“The Diet of Worms”, A Closer Look by Rick Sons

Today we are going to talk about the Diet of Worms. No this is not some sort of fad diet, nor is this a biblical reference like John the Baptist eating grasshoppers and wild honey. I will on a side note say I have eaten earthworms and they are not that bad.

In politics, a diet is a formal assembly. The term is mainly used historically for the Imperial Diet, the general assembly of the Imperial Estates of the Holy Roman Empire, and for the legislative bodies of certain countries. The word came to be associated with Latin dies, “day”. The word came to be used in the sense of “an assembly” because of its use for the work of an assembly meeting on a daily basis, and hence for the assembly itself. (1)

Over the past few weeks we have been hearing about the different players in the reformation. And while many agreed with the idea there were those who did not agree with Luther and his agenda.

Luther posted his list of propositions (95 theses) in 1517 and burned the papal bull in 1520. A year later he was condemned by the Diet of Worms. His “95 Theses,” which propounded two central beliefs—that the Bible is the central religious authority and that people may reach salvation only by their faith and not by their deeds. (2)

The Diet of Worms 1521 was an imperial diet (assembly) of the Holy Roman Empire held at the Heylshof Garden in Worms Germany, then an Imperial Free City of the Empire. This one is most memorable for the Edict of Worms, which addressed Martin Luther and the effects of the Protestant Reformation. It was conducted from 28 January to 26 May 1521, with the Emperor Charles V presiding. (3)

The main events of the Diet of Worms relating to Luther took place from April 16th to the 18th 1521.

On 16 April, Luther arrived in Worms. Luther was told to appear the following day before the Diet at 4 p.m. Dr. Jeromee Schurff, Wittenberg professor in Canon Law, was to act as Luther’s lawyer before the Diet. (4)

The imperial marshal, Ulrich von Pappenheim, and the herald, Caspar Sturm came for Luther. Pappenheim reminded Luther that he should speak only in answer to direct questions from the presiding officer, Johann Eck.

The main concern was a series of books and their content to which the diet wanted Luther to admit that they were his to call them heresy. Luther, stating he’d prayed for long hours, consulted with friends and mediators. Luther first apologized that he lacked the etiquette of the court. Then he answered, “They are all mine, but as for the second question, they are not all of one sort.” Luther went on to place the writings into three categories: (5)

1. Works which were well received by even his enemies: those he would not reject.
2. Books which attacked the abuses, lies and desolation of the Christian world and the papacy: those, Luther believed, could not safely be rejected without encouraging abuses to continue. To retract them would be to open the door to further oppression. “If I now recant these, then, I would be doing nothing but strengthening tyranny.”
3. Attacks on individuals: he apologized for the harsh tone of these writings but did not reject the substance of what he taught in them; if he could be shown from the Scriptures that he was in error, Luther continued, he would reject them. 

Luther is said to have declared, “Here I stand, I can do no other,” before concluding with “God help me. Amen.” Private conferences were held to determine Luther’s fate. Before a decision was reached, Luther fled.

Charles V signed an edict against Luther, ordering his writings to be burned. Luther hid in the town of Eisenach for the next year, where he began work on one of his major life projects, the translation of the New Testament into German, which took him 10 years to complete. (6)

The Edict of Worms
The Edict of Worms was a decree issued on 26 May 1521 by Emperor Charles V, declaring:
“For this reason we forbid anyone from this time forward to dare, either by words or by deeds, to receive, defend, sustain, or favor Martin Luther. On the contrary, we want him to be apprehended and punished as a notorious heretic, as he deserves, to be brought personally before us, or to be securely guarded until those who have captured him inform us, whereupon we will order the appropriate manner of proceeding against Luther. Those who will help in his capture will be rewarded generously for their good work.” (7)

Citations:
(1) Christian-history.org
(2) Britannica.com
(3-7) Wikipedia