Luther's Progress to the Diet of Worms 1521

by E. Gordon Rupp

A scholarly appraisement of Martin Luther's development up to 1521, which gives at the same time an exact & vivid picture of the man.
The Diet of Worms 1521 (German: Reichstag zu Worms, [ˈʁaɪçstaːk tsuː ˈvɔɐms]) was a diet (a formal deliberative assembly, specifically an Imperial Diet) that took place in Worms, Germany, & is most memorable for the Edict of Worms (Wormser Edikt), which addressed Martin Luther & the effects of the Protestant Reformation. It was conducted from 1/28 to 5/25/1521, with Emperor Charles V presiding.

Genres: History, Theology, Church History

109 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1951

About the author

Ernest Gordon Rupp was a Methodist preacher, historian and Luther scholar. He studied history at King's College London, theology at Cambridge's Wesley House, and in Strasbourg and Basel. In 1956, he was appointed professor of Church History at the University of Manchester. He lectured there until 1967, when he returned to Wesley House in Cambridge as its Principal. At the same time (1968–1977) he served as Dixie Professor of Ecclesiastical History at the University of Cambridge. 1969, he served as the president of the British Methodist church.

Reviews

[Banbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

This small book assumes more knowledge of both the biographical facts of Luther's life, and the intellectual and theological history concerning the Reformation than I possess. However, this is not a weakness in the book, and I am happy that I did learn that in fact there is a vast scholarly literature on these subjects, and got a glimpse of its depth.
The author sets forth an interesting thesis that Luther was the personification of the culmination of historical and intellectual forces that toppled the old order; and concomitantly notes that Luther was himself conscious that he was the means, and not the cause, of profound changes in the religious life of the common man.

[Erik Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short introduction to the person of the young reformer, Martin Luther, and the conditions which led to his opposition to the Bishop of Rome.

This book was assigned reading for David Lotz' Medieval and Reformation Church History course at Union Theological Seminary. This course and the one Cyril Richardson taught which preceded it were great eye openers for me. I hadn't expected to enjoy church history so much. It remains an intellectual hobby.