German 1483: In this world of confusion and darkness, there was one great consolation.

The Church and its promise of hea en. This promise had made the Church the most powerful institution on earth. !ich "e#ond counting, mightier than kings, "ut also corrupt and t#rannical. $n empire that would "e o erturned "# one man. %artin &uther. The idea that we should stand up for the things that we "elie e, the idea that e er# person is precious in the sight of God. 'e took on the Catholic Church, this immense and enduring institution and said, ( )ou are wrong, &et us now come to the right.* There are er# few cases where #ou ha e one indi idual standing literall#, "efore the arra#ed might of the world and sa#ing, (+ope I won,t "ack down.* %artin &uther, the man who would one da# challenge the supremac# of the Catholic Church came from a cit# where the Church reigned supreme. The most important thing to remem"er a"out Christianit# is that, in a wa#, its,s the onl# game in town. It is the onl# ma-or stor# that is allowed to "e told and that is told s#stematicall#, and it,s em"edded in the culture and institutions e er#where #ou go. The Church stood at the center of &uther,s childhood world. It,s churches la# scattered across the countr#. The Church,s power la# in the one great comfort it promised: If #ou followed its rules and performed its rituals, #ou would escape the horrors of this worlds and find eternal happiness in hea en. .ut the Church e/erted as much control o er life on earth as it did in hea en. It,s rules and laws permeated e er# aspect of dail# life. The Church declared whose "irth was legitimate, It declared whose marriages were lawful. It declared whose wills were alid. $nd in that wa#, it actuall# inserted itself and its legal s#stem into the li es of ordinar# people at e er# point, not -ust its own mem"ers "ut all the reast of the communit#. &ike so man# around him, the #oung &uther em"raced the Church. 'e ser ed as an altar "o#, sang in the choir. 0or here was a ision of harmon# and peace, while life at home seems to ha e caused onl# pain and anguish. 'is father had high e/pectations for his son. 'e was determined for him to clim" e en higher up the social ladder and "ecome a law#er. .ut &uther,s was not a happ# home. &uther pro ides us with man# memoris of his childhood, and those memories are not entirel# positi e. %emories of failure, memories of "eing punished "# his father for his failures or for his diso"edience. The impression we get is that he is someone who "elie es that he will not li e up to the e/pectations the other ha e concerning him. 'ans &uther was a fierce -udge of his son. The fear of punishment and failing would resound in &uther for the rest of his life. $t first, &uther followed the path laid out for him. 'e was sent to the "est schools in the area. !ecei ed is .achelors and %asters degrees. 'owe er in the #ear of 1121, plague struck his cit#. 3isease ran amok through the cit#,s narrow streets, lea ing death and anguish in its wake. The plague came upon the people without warning. 4ome people were struck down, others were spared. 4ome towns were de asted "# it. +o"od# knew how #ou caught it at the time. +o"od# knew wh# #ou caught it e/cept that the# had a general sense that God was punishing them for their sins. It was a terri"le isi"le sign of punishment. The plague had killed almost a half of 5urope,s population in the pre ious hundred #ears. This glimpse of man,s mortalit# and the fear of God,s wrath would lead to the first great turning point in &uther,s

