Martin Luther and the Diet of Worms
The Defining Moment of the Protestant Reformation
As church historian Philip Schaff puts it, there can be no doubt that a new era began with the publication of Martin Luther’s 95 theses, which, much to his surprise, consequently brought him into an irreparable conflict with both the religious and political hierarchies of Medieval Christendom.
Having been summoned by a papal bull, Luther was eventually forced to appear before the Diet of Worms in 1521 to give him his last opportunity to recant (the first being his private meeting with Cardinal Cajetan who was disappointed by his stubbornness) so as to bring whatever he had so far started to an end. This, however — against the wishes of both the pope, Leo X, and the new emperor, formerly Charles I of Spain, now Charles V — only gave the Protestant Reformation a chance to have its own defining moment that would consequently bring about a major turning point in history.
The Papal Bull of Excommunication
Responses to his 95 theses from both sides of the spectrum led Luther into the defensive and offensive modes. His debate with John Eck of Leipzig gave him no choice but to defend the main points of his arguments, with the authority of Holy Scripture to back him up, against the sale of the indulgences. Eck, an expert of the Canon Law, resorted to the authority of the church to attack Luther, accusing the reformer of having technically questioned the pope himself who officially endorsed the trade of the indulgences in an effort to raise funds for the completion of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.
Offended by some of Luther’s propositions, Pope Leo X issued a papal bull to order the burning of his books and gave him two months to recant to avoid excommunication while promising to accept him graciously as did his father to the prodigal son in St. Luke’s gospel. Often driven by irresistible impulse, Luther composed these writings with open statements that directly attacked the authority of the Church of Rome, denounced the papacy as an anti-Christian tyranny and questioned the integrity of the councils of the Church (like the Council of Constance that sentenced John Huss to be burned at the stake after being declared a heretic.)
The papal bull appealed to the whole assembly of the saints to come against Luther, branding him as “the foolish man,” “the boar out of the wood” and “the wild beast of the field” that had broken into the Lord’s vineyard. Luther responded by burning the bull, which, according to Schaff, “was the last bull addressed to Latin Christendom as an undivided whole, and the first which was disobeyed by a large part of it.” This gesture on Luther's part ended once and for all any possibility for reconciliation.
Luther at the Diet of Worms
So Charles V held his first diet (a general assembly of the estates of the Holy Roman Empire) at Worms, the primary aim of which was to force Luther to recant, threatening him of excommunication and condemnation should he refuse to. It is must be mentioned here, albeit briefly, that this event was surrounded by political maneuverings at which point the emperor was thinking of using Luther against the pope who only recently supported his rival to the imperial throne, Frederick I of France.
Protected by Frederick the Wise, Elector of Saxony, who did his best to secure his safe trip to Worms in fear of possible assassination, Luther appeared before the diet in a highly electrified atmosphere. He was asked to recognize the books he wrote and if he still held to the convictions contained therein, and was also given the chance to recant.
Thinking that he was at that very moment facing the authority of the Church and the emperor himself, whom he still believed were ordained by God in spite of their errors, he could not make up his mind. Out of his fear of the Divine Majesty, he asked the assembly to give him time until the next day to issue a statement. His request was granted in spite of some objections.
The next day gave the Protestant Reformation its own defining moment in history. Luther was not permitted to utter any more words except to say whether he recants or not. He disobeyed and took the chance to state his cause arguing that he was simply dealing with basic Christian doctrine while at some points addressing the tyranny and injustice inflicted upon his fellow Germans by those in authority.
Finally, Luther could appeal to no other but the authority of Holy Scripture and of plain reason, declaring that his conscience was captive to the Word of God. This being the case, he had no other choice but to refuse to recant. His voice rang like a thunder all throughout Europe, forcing people in the continent to make a choice - to remain Catholic or embrace the new faith called Protestantism.
References:
- Gonzalez, Justo. The Story of Christianity Volume 2. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 1985.
- Schaff, Phillip. History of the Christian Church Volume VII. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997.
- Kreis, John Steven. "Lecture 3: The Protestant Reformation." The History Guide: Lectures on Early Modern European History.
Luther Before the Diet of Worms
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