129227
WORKS OF MARTIN LUTHER
WORKS OF
MARTIN LUTHER
TRANSLATED
WITH
INTRODUCTIONS AND NOTES
VOLUME IV
A. J. HOLMAN COMPANY
AND
THE CASTLE PRESS
PHILADELPHIA ; PENNSYLVANIA
COPYRIGHT, 1931, BY
A. J. HOLMAN COMPAHY
CONTENTS
ON TRADING AND USURY (1524) and PAGE
A TREATISE ON USURY (1520)
INTRODUCTION (C. M. JACOBS) 9
TRANSLATION (C. M, JACOBS) 12
THE RIGHT AND POWER OF A CHRISTIAN CON-
GREGATION OR COMMUNITY TO JUDGE ALL
TEACHING AND TO CALL, APPOINT, AND DIS-
MISS TEACHERS, ESTABLISHED AND PROVED
FROM SCRIPTURE (1523)
INTRODUCTION (A, T. W. STEINHAEUSER, f) 73
TRANSLATION (A, T. W, STEINHAEUSER, f ) 75
PREFACE TO AN ORDINANCE OF A COMMON
CHEST (1523)
INTRODUCTION (A. T, W. STEINHAEUSER, f) 89
TRANSLATION (A. T. W. STEIN HAEUSER, t) 92
TO THE COUNCILMEN OF ALL CITIES IN GERMANY
THAT THEY ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN CHRIS-
TIAN SCHOOLS (1524)
INTRODUCTION (A, T. W. STEINHAEUSER, t) 101
TRANSLATION (A. T. W. STEINHAEUSER, t) 103
A SERMON ON KEEPING CHILDREN IN SCHOOL
(1530)
INTRODUCTION (C. M. JACOBS) 133
TRANSLATION (C M. JACOBS) * 135
THE BURNING OF FRIAR HENRY (1525)
INTRODUCTION (A. T. W, STBINKABUSJOR, t) 18*
TlANStATTON (A. T. W. STKHSTHABUSKR, f) 184
ADMONITION TO PEACE: A REPLY TO THE
TWELVE ARTICLES OF THE PEASANTS IN
SWABIA (1525)
INT^WCTXON (C M, JACOBS) * 205
Ta* TWELVE A*rxauB$ . . . 210
OP THE ADMONITION (C M, JACOBS) .. 219
6 Contents
AGAINST THE ROBBING AND MURDERING HORDES
OF PEASANTS (1525) PAGE
INTRODUCTION (G M. JACOBS) 247
TRANSLATION (C M. JACOBS) , 248
AN. OPEN LETTER CONCERNING THE HARD BOOK
AGAINST THE PEASANTS (1525)
INTRODUCTION (C. M. JACOBS) 257
TRANSLATION (C M. JACOBS) , 259
AN EXPOSITION OF THE EIGHTY-SECOND PSALM
(1530)
INTRODUCTION (C M, JACOBS) , . . . 285
TRANSLATION (C. M. JACOBS) 287
AN EXHORTATION TO THE CLERGY ASSEMBLED
AT THE DIET AT AUGSBURG (1530)
INTRODUCTION (C. M. JACOBS) . . . . * *..-., 327
TRANSLATION (C. M JACOBS) 329
INDEXSCRIPTURE REFERENCES 383
ON
TRADING AND USURY
1524
INCLUDING
THE TREATISE ON USURY
1519 AND 1520
INTRODUCTION
Luther's work On Trading and Usury (Von
Kauffshandlung und Wucher) was published
some time before the end of June, 1524. 1 In the beginning of the
treatise he says that he has been "urged and begged" to expose some
of the financial doings of the time, and has yielded to the request,
though he knows that things have gone too far to be checked by
his writing. Concerning the source of the requests we are not in-
formed but it is not unlikely that they arose out of the discussion
of monopolies and the best means for suppressing them, which occurred
at the Diet of Nuremberg, January to April, 1524.
Complaints were made in many quarters about the operations of
the trading companies, which were taking a commanding position in
certain lines of trade, and seeking to create monopolies. Similar
complaints were made about the steady advance in commodity prices,
which was general throughout Germany and which worked great
hardship on some classes. The rise of the companies and the
phenomenal profits that they were making were, not unnaturally, con-
nected in many minds with the advance in prices. The subject of
regulation had been under discussion at more than one previous diet,
especially at the Diet of Nuremberg in 1523, which went into the
matter at greater length than any of its predecessors. The Diet of
1524 renewed the consideration of the matter and drastic action was
proposed. The proposals were not adopted, however, either because
of the influence of the great Augsburg companies in the diet itself,
or because of the pressure which they were able to exert at the court
of Charles V. 3 The recess of the diet provided for a mild kind of
regulation that was sure to be abortive. It was, perhaps, in view
of this failure that Luther was asked by friends to speak his mind
on this matter*
He had already spoken. In the Autumn of 1519 he had published
a brief tract On Usury.* A month or so later (December,
1519) he completed a revision and expansion of it, which was pub-
*S* WeJmur Ed, XV, 279 ff.
Ttws latter view Is that taken by Pietach, In Weimar Ed., XV, 281.
1 For th proceeding! of the diet, see WBBD& Deutsche Reicha-
tagktn outer Karl V, IV, pp. 471 ff; the Recess, pp. 602 f.
<X in tJifc edition, VoL 1. p. 1S9. The proceedings of the Diet ol 1523 in
WRX*E, op. cit. Ill, 554 ff.
* (KLKIXE*) S e r in o von den* "Wucher, Weimar Ed.
VI, &&
(9)
10 On Trading and Usury
lished early in 1520* In the Open Letter to the Chris-
t i a n N o b i 1 i t y a he had again referred, though briefly, to
these matters. He now republished the longer treatise On U s u r y,
furnishing it with a new conclusion, and prefaced it with a new
treatise On Trading. The complete work is translated here.
It is one of the most interesting and informing, though not one
of the most important, of Luther's works. Its chief value is his-
torical, not theoretical. It gives us a highly interesting account of
business practices in the sixteenth century, and it leaves us in no
uncertainty concerning Luther's opinion of them. It also gives us a
clear idea of Luther's own economic conceptions. He desires men
to take a religious view of business and relate it to the law of
Christ; he would have them apply the Golden Rule to all of their
dealings, including their dealing with money. In this respect it forms
an interesting contribution to Luther's ethics.