life. &uther now 63, was returning to 5rfurt after a isit to his famil#, when suddenl# he was caught in a massi e thunderstorm. +o one knows e/actl# what happened to &uther that night, "ut is struck him to his er# soul. (4uddenl# surrounded "# the terror and agon# of death, I felt constrained to ow m#self to God.* 7ith three friends alread# lost to the plague, now faced with death himself, &uther struck a "argain with God. 'e owed to "ecome a monk. The close e/perience of death itself reall# makes #ou think, (7hat state is m# soul in8 7hat is the "alance here8* 7e,re talking almost a sort of spiritual accountanc#. The thunder"olt in effect marked out two paths 9 he could go down the path his father wanted him to go down, or he could go down a path which, in his own unconscious reflections, he was "eginning to feel that he ought to go down. 'e stopped doing what his father wanted him to do and from that moment on, he was free to de ote himself to the life of the spirit, to search the uni erse for answers that he urgentl# re:uired. 'e was o" iousl# a person of spiritual sensi"ilities. ($h, how m# father rages when he found his son would no law#er. Two weeks after the night in the forest, he "ecame a monk. .ut &uther,s new home was as much as "usiness as a spiritual retreat. The a""ot was running a thri ing trade in d#eing cloth. The monks had a "rewer# distilling a rather popular "eer. 7hile the monaster# owned land across the neigh"orhood, making a tid# income off of rent and tithes. $ll diligentl# accounted for in the monaster#,s e/tensi e "usiness records. The Church wouldn,t ha e pleaded for support from its people. It would ha e demanded it and re:uired it. It has the power to le # tithes. $nd people, on the whole, were willing to pa# those tithes, "ecause the# were taught so firml#, right from their earliest childhood, that if the# did not ha e the ser ices of the Church, their souls would "e in peril. This profiteering of the Church would ultimatel# outrage and disgust &uther. .ut for now, he was concerned onl# with his soul. 5 er#thing that &uther did throughout his life, &uther did to the "rim. &uther did e er#thing 122;, 112;. &uther was increasingl# concerned that he might ne er please God., that he would ne er make it to hea en. The greater sense of his despair, the more &uther threw himself into the rituals of the Church. &uther dearl# cared a"out "eing reconciled to the 'ea enl# 0ather and doing what God willed him to do. $nd we can see his :uest, his agoni<ing, his deep seriousness. 7e hope he will find some resolution, otherwise, he,s going to lead a tormented life. 0or fi e #ears, &uther la"ored without relief. In 1112, he was offered an escape from his cloistered life. 'e was sent "# this order on a mission to !ome, one of the Church,s greatest pilgrimages. !ome was the capital of the !oman Catholic Church, and indeed, from the 7estern perspecti e , it is the capital of Christendom, period. &uther immediatel# decided he would make the "est spiritual use of this trip that he could. !ome was a treasure tro e of holiness, the home of 4t. =eters,, the pope, the remains of countless saints and mart#rs. Tens of thousands of pilgrims flocked to !ome e er# #ear, all hoping the -ourne# would "ring them closer to God. &uther arri ed in !ome -ust as the !enaissance was reaching its height. %ichelangelo was painting the ceilings of the 4istine Chapel. !aphael was hard at work decorating the pope,s pri ate apartments. To the #oung monk, the !oman >the 5ternal Cit#? was a re elation. &uther was a er# northern, pro incial "o#. 7hen &uther first approached !ome and entered into the cit#, he seems to ha e "een a"solutel# o erwhelmed, "# the idea that here he was in the 'ol# Cit#. $nd it took a little while for the gloss to wear off, although wear off it did.

