Wittenberg - Places & their Meaning

This beautiful little town is well known as the focal point of the Reformation and is where Luther lived most of his life; first as a monk and University professor, then as district vicar and finally as husband and father. As such it was the site of massive change, for him, for the church and the world – Reformation indeed.

Visiting today you still get a sense of the power and the passion of this upheaval and, for me at least, individual scenes, sites and places seemed to shed real light on some of the great themes that continue to resonate.

Door - Protest

Most famously of course, that door. The entrance to the ‘Castle Church, the church of the University, which also served as something of a notice board, certainly so in 1517 when Luther dramatically nailed his 95 theses to it, protesting the state of the Church in general, particularly its practice of selling indulgences. This act of Protest, more than any other single event, kick-started the Reformation as a whole and still stands as a testimony to the role of righteous indignation at injustice, that seeks not only to understand it and name it for what it is, but always to raise up a movement to put things right.

Oak - Courage

Then there’s the Oak tree at the entrance to the town. Naturally, one of the results of the whole door thing was to put Luther at odds with the established Church in general and the Pope in particular. Ultimately this resulted in a letter of excommunication to be sent to Wittenberg, a matter of serious and life threatening consequence. Luther’s response, on 10th December 1520, was to head to the city gate and build a bonfire, on it he would throw not only the letter but the writings of his opponents and the whole of the Church canon law! The oak, marks the spot of this extravagant and dramatic act and stands, rather incongruously in its pastoral gentleness today, as a vivid reminder of the courage and bravery sometimes needed to do the right thing.

Altar - Simplicity

There are 2 main Churches in Wittenberg, the rather grand ‘Castle Church’ with its famous door, where Luther’s tomb resides, and the much plainer ‘St. Mary’s’, where Luther preferred to preach and which is modelled rather more in his image. 

The contrasts are striking, essentially in the relative simplicity of St Mary’s and, consequently, the impact of the theology that undergirds it. Most explicit are the contrasting altar-pieces, the Castle church has a beautifully gilded feature that anyone who’s visited any major Church or Cathedral in Europe would not be surprised by, at St. Mary’s though the altar is distinctive and powerful, plain and simple, offering 4 separate images. A gathering around a large round baptistery, a communion scene, with disciples seated around a circular table, Luther himself praying for a kneeling worshipper while a Lordly looking chap turns away and Luther again, preaching, pointing only to the cross and Christ crucified. The symbolism seems clear; straightforwardness in sacrament and liturgy, a less hierarchical inclusivity, an engagement with personal pastoral need, a commitment to preaching and clear communication, all in all, a focus on Jesus. These values remain a lasting testimony to Wittenberg faith.  

Jewish Sow - Frailty

The most disturbing site in Wittenberg is the anti-Semitic carving on the exterior corner of St. Mary’s Church, barely ameliorated by the recent sculpture immediately underneath it, seeking forgiveness. It bears testimony to the vicious prejudiced expressed by Luther, against Jews, in his later years. For most of his life he was, by the standards of his day, a sympathetic advocate of understanding the Jewish nature of the foundations of Christianity. Over time though, his views darkened considerably, to the extent that they were copied and exploited by the Nazi’s of the 20th Century. 

These murky waters are important as they are a powerful reminder of Luther’s very real frailty. The most extreme example, of a number, where he was cruel, crude and just plain wrong. His bombastic character cannot cover his faults and he ought certainly not be put on a pedestal and worshipped. To revere theologies and theologians, leaders or ideologies, however ground breaking or significant, is always a dangerous business and a very real form of idolatry.

Dora & Philip - Family & Friendship

The statue of Luther’s wife, Dora, outside of their long term home in the town, and the nearby restored house of his good friend Philip Melancthon bear testimony to that profoundly personal part of Luther’s experience, in which he found love, comfort, solace, sometime heartache as well as real joy. As with all of us family and friendships are the often unseen landscape of our lives and yet, seemingly particularly so for Luther, and unusually too given his initial vocation as a monk, they frequently provide the springboard of our thoughts and deeds. Luther used Dora as a confidant and sounding board and Philip as a conscience and guide. He was wise enough not to believe the modern day myth of the necessary separation of the personal and ‘professional’

A Street of Doors - Legacy

The most recent addition to the Wittenberg tourist trail, I presume an exhibition looking towards, the 500th anniversary in 2017, is a series of 95 different doors lining the main street, each one painted by local children to depict something of Luther and his legacy. 

This is ‘Street Luther’, contemporary and relevant, the one who utilised the newly founded printing press to the maximum is depicted as being at the cutting edge of communication still, a radical and a revolutionary, all in the name of inclusive grace!