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Here I walk ...Scholars of the Reformation gain deep knowledge by studying thewritings of Martin Luther, but for Hans Wiersma it also became experientialwhen he spent four days walking in the footsteps ofLuther’s pilgrimage to Rome 500 years ago.Just before fall semester classes began, Wiersma joined theproject “Here I Walk,” led by Andrew and Sarah Wilson, twoLutheran ecumenical scholars, who retraced the entire 1,085-mileroute walked by Luther from the monastery in Erfurt, Germany, toRome. Wiersma walked with the Wilsons for 66 miles, from Erfurtto Coburg.Wiersma had met Andrew Wilson at a conference, and what resultedfor Wiersma was a fortunate convergence of his disciplinaryinterest in Reformation studies, his research focus on the earlyLuther and the Augustinian monks who followed him, andWiersma’s undergraduate background and continued interest indocumentary filmmaking.The modern pilgrims followed the old pilgrim routes, sometimesspotting stone route markers from the 16th century. They followedthe traditional rules of pilgrimage—prayers, scripture reading,chores, and conversation. “It gave me a sense of how 16th-centurymonks traveled,” Wiersma says, “and what it felt like.” He enjoyedthe absence of modern distractions. As it was for the early monks,lodging could be found each night, with bigger towns convenientlyspaced a day’s walk apart.What Wiersma brought back was an “appreciation of how muchEurope is built on its past. It’s still easy to connect with Europe of500 years ago in the oldchurch buildings, pilgrimpaths, and road markers.”He says that whilehe went there as aLutheran pastor, part of aLutheran Church with allits modern trappings, hecame back with a muchbetter understanding ofthe formation of the earlyLutheran movement.“Those monks startedreading the Bible in anew way that differedfrom the institutionalchurch’s way,” he says.Wiersma’s “Here I Walk” experience caused him to reflect uponLuther’s own experience. Luther’s 1510 pilgrimage brought him toRome, where he was scandalized by the conduct of clergy and thereligious commercialism. Wiersma understood that Luther’s longjourney back to Germany would have given the monk a long time tothink over and talk about what he witnessed in Rome. Seven yearslater, he posted the 95 Theses, igniting the Reformation.BETSEY NORGARDAndrew and Sarah Wilson completed the 1,000-milepilgrimage that Martin Luther made to Rome in1510. They presented “Here I Walk” as Augsburg’sFounders Day lectures in November.Andrew WilsonCourtesy photoReligion professor Hans Wiersma joined the “Here I Walk” pilgrimage during its first four days, from Erfurt to Coburg, Germany.6 Augsburg Now