$mong the palaces and great churches, &uther would now disco er a er# earthl# institution. 0or this cit# was a much a"out mone# as religion. The papac# as an institution for gathering in cash was reall# kind of a huge sink for sucking in mone# from throughout 5urope. The Church ma# ha e taught that mone# is at the root of all e il, and to lend it at interest, for e/ample, is a mortal sin. .ut in realit#, of course, the Church dealt in millions of ducats. &uther had entered in the head:uarters of a 5urope@wide corporation. 4upported on the profits of monasteries such as his own, on the donations of the faithful, and fees that were charged for e er#thing from a wedding license to a cardinalship. The most important thing to remem"er a"out the papac# in the earl# 1Ath centur# that it has "een, for a few hundreds of #ears alread#, it has "een "asicall# a state, a state with all the characteristics of a state. It has "ureaucrac#, it has palaces, it has magnificent "uildings, shopping commerce. It has e er#thing that a great !enaissance prince has. The kind of people who floated to the top in the Church tended to "e people who would "e prett# rough@cut "usinessman. $nd the need to ha e these sort of powerful managers and politicians e/plains wh# !ome was a spiritual place full of a lot of unspiritual people. In !ome, &uther disco ered a c#nicism that shocked him to the core. The disappointment in !ome must ha e "een a"solutel# de astating. 'ere was something which, I think, he was still open to find as a sort of ele ating e/perience to go to the pinnacle of the institution that in different wa#s he has "ecome a ser ant of and #et finding that, in a wa#, no"od# speaks his language in more wa#s of one. Bne of the "iggest mone# makers for the church was the selling what was called (indulgences, which for a fee released #ou from time in purgator# after death. The chance to "u# time off from purgator# was an e/tremel# attracti e offer for the faithful. $nd er# profita"le for the Church. .ut as &uther trekked from one pilgrimage site to another, desperate to find sal ation, he was o ertaken "# a steadil# mounting fearC could all this reall# "ring him closer to God8 Dntil finall#, it is said that &uther collapsed, :uestioning for the first time the teachings of the Church for which he had owed his life. (7ho knows if it is reall# so8* &uther was clearl# er# disillusioned "# !ome, not simpl# "# the spiritual superficialit#, "ut also "# the wa# in which he felt that !ome simpl# did not reflect Christianit# as he understood it. &uther had a sense of the answer ha ing eluded him. 'e did not ha e a feeling of God,s lo ing him an# "etter. Thus, he had to find an answer in some other wa#. &uther,s trip to !ome had "rought onl# disillusionment and dou"t. $nd life in the monaster# now offered e en less consolation that "efore. There is something a"out &uther who feels that he ne er can :uite do it, and #et he has to do it. 'e would confess and "e a"sol ed. That,s the wa# the Church dealt with the issue. 'e threw himself into the scriptures, stud#ing not onl# the standard &atin te/ts of the Church "ut also reading them in new Greek and 'e"rew editions. $nd as he pondered, noted and reasoned his wa# through his faith, &uther was struck "# a "uilding re elation, a re elation that :uestioned e er#thing he has "een taught a"out his church. &uther has "een "rought up to "elie e that the person who was sa ed is the person who went out and achie e sal ation. 'e now "egan to reali<e that to recei e sal ation, #ou simpl# put out #our empt#, open hands and recei ed this gift which God wanted #ou to recei e. 4o what &uther is sa#ing is that #ou don,t necessaril# need the institution of the Church. )ou don,t need the intercession of priests, #ou don,t need these great papal ceremonies to get to hea en. This whole thing is not a"out #ou and the Church 9 it,s a"out #ou and God. It was a re olutionar# moment. 0or his whole life, &uther "elie ed that is was through the rituals of the Church that he would achie e sal ation. .ut now he reali<ed that sal ation could onl# take place

directl# "etween God and the indi idual. +o earthl# institution could "elie e for #ou, atone for #ou, or stand "etween #ou and #our God. &uther states ($t this, I felt m#self to ha e "een "orn again and to ha e entered through open gates into hea en alread#.* .ut on one, least of all &uther himself, could ha e anticipated the "la<e of turmoil and re olt he was a"out to ignite. 4e en #ears had passed since &uther,s isit to !ome. In that time, =ope Eulius II had died. 'e was succeed "# &eo F, $nd &eo was a man de oted to the pleasures of the world. 7ithin two #ears, &eo has emptied the papal treasuries. 