Yesterday we hopped an early train to Wittenberg, which is a mix of 16th century cobblestone streets and 21st technology stores.
Luther showed up here as a newly minted PhD to teach theology at the local university. In preparation for his lectures, he turned to the Greek text (not the Latin that he had been using) and realized that he (and others) had radically misunderstood the righteousness of God.
We had perfect weather and there were many things to see:
- Wittenberg University: The university is ongoing, with several of the old buildings operating as museums.
- The Castle Church: This is where Luther posted his 95 theses (The castle door was sort of the town bulletin board / web site). He wrote in Latin, not intending to attract much attention. His goal was to spark conversation about the sale of indulgences among church leaders. As a pastor (as well as professor), he was troubled by the sale of indulgences and the effect it was having on his people. He wrongly imagined that the Pope would be troubled as well if he knew what was going on. He posted the theses hoping to organize a discussion, only to have: 1) them translated into German; 2) reprinted using the new printing press; 3) start a storm of discussion all over the country.
- The Door: The Door itself is long gone. This door – in place of where the original was – has the 95 these on them. This picture makes it hard to tell that. But the door is metal and they are formed into it.
- Saint Mary’s Church: Luther preached many sermons at this two steepled church and is buried under the pulpit. While we there they held an organ recital, featuring a jazz rendition of A Mighty Fortress is our God. The sanctuary was quite full. All I can say is, we tried. But after ten minutes we slipped away.
- The Home of Luther: In an effort to keep Luther on the faculty (he became quite a celebrity), Frederick the Wise had a home built for him. It was much larger than I would have guessed. Along with their children, Martin and Katie Luther had as many as 15 people living there. You get to see his study and place where Table Talks were held.
- The Home of Melanchthon: Right next door was a home for Philipp Melanchthon, Luther’s lieutenant and the author of the Augsburg Confession. He was a brilliant academic who Frederick also wanted to keep at Wittenberg.
We left W for a two-hour autobahn trip to Leipzig. That meant we left small and historic for much newer and much bigger.
I took a run through the park before dinner. And as I approached the hotel I saw 17 police vans lined up in front of it. Given the fact that many of the places Marshall and I have visited (e.g. Egypt, Greece, Belarus) have all fallen into chaos shortly after we left, I suspected that Marshall was working his wonders yet again and Germany was headed for some sort of coup. No. Across the street was a rally for the town soccer team. The crowd was loud and, from what I could tell, they’d started drinking some time ago. The police were there to be sure things did not get ugly. They didn’t.