. Late May Frederick the Wise devises a plan involving a staged abduction by armed horsemen to allow Luther to escape arrest.

He finds temporary refuge at Wartburg Castle. March Luther bravely returns to Wittenberg and begins a series of important lectures on core Christian values. Luther, in whose name the peasant groups committed some atrocities, sympathizes with many of the peasants' grievances, but urges them to obey authorities.

He writes a tract condemning the violence at the devil's work. June 13, Luther marries Katherine von Bora, a nun who had helped escape from a badly run convent.

Germany is divided into two camps. Luther is busy during this period writing sermons and working on building the church and shaping its institutions. August The Diet of Speyer reaffirms the Edict of Worms only for Catholic territories and allows Lutheranism to be tolerated in regions where it could not be effectively suppressed. After Lutheranism spreads, becoming the dominant faith in Scandinavia and, much later, gaining an extensive following in the United States.

The Catholic Church, shocked by the Reformation, undertakes a series of reforms of its own practices and institutions. February 18, Martin Luther dies at age 62 in Eisleben. He is later buried beneath the pulpit in the Castle Church in Wittenberg. Martin Luther Trial Homepage. November 10, Luther enters the University of Erfurt where, in accordance with his father's wishes, he plans to prepare himself to become a lawyer.

July 2, A bolt of lightening knocks Luther, still a student at the University of Erfurt, to the ground and Luther interprets this as a sign that he should become a monk.

Luther earns a degree in Biblical studies from the University of Wittenberg. Luther travels to Rome where he becomes disillusioned with the incompetence, flippancy, and immorality of the Italian clergy.

Luther becomes a professor of theology the Doctor in Bible at the University of Wittenberg. Luther studies the Bible and prepares series of lectures on Psalms, Romans, and Galatians.

Pope Leo X begins to sell indulgences. Luther, upset with the practice of selling indulgences, send a letter to Albrecht, Archbishop of Mainz and Magdeburg, questioning that and numerous other practices of the Catholic Church.

Augustians gather for a chapter meeting in Heidelberg. In a printed sermon, Luther questions the historical primacy of the Church in Rome and doubts the Church's power of excommunication. Luther is interviewed for three days in Augsburg by Cardinal Cajetan. The papal bull Cum Postquam officially defines the doctrine of indulgences, thus allowing Luther's prosecution for rejecting established dogma of the Church.

Luther files an appeal seeking a review of his case by a general council, which he claims is above the authority of the pope. Frederick the Wise sends to Cardinal Cajetan calling for a debate on the questions raised by Luther and indicating that he would not banish Luther, or send him to Rome, until he is formally convicted of heresy.

Not only did the German Estates not want to enforce the papal bull, but the people were so wildly supportive that Aleander wrote that nine-tenths of the Germans considered the name of Luther a war cry, and the other tenth was calling out, "Death to the court of Rome! Thus, the emperor decided to talk to Luther and promise him safe passage. Even Aleander agreed not to push any punishment on Luther except excommunication if he did not recant.

Luther went gladly to the Diet of Worms, anxious to defend his doctrines. He was all the more encouraged by the support of his friend, Philip Melancthon, a brilliant and able scholar.

He told Philip that if he were put to death, he would be comforted, for he knew that Philip could defend the truth better than he. Martin Luther spent 10 days traveling the miles from Wittenberg near modern Berlin to the Diet of Worms south of Frankfurt , where he knew his life would be in danger. Luther, though, would not be turned aside. Twenty-five books were laid before him on a table, and he was asked two questions, given in both German and Latin.

He hesitated, apparently intimidated by the setting and huge crowd of dignitaries, and he acknowledged in a barely audible voice—both in Latin and German—that they were his. He then asked for time to consider the second question because the matter involved the salvation of his soul and the truth of the Word of God.

Luther had time to think and to discuss things with friends. He gathered himself, and he returned to the Diet of Worms as composed and brave as he had been intimidated the day before. The moderator, Johann von Eck—a different Johann Eck than the one he debated in —phrased the question differently on this 2nd day of the trial at the Diet of Worms. He asked if Luther would defend all his books, or whether he would recant any part.

I don't know that a German would find this hilarious, but as an American Christian, for whom beer has such a negative connotation, I laughed out loud when I read the following story. A supporter, Duke Erik of Brunswick, saw how tired Martin Luther was when he left the diet, so he sent him a silver tankard of Eimbeck beer.

He drank out of it himself first to assure Luther that it was not poisoned. Luther, grateful, said, "As Duke Erik has remembered me today, may the Lord Jesus remember him in his last agony. Later, on his deathbed, the duke thought of that tankard of ale and claimed the words of the Jesus, "Whoever shall give to one of these little ones a cup of cold water in my name, he shall by no means lose his reward.

This was better than a cup of water! America's probably the first nation in history to consider drinking alcohol a sin. Martin Luther, then, amazingly and in an act of great boldness, exhorted the young emperor, 17 years his junior, not to begin his reign by condemning the Word of God. He reminded him of the judgments against pharaoh, the king of Babylon, and the ungodly kings of Israel. All this he said in German. He was requested to repeat himself in Latin, which he did with equal candor.

Because he had also added that if his works were proven to be false by Scripture, then he himself would burn his own books, Eck asked him to give a straighter answer. His views had already been refuted, Eck said, by the Council of Constance. Give us a direct answer, he demanded, "without horns.

Unless I am refuted and convicted by testimonies of the Scriptures or by clear arguments since I believe neither the Pope nor the Councils alone; it being evident that they have often erred and contradicted themselves , I am conquered by the Holy Scriptures quoted by me, and my conscience is bound in the word of God: I can not and will not recant any thing, since it is unsafe and dangerous to do any thing against the conscience.

History of the Christian Church , vol. VII, ch. This irritated Eck who began to dispute with him about whether councils could err. Finally, Luther could bear the dispute no more. Here I stand! I cannot do otherwise. God help me! The emperor was young, but he had some honesty. He honored his promise of safe passage. He gave Martin Luther 21 days to return to Wittenberg, after which time he would treat him as an obstinate heretic, which meant most likely that he would be put to death.

Luther accepted the safe passage from the Diet of Worms, and began to make his way to Wittenberg, but it was along the way that his protector, Frederick the Wise of Saxony, had him snatched by soldiers and delivered to Wartburg castle, near Eisenach. Martin Luther's fascinating story, and some details about the enigmatic Reformer's life are given on the Martin Luther page.

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