This week in Christian history: Battle of Hattin, Augsburg Interim, Martin Luther critic becomes cardinal
The Augsburg Interim becomes law – June 30, 1548
This week marks the anniversary of when the Augsburg Interim, an unpopular temporary measure meant to advance reconciliation between Catholics and Protestants, took effect in the Holy Roman Empire.
Known as an interim because it was intended to be superseded by the Council of Trent's eventual concluding decisions, the Augsburg Interim consisted of 26 articles focused on faith and practice.
Holy Roman Emperor Charles V oversaw the creation of the interim, appointing prominent theologians to create a draft, which was then revised by Spanish Catholic monks.
“Although the views of the Protestants were taken into account in a general way, the document revealed the old Church with its faith and worship,” explained the Christian Classics Ethereal Library.
“In South Germany the emperor succeeded in introducing it in some cities and territories by force, but in the rest of Germany his orders were not carried out. In the Palatinate, Brandenburg, Saxony, Weimar, Hesse, Mecklenburg, Pomerania, and other states, as well as in the North German cities, there arose vehement opposition.”
It would not be until 1555, with the approval of the Peace of Augsburg, that a more respected edict of religious toleration for Protestants was enacted in the empire.
