Martin Luther was summoned to the Diet of Worms in 1521 to answer for his writings before Emperor Charles V, German political leaders, and representatives of the Roman Catholic Church. After acknowledging that the books present were his, Luther refused to retract their substance unless he could be corrected by Scripture or clear reason. His conscience was bound to the Word of God, and he would not accept the pope or church councils as infallible authorities.

Johann von der Ecken attempted to pressure Luther by connecting his teachings to Jan Hus, who had been condemned and burned by the Council of Constance. This confrontation exposed the central issue of the Reformation: whether final authority belonged to Scripture or to the pope and church councils. Luther’s refusal to recant made reconciliation with Rome virtually impossible. Emperor Charles V subsequently issued the Edict of Worms, declaring Luther a heretic and outlaw whose writings were to be burned.

Frederick the Wise protected Luther by arranging a staged kidnapping and hiding him at Wartburg Castle. Living under the name Junker Jörg, Luther remained concealed from papal and imperial authorities. He compared his isolation to the apostle John’s exile on Patmos. During this period, Luther translated the New Testament from Greek into German, completing a draft in approximately eleven weeks. Published in 1522 as the September Testament, the translation made Scripture more accessible to ordinary Germans and significantly influenced the development of the German language.

Pastor John also examines Jerome Emser and Johannes Cochlaeus, two Roman Catholic scholars who opposed Luther through writings, theological criticism, and attacks upon his translation of the Bible. Emser accused Luther of corrupting Scripture but later published a German New Testament that borrowed heavily from Luther’s work. Cochlaeus opposed Luther’s appeal to Scripture, justification by faith alone, and his rejection of Roman Catholic authority.

Although Luther acknowledged that his language toward opponents could be excessively harsh, he nevertheless believed that severe public rebuke was justified because souls were at stake. His purpose was not initially to eliminate every feature of the existing Roman Catholic system. He wanted to reform its teaching on salvation, abolish papal authority, end prayers to Mary and the saints, remove monasticism and clerical celibacy, and establish a controlled church system. At the same time, he retained infant sprinkling, rejected independent churches, and sought to maintain leadership over the Reformation movement.

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