On the other hand, when Luther discusses the specific applications
of the rule, he shows himself entirely without either sympathy or
understanding for the new economic developments that were taking
place around him. His view of property is thoroughly mediaeval. It
is identical with that of the scholastic doctors, Nummus non
paret nummum (Money does not produce money), was
for him, as for them, a fixed principle. Any effort to make money
productive seemed to him to be sinful, contrary to the law of nature,
and a violation of the laws of God, contained in the Old and the
New Testaments. It had its roots in avarice, and the fruit of
avarice is usury. That many of the practices which he rebuked are
fundamentally dishonest, is a fact that no one will deny; but it is
also a fact that Luther had no more idea of economic laws, as we
understand them, than he had of the law of gravitation.
In estimating his views, we have also to take account of his own
personal attitude toward wealth. Few men have ever lived who were
more utterly indifferent to money. For him it was not a thing 1 to be
striven after, but only a means of livelihood and a resource with
which to relieve the necessities of others. For this reason he was
sure to see avarice where others might see only prudence.
The concluding section of the Treatise on Usury
Is devoted to a discussion of the practice known as Zinskauf,
or Rentenkauf. The name is difficult to render Into
English and, after some hesitation, the term "purchase of income/*
or "buying of income" has been adopted. Luther himself describes
the practice adequately. It consisted of the payment of a sum of
money by the buyer to the seller, in consideration of which the seller
agreed to pay to the buyer a certain percentage ol the purchase
price annually, in perpetuity. This percentage was known as
1 (GROSSER) Sermon von d e m Wuch*r t Weimar Ed.,
*fn this edition, VoL H, pp. 159 fc
Introduction 11
Z i n s e n, which in modern German is the equivalent of "interest."
The whole transaction was a form of investment, and contains the
root of the modern mortgage loan, which developed out of it It
was, in fact, a loan disguised as a sale, and Luther correctly regarded
it as an evasion of the mediaeval law against usury. 1
The text of the work is found inWeimar Ed. XV 8 293-
313, 321-22; VI, 36-60: Erlangen Ed. (1) XX, 89-122; (2)
XVI, 79-112; and XXII 200-226; St. Louis Ed., X, 914-
937; 825-854. Clemen, III, 1-46: Berlin Ed. VII,
514-40 (first part only). The translation is made from the text of
Clemen.
Literature. Extensive bibliographies in Weimar
Ed., XV, 283, PRESERVED SMITH, Age of the Refor-
m a t i o n (1920), pp. 80-83, and Cambridge
Modern History, I, pp. 773-78. Cunningham's chapter
"Economic Change," in Cambridge Modern History, I, pp. 493-531,
is valuable. The best brief discussion in English is that of PRESERVED
SMITH, op. cit., pp. 515-62. As an introduction to the specific
subject of the treatise, the work of ECK, in Berlin Ed., VII,
494-513, is most useful
CHARLES M. JACOBS.
MOUNT AERY,
PHILADELPHIA,
* Cf. Vol. II, p. 159, and note, where Z i n B k u f is translated "traffic
in annuities"
ON TRADING AND USURY
1524
The Holy Gospel, since it has come to light, rebukes and
Rom. reveals all "the works of darkness," as St. Paul calls them,
!3:i3 in Romans xiii. For it is a brilliant light, which lightens
all the world and teaches how evil are the world's works and
shows the true works we ought to do for God and our
neighbor. Therefore some of the merchants, too, have been
awakened, and have become aware that in their trading many
a wicked trick and hurtful financial practice is in use, and
Ecdus. it must be feared that the word of Ecclesiasticus applies
26:28 here, and that "merchants can hardly be without sin." Nay,
I think St. Paul's saying in the last chapter of I Timothy,
6:io,' 9 fits the case, "Avarice is a root of all evil," and "Those that
are minded to be rich fall into the devil's snare and into
many profitless and hurtful lusts, which sink men in destruc-
tion and perdition/'
I think, to be sure, that this book of mine will be quite
in vain, because the mischief has gone so far and has com-
pletely got the upper hand in all lands; and because those
who understand the Gospel ought to be able in such easy,
external things to let their own conscience be judge of what
is proper and what is not. Nevertheless I have been urged
and begged to touch upon these financial misdoings and to
expose some of them, so that even though the majority may
not want to do right, some, if only a few, may yet be
delivered from the gaping jaws of avarice. For it must
be that among the merchants, as among other people, there
are some who belong to Christ and would rather be poor
with God than rich with the devil, as says Psalm xxxvii,
"Better is the little that the righteous hath than the great
37:16 possessions of the godless," For their sake, then, we ttmst
speak out,
(B)
m* Jelling 13
It is not to be denied that buying and selling are neces-
sary. They cannot be dispensed with and can be practiced Necea -
in a Christian manner, especially when the articles of trade "^
serve a necessary and honorable purpose. For in this
wise even the patriarchs bought and sold cattle, wool, grain,
butter, milk and other goods. These are gifts of God, which
He bestows out of the earth and distributes among men.
But foreign trade, which brings from Calcutta, India, and
such places, wares like costly silks, gold-work and spices,
which minister only to luxury and serve no useful purpose,
and which drains away the wealth of land and people, this
trade ought not to be permitted, if we had government and
princes. 1 But of this it is not my present purpose to write,
for I think that like overdressing and overeating, it will
have to stop of itself when we have no more money. Until
then neither writing nor teaching will do any good. We
must first feel the pinch of want and poverty.
God has cast us Germans off. We have to throw our gold
and silver into foreign lands and make the whole world rich
while we ourselves remain beggars. England would have
less gold if Germany let it keep its cloth, and the king o
Portugal, too, would have less if we let him keep his spices.*
Count up how much gold is taken out of Germany, without
need or reason, from a single Frankfurt fair," and you will
wonder how it happens that there is a heller left in
German lands. Frankfurt is the golden and silver hole
through which everything that springs and grows, is minted
or coined here, flows out of Germany. If that hole were
stopped tip we should not now have to listen to the com-
plaint that there are debts everywhere and no money; that
all lands and cities are burdened with taxes and ruined with
interest payments. But let that pass. So it will go anyhow.
1 Cf. Vol. II, 159. On contemporary complaint! of the same kind, see
Berlin Bd VII, 515, n. 1.
