IMPORTANT NOTE: Do not pronounce "Diet of Worms" as it it was a new weight-loss fad involving nematodes. A "diet" is an assembly and "Worms" is a German place-name pronounced with a /v/ sound on the front of the word. "Diet of Vorms" is more how it sounds. Think: Frau Blucher!
Today–May 25, is the anniversary of the Edict of Worms, which was issued in 1521 against Martin Luther and his writings.
GET THE STORY.
Author: Jimmy Akin
Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."
View all posts by Jimmy Akin
It permitted anyone to kill Luther without legal consequence.
Wow. The Church really did do things differently back then (presuming such a statement is true).
Yeah! We just studied that in History this previous quarter! He wasn’t too happy about that, was he? (At least the princes weren’t…stupid…league of Schmaklalden…)
It’s kinda interesting that he agreed with all of their charges. (BadParaphraseStart)”If believing in Sola Fide means that I am an emeny of the church, than I am an enemy of the church.”(/BadParaphrase)
It’s fascinating to note all the political undercurrents that dominated the Religious wars in Germany, and how political reasons trumped religious needs in this time period. (Council of Trent, anyone?) Guess that’s what happens when the kings around the pope are used to treating him as an ‘Italian Prince’, eh? (*cough*leoX*hack*)
“It’s fascinating to note all the political undercurrents that dominated the Religious wars in Germany, and how political reasons trumped religious needs in this time period. (Council of Trent, anyone?)”
Your history class last quarter seems to have been your first exposure to the history of Europe during the 1500s.
A bit of pedantry about pronunciation: Not only is Worms not “worms,” but Diet is not “diet.” It ought to be “dee-et.” Not that there’s any real hope of getting folks to stop saying “diet of worms,” of course . . . .
A little trivia quiz tangentially related to this post:
So, do you know *why* the horse always neighed when someone said ‘Frau Blucher’?
Yes.
Next question?
So, do you know *why* the horse always neighed when someone said ‘Frau Blucher’?
Neigh. I mean “Nay”. I mean, NO. But apparently it doesn’t just work on horses.
The German word for “glue” sounds like “Frau Bleucher.” Hence the horses thought that sending them to the glue factory was being discussed.
I always assumed it was because she was so ugly that she frightened the horses.
And Worms should should be pronounced similiarly to corporal or maybe just think warms.
My favorite part:
“Prince Frederick III, Elector of Saxony obtained an agreement that if Luther appeared he would be promised safe passage to and from the meeting. Such a guarantee was essential after the treatment of Jan Hus, who was tried and executed at the Council of Constance in 1415, despite a safe conduct pass.”
“Well, they killed Hus even though he had a safe-conduct. Here’s your safe-conduct.” I wonder if Luther had Frederick III write “we really mean it this time” on the bottom or something.
At least Frederick held up his end by making sure Luther got out alive.