Was Luther God or was he man? Whose power did his traditions increase? The patristic reading of the scripture is the exact opposite of empowering men. If I as a Catholic decide to teach anything out of the scripture because that is how I, Annalex, understand it, I will have to leave the Church and be damned for all eternity. Does it sound to you like I, a man, am empowering myself by sticking to the orthodox view of the scripture? If however, Rev. Manolex decides to teach something out of the scripture because it is how he understands it, all he needs to do is change the wording on the shingle at the most. He becomes another, 20,000th celebrated addition to the moldy edifice of Luther.
The patristic reading of scripture empowers man to stand in the place of God, to perform the Eucharist, to forgive sins, and to declare the word of God infallibly, etc. If this isn't empowering men well beyond scripture I don't know what is. Of course, the Church declares that the Bible says all this, all that is missing are the actual words to that effect. I see it as a repeat of the idea of Kings, but we know that God never liked the idea of Kings.