“I do not ask how Christ can be God and man, and how his natures could be united. Proceeding to the article of the Lord’s Supper, Luther cut right to the chase, saying: Luther agreed, but not without testifying publicly that he disagreed with the writings of these men on the above articles. Oecolampadius and Zwingli denied there were divisions on these matters and asked that they begin instead with the article at issue, the Lord’s Supper. Luther carried on by addressing not the Lord’s Supper, but his opponents’ errors in teaching regarding the Trinity, the two natures in Christ, original sin, Baptism, justification, the oral word and ministry of the word, and purgatory. Stubborn, yes, but in a good way, for to be stubborn and immovable on God’s Word is a virtue of our Lord Jesus Christ (John 10:35). To our contemporary ears this might trigger a strong reaction that Luther was unreasonably stubborn. Still, I want to present the foundation of my faith and show where the others err.” Not as if I were desirous of changing my conviction, which, on the contrary is absolutely firm. “I am prepared, then, to take part in a debate. Luther spoke first and among his introductory remarks were these words: It is important to note that “Luther went to Marburg, not as a negotiator, but as a confessor-not as a confessor of some private opinion, but of the Word of God.” This was evident from the very start.
Agreeing to lay aside animosity, they proceeded in a manner befitting Christian debate.
Philip of Hesse was there, and at a table in a living room in the Marburg Castle sat Luther and Melanchthon on the one side and Zwingli and Oecolampadius on the other. Īfter all arrived in Marburg and pleasantries and preliminary matters were discussed, the colloquy began officially on Saturday, October 1, 1529. Thus it was that Luther agreed to the meeting at the behest of his elector, still with sincere suspicion. Knowing Luther’s skepticism, Philip had convinced Elector John of Saxony that his purpose for desiring the colloquy was an issue of Christian duty to seek peace and unity and not purely political. It would provide a strong Protestant alliance that worked in his favor. Philip of Hesse, the landgrave, also had political aims in desiring the colloquy. Luther, for his part, was highly skeptical of the colloquy specifically because of its political underpinnings.
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