Luther's Contraband

The next day Heinrich installed the gate, received his compensation and headed east toward Wittenberg while Jan-Harm headed southwest on horseback with the carpetbag strapped securely behind his saddle. It was a long journey but as he came to the region of Thuringia and the outskirts of Eisenach, he began to see glimpses of the imposing Wartburg castle on the mountain crest. He rode through town and then ascended the road that wound its way to the top of the ridge and the walls that rose from its heights. The gatekeeper took one look at Jan-Harm and signaled for the gate to open. Once inside, Jan-Harm made sure his horse was in good hands.  He then crossed the courtyard and entered the wood-beamed interior of the Wehrgang which led to the room occupied by Martin.  He knocked on the door and entered when he heard “komm rein” on the other side. There, sitting at his wooden desk, was Martin. His eyes lit up as he rose to hug Jan-Harm. After a few seconds Jan-Harm put the carpetbag on the wooden desk. Martin opened it up and said “Well done” as he unpacked the books and lined them up on a shelf. He held one in particular and embraced it as if it were a priceless treasure.

Luther would stay at the Wartburg castle for one year, though he did make occasional trips to the nearby towns with his appearance altered (he grew a beard and dressed quite differently from a monk). With the help of the books that Jan-Harm brought, Luther began the task of translating the Bible into German. He used as his main source the Greek translation that Erasmus had made from the manuscripts that came out of the Eastern church. This so-called Received Text was taken from the Byzantine scholars who had to flee from Constantinople as the Islamic armies approached.

While there were brave reformers before Luther, such as John Wycliffe and John Hus; contemporary reformers, such as Ulrich Zwingli and John Calvin; and those that would spring up from the fertile ground that Luther plowed, such as William Tyndale and Thomas Cranmer; most of Protestantism traces their roots back to Martin Luther. In his quest to emancipate the truth, Martin did not intend to throw all of Catholicism aside and start over. To be sure, he exposed the extreme abuses of the Church and espoused a new emphasis: "Sola scriptura! Sola gratia! Sola fide!" (We are saved by Scripture alone, by grace alone, and by faith alone!).  He took these hard-earned ideas and wrapped them in the more familiar trappings of Christianity as he knew it.  Martin began compiling this mixture into various catechisms, books, and songs. In the process, new ideas were added, some were changed, and others were abandoned. For example, he trimmed down the calendar and chopped away at the church doctrines. The result was a sacramental count that went from seven to three and a list of holidays that skipped the saints but kept the basics. It was a reformation, not a transformation. It tore down and rebuilt, but did not demolish to the bedrock. Less noticeable was what was missing.

If we were to unpack Martin Luther’s baggage and knew what to look for, we would find that contraband had been hidden among those books and papers and that other important ideas were forgotten. In time this was incorporated into the teaching of the movement so seamlessly that most wouldn’t suspect that something nefarious had slipped in unawares. 

End chapter 1.

The Carpetbag

That was a lot to take in! Heinrich tried to put the pieces in order and fit them to the next week. But it was not a question of convenience or schedule; it was one of loyalty and truth. Martin Luther had touched a nerve deep in the heart of Germany, and the repercussions were being felt all across Europe. Heinrich was being asked to play a small part in that story. And so he looked up into the eyes of Jan-Harm and said, “Yes, I would be honored to do this.”

“As to the gate, the details are all in the drawing. My farm is located south of Dessau, a day’s ride west of Wittenberg. The sheet has a small map. God bless you.” With that, Jan-Harm gave the roll to Heinrich with the admonition, “Guard those instructions with your life.“ He arose and departed. 

As Heinrich watched Jan-Harm leave, he thought about when he had begun this journey. It was six years ago when he attended Wittenberg University and heard the new professor of Biblical Theology, Martin Luther, for the first time. Dr. Martin spoke passionately and with a commanding presence; the students flocked to see him. He made religion seem as though the average person could understand it. He spoke straight from the Bible; most students had barely seen one, let alone read it since it was written in Latin. Heinrich’s father had died toward the end of his studies at the university, so he chose to put his dreams on hold as he took over his father’s iron working business. His mother and sister needed him to provide for the family. Still, he tried to keep in touch with Martin and the growing student movement which kept his ideas alive. 

But the audacious monk was greeted with alarm by the Church. There were clashes with those who sold indulgences, and bulls were issued that forbade his teaching. When his books were burned by Rome, Martin burned the papal edict for his arrest in reply. The friction increased from there to this. Would Martin’s voice be heard again? If Heinrich had anything to do with it, Martin’s words would reach all across Germany. He would begin tonight!  That evening at home, he told his mother he had an important errand to take care of. He kissed her goodbye and headed out the door.

Such was the day, but the real challenge lay ahead. Heinrich gathered his courage, stood up from the bench, and set off towards the University that had been founded by Frederick the Wise. Heinrich rehearsed the layout of the office. The front part had a desk, various chairs, and two tables. The walls had several built-in bookcases. One back room was used for storage, and there were two windows. Heinrich walked toward a side entrance closest to Luther’s office. He opened the door, looked down the hall, quietly walked a few steps to Martin’s office and turned the key in the lock. When it clicked, he quickly entered and shut the door behind him.

With his back to the door, Heinrich breathed a sigh of relief and let his eyes adjust to the light. The first thing on the list was a carpetbag that was supposed to be in the storage room.  He found it in a corner near a table; it was decorated with a paisley pattern. With a quick glance at the window, he returned to the office and began searching for the books that Martin wanted. Some had their titles in Greek and some were in Latin; two were in German.  Each chosen book went into the bag. Behind the desk was a table with a pile of papers; he was instructed to bring all of them and so he did. Hanging on the wall was a crocheted calendar; it was the last item. As he started toward the door he froze when he heard steps and talking in the hall. He could make out the words “poor Martin” as the steps and the conversation trailed off.