Charles Beard: Martin Luther and the Reformation: Ch.10-Diet of Worms, 4...

THE HEAT’S ON. CHARLE’S RESULTS. Charles brags of his descent from Emperors, Kings of Spain, Archdukes of Austria, and Dukes of Burgandy (failing to mention his relationship to the first and second Adam) and that he’d uphold their decisions including Constanz and other councils. Luther, the mere “son of a peasant,” was resisting 1000 years of Christendom. Dr. Charles decrees (French, German): “And as we have before said, it is our will that he should be proceeded against as a true and evident heretic. Admonishing you that in this thing you should give your opinions as good Christians, and as you have promised. Given under my own hand” (442). Why they ever let Luther go from Worms is amazing, given Dr. Charles’s and the Pope’s decrees? Charle’s document was rapturously reported to Rome and translated into Latin, Italian, German, Spanish, French and Flemish and published throughout Christendom. Luther versus Emperor, Councilors, Electors, Princes and the Diet. A “maimed” affair in terms of political settlements, but a public pitting of Luther v. Europe. Luther left Worms on 26 April while deliberations and back-channel chattering was on-going. Theologically, Worms was a disaster without theological evaluation—point by point, exegetically, systematically, or historically. Yet, so many agreed with Luther’s criticisms in terms of the historic, 100-year old, annual list of gravamina—which to support, sounded Lutheran and, yet, so many did agree with the gravamina. German constitutional history is made, but little done. Theological history, however, was made. We might add that Charlie was looking for money for a trip to Rome and fiscal decisions were pending, but that brought up the old fiscal issues, Germany and Rome. LUTHER’S OUT. ROME’S IN.