Works of Martin Luther, with Introductions and Notes (Volume II)Luther, Martin
ReligionChristian
Works of Martin Luther, with Introductions and Notes (Volume II)
Luther, Martin
Lutheran Church -- Early works to 1800; Theology -- History -- 16th century -- Early works to 1800
Without the theological acumen of Carlstadt, and with less restraint,
the Augustinian monk Gabriel Zwilling labored in season and out of
season for the new order of things. In December the Zwickau prophets,
Niclas Storch, Thomas Drechsel, weavers by trade, and Marcus Stübner,
a former university student, appeared in Wittenberg claiming direct
divine inspiration, and preached the overturn of present conditions.
Earlier in the month (December 3d) some students and citizens had
caused a disturbance in the parish church and driven off the priests
who were saying mass. Soon after a number of citizens crowded into the
council chamber and demanded of the three councillors who presided
over Wittenberg the abolition of the mass by law, the restitution of
the cup, and the release of those in custody for causing the tumult of
December 3d. On Christmas Eve both the parish and the castle churches
witnessed scenes of wild disorder. On January 11th the monks, led by
Zwilling, destroyed all the altars except one in the convent church,
and cast out the images. The city council, in the endeavor to restore
order, on January 24, 1522, in full accord with a commission of the
university, adopted a "Worthy Ordinance for the princely City of
Wittenberg,"[10] in which the popular demands were met and a date was
fixed on which the images should be removed from the parish
church--the only one of the four churches of Wittenberg subject to the
council's control. But the excited populace did not await the day.
Taking the matter into its own hands it invaded the church, tore
images and pictures from the walls and burned them up.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account