Unknown Luther is captured Luther is captured On the way home from Worms, Luther had an unsettling experience. His friends found out that there was a plan to capture him, so they made plans of their own. As Luther was riding homeward through the forest, several masked, armed men suddenly opened the door of the carriage in which he rode, pulled him out, placed him on a horse, and rode away with him. They rode a long time, until they came to the castle of Wartburg. At first Luther did not realize who his captors were. You can imagine how relieved he was when he discovered they were his friends! Frederick the Wise had arranged his capture and hid him in the castle for almost a year. During this time, Luther wrote a series of pamphlets attacking Roman Catholic practices and began his German translation of the Bible. The translation of the New Testament was finished in the autumn of 1522, but it wasn’t until 1542 that Luther, with the help of friends, completed the translation of the entire Bible. He also wrote letters to other friends, but he did not sign his name on them. His friends knew then that Luther was safe, though they had no idea where he was or who had “captured” him.   The Castle at Wartburg While Luther was at Wartburg Castle, there was unrest in Wittenberg. Some people who claimed to follow Luther destroyed images, artwork, altars, and crucifixes.13 This type of destruction is called iconoclasm. While Luther did speak against the wrongs of the Roman Catholic Church, he did not believe in riots and destruction. In March 1522, Luther went back to Wittenberg, though it meant he put himself in danger of being arrested and killed. He believed he was needed in Wittenberg, and he began to preach and teach the people as soon as he arrived there. He told them that such behavior was not according to Scripture, neither was it honoring to God. Thankfully, the people listened to him, and things settled down again.