s at Chicago, December 5, 1912, did unanimously
repudiate the word "Protestant."
EDICT OF WORMS
And that all may see for themselves that just such is
unquestionably the meaning of that action taken, let us consider
directly the facts, documents, and dates, in which rests the
unquestionable truth of the case.
In 1521 the Diet of Worms condemned Luther and the
Reformation. There immediately followed, the "Edict of Worms"
that is the key to the Protest in which originated
2
the word "Protestant." This Edict was issued by the Emperor
Charles V. "the ablest and most powerful monarch of the sixteenth
century." After denouncing Luther personally in sweeping terms,
the imperial edict says:
"We have therefore sent this Luther from before our face,
that all pious and sensible men may regard him as a fool, or a
man possessed of the devil; and we expect that after the expiry
of his safe-conduct, effectual means will be taken