'e was forced to halt work on the Church,s greatest e/tra agance #et, the glorious "asilica of 4t. =eter,s. Bne of the greatest "uilding schemes in 5uropean histor#, and all the great artists, sculptors and architects of the Italian !enaissance, without e/ception took part in this scheme. It -ust sucked in mone#, as "uilding pro-ects do suck in mone#. &eo was unconcerned. To refill his treasuries, he turned to one of the Church,s most pro en methods for raising mone#C selling indulgences, charging the faithful for entr# into hea en. This indulgence was "asicall# a piece of paper sold for a er# appropriate sum of mone#, incidentall# ad-usted to #our means, which promised to pa# the "earer on demand forgi eness of sins. &eo,s indulgence had a num"er of uni:ue "enefits. )ou could "u# one not -ust for #ourself "ut also for #our dead relati es. $nd it pardons an astonishing arra# of sins. It was said that is would e en forgi e se/ual intercourse with the Girgin %ar#, had that "een possi"le. 'ere was sal ation in e/changed for a sum. The sums of mone# tr#ing to "e raised in the 11H indulgence are er#, er# large, and we,re talking tens of thousands of gulden. 7e,re talking in modern mone#, man# millions. &eo made careful preparations for the issuing of his new indulgence. 'e "rought in a 3ominican friar called Eohann Tet<el to handle the sales and the =!. 'e had chosen well. Tet<el was a mar elous ad ertising e/ecuti e who had a wonderful line in promotional -ingles and slogans. 'e almost in ented the ad erti<ing -ingle, #ou see. 'e would sa#, (7hen the coin in 'is coffer rings, then the soul hea enward wings.* &eo waited for his empt# coffers to fill with the donations of the faithful. .ut for &uther, his moment of re elation had left him with one simple message. (4al ation was a gift from God, a gift recei ed through faith. ( and that meant that Church had no right to sell redemption. The assurance gi en to the church mem"ers that the# are sa ed "ecause of their piece of paper, &uther thinks is totall# an illusionI and that the#,re likel# to "e damned as a result of this. 4o for him, this is a er# serious matter. 'e,s angr#, "ecause this reall# counts. =eoples, li es are at stake. If the# get this wrong, the# can go to hell. This monk who had once "een the Church,s most de oted ser ant, now turned on the institution to which he had owed his life. Bn the e ening of the 31 st of Bcto"er, J111H &uther sat down and penned a furious litan# of criticism 9 K1 stinging "ullet points, or theses that lashed into the pope and the trade in indulgences. Then he nailed them to the door of 7itten"erg,s Castle Church. It was a "listering attach on the greatest power of the da#. God,s "lessing is freel# a aila"le without the ke#s of the pope. Indulgences are trul# pernicisous. The# induce complacenc# and imperil sal ation. The pope is richer than Croesus. 'e would do "etter to sell 4t. =eter,s and gi e the mone# to the poor people. In sum, what the K1 Theses are sa#ing is, (7here are the limits of papal power8 The first one I think opened the agenda er# well indeed, is the forgi eness lies in repentance. 4o the# are reall# calling into :uestion, I think, papal power. This is an issure at the heart of faith. It has to "e "rought out into the open. It is summoning up the minds, and those who would dare defend these practices, or a"uses, to come out and to show their proof. Bf course for him, scripture is the "asis for discussion.

4cripture and clear reason. There is still much discussion of ho much trou"le &uther actuall# wanted to cause. It was standard practice to pin te/ts for academic discussion to the church door. The# weren,t intended to "e pu"lished. The#,re in &atin, The#,r technical. The# are difficult to understand in places. .ut at the same time, it,s -ust a little "it difficult, reading the st#le of the K1 theses and the fact that &uther is thinking so hard and feeling so strongl#, to imagine that he -ust wanted this to "e nothing more than a pri ate con ersation with an ecclesiastical high@up. It,s hard not to think that he had at least the threat of going pu"lic in his mind. In the end, other people did it for him. &uther was a"out to "ecome one of the first top@selling authors in histor#. &ess than H2 #ears "efore, another German, Guten"urg, had perfected the world,s first printing press. $lread# printers were running off countless "ooks and pamphlets, e en &eos, indulgences. $nd now &uther,s outspoken work was copied down and set for printing. The Theses would spread like wildfire across German# setting &uther and all 5urope on a path no one could ha e anticipated. +ot er# hidden within them is the potential to undo the authorit# of the pope. The pope himself was a sponsor of indulgences, including their sale. This was not done without his appro al. $nd what right did some upstart friar ha e to call them into :uestion. &uther reall# didn,t anticipate the consternation that this would arouse at the er# highest le el. .ut it was not for nothing that the Catholic Church had held power for o er a thousand #ears. It had a name for people like &uther. The# were apostate. >heretics?. $nd the penalt# for heres# was death. The stage had "een set for the Church,s greatest conflict in its histor#. $ "attle "etween the most powerful institution on earth and one solitar# monk.

