Charles Beard: "Martin Luther and the Reformation in Germany," Ch. 5, 17...

1.     Luther lectured on Aristotle’s Dialectics and Physics while continuing his theological work. Oct 1508 and Oct 1512 are obscure, but he received his doctorate in theology in Oct 1512. The process to the doctorate: (1) “Baccalauerus Biblicus” for one year, lecturing on the Bible; (2) after (1), then “Sententiarus,” permitting one to lecture on Lombard’s Sentences; (3) then, one proceeded to Ad Licentiam Magistrandi followed by a Master or Doctor of Theology. Luther got the latter. Luther got (1) on 9 Mar 1509. But it appears that Luther went back to Erfurt during the interim period, but this is beclouded. But his Doctorate was from Wittenberg in Oct 1512. And somewhere in this, winter of 1511-1512, on a mission by Staupitz for the Augustinians, Luther goes to Rome by foot through Switzerland, being much taken by Lombardy, Florence and, likely, through Rome’s northern gate. His Table Talk has copious references to the trip.