'The spice-trade WAS, In the sixteenth century, one of the richest sources
of revenue for the importers. 1 the figures on that trade presented to the
Diet of Nttwrnbetg in 1524, Bentfche Reich stagsakten unter
Karl V,
* The greateet of tike annual gatherings of traders, which were held in many
localities in Germany.
14 On Trading and Usury
We Germans must be Germans; we never stop unless we
Th* Par-must. It is our purpose here to speak about the abuses and
the sins of trade so far as they concern the conscience. The
injury they work to the purse we leave to the care of princes
and lords, that they may do their duty.
The First, The merchants have among themselves one com-
VM** mon rule, which is their chief maxim and the basis of all
J^ le Mer . their sharp practices. They say: I may sell my
chants goods as dear as I can. This they think their
right. Lo, that is giving place to avarice and opening every
door and window to hell. What does it mean? Only this:
"I care nothing about my neighbor; so long as I have my
profit and satisfy my greed, what affair is it of mine if it
does my neighbor ten injuries at once?" There you see how
shamelessly this maxim flies squarely in the face not only
of Christian love, but of natural law. Now what good is
there in trade? How can it be without sin when such in-
justice is the chief maxim and the rule of the whole busi-
ness? On this basis trade can be nothing else than robbing
and stealing other people's property*
For when this rogue's eye and greedy belly of a merchant
^ finds that people must have his wares, or that the buyer is
poor and needs them, he takes advantage of him and raises
the price. He considers, not the value of the goods or w;hat
'he has earned by his trouble and risk, but only the other
man's need ; not that he may relieve it, but that he may use
it for his own profit, to raise the price of goods, which he
would not have raised if it had not been for his neighbor's
need. Because of his greed, therefore, the wares must have
a price proportioned to his neighbor's need for them, ad
his neighbors need, like his own wares, must have a valuation.
Pray, is not that unchristian and inhuman conduct? Is tiot
that selling a poor man his own poverty? If, because of
his need, he has to buy his wares so mttch the dearer, it is
just the same as if he had to buy his own need; for what fa
sold is not the wares as they are, but the wares plus the fact
that he must have them. This and like abominations are
No Fixed Rule for Prices 15
the necessary consequence when the rule is : I may sell my
wares as dear as I can.
The rule ought to be, not : I may sell my wares as dear as
I can or will, but: I may sell my wares as dear
as I ought, or as is right and proper. For your selling
ought not to be a work that is entirely within your own
power and will, without law or limit, as though you were a
god and beholden to no one ; but because this selling of yours
is a work that you perform toward your neighbor, it must
be so governed by law and conscience, that you do it with-
out harm and injury to your neighbor, and that you be
much more concerned to do him no injury than to make
large profits. But where are such merchants? How few
merchants there would be and how trade would fall off, if
they were to amend this evil rule and put things on a
Christian basis!
You ask, then, How dear may I sell? How am I to get Price
at what is fair and right so as not to overreach or over-
charge my neighbor? I answer: That is indeed a thing that
will never be governed either by writing or speaking, nor
has anyone ever undertaken to fix the price of every sort of
wares. The reason is that wares are not all alike : one sort
comes from a greater distance than another, one sort costs
more than another. On this point, therefore, everything is,
and must remain, uncertain and no fixed rule can be made,
any more than one can set a certain city as the place from
which all wares are to be brought or establish a definite
cost price for them, since it may happen that the same
wares, brought from the same city by the same road, cost
vastly more one year than another, because, perhaps, the
weather is bad or the road is worse, or something else hap-
pens that raises tibe cost at one time above that at another
time. Now it is fair and right that a merchant take as much
profit on his wares as will pay the cost of them and repay him
for his trouble, his labor, and his risk. Even a farmhand must
have food and hire fot feis labor; who can serve or labor
16 On Trading and Usury
Matt : for nothing? The Gospel says, "The laborer is worthy of
his hire."
Price But in order not to leave this question entirely unan-
swered, the best and safest way would be for the temporal
authorities to appoint over this matter wise and honest men
who would appraise the cost of all sorts of wares and fix
accordingly the outside price at which the merchant would
get his due and have an honest living, just as at certain
places they fix the price of wine, fish, bread and the like.
But we Germans are so busy with drinking and dancing that
we cannot tolerate any such regulation. Since, then, we
cannot hope for such a law, the next best thing is to hold
our wares at the price which they bring in the common
market or which is customary in the neighborhood. In this
matter we can accept the proverb : "Do Eke others and you
are no fool." Any profit made in this way, I consider honest
and well earned, since there is risk of bsSS in wares and
outlay, and the profits cannot be all too great
But when the price of goods is not fixed either by law
or custom, and you must fix it yourself, then indeed no one
can give you any other instructions except to lay it upon
your conscience to be careful and not overcharge your neigh-
bor, and seek not avaricious gain, but only an honest living.
Some have wished to make it a rule that a man may take
a profit of one-half on all wares ; some say one-third ; others
say something else; but none of these things is a safe rule
unless it be so decreed, either by the temporal authorities
or by common law; what they would determine would be
safe. Therefore you must make up your minds to seek in
your trading only your honest living, count your costs,
trouble, labor and risk on that basis, and then fix, raise, or
lower the price of your goods, so that you are repaid for
your trouble and labor.
To be sure, I would not have anyone's conscience so
** perilously restrained or so closely bound on this point as to
Insist that one must strike the right measure of profit to
the very heller; for it is not possible to get at the exact
On Profits 17
amount that you have earned with your trouble and labor.
It is enough that with a good conscience you seek to arrive
at the exact amount, for it lies in the very nature of trade
that the thing is impossible. The saying of the Wise Man
will hold in your case too: "A merchant will hardly deal Eccius.
without sin, and a merchant will hardly keep his lips from 26:28
evil/' If you therefore take a little too much profit, un-
knowingly and unintentionally, let that go into your Lord's
Prayer, where we pray, "Forgive us our debts," for no man's
life is without sin. Besides, the time will come when you
will get too little for your trouble; throw that in the scale
to balance the times when you have taken too much.
