Luther in Augsburg
There are two important events involving Martin Luther that took place in Augsburg. The first was that Luther was called to Augsburg October 12 to 18, 1518 to meet with Cardinal Thomas Cajetan and be examined on his teachings; this interview followed the 1518 Diet of Augsburg (the parliament of German Princes and Dukes).
When Luther arrived, he stayed at St Anne's Cloister Church shown following:
Luther's interview with Cardinal Cajetan took place at the then newly built house of Jakob Fugger in Augsburg shown following:
The purpose of the meeting was simple. Luther was to recant his positions on indulgences, justification by faith, and the authority of the Pope. Luther refused to recant. Cardinal Cajetan's instructions were that if Luther failed to recant, Luther was to be arrested and sent to Rome. Luther's supporters got wind of this, and helped Luther escape the night on October 20th. Luther returned to
Wittenburg a hunted man.
The second event in Augsburg was also very important. Charles V convened a Diet to meet at Augsburg in 1530 to address unresolved religious issues. Phillip Melanchthon was Luther's representative at the meeting and a primary author of the Augsburg Confession (of faith) which was written at the Bishop's residence in Augsburg. The Augsburg Confession is the definitive statement of faith for Lutherans.
The residence has been rebuilt but is at the same location shown below. Only the tower remains from the original building.
The text was given to Charles V on June 25 1530.
A very good summary of the life of Martin Luther can be found in "Luther, Martin." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 22 Oct. 2007.
Please send any queries to Bill Remus at
September 17, 2007