Luther and his world by Graham Tomlin

Author:Graham Tomlin [Tomlin, Graham]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Biography & Autobiography, Religious, Religion, Christianity, History, Christian Church, Historical, Christian Theology
ISBN: 9780745955889
Google: dp6CiPWJQPQC
Publisher: Lion Books
Published: 2012-08-24T04:57:27+00:00

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‘Arise O Lord, judge thy cause… Now a wild boar from the forest threatens to ravage the vineyard.’

Pope Leo X, Exsurge Domine, 15 June 1520

* * *

Luther then rattled off a whole series of demands, 27 in total. They ranged over matters administrative (reducing the number of cardinals and the size of the papal curia in Rome), economic (a fierce critique of Fuggers and the practice of usury), nationalist (German churchmen should appoint German clergy, and German affairs should be determined by German courts), political (the papacy should give up all claim to territorial control or power), clerical (all begging monks should be outlawed, shrines for pilgrimages demolished and Masses for the dead banned) and educational (Aristotle, Lombard and the study of canon law should be banned from the universities and, in theology at least, should be replaced by a simpler study of the Bible and just a few good books of theology). The list was breathless, sweeping and outrageous. Once more, Luther made even his supporters cower when they read it. One of his closest friends, the Erfurt Professor whom he had known as a fellow-monk in the monastery, Johann Lang, tried to persuade Luther not to publish. Too late – it was already being devoured across Germany and beyond within a few days of publication. In Luther’s mind now, Rome was not part of the solution, it was the nub of the problem.

Luther’s excommunication

To Luther’s disappointment, the secular rulers admired what he had written, but did nothing. In Rome, however, it was different. Eck was on the warpath, urging action against the Saxon heretic and volunteering to hunt him out himself. Within Luther’s own Augustinian order, voices were heard suggesting that because Luther was bringing them shame and trouble, Staupitz should keep him quiet. Since Augsburg, Staupitz had distanced himself from his younger colleague, much to Luther’s dismay. He no longer had any power to make a difference. With the emperor question settled, Rome had no need to keep Frederick the Wise happy. Eck and a number of Italian cardinals worked on the draft of a ‘bull’, condemning Luther and threatening him with excommunication if he did not recant. It was delivered to a hunting lodge at Magliana, where Pope Leo X was hunting wild boar, at the beginning of May 1520. The final version was dated 15 June, and appeared on 24 July.

Luther was given 60 days to submit. The bull began by likening Luther to the wild boar so keenly hunted by the pope, wrecking the ordered vineyard of God’s church. It proceeded to list 41 of Luther’s statements, mainly on the sacraments, penitential practice and the authority of the papacy, which were pronounced heretical. If Luther recanted, then his books would be burned, but he would be given a safe conduct to Rome, should he choose to deliver the recantation in person. If he did not, he was to be treated as a barren heretic, cast out from the church, to be delivered to Rome for sentencing.

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