For example, if you had a business of a hundred gulden
a year, and above all the costs and honest returns which you
had for your trouble, labor, and risk, you were to take an
excessive profit of one or two or three gulden, that I
should call a mistake which could not well be avoided,
especially on a whole year's business. Therefore you should
not burden your conscience with it, but bring it to God in
the Lord's Prayer, as another of those inevitable sins that
cleave to all of us. It is not selfishness or greed that forces
you to this mistake, but the very nature of your occupation
(I am speaking now of good-hearted, God-fearing men, who
would not willingly do wrong), just as the marriage duty is
not performed without sin, and yet because of its necessity
God winks at it, for it cannot be otherwise.
In deciding how much profit you ought to take on your
business and your labor, there is no better way to reckon
it than by estimating the amount of time and labor you have
put on it and comparing it with that of a day laborer, who
works at another occupation, and seeing how much he earns
in a day. On that basis reckon how many days you have
spent in getting your wares and bringing them to your place
of business, how great the labor has been and how much
risk you have run, for great labor and much time ought to
have so much the greater returns. That is the most accurate,
the best and the most definite advice that can be given in
"18 On Trading and Usury
Matt this matter; if anyone mislikes it, let him better it. My
10:10 ground is, as I have said, in the Gospel, "A laborer is worthy
1 /- of his hire," and Paul also says, "He that feecleth the flock
shall eat of the milk; who goeth to war at his own cost
and expense?" If you have a better ground than that, you
are welcome to it.
standing Second, There is a common error, which has become a
widespread custom, not only among merchants but throughout
the world, by which one man becomes surety for another ; and
although this practice seems to be without sin and looks like a
virtue springing from love, nevertheless it causes the ruin of
many and brings them irrevocable injury. King Solomon often
forbade it and condemned it in his Proverbs, and says in
"7^*5 chapter vi, "My son, if thou be surety for thy neighbor,
thou hast bound thine hand, thou art snared with the words
of thy mouth and taken with the words of thy mouth. Do
this now, my son, and deliver thyself, for thou art come
into the hand of thy neighbor; go, hasten, and urge thy
neighbor ; give not sleep to thine eyes nor slumber to thine
eyelids; deliver thyself as a roe out of the hand and as a
p rWt bird out of the hand of the fowler." So also in chapter xx
20:16 "Take his garment that becomes surety for a stranger, and
take a pledge of him for the stranger's sake," Likewise in
22:26 chapter xxii, "Be not of those that strike hands and become
surety for debts," And again in chapter xxvii, "Take his
Prov garment that becomes surety for another and take a pledge of
27;' 13 him for the stranger's sake/'
See with what strictness and vehemence the wise king for-
bids in Holy Scripture that one become surety for another,
and the German proverb agrees with him, Biirgen soil
man wiirgen ; as if to say, "Standing surety should be
slain." It serves the surety right when he is caught and has
to pay, for he acts thoughtlessly and foolishly m standing"
surety. Therefore it is decreed in Scripture that no one
shall become surety for another unless he is able and entirely
willing to assume the debt and pay it* It seems strange that
this practice should be wrong and be condemned, though
Standing Surety 19
many have discovered the folly of it when it has made them
scratch their heads. Why, then, is it condemned? Let us
see.
Standing surety is a work that is too lofty for a man; it
is unseemly, for it is presumptuous and an invasion of God's
rights. For, in the first place, the Scriptures bid us to put
our trust and place our reliance on no man, but only on God;
for human nature is false, vain, deceitful, and unreliable, as
the Scriptures say and as experience teaches every day. But
he who becomes surety puts his trust in a man, and risks
life and property on a false and insecure foundation ; there-
fore it serves him right when he falls and fails and goes
to ruin.
In the second place, a man puts his trust in himself and
makes himself God, for that on which a man puts his trust
and reliance is his god. But of his life and property a man
is not sure and certain for a single moment, any more than
he is certain of the man for whom he becomes surety, but
everything is in God's hand only, and He will not allow us
a hair's breadth of power or right over the future or have
us for a single moment sure or certain of it. Therefore the
man who becomes surety acts unchristianlike, and deserves
what he gets, because he pledges and promises what is not
his and is not in his power, but in the hands of God alone.
Thus we read in Genesis xliii and xliv how the patriarch Genesig
Judah became surety to his father Jacob for his brother 43:9,
Benjamin, promising that he would bring him back or bear 32' ft.
the blatne forever, but God finely punished 'his presumption
so that he could not bring Benjamin back until he gave
himself up for him, and afterwards was barely freed by
grace, It served him right, too, for these sureties act as
though they did not need to be on speaking terms with God
or to consider whether they were sure of a tomorrow for
their life and property, They act without fear of God, as
though their life and property were their own, and were in
their power as long as they wished to have it ; and this is
nothing but a fruit of unbelief. James in his Epistle, chap- Jajnw
ter iv, calls this gride and says, "Go to, now, ye who say,
20 On Trading and Usury
Today or tomorrow we will go into this or that city and
there trade and get gain; whereas ye know not what shall
be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a
vapor which endureth a little time and then vanisheth. For
that ye ought to say, If we live and God will, we shall do
this or that ; but now ye glory in your pride."
Moreover, God has condemned this presumption about the
future and disregard of Him in more places, such as Luke
Luke xii, where the rich man had so much grain one year that he
2i :16 " wanted to pull down his barns and build greater, and bestow
his goods therein, and said to his soul, "Good soul, thou
hast much goods for many years ; eat, drink and be merry."
But God said to him, "Thou fool, this night thy soul shall
be required of thee, and whose shall that be which thou hast
laid up?" So it is with all that are not rich toward God,
Acts i:7 So He answers the apostles also in Acts i, "It is not for you
to know the time or the hour which the Father hath in his
Prov. own power 1 ' ; and in Proverbs xxvii, "Boast not thyself of
the morrow, for thou knowest not what may yet happen
today/' Wherefore He has bidden us, in the Lord's Prayer,
to pray for nothing more than our daily bread today, so that
we may live and act in fear and know that at no hour are we
sure of either life or property, but may await and receive
everything from His hands. This is what true faith does.
Indeed we daily see in many of God's works that things
must happen thus, whether it suits us or not,
Solomon has devoted almost the whole of that book of
his that is called Ecclesiastes to this teaching, and shows
how all man's planning and presumption are vanity and
trouble and misfortune, unless God is brought into them, so
that man fears Him and is satisfied with the present and
rejoices in it; for God is the enemy of that secure and un-
believing presumption which forgets Him, wherefore He
opposes it in all He does, lets us fail and fall, snatches away
life and property when we least expect it, and "comes at
the hour when we think not/' so that the godless, as the
Psalter says, never live out half their days, but always, un-
Christian Ways of Trading 21
expectedly and just when they are getting started, must
depart and leave it, as Job also says in many places.
