August 20: Mainz, Heidelberg, and Worms Continued Again

Ok, this is hard to see, but the rooftop just beyond the big church, and running parallel to it, and pretty much dead center of the photo below is the part of the University of Heidelberg where Luther in 1518 successfully presented and defended the theses of the Heidelberg Disputation and won many converts to the Gospel cause.

"Thesis 28: The love of God does not find, but creates, that which is pleasing to it. The love of man comes into being through that which is pleasing to it."

The Prince Elector of the Palatinate in Heidelberg (whose name I think was Henry) was interested in Luther and later converted along with his realm, but after the Heidelberg Disputation he was too afraid of the Emperor to show support for Luther. So he asked his brother (whose name I think was Wolfgang) to host Luther as a guest of honor in the Heidelberg Castle.

Luther accepted the Prince Elector's brother's invitation and ate a meal in the dining hall of the Heidelberg Castle which was just on the other side of the two biggest windows you see here side by side. There was no water in the moat in Luther's time either, because there has never been any water in this moat!

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And last, but not least, the city of Worms:

Just behind Dr Lawson is the spot where Luther took a stand for the Gospel before the Emperor, the Pope's legates, and all the princes of Germany at the Diet of Worms in 1521. 

“Since then your serene majesty and your lordships seek a simple answer, I will give it in this manner, neither horned nor toothed: Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not retract anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. I cannot do otherwise, here I stand, may God help me, Amen.”

The building in which the Diet met in 1521 no longer exists. Now the place is just a park without any structures on it. But the building in which the Diet was held used to be adjoined to the huge church you see behind Dr Lawson as the picture below shows:

Worms has a spectacular Reformation monument. We didn't get a very long time to look at it because the Governor of Hesse came to this area unexpectedly, and we all had to clear out. I think our four buses were blocking him somehow. The up side of this is that I got to take a picture of the monument with no one on it, because everyone cleared out.