Martin Luther has nailed one document to its door of the Church. The 95 Theses, 95 stinging attacks on the mighty Catholic Church and its head, the pope. Luther has no idea that with this one gesture, he has unleashed a hurricane. A storm of violence that will rage across urope, chance the face of !estern civili"ation forever and sweep him towards an epic confrontation with the greatest powers of the day. Martin Luther, # god knows $ never thought $ would go so far as $ did. $ would never had thought that such a storm would rise %ome over one simple scrap of paper. Luther never intended for his 95 Theses to create the tumult they did. &ut in %ome, the head'uarters of the Catholic Church, they caused outrage and horror, not (ust )ecause they critici"ed the pope, )ut also )ecause they were massively popular. The These touch a nerve for several reasons. $ssues of moment to a large num)er of people at the time a)out the Church and its relationship in the economy.. !hat is salvation* !hat do people have to do to )e saved* And it+s that com)ination, in a time when people were really resenting the way in which the Church was taking advantage of that desire to )e saved, all that came together and made these something that people talked a)out. &ut the Church had a name for works like this. They were heresy. And heresy called for a swift response. The first victims were Luther+s )ooks. And the ne,t would )e Luther himself. The ultimate punishment for a heretic was that they could )e cut off from the Church.. and handed over to lay (ustice, which would sentence them to death.. in a rather hypocritical phrase that they used, #without the shedding of )lood,- which usually meant )urning or drowning. .nly /00 years )efore, a man named 1uss had critici"ed the Church for much the same reason

as Luther. 1uss was promised a safe hearing, only to then )e roasted alive. The papacy can crush, there+s no two ways a)out it. $t+s an ama"ingly efficient machine for detecting of error through the $n'uisition, for e,ample, and through the elimination of individuals. !e have to say that Luther has entered an arena of e,tremely high gladiatorial risk with a strong possi)ility of e,ecution. 2or Martin Luther, the mounting fury of the Catholic Church would inspire not dou)t and fear, )ut an e,traordinary courage.. that would only grow stronger with every attack he faced. There+s no dou)t5 that Luther is frightened )y some of the threats made against him. &ut alongside this is this very strong idea that is the Christian life is )eing lived authentically, then you must e,pect to suffer. Luther sees the criticism of him almost as a confirmation of his vocation as a reformer. Martin Luther continues right on )ecause he+s a man of )oth high idealism, resolve, and naivet3. .ne has to admire that kind of single4minded pursuit of an ideal. Luther s'uared up to the Church with a style of opposition it had never encountered )efore. 1e was utterly dismissive of its threats. The pope demanded that Luther disown the 95 Theses. Luther refused. The pope sent a cardinal to interrogate him. Luther was unimpressed. 1e is no more fitted to handle the case than an ass to play on a harp. And then Luther was charged with heresy. 1e remained defiant. #$ demand they show me a)solutely, not respectively, distinctly and not confusedly, certainly and not pro)a)ly, (ust what is heretical. $ think the difficulty that Church faced was this5 the more it tried to silence Luther, the greater Luther )ecame convinced that he had a vocation which needed to )e seen through. #$ desired to )elieve freely, and to )e a slave to the authority of no one, whether council, university, or pope. And $ was )ound not only to assert the truth, )ut to defend it with my )lood and death.$n %ome, Luther+s writings were causing mounting fury, 6ope Leo 7 now turned to the mightiest weapon in his arsenal5 e,communication. !ith this, Leo could condemn Luther to an eternity of hell in the ne,t world and make him an outcast in this. To the average Christian, papal e,communication meant that if you died without )eing reconciled to the Church, you spent eternity in hellish torment. The document was drafted at Leo+s magnificent hunting lodge outside of %ome, and the te,t reflected the pontiff+s favored leisure pursuit5 the stalking of wild )oar. Leo 75- Arise, . Lord, 6rotect yourself, for a wild )oar of the forest is seeking to destroy your vineyard. !e must proceed against this Martin Luther to his condemnation and damnation, as one whose faith is notoriously suspect, and is , in fact, a true heretic.