In hopes of putting aside what he saw as petty differences and getting on with the really important work of killing the Turks, Charles called a meeting to be held in the City of Augsburg during the summer of 1530. At this meeting the supporters of Luther and the supporters of Rome were each to present their theological positions and find a way to restore the unity of the empire. In reality it turned into a trial of Luther’s teachings.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
The Preface to the Augsburg Confession, Part 1
The preface of the Augsburg Confession is addressed to Emperor Charles V who ruled the Holy Roman Empire. While the Holy Roman Empire was not particularly holy or even remotely Roman it consisted of parts or most of the following modern countries: Germany, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, The Netherlands, San Marino, Slovenia, and Switzerland. It also included small parts of Croatia, France, Italy, and Poland. While this sounds impressive, in reality Charles V could only rule if the majority of local nobility supported him. This is where the Augsburg Confession comes in. The Holy Roman Empire was engaged in a long running on again off again war with the Muslim rulers of Turkey. In order to carry on this war Charles V needed the support of all his local rulers. The problem was a sizable number of people in his empire had joined with or were at least sympathetic to Martin Luther in his protest against the abuses of the Roman church.
In hopes of putting aside what he saw as petty differences and getting on with the really important work of killing the Turks, Charles called a meeting to be held in the City of Augsburg during the summer of 1530. At this meeting the supporters of Luther and the supporters of Rome were each to present their theological positions and find a way to restore the unity of the empire. In reality it turned into a trial of Luther’s teachings.
In hopes of putting aside what he saw as petty differences and getting on with the really important work of killing the Turks, Charles called a meeting to be held in the City of Augsburg during the summer of 1530. At this meeting the supporters of Luther and the supporters of Rome were each to present their theological positions and find a way to restore the unity of the empire. In reality it turned into a trial of Luther’s teachings.