If you say, however, "How then are people to trade with
one another, if surety is not allowed? Many would have
-
to stay back who can otherwise get on well" ; I an- tians to
swer: There are four Christian ways of trading external Trade
goods with others. The first way is to let them rob us of The First
our property and take it from us, as Christ says in Matthew ^^
v, "If any man take thy cloak, let him have the coat also, tmg to
and ask it not of him again." This way of dealing counts ^ xt(>r "
for nothing among the merchants, and besides it has been
neither held nor preached as a general Christian teaching,
but as a counsel and as good intention for the clergy and
the perfect, though they keep it even less than the merchants.
But true Christians keep it, for they know that their Father
in heaven has assuredly promised, in Matthew vi, to give
them this day their daily bread, If all of us were to act
thus, not only would numberless abuses in all kinds of busi-
ness be avoided, but very many people would not become
merchants, because reason and human nature flee and avoid
that sort of risk and damage above all things else.
The second way is to give freely to everyone who needs
it, as Christ teaches in the same passage. This is a lofty
Christian work and therefore counts for little among people, Giviiur
and there would be fewer merchants and less trade if it
were put into practice; for the man who does this must 5:42
truly lay hold on heaven and look always to God's hand and
not to his accumulations of property, knowing that it is
God's will to support him, even though all his corners be
bare. He knows that it is true, as He said to Joshua, "I
will not forsake thee, nor take away my hand," and as the
proverb puts it, "God has more than ever He gave away." j^a
But that takes a true Christian, and a true Christian is a 1:S
rare animal ; the world and nature pay no heed to them.
The third way is lending; that is, I give away my prop- ^ord
erty and take it back if it is returned to me ; if not, then I way^-
tntist do without it. Christ Himself makes a rule for this
land of lending and says, "Lend, hoping for nothing again" ;
22 On Trading and Usury
that is, Ye shall lend freely and run the risk that it may not
be returned; if it comes back, take it; if not, make it a gift.
The Gospel makes only one distinction between lending and
giving, viz., a gift is not taken back and a loan is taken back
if it is returned ; but when we make a loan, we take the risk
that it may be a gift. He who lends expecting to get back
something more or something better than he has loaned, is
clearly a damned usurer, since even those who lend demand-
ing or expecting to get back just what they have lent, and
taking no risk of its return, are not acting in a Christian
way. This too, as I think, is a lofty Christian work and a
rare one, when the way of the world is considered, and if
it were practiced it would greatly lessen and destroy trade
of all sorts.
These three ways of dealing, then, are a masterly keeping
of the commandments not to presume upon the future nor to
put trust in any man or in self, but to depend solely on Gocl.
In this way everything is paid in cash and the word of
James is applied, "If God will, so be it." In this way we
deal with people as with those who may fail and are un-
reliable ; we give our money without profit and take the risk
that what we lend may be lost.
But here someone will say ; "Who then can be saved and
where shall we find Christians? Nay, in this way there
would be no trade in the world; everyone would have his
property taken or borrowed and the door would be thrown
open for the idle gluttons, of whom the world is full, to take
everything with their lying and cheating." I reply : I have
already said that Christians are rare in the world ; therefore
the world needs a strict, hard temporal government that
will compel and constrain the wicked not to steal and rob
and to return what they borrow, even though a Christian
ought not demand it, or even hope to get it back. This is
necessary in order that the world may not become a desert,
peace may not perish, and trade and society may not be
utterly destroyed; all which would happen if we were to
rule the world according to the Gospel and not drive and
compel the wicked, by laws and the use of force, to do and
.Borrowing and Lending 23
suffer what is right. We must, therefore, keep the roads
open, preserve peace in the towns, and enforce law in the
land, and let the sword hew brisky and boldly against the
transgressors, as Paul teaches in Romans xiii. For it is Rom.
God's will that those who are not Christians shall be held 13:4
in check and kept from doing wrong, at least with impunity.
Let no one think that the world can be ruled without blood ;
the sword of the ruler must be red and bloody; for the world
will and must be evil, and the sword is God's rod and
vengeance upon it. But of this I have said enough in my
little book On the Temporal Authorities. 1
Borrowing would be a fine thing, if it were practiced Borrow-
between Christians. In that case everyone would return what m *
he had borrowed and the lender would willingly do without
it if the borrower could not pay; for Christians are brethren
and one does not forsake another, nor is any of them so
lazy and shameless as not to work, but to depend on another's
wealth and labor, or be willing to consume in idleness an-
other's goods. But if men are not Christians, the temporal
authorities ought to compel them to repay what they have
borrowed ; if the authorities are negligent and do not compel
repayment, the Christian ought to put up with the robbery,
as Paul says, in First Corinthians vi, "Why do ye not rather 6:7 "
suffer wrong?" But if a man is not a Christian, you may
exhort him, demand of him, treat him as you will ; he pays
no attention, for he is not a Christian and does not heed
Christ's doctrine.
There is a grain of comfort for you in the fact that you
are not bound to make a loan except out of your surplus
and what you can spare from your own necessities, as Christ
says of alms, "What you have left over, that give in alms; Ltace
so are all things clean unto you." If, therefore, someone 11:11
wanted to borrow from you an amount so great that you
would be ruined if it were not returned, and you could not
spare it from your own necessities, then you are not bound
to make the loan ; for your first and greatest duty is to pro-
In this edition, Vol. Ill, pp. 223 ff.
24 On Trading and Usury
vide for the necessities of your wife and children and ser-
vants, and you must not divert from them what is due them
from you. Thus the best rule to follow is that if the
amount asked as a loan is too great, you give something out-
right, or lend as much as you would be willing to give, tak-
Luke ing the risk of losing it. John the Baptist did not say, "He
3:11 that hath one coat, let him give it away," but "He that hath
two coats, let him give one to him that hath none, and he
that hath food, let him do likewise."