- 8ealed with the great papal em)lem of the crossed keys of 8t. 6eter, this document should have sealed Luther+s fate, not least )ecause it could place him open to arrest )y any secular or Church authority. &ut as Leo was raising the stakes in %ome, Luther was discovering that he had a new and powerful weapon on his side. 2or movements to spread, their ideas need to spread, and for Luther, it was providential that a means of disseminating these ideas had suddenly )ecome availa)le through the printing press. $n our own day and age, we+re very award of how much things have )een changed )y the $nternet. !hat the internet is to our day, printing was to Luther+s day. $t meant that ideas could travel. They could not )e stopped. Luther had watched as the printers had spread his 95 Theses across 9ermany. And he had reali"ed that their presses could offer him a vast new audience. Martin Luther is said to have )een the first propagandist, the first person to really e,ploit this new medium. 1e perceived that he could gain an audience that was far larger than he could have done without it. Luther penned a new te,t. Luther painted a vivid picture of the financial drain that was %ome. #9erman money in violation of nature, flies over the Alps. :to %ome;. 1e talks a)out the self4indulgence of the papacy, the num)ers of secretaries, thousands

of secretaries, that the pope has, the way in which the pope rides around the city, with a verita)le train of attendants. And all of this is to suggest that that is what 9ermany money is )eing used for. Luther, in no uncertain terms, was arguing that the powers of 9ermany should stand up to %ome and the pope. $t was truly a radical agenda. Luther was arguing that not (ust the clergy, )ut every 9erman, had a stake in their church. .ne of the great themes of this appeal to the 9erman no)ility is that it is ordinary people, ordinary Christians < not the priest < ordinary Christians, who have a 9od4given role to play in the running of the Church. $f we were to use modern ways of speaking, we+re talking here a)out the democrati"ation of religion. &ut Luther+s revolutionary work would have a far more immediate conse'uence. $t would now save him from )eing handed over to the Church for trial and e,ecution. &ut the #Address to the Christian =o)ility- was attracting attention in even higher circles. The 1oly roman mperor. Charles is a devout Catholic. 1e really intends to preserve the Catholic faith. 1e is a champion, in some sense, of the papacy, )ut he+s only /9 years old at the time he+s elected 1oly %oman mperor. 1e is really in over his head and he wants to keep the Luther issue from spinning out of control. $t was proposed that Luther should )e allowed to argue his case )efore Charles himself at his ne,t parliament in the 9erman city of !orms. $t was a crucial moment. Luther was given the chance to present his case at one of the most influential gatherings in urope. Luther, #$ was not trying to gain praise and fame with my writings and little )ooks, for almost everyone $ knew condemned my harsh and stinging tone. &ut $ thought that, even if the present age condemned me, may)e the (udgment of future generations would )e )etter. Leo 7 great )ull of e,communication was )eing slowly carried north )y a papal emissary. 1e had )een instructed to display it in every town he came to, as a warning to anyone who felt sympathy with Luther and his writings. &ut the further north he traveled the less support he found. At rfurt, where Luther had once studies, the emissary had hundreds of copies of the )ull printed. &ut the university students response was to throw every copy into the city+s river, sarcastically renaming the )ull a #)ulloon- and saying they wanted to see it float. And all the while, Luther+s writings were gathering an ever4larger audience. 1e wrote very well. $n fact, he wrote very wittily. $n fact, he wrote very rudely, and many people found themselves fascinated )y this man who would use such crude language when arguing with the pope and with the Church. 1e+s very, very savvy. 1e+s grown up from a very young age amongst )ooks and writings and )ookishness, and he+s terrifically good at instinctively sensing what will work for whom. 1e is an incredi)le writer. 1e uses earthy, ordinary language. 1e+s (ust fun to read out loud. 1e+ sarcastic, he+s witty, he+s profound. 1e is a great comforter. $f you get attacked )y Luther, you+re (ust torn up one side and down the other. 