The two treatises of early 1522 became very popular and were well-read during Luther’s lifetime and afterwards. However, they did little to calm the unrest brewing in Germany, however. To complicate matters, men from the Saxon town of Zwickau came to town, claiming to be profits, whom God spoke to directly. They taught many doctrines that would be eventually adopted by the Anabaptist movement, including that infant baptisms were not baptisms at all. Philip Melanchthon confronted them, but was at a loss as to how to answer them.
In mid-February, the Wittenberg town council begged him to return. And so he did, emerging permanently from his retreat on 6 March 1522, five hundred years aggo today. While he was on the road, he wrote to the Elector to warn him of that development. The Elector was worried he wouldn’t be able to protect Luther. Wittenberg was just fifty miles from the Saxon territory of Duke George, a supporter of the papacy — more or less. He would not hesitate to burn Luther at the stake as a heretic.
When Luther arrived home, he spent the next few days conferring with his allies. He decided for the time being not to resume his professorship, but for the next two years preached regularly in the city church (St. Mary’s) and worked on his Bible translation. He began his time as “Preacher in Wittenberg,” on the first sunday in Lent, known as Invocavit Sunday, March 9, 1522. He continued to preach for seven days, concluding on the second Sunday in Lent.
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