Thursday, October 10, 2024

*** This is a rough transcript of today’s show ***

 

It is the 10th of October 2024. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis. 

For some, October is for Halloween, and for some, October is for Baseball (Go Padres), while still others will soon dress their altars and change their paraments to Red as is fitting the celebration of the Reformation.

For it was in October 1517 that Martin Luther is said to have, according to tradition, possibly… nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. And yes, (especially to those commenting on my Twitter pic), whether it happened exactly in the way it was reported or not… the point was that Luther was asking for a debate on the topic of repentance, penance, and indulgences.

But, if you want to point to a moment we KNOW occurred that may have been even more consequential, we can move Luther down the street from the Castle church to the city gate near the dump.

On this day, October 10, 1520, Luther’s colleagues joined him as he held aloft a letter from the Pope.

It was not just any letter; it was a Papal Bull—“Bull” from “bulla,” the wax seal affixed to the official document. The “bulla” meant that this document was coming “ex-cathedra” from the Pope in his official capacity. The Bull contained 41 condemnations of Luther’s theology as collected by various Catholic theologians.

Luther was allowed to respond to these accusations or suffer the consequence of excommunication. We often remember Luther’s “Here I Stand” moment, but that was in front of the Emperor- the civil authority. Luther’s first problem was the chief religious authority- the Pope. And here he had an opportunity to respond to this Bull.

But there were a few problems. The first has been documented in the past century—many of the accusations and quotes against Luther are spurious and sometimes misquoted or misremembered. Historian Hans Hillerbrand called it a “strange document and an evasive assessment of Luther’s theological concerns.” Perhaps Luther and his colleagues recognized this as an unserious attempt to have a theological dialogue.

But there was a more significant issue, in fact the issue at the heart of the Reformation: authority.

By the time of October 10th, 1520, almost three years since the 95 Theses and less than a year before Worms, Luther had already decided that the Pope had no authority on his own and needed to back his argument with Scripture. When the Bull did not do this, Luther and his colleagues met at the city gates, where some medieval theological texts and manuals for penance were brought out to the site and lit. Luther then lifted the Bull and lit it on fire, a symbol of rebellion much more potent than the supposed nailing of the Theses- no eyewitnesses note that moment, but many did make note of this event.

The news of the burning of the bull became news across the continent. Luther himself published two treatises on the event- the first treatise had the typically blunt title “Against the Execrable Bull of the Antichrist.”  The second of the two had a more explanatory title, “Why the Books of the Pope and His Disciples were Burned by Dr. Martin Luther.”

These might be the earliest and clearest statements Luther makes on the supposed authority of the church and why his actions are a public notice that he believes their authority to be illegitimate. You could take away the 95 Theses and his standing in front of the Emperor at Worms, and you would still have a foundational point of the Reformation being asked and answered: who is in charge?

Within the year Luther would also make the positive case for the Reformation with his work: On the Freedom of the Christian.

Never one to back down from a public moment or to make his case with dramatic flair, Luther burned the Papal Bull, attempting to refute his ideas at the city gate, near the dump in the University town where the Reformation began on October 10, 1520.

 

The last word for today is from the daily lectionary and Psalm 90- a call for wisdom and God’s favor:

Teach us to number our days,
    that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Relent, Lord! How long will it be?

    Have compassion on your servants.

Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,

    that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,

    for as many years as we have seen trouble.

May your deeds be shown to your servants,

    your splendor to their children.

May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us;

    establish the work of our hands for us—

    yes, establish the work of our hands.

 

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 10th of October 2024, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by Christopher “Bulls on Parade” Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man bullish on Poppi soda…. The ginger lime is delightful- I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.