Hieronymus Schulz, or Scultetus, was born in Silesia, trained in law, and became Bishop of Brandenburg in 1507. Wittenberg lay in his diocese, so he was Luther’s ordinary, the bishop to whom the monk owed obedience. When the Ninety-Five Theses appeared, he chose the gentle course. Through the Abbot of Lehnin he told Luther that he found nothing in the theses contrary to Catholic truth, but asked him, for peace’s sake, to stop writing.¹ Luther was moved by the humility of the request and agreed for a time. On May 22, 1518, he sent the bishop his Explanations of the theses with a letter submitting them to his judgment.

The bishop’s mood soon changed. He visited Wittenberg, found Luther unmoved, and returned home angry. That winter, sitting by his fire, he made his intention plain:

I will not lay down my head in peace till I have thrown Martin into the fire, as I do this brand.² Hieronymus Schulzas reported by Merle d’Aubigné

Schulz was translated to the see of Havelberg in 1521 and died on October 30, 1522. He did not live to see the Reformation enter his old diocese, but his outburst marked a turning point. The bishops of Germany, as d’Aubigné observed, now began “to declare decidedly against the Reformer.”

Catholic Opponents