The The fourth way of trading is buying and selling, and that
^k cas ' 1 mone y or P a Y ments m kind. If a man wishes to
practice this method, he must make up his mind not to rely
and . on anything in the future but only on God, and to deal with
"^ men who will certainly fail and lie, Therefore the first
piece of advice to such a man is that he shall not borrow
anything or accept any security, but take only cash. If he
wishes to lend, let him lend to Christians, or else take the
risk of losing it and lend no more than he would be willing
to give outright or can spare from his own necessities. If
the government will not help him get his loan back, let him
lose it; and let him beware of becoming surety for any
man, but let him far rather give what he can. Such a man
would be a true Christian merchant and God would not for-
sake him, because he trusts Him finely and gladly takes a
chance, in dealing with his risky neighbor.
Now if there were no such thing in the world as becoming
surety, and the free lending of the Gospel were in practice
and only cash money or ready wares were exchanged in
trade, then the greatest and most harmful dangers and
faults and failings in merchandising would be well out of
the way; it would be easy to engage in all sorts of busi-
ness, and the other sinful faults could the better t>e pre-
vented. For if there were none of this becoming* surety and
lending on security, many a man would have to keep down
and be satisfied with a moderate living, who now aspires
day and night after the high places, relying on borrowing:
and standing surety. This is the reason that everyone now
wants to be a merchant and get rich. Out of this come the
Tricks of Trade 25
countless dangerous and wicked tricks and wiles that have
become a jest among the merchants. There are so many
of them that I have given up the hope that trade can be
entirely corrected ; it is so overladen with all sorts of wick-
edness and deception that it cannot drag its own length;
by its own weight it must fall in upon itself.
.In what has been said I have wished to give a bit of
warning and instruction to everyone about this great, nasty,
widespread business of merchandising. If we were to accept
the principle that everyone may sell his wares as dear as he
can, and were to approve the custom of borrowing and
forced lending and standing surety, and yet try to advise
men how they could act the part of Christians and keep
their consciences good and safe, -that would be the same
as trying to teach men how wrong could be right and bad
good, and how one could at the same time live and act
according to the divine Scriptures and against the divine
Scriptures. For these three errors, that everyone may
sell what is his own as dear as he will, borrowing, and
becoming surety, these, I say,, are the three sources from
which the stream of abomination, injustice, treachery and
guile flows far and wide : to try to stem the flood and not
stop up the springs, is trouble and labor lost.
At this point, therefore, I wish to tell of some of these The
tricks and evil doings which I have myself observed and Tricks
which pious, good people have described to me, to make it *
apparent how necessary it is that the rules and principles
which I have set down above be established and put in
practice, if the consciences of merchants are to be counselled
and aided ; also in order that all the rest of their evil doings
may be learned and measured by these; for how is it pos-
sible to tell them all ? By the three aforementioned sources
of evil, door and window are thrown wide to greed and to
wicked, wily, self-seeking nature; room is made for them,
occasion and power is given them to practice unhindered
all sorts o wiles and trickery, and daily to think out more
such schemes, so that everything stinks of avarice, nay, is
drowned and drenched in avarice as in a great new Deluge.
26 On Trading and Usury
Rai. First, There are some who have no conscientious scruples
" e af against selling their goods on credit for a higher price than
if they were sold for cash: nay, there are some who wish
Sold on to se ji no g 00 d s for cash but everything on credit, so that
'* they may make large profits. Observe that this way of
dealing, which is plainly against God's Word, against rea-
son and all fairness, and springs from sheer wantonness and
greed, is a sin against one's neighbor, for it does not
consider his loss, and robs and steals from him that which
belongs to him ; it is not a seeking for an honest living, but
only for avaricious gain. According to divine law, goods
should not be sold for a higher price on credit than for cash.
2. Rais. Again, there are some who sell their goods at a higher
price than they command in the common market, or than is
customary in the trade ; and raise the price of their wares for
no other reason than because they know that there is no
Scarcity ^^ Q t j ia ^, commoc jfty j n the country, or that the supply
will shortly cease, and people must have it. That is a very
rogue's eye of greed, which sees only one's neighbor's need,
not to relieve it but to make the most of it and grow rich
on one's neighbor's losses. All such people are manifest
thieves, robbers and usurers.
3. Co*. Again, there are some who buy up the entire supply of
certain goods or wares in a country or a city, so that they
may have those goods solely in their own power and can
then fix and raise the price and sell them as dear as they
like or can. Now I have said above that the rule that a
man may sell his goods as dear as he will or can is false
and unchristian. 1 It is far more abominable that one should
buy up the whole commodity for that purpose. Even the
imperial and temporal laws forbid this and call it "monop-
oly," 3 i. e., purchase for self-interest, which is not to be
tolerated in city or country, and princes and lords would
stop it and punish it if they did their duty, Merchants who
do this act just as though God's creatures and God's goods
were made for them alone and given to them alone, and
*Sec above, p, 14 f,
3 See Introduction, above, pp. 9 &, and literature there cited,
Joseph's Dealings Justified 27
as though they could take them from other people and set on
them whatever price they chose.
If anyone wishes to urge the example of Joseph in Genesis
xli, how the holy man gathered all the grain in the country
and afterwards, in the time of famine, bought with it for the
king of Egypt all the money, cattle, land and people, which G ^; 48ff
seems, indeed, to have been a monopoly, or practice of 47:140*
self-interest, this is the answer : This purchase of Joseph's
was no monopoly, but a common and honest purchase, such
as was customary in the country. He prevented no one else
from buying during the good years, but it was his God-
given wisdom which enabled him to gather the king's grain
in the seven years of plenty, while others were accumulating
little or nothing. For the text does not say that he alone
bought in the grain, but that he "gathered it in the king's
cities." If the others did not do likewise, it was their loss,
for the common man usually devours his living uncon-
cernedly and sometimes, too, he has nothing to accumulate.
We see the same thing today. If princes and cities do not
provide a reserve supply for the benefit of the whole coun-
try, there is little or no reserve in the hands of the common
man, who supports himself from year to year on his yearly
income. Accumulation of this kind is not self-interest, 01;
monopoly, but a really good Christian providence for the
community and for the good of others. It is not practiced
in such a way that they seize everything for themselves alone,
like these merchants, but out of the yield of the common
market, or the yearly income which everyone has, they set
aside a treasury, while others either cannot or will not
accumulate, but get out of it only their daily support. More-
over the Scriptures do not tell us that Joseph gathered the
grain to sell it as dear as he would, for the text clearly
says that he did it not for greed's sake, but in order that
land and people might not be ruined, But the merchant,
in his greed, sells it as dear as he can, seeking only his own
profit, caring nothing whether land and people are ruined
by it.
