Document Actions
Elector John of Saxony
2005-08-12 01:07 AM
By Rev. Jerry Gernander
This month marks the 475th anniversary of a crucial turning point in the history of the Lutheran church. It wasn't as public as the reading of the Augsburg Confession. But it was equally important. On March 11, 1530, a messenger arrived in Wittenberg with a letter. It came from Emperor Charles V. It was addressed to Elector John of Saxony. (Elector John was the prince whose subjects included Martin Luther. The "electors" were princes who had the right and duty of electing the emperor at the time of succession.) Elector John read the letter. The emperor was "inviting" the Lutherans to an official assembly at Augsburg. The emperor's goal was that all the Christians he ruled be united in faith. This amounted to a trial. Later the emperor would resort to threats. But Elector John already knew what was at stake. His own Lutheran subjects could lose their churches, their homes, and their lives. He himself could lose his title. What should he do?
Do you know that a layperson was the driving force behind the Augsburg Confession? Martin Luther said all the work that went into the Augsburg Confession was “by the will of our beloved prince” —Elector John “the Steadfast” of Saxony.
On March 11 Elector John received the invitation to Augsburg. He didn’t waver. On March 14 he directed Luther and his co-workers (Philipp Melanchthon, Justus Jonas, and Johannes Bugenhagen) to prepare a confession of faith. They did at Torgau. (This document is known as the “Torgau Articles.” Melanchthon used it when he began to write the Augsburg Confession).
Elector John was the first to arrive in Augsburg, on May 2. He led the way! On the way there, he left Luther in his own castle in Coburg (for protection from his enemies, who legally could arrest Luther in the region where Augsburg was located). But Elector John also provided a system for consulting with Luther from Augsburg. On May 11, he himself sent Luther a copy of the first draft of the Augsburg Confession.
As the time for the hearing drew closer, the pressure increased. Lutheran preaching was banned. Elector John objected, but had to obey the governing authorities. One day the cardinal came into the city, and the Catholic princes kneeled down. Elector John remained standing. “To God alone shall knees be bowed,” he said in Latin.
As soon as the emperor arrived in June, he put pressure on Elector John, especially by threatening him. Some of the Lutheran theologians were very nervous and afraid. But Elector John said: “Tell my theologians to do what is right to the glory and honor of God, and to have no regard for me, my country, or my people.”
Finally, on June 25, it was time to read the Augsburg Confession before the emperor. The emperor wanted it read in Latin. Elector John stood up. They were on German soil, he said; wouldn’t the emperor permit the reading in German? He did. The Augsburg Confession was read in a language that everyone present could understand.
Elector John stood up one final time. After the reading was complete, he led the way to sign it. Melanchthon warned him there could be serious consequences. John said he would do what was right, without concern for his position: he prized the cross of Christ higher “than all power in the world.”
Two weeks later, Luther singled out his prince for praise: “The Elector of Saxony, together with other princes and lords, arises with the written Confession and preaches freely before His Imperial Majesty and the entire realm.”
He is called “John the Steadfast” because of what he did in 1530 at Augsburg. If you are steadfast, you don’t give in, give up, or compromise. He “stood fast” on the truth of God’s Word.
He shows us how important it is for every Christian to confess the faith bravely. It also is important for our children. One of John’s children was watching closely: his son, Duke John Frederick. John Frederick also signed the Augsburg Confession. And 17 years later, after his father and Luther were both dead, he himself went to prison for 5 years rather than deny the faith of the Augsburg Confession. Our children also watch us closely.
In this anniversary year of the Augsburg Confession, we can do nothing better than what the preface to the Augsburg Confession says: “As we all serve and do battle under one Christ, we ought to confess the one Christ and conduct ourselves according to the truth of God; and this we entreat of God with our most fervent prayers” (Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary, page 7).
Jerry Gernander is pastor of Richland Lutheran Church, Thornton, Iowa.
