It is (Re)-Written: Protestant ep 7/7

THEY SHALL NOT PASS!

"My zeal hath consumed me, because mine enemies have forgotten thy words" (Psalms 119:139)

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The war had raged since 1914. The Russians for example had lost ungodly numbers of men. In 1915, at one battle the Battle of Galicia, Russian armies suffered at least 150,000 dead, with 700,000 wounded and just over 1,000,000 taken prisoner. The carnage was so stupendous not even quantifying them on a monthly schedule would make it easy to comprehend. In 1915 the Russians were losing 250,000 men a month. The Imperial German High Command observing with satisfaction as they dismantled a whole generation of Russian men thought to itself that the Russian Eastern Front was secure. With this in mind, Chief of the General Staff of the German Army, Eric Von Falkenhayn decided to ignore the war in the East and focus on the war winning Gordian knot that is the western front. The battle he will execute will scar France both psychologically and physically even to present times. Winston Churchill who was Lord of the Admiralty, head of the British navy, is reported to have said, “There were battles in 1914 and in 1917, but that stuff in the middle, that was a siege.” In his own words Von Falkenhayn wanted to 'bleed the French army white.' The idea was to create a meat grinder trap and lure the French into it. He chose a place called Verdun, an area of a series of fortress towns, with enormous emotional and historical significance for France going back to Roman times. The Germans would pulverize Verdun back to the stone age with two million artillery shells in six days before they would take it, which would then force the French to want to take it back and get pinned down. “Falkenhayn’s plan was brutally simple. The French forced to fight in a narrowly constricted area of the Front, would be compelled to feed reinforcements to a battle of attrition. If the French gave up the struggle, they would lose Verdun. If they persisted, they would lose their army.” (John Keegan) He called it, Operation Gericht: Operation Judgement. In February 1916, the gates to hell were opened at Verdun. It quickly came to resemble the surface of a barren planet. The French leadership appointed General Robert Nivelle to Verdun, whose remark to his men was simply, “On ne passe pas!” They shall not pass. The battle lasted until December, and they never did.

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“When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.” (Isaiah 59:19) The Papacy laid a trap for Luther, but our champion would use it to most honorably defend the truth… “Let the minds clash," said Luther, "not the fists” Luther had been summoned by the Pope to appear by Rome, but the timely intervention of Frederick the wise, who wished for the extended life of his favorite university professor, changed the venue of confrontation to Augsburg. The Pope sent his legate, Cardinal Cajetan De vio, a well versed and well read prince of the Church, to obtain from Luther nothing short of a retraction of his theses.

“The name of the judge before whom Luther was to appear was not calculated to encourage him. Thomas de Vio, surnamed Cajetan, from the town of Gaeta in the kingdom if Naples, where he was born in 1469, had given great promise from his youth” (D’Aubigne Hist. Of the Reformation, pg 136)

De Vio was a very intelligent man and we cannot overstate his breath of learning. But, we shall see how God was to make short work of all his genius. For saith that book of books, “thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes” (Matthew 11:25). This man however, had the power of life or death over Luther and Martin knew this. Luther upon meeting him fell face flat as instructed and stood up when asked to.

a painting of Cardinal Cajetan De Vio

“Most worthy Father, in obedience to the summons of his papal holiness, and in compliance with the orders of my gracious lord the Elector of Saxony, I appear before you as a submissive and dutiful son of the holy Christian Church, and acknowledge that I have published the propositions and theses ascribed to me. I am ready to listen most obediently to my accusation, and if I have erred, to submit to instruction in the truth.” (D’Aubigne ibid pg 140)

Ever the gentleman, De Vio condescended and enumerated to Luther the following reasons in the presence of his Italian entourage and the representatives of Prince Frederick that had accompanied Luther; “Most dear son! here are two propositions that you have advanced, and which you must retract before all: 1st, The treasure of indulgences does not consist of the sufferings and merits of our Lord Jesus Christ; 2nd, The man who receives the holy sacrament must have faith in the grace that is presented to him.” (D’Aubigne, ibid). De Vio went on to state that in refuting ‘Luther’s errors’ he would not appeal to St. Thomas but would instead expose them from the Scriptures. However, scarcely had he begun than when he appealed to ‘the Extravagance of Pope Clement’. Luther was beside himself.

““I cannot receive such constitutions as sufficient proofs on matters so important. For they pervert the Holy Scriptures, and never quote them to the purpose.”De Vio.—”The pope has power and authority over all things.”Luther, quickly.—”Except Scripture!”” (D’Aubigne, ibid)

This brutal cultural exchange between a Teutonic German shepherd and a slimy Italian would proceed onto the second point which was faith.

““It is of faith in general that you are speaking,” said he.—”No,” replied Luther. “As for indulgences,” said Luther to the legate, “if it can be shown that I am mistaken, I am very ready to receive instruction. We may pass over that and yet be good Christians. But as to the article of faith, if I made the slightest concession, I should renounce Jesus Christ. I cannot—I will not yield on this point, and with God’s grace I will never yield.” - D’Aubigne, ibid)

A depiction of Luther's interview with De Vio

At this, De Vio became very angry, and managed to reveal his true nature. “Whether you will, or whether you will not, you must retract that article this very day, or, upon that article alone, I shall reject and condemn your whole doctrine.” We must remember, this man had the power of life or death over Luther, but consider Luther’s divinely sent response:

”I have no will but the Lord’s. Let him do with me as seemeth good to him. But if I had four hundred heads, I would rather lose them all than retract the testimony which I have borne to the holy Christian faith.” (D’Aubigne, ibid)

I am not sure people like Luther exist anymore. What shall we call this? Reckless courage? No, this is the spirit of Reformation. This is what happens to someone when they yield themselves to God and allow God to mold them. There is something very interesting with Luther. Yes he had serious weaknesses, he was often harsh and rush, he did often dismantle his opponents with arguments and language and simply make them look hilariously stupid. But the people near him also knew something else, there was a power inside of him that they could not explain. A power beyond his intellectual genius. He was a true Christian. He knew he had been reconciled with God and there is nothing on this earth that can stop that train. De Vio was punching at a brick wall and didn't even know it.

A statue of Luther at the Reformation Monument

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“De Vio.—”I did not come here to dispute with you. Retract, or prepare to suffer the penalty you have deserved.””(D’Aubigne, ibid) The Cardinal’s arguments had proved worthless and more importantly in his insistence of the absurd, Luther’s eyes were opened to something else God wanted to show him. He begun seeing the absolute low mentality of Church leaders. As in the days of Christ, it was the greed and lust of Church leaders that kept the people in darkness. Self-government under God had been dispensed with and the uncivilized mannerism of fighting for power and wealth had turned the clergy into babblers whenever confronted with truth. 'Retract!' is not a Scriptural argument, and Luther from this point was no longer a loyal son of the Church. As Conrad Wimpina’s antithesis had been used by God to reveal to Luther that the issue was not indulgences but Papal authority, so did De Vio’s interview serve to transform Luther from willing obedience to avowed enemy of the Catholic Church. Luther would return to his pen and cause such a stir that the Emperor himself would be forced to call for a Diet/Parliament at Worms on the issue.