6rinted along with Luther+s te,ts, for those who could not read were visual parallels. 9raphic woodcuts showing the pope lu,uriating in corruption, even the pope as servant of 8atan. 2or Luther and his followers were )eginning to see the struggle with %ome as an epic )attle with the devil himself. 1e understands the world through the lens of the &i)le. 1e is convinced that he is dealing with the Antichrist. This was an apocalyptic struggle. Luther now had only a few months until his great showdown )efore Charles at the >iet of !orms. And Leo+s )ull of e,communication would reach him )efore then. 1e had one further goal5 to set down in detail a whole new system of faith. And it was this work that turned Luther from a voice of reform into one of outright revolution. $t would l)e named #on the &a)ylonian

Captivity of the Church-. $f you are going to )uild, you sometimes have to demolish, and this is a work of considera)le destructive harshness. &a)ylon is the city of evil, and the Church has )een really kidnapped. The Church has )een taken into &a)ylon. $t+s )een, it+s really )een heisted. The Church has )een taken over. 8o it+s in captivity and it+s got ot )e let out. The Church has got to )e li)erated. Luther now attacked the very heart of the Church+s power. The system of the rituals or sacraments. According to the Catholic Church, it was only through these special rituals that a man could hope to achieve salvation and get to heaven. And every one of these seven sacraments ranging from )aptism at )irth to the last rites at death, was administered )y the Church+s army of priests. &ut when Luther turned to scripture, the actual words of the &i)le, he could find only two sacraments. Luther argues in #The &a)ylonian Captivity of the Church- that there are really only two sacraments5 there+s the Lord+s supper and )aptism. &aptism introduces you into the people of 9od, and the Lord+s 8upper is a tangi)le way in which 9od assured you of faith. Luther argued that the remaining sacraments were inventions of the Church and they must )e cast aside. $n one stroke, Luther cut away centuries of ritual and ceremony.. and li)erated man+s relationship with 9od. The seven sacraments could )e seen , and were presented, as mechanisms )y which we rely on clergy to intermediate )etween us and the >ivine. And what Luther is saying all along is that that relationship must )e oneto one, unmediated and direct. !e can repent. =o one can repent for us. Luther, # $ say that neither pope nor )ishop nor any ordained man has the right to impose one sylla)le of law upon the Christina man, for all of the faithful are 9od+s priests. $t redefines the relationship )etween an individual and 9od, in profound ways, )ecause it takes the middleman out. $t+s like they control the pipes that )ring water into your house, and suddenly you can drill your own well. ?ou+re no longer dependent upon the waterworks of the Church. $n the winter of /5@0, Luther finally received the )ull of e,communication from %ome. &ut is was already too late. !ith his words, Luther had unleashed a hurricane. ?ou could say that these works are a revolutionary manifesto, to Luther the power of the pope now meant nothing. 1e hurled the )ull of e,communication into a )onfire. &ecause you have corrupted 9od+s truth, may 9od destroy yo in this fire. $ am not afraid, and $ re(oice to suffer in so no)le a cause. $n )urning the )ull of e,communication, he is in fact saying, #$ will not give in. $ am right you are wrong. Come and get me. Luther now )races himself for one final showdown with the powers of the 1oly %oman mpire at the >iet of !orms. 2or as $ declared, if the emperor was inviting me in order for me to recant, then $ would never go. &ut if he was inviting me to my death, then $ would gladly come. .n April the @nd /5@/, Luther set out from !itten)erg on the two week (ourney to !orms. $n front rode his escort, Charles A+s imperial herald, a guaranteed of safe conduct. Luther+s friends had done all they could to dissuade him from going, convinced he would never return alive. &ut as he traveled across 9ermany, Luther now )egan to glimpse the vast popularity of his cause and works. $n rfurt the city elders threw a huge party for the passing traveler. $n 2rankfurt, he was showered with gifts )y the city+s pu)lishers. 1e was more devoted to the principle than to the popularity. 1e is still a single minded idealist. .n the morning of April /Bth, Luther finally approached the city of !orms. .n that day, $ was greeted )y a multitude. The whole city thronged the streets.

