Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Introduction: The Reformed Augustinians of Lower Germany
- 2 The German Reformed Congregation and its Province of Lower Germany
- 3 The Antwerp Cloister
- 4 The Authorities Respond: Pope and Emperor Seize the Initiative
- 5 Wittenberg’s Influence on the Events in Lower Germany
- 6 Reformation Ideas in the Low Countries
- 7 ‘Summer is at the Door’: The Impact of the Executions on Martin Luther
- 8 The Impact of the Executions in the Low Countries
- 9 The Impact of the Executions in the German-Speaking Lands of the Holy Roman Empire
- 10 The Marian Dimension
- 11 The Reformed Augustinians of Lower Germany and the Dynamics of the Early Reformation
- Bibliography
- About the Author
- Index
7 - ‘Summer is at the Door’: The Impact of the Executions on Martin Luther
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 November 2020
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Introduction: The Reformed Augustinians of Lower Germany
- 2 The German Reformed Congregation and its Province of Lower Germany
- 3 The Antwerp Cloister
- 4 The Authorities Respond: Pope and Emperor Seize the Initiative
- 5 Wittenberg’s Influence on the Events in Lower Germany
- 6 Reformation Ideas in the Low Countries
- 7 ‘Summer is at the Door’: The Impact of the Executions on Martin Luther
- 8 The Impact of the Executions in the Low Countries
- 9 The Impact of the Executions in the German-Speaking Lands of the Holy Roman Empire
- 10 The Marian Dimension
- 11 The Reformed Augustinians of Lower Germany and the Dynamics of the Early Reformation
- Bibliography
- About the Author
- Index
Summary
Abstract
In this chapter, Martin Luther's response to the executions of Vos and van den Esschen is examined with the benefit of a clear understanding of the Reformer's close connections to the case. His reaction can be observed on two levels, theological and temporal/political. A close analysis of his first musical composition, ‘A New Song’, a ballad recounting the history of the two executed friars, illustrates how he understood these events in theological terms. However, they also provided Luther with evidence that Adrian VI, who had ascended to the papacy on a platform of church reform and personal piety, was a hypocrite. The result is that the executions become a true watershed for Luther in the early Reformation.
Keywords: Martin Luther, ‘A New Song Here Shall Be Begun’, Pope Adrian VI, Luther's hymns
If the administrative assets, not to mention individual members of the Congregation of Reformed Augustinians of Lower Germany, were utilized by Linck, Luther, and the rest of the hierarchy in the service of the Reformation, and if the Lowlanders also played a role in the pace and even content of reform in Wittenberg, the outcomes of their experiences and the profound impact of these events also belong to the story of the early Reformation in its Reformed Augustinian context. Such influence is especially true of the executions of Vos and van den Esschen, which were broadly publicized throughout the Holy Roman Empire and beyond. This chapter assesses these varied and continuing consequences for the Reformation. Given that these events impacted diverse individuals and groups to varying degrees over vast swathes of space (and time), quantifying and evaluating their influence raises significant organizational challenges. The following assessment is structured on the model of concentric circles, beginning in this chapter with the impact of these events on a key individual, Martin Luther, before moving on in subsequent chapters to their consequences locally in the Low Countries, and finally more broadly throughout the empire.
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- Publisher: Amsterdam University PressPrint publication year: 2020