The www.wordthink.com word of the day for today is elucidate. It’s a verb meaning “to make (something) clear; to explain.” The pronunciation is / ɪˈlu sɪˌdeɪt /, with the emphasis on the second syllable. It can be used as a transitive verb (in other words, with a direct object) or as an intransitive verb (without a direct object).

According to www.etymonline.com, the word came into English in the “1560s, perhaps via Middle French élucider (15c.) or directly from Late Latin elucidatus, past participle of elucidare ‘make light or clear,’ from assimilated form of ex ‘out, away’ (see ex-) + lucidus ‘light, bright, clear,’ figuratively ‘perspicuous, lucid, clear,’ from lucere ‘to shine,’ from PIE root *leuk- ‘to shine, be bright.’” It is clearly another of those Renaissance ink horn terms, so beloved of the classical scholars during the English Renaissance. English already had the word enlighten, which was derived from the Old English inlighten. But the classical scholars liked to coin new English words from classical models.

On this date 499 years ago Martin Luther publicly burned a papal bull entitled Exsurge Domine (“Arise, Oh, Lord”). The bull, created by Pope Leo X on June 15, 1520, disputed some of the claims made by Luther in his now-famous 95 theses.

Martin Luther was raised to become a lawyer by his father, but in a famous “Damascus Road” experience, Luther dedicated his life to the church. He was traveling back to his university on horseback when a lightning bolt struck near him. He prayed to Saint Ann and vowed to become a monk. He kept his promise, and by 1507 he was ordained into the priesthood of the Roman Catholic Church. He then got his doctorate and became a professor at the University in Wittenberg.

But in 1517, Luther wrote a letter to his bishop protesting the sale of indulgences. In addition to sending the letter disputing the teaching of indulgences, he posted the 95 Theses on the church door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg (though, admittedly, many historians consider the posting a legend). The 95 Theses protested against the sale of indulgences on theological grounds, arguing that only God and his Son can forgive someone’s sins, that a work like donating money is a false doctrine. But the Roman Catholic Church was invested in the sale of indulgences, particularly because the funds raised by the sale of indulgences was being used to rebuild St. Peter’s Basilica, the largest church in the world.

Pope Leo X apparently wasn’t all that fond of Luther’s objections to his fundraiser. So he wrote his papal bull (“a type of public decree, letters patent, or charter issued by a pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the leaden seal (bulla) that was traditionally appended to the end in order to authenticate it” [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_bull]) and demanded that Luther recant his 95 Theses (or at least 41 of them). Luther refused, and Leo X excommunicated him, leading to the Reformation and to wars that lasted into the 17^th century.

Many date the beginning of the Protestant Reformation as October 31, 1517, but December 10, 1517, might actually be a better date. There have been many disputes about doctrine throughout the history of the church. Luther’s was one. And he could have resolved it by simply giving in to the demands of the Pope. But on the day when he burned, publicly, the papal bull, he crossed his Rubicon. There was no turning back.

It took a lot of courage to stand up to the man who claimed to have ultimate power over the lives of all Christians, which the Pope did claim. Perhaps that is what makes Luther one of the great heroes of history. It wasn’t just his teachings, which are still a vital part of the church today. He stood for what was right against a tyrant. He stood up for God’s law over man’s law. When challenged by the Pope’s representatives at the Diet of Worms in 1521, Luther concluded by saying, “Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. May God help me. Amen.”

I pray that if I am ever faced with tyranny, whether it be from a king or a president, or even from just a college president or a provost, I will be willing and able to stand up and say, “The Word of God is more important than the dictates of men or women. Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God.” And I cannot elucidate my hopes any further.

The image is from https://www.azquotes.com/quote/369364.