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Rh action against him. Commissioned by the pope, Sylvester Prierias, a Dominican, submitted an opinion on Luther's teachings on the basis of which it was decided that inside of 60 days Luther must appear in Rome personally to defend himself.

Luther and his Elector had hardly begun to take a stand over against the summons, when because of a third report by the Dominicans, a veritable network of lies, and also because of various political events, the authorities in Rome decided to employ even still harsher measures against Luther. Hardly 16 of the 60 days had passed, when without further notice Luther was declared a heretic and put under the papal ban in case he did not recant and immediately respond to the summons. Cajetan, who during these weeks represented the pope at the Diet of Augsburg in 1518, was to get the dangerous Wittenberg monk into his power. Yes the authorities even considered the idea of proceeding against the Elector if he continued to shield Luther. It seemed as if Luther were lost. But God so changed the political situation that the pope suddenly was obliged to depend on the good will of the Elector of Saxony if he hoped to carry out his plans. And the Elector improved the situation to protect Luther. This was the reason why the sentence which had been passed was not carried out, and why Luther, instead of being obliged to go to Rome, was permitted to defend himself before Cajetan at Augsburg.

Thus we can see how promptly and energetically Rome proceeded against Luther, that the Dominicans took a leading part in the affair, and that Cajetan had already formed his opinion of Luther and his teachings before he met him at Augsburg. He is also the author of the Decretal on Indulgence of 1518, and he also provided for