Charles Beard: "Martin Luther and the German Reformation," Ch. 3--Eck, 1...

The story of Eck is unfolded—Professor of Theology at Ingolstadt and a canon in the Cathedral Church of Eischstadt, yet, at an early date, not an opponent of Luther or Carlstadt. Carlstadt is at Wittenberg in 1507 lecturing on Aquinas, getting his DD in 1510 and known as a learned scholastic. Carlstadt returns from Rome in 1516 finding Luther’s the dominant theological force. On 26 Apr 1517, the relics of Castle Church are on display and Carlstadt begins his own disputation on them with 152 theses. Luther is impressed. Eck is writing on Luther’s 95-Theses later for his Bishop, a private document that is found and published. Preliminary, literary, political and event-planning skirmishings occur in the lead-up to the Leipzig debate of 1519. Eck poses his own theses before Leipzig. Meanwhile, Luther is doing academics and writing.