An escort of knights saw me through the city gates. .ne of the papal representative reported )ack to %ome that nine out of ten people were yelling, #Long live Luther. # And lest the pope take any satisfaction, the tenth was yelling,. #>eath to the pope.To his last day and )eyond, Luther+s appearance )efore the >iet would stand as the pinnacle of this life. #the day was hot and the sun had sunk into a red glow. $n that one room were gathered the greatest powers of urope. The princes of 9ermany, the holy %oman mperor Charles and the papal nuncio, Cohannes Mayer Aon ck. These were the men in whom 9od now entrusted my life. The only person in the room that Luther knew was the 9erman prince, 2rederick the !ise. &ut he knew that it was the votes everyone here that would decide his fate. The pope+s am)assador had only one demand. That Luther recant everyone of his writings. &ut Luther would remain true to his principles and to his words. Arrayed against him are the forces of the Church and the forces of the 8tate. And it+s clear that they are placing him under huge pressure simply to stand )ack, to day. #=o, $ shouldn+t have done this. $ shouldn+t have said that.1e was shown a pile of his )ooks and asked if they were all his. $ndeed, all the )ooks are mine, and $ have written more, if you want to read them. 1e would refuse to recant in terms )oth clear and simple. $ do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have all contradicted each other. My conscience is captive only to the !ord of 9od. $ cannot and will not recant anything. 2or to go against my conscience is neither right nor safe. Luther tells us that Luther closed his address with one of history+s greatest declarations of e,hausted defiance. 1ere $ stand. $ can do no other. 9od help me. Amen. Luther+s statement really marks the dawn of a new era, the era of the ordinary person standing up against authority. $ am sorry )ut this is what $ )elieve, My conscious tells me this. $ cannot do anything else. That $ think, is a defining moment. This moment in !orms is very powerful. $t+s a time when a man stood up and spoke the truth and spoke for the truth and spoke for li)erty of conscience, and we see him, therefore, as a monument to li)erty of conscience. A moment where an individual stands for something much larger than himself. Luther had )een allowed to return to his lodgings after the hearing. 1e was told he would receive the verdict on the following day. 1e was sure that he would )e handed over to the agents of %ome to face in'uisition and trial for heresy. &ut then he received an e,traordinary message. The (udges had )een una)le to come to the unanimous verdict that the rules of the >iet re'uired. .ne of those a)staining was Luther+s old protector, 2rederick the !ise. Luther was granted safe passage )ack to his home. &ut the threat of arrest )y the powers of the Church still hung over him. 2rederick took drastic action. 1e was taken )y guards of 2rederick the !ise and hidden away in a remote and isolated castle were the agents of the pope would never find him. Luther threw himself into one of the greatest enterprises yetD a translation of the &i)le into 9erman, making the !ord of 9od accessi)le to the common man. The first steps of what would )e called the %eformation. 1e simply taught, preached and wrote 9od+s word. 1e told other that they should )e concerning themselves only with their souls and 9od. Luther is irrepressi)le. 1e is outrageous. 1e+s witty, he+s very funny. &ut he remains in our imaginations as someone who is highly relevant for insisting on )eing devoted to principle and to speaking out. The emphasis of the individual, the courage of the individual and the willingness of the individual to undergo

death for his )eliefs. And in this way, Luther has to )e ranked with the great emancipators of human historyE alongside others in scripture like A)inadi.