But that Joseph used this means to bring all the money
28 On Trading and Usury
and cattle, and all the land and people beside, into the
king's possession, does not seem to have been a Christian
act, since he ought to have given to the needy for nothing,
as the Gospel and Christian love bid us do. Yet he did
right and well, for Joseph was conducting the temporal
government in the king's stead. I have often taught that
the world ought not and cannot be ruled according to the
Gospel and Christian love, but only by strict laws, with
sword and force, because the world is evil and accepts
neither Gospel nor love, but lives and acts according to its
own will unless it is compelled by force. Otherwise, if only
love were applied, everyone would eat, drink and live at
ease on some one else's goods, and nobody would work;
nay, everyone would take from another that which was his,
and there would be such a state of affairs that no one could
live because of the others.
Therefore, because God so disposes things, Joseph did
right when he got possession of everything by such fair and
honest purchase as the time permitted, and following the
temporal law, allowed the people to remain under restraint
and sell themselves and all they had; for in that country
there was always a strict government and it was customary
to sell people like other goods. Besides, there can be no
doubt that as a Christian and a good man, he let no poor
man die of hunger but as the text says, after he 'had re-
ceived the king's law and government, he gathered, sold,
and distributed the corn for the benefit and profit of land
and people. Therefore the example of the faithful Joseph
is as remote from the doings of the unfaithful, self-seeking
merchants as heaven is far from earth. So far this digres-
sion ; now we come back to the merchants' tricks.
4. tJna<v When some see that they cannot establish their tnonop-
olies in any other way because other people have the same
goods, they proceed to sell their goods so cheap that the
others can make no profit, and thus they compel them either
not to sell at all, or else to sell as cheap as they themselves
are selling and so be ruined. Thus they get their monopoly
after all These people are not worthy to be called men or
"Living Off the Street" 29
to live among other men, nay they are not worth exhorting
3r instructing; for their envy and greed is so open and
shameless that even at the cost of their own losses they
:ause loss to others, so that they may have the whole place
to themselves. The authorities would do right if they took
from such people everything they had and drove them out
of the country. It would scarcely have been necessary to
tell of such doings, but I wanted to include them so that
it might be seen what great knavery there is in trade, and
that it might be plain to everybody how things are going
in the world,, in order that everyone may know how to
protect himself against such a dangerous class.
Again, it is a fine piece of sharp practice when one man f
sells to another, by means of promises, (Mit worten
y m sack), goods which he himself has not, as fol-
lows, A merchant from a distance comes to me and asks
if I have such and such goods for sale. I say, Yes, though
I have not, and sell them to him for ten or eleven gulden
when they could otherwise be bought for nine or less,
promising him to deliver them in two or three days. Mean-
while I go and buy the goods where I knew in advance
that I could buy them cheaper ; I deliver them and he pays
me for them. Thus I deal with his, the other man's,
money and property, without risk, trouble or labor, and I
get rich. That is called "living off the street," on some-
one else's money; he who does this need not travel over
land and sea. 1
Again it is called "living off the street" if a merchant
has a purseful of money and wishes no longer to subject his
goods to the risks of land and sea, but to have a safe busi-
ness, and settles down in a great business city. Then when
he hears of a merchant who is pressed by his creditors and
must have money to satisfy them and 'has none, but has
good wares, he gets someone to act for him in buying the
wares and offers eight g u 1 d e n f or what is otherwise worth
ten. If this offer is not accepted, he gets someone else to
1 i e. Need not take the customafy risks.
30 On Trading and Usury
offer six or seven, and the poor man begins to be afraid
that his wares are depreciating and is glad to take the eight
so as to get cash money and not have to stand too much
loss and disgrace. It happens, too, that these needy mer-
chants seek out such tyrants and offer their goods for cash
with which to pay their debts. They drive hard bargains
and get the goods cheap enough and afterwards sell them
at their own prices. These financiers are called "cut-
throats," 1 but they pass for very clever people,
-g ere j g anot j ier y t O f S elf.seeking. Three or four mer-
chants have in their control one or two kinds of goods that
others have not, or have not for sale. When these men see
that the goods are valuable and are advancing in price all
the time because of war or of some disaster, they join forces
and pretend to others that the goods are much in demand
and that not many people have them on sale; if however
there are some who have these goods for sale they put up
a stranger to buy up all these goods, and when they have
them entirely in their own control they make an agreement
to this effect: Since there are no more of these goods to
be had we will hold them at such and such a price, and
whoever sells cheaper shall forfeit so and so much. This
trick, I hear, is practiced chiefly and mostly by the English
merchants in selling English or London cloth. It is said
that they have a special council 3 for this trade, like a city
council, and all the Englishmen who sell English or London
cloth must obey this council on penalty of a fine. The
council decides at what price they are to sell their cloth and
at what day and hour they are to have it on sale and when
not. The head of this council is called the "court-master"
and is regarded as little less than a prince. See what
avarice can and dare do.
Again, I must report this little trick, I sell a man pepper
or the like on six months' credit and know that he must
sell it again by that time to get ready money. Then I go to
1 Gorgel stccher odder kehlfltecher*
"From the fifteenth century on the English merchant! engaged fa foreign
trade were organized for just nuch, purposes as Luther here describes.
Tricky Practices 31
him myself, or send someone else, and buy the pepper back
for cash, but on these terms. What he bought from me
for twelve gulden I buy back for eight, and the market
price is ten. So I make going and coming, 1 so that he may
get the money and maintain his credit; otherwise he might
have the disgrace of having no one extend him credit in
the future.
The peopie who buy on credit more than they can pay
for, practice or have to practice this kind of trickery a
man, for example, who has scarcely two hundred gulden
obligates himself for five or six hundred. If my creditors
do not pay, I cannot pay, and so the mischief goes deeper
and deeper and one loss follows another the farther I go
in this kind of dealing, until at last I see the shadow of the
gallows and I must either abscond or go to jail. Then I
keep my own counsel and give my creditors good words,
telling them I will pay my debts. Meanwhile I go and get
as much goods on credit as I can and turn them into
money, or get money otherwise on a promissory note, or
borrow as much as I can. Then when it suits me, or when
my creditors give me no rest, I close up my house, get up
and run away, hiding myself in some monastery, 3 where I
am as free as a thief or murderer in a church yard. Then my
creditors are glad that I have not fled the country and release
me from a half or a third of my debts on condition thdt
I pay the balance in two or three years, giving me letter
and seal for it. Then I come back to my house and am a
merchant who has made two or three thousand gulden
by getting up and running away, and that is more than I
could have got in three or four years either by running or
trotting.
Or if that plan will not help and I see that I must
abscond, I go to the court of the Emperor or the Viceroy
and for one or two hundred gulden I get a Quin-
q u e r n e 11 , i. e,, a letter with the imperial seal permitting
me to be at large for two or three years despite my
*Hyn<ien, und forne.
1 Cta%fag right of sanctuary,
VoL
32 On Trading and Usury
creditors, 1 because I have represented that I have suffers
great losses; for the Quinquernells, too, make ;
pretence at being godly and right. These are knaves' tricki
Again there is another practice that is customary in th
companies. 3 A citizen deposits with a merchant on
or two thousand gulden for six years. The merchati
. is to trade with this and pay the citizen annually two hun
Epl dred gulden fixed interest, win or lose. What profit h
makes above that is his own, but if he makes no profit b
must still pay the charge. In this way the citizen is doini
the merchant a great service, for the merchant expects wit!
two thousand gulden to make at least three hundred
on the other hand, the merchant is doing the citizen a grea
service, for otherwise his money must lie idle and brinj
him no profit. That this common practice is wrong and i
true usury I have shown sufficiently in the D i s
course on Usury. 8
I Inus<; gi ve onc more illustration to show how borrowinj
and lending leads to misfortune. When some people se
claims ^^ a j, U y er j s unreliable and does not meet his payments
they can repay themselves finely in this way. I get a strang
merchant to go and buy that man's goods to the amoun
of a hundred gulden or so, and say ; "When you hav<
bought all his goods, promise him cash or refer him to ;
certain man who owes you money; and when you have th
goods bring him to me, as though I owed you money am
act as though you did not know that he is in my debt ; thu
I shall be paid and will give him nothing." That is calle<
"finance"* and ruins the poor man entirely together with al
whom he may owe ; but so it goes in this unchristian borrow
ing and lending.
Again, they have learned to store their goods in place
where they increase in bulk. They put pepper, ginger an<
saffron in damp cellars or vaults so that they may gain ii
M. e, A letter entitling a debtor to a moratorium.
a i. ., The trading companies.
* See Part II of this work, below, pp. 37 ff.
*FInanzen. Luther always mm it to mean, unfair, tricky
Unchristian Practices 33
weight; woolen goods, silks, furs of martin and sable, they
sell in dark vaults or booths, keeping them from the air,
and this custom is so general that almost every kind of
goods has its own kind of air, and there are no goods that
some way is not known of taking advantage of the buyer,
in the measure or the count or the yard or the weight.
They know, too, how to give them a false color ; or the best
looking are put top and bottom and the worst in the middle.
Of such cheating there is no end and no merchant dare
trust another out of his sight and reach.
Now the merchants make great complaint about the
nobles or robbers, 1 saying that they have to transact busi-
ness at great risk and are imprisoned and beaten and taxed
and robbed, If they suffered all this for righteousness'
sake the merchants would surely be saints because of their
sufferings. To be sure, it may happen that one of them
suffers some wrong before God, in that he has to suffer for
another in whose company he is found and pay for another
man's sins ; but because of the great wrong that is done and
the unchristian thievery and robbery that is practiced by the
merchants themselves all over the world, even against one
another, what wonder is it if God causes this great wealth,
wrongfully acquired, to be lost or taken by robbers, and the
merchants themselves to be beaten over the head or im-
prisoned besides ? God must administer justice, for He has
Himself called a righteous Judge, I0;1
Not that I would excuse the highwaymlen and bush-
whackers or approve of their thievery! It is the princes'
duty to keep the roads safe for the sake of the wicked as
well as of the good; it is also the duty of the princes to
punish unfair dealing and to protect their subjects against
the shameful skinning of the merchants. Because they fail
to do it, God uses the knights and the robbers to punish
the wrongdoing of the merchants, and they have to be His
devils, as He plagues Egypt and all the world with devils
or destroys it with enemies. Thus He flogs one knave
*The taxes imposed by knights and baroaa on, goods transported across their
land! amounted at times to robbery,
34 On Trading and Usury
with another, but without giving us to understand that the
knights are less robbers than the merchants, for the mer-
chants rob the whole world every day, while a knight robs
one or two men once or twice a year.
Th* Of the companies I ought to say much, but that whole
Tradin * subject is such a bottomless abyss of avarice and wrong
that there is nothing in it that can be discussed with a clear
conscience. For what man is so stupid as not to see that
companies are nothing else than mere monopolies? 1 Even
the temporal law of the heathen forbids them as openly in-
jurious, to say nothing of the divine law and Christian
statutes. They have all commodities under their control and
practice without concealment all the tricks that have been
mentioned; they raise and lower prices as they please and
oppress and ruin all the small merchants, as the pike the little
fish in the water, just as though they were lords over God's
creatures and free from all the laws of faith and love.
So it comes that all over the world spices must be
bought at their price, which is alternating. This year they
put up the price of ginger, next year of saffron, or vice
versa, so that all the time the bend may be coming to
the crook 3 and they need suffer no losses and take no
risks. If the ginger spoils or fails, they make it up on
saffron and vice versa, so that they remain sure of their
profit. AH this is against the nature, not only of merchan-
dise, but of all temporal goods, which God wills should be
subject to risk and uncertainty. But they have found a way
to make sure, certain, and perpetual profit out of insecure,
unsafe, temporal goods, though all the world must be sucked
dry and all the money sink and swim in their gullet. How
could it ever be right and according to God's will that a
man should in a short time grow so rich that he could buy
out kings and emperors? But they have brought things to
such a pass that the whole world must do business at a risk
and at a loss, winning this year and losing next year, while
1 Monopolies were forbidden by the Roman civil law.
* D 1 e krumrae i a die Bett&e komme, I, & things may even
Big Thieves and Little Thieves 35
they always win, making up their losses by increased profits,
and so it is no wonder that they quickly seize upon the
wealth of all the world, for a pfennig that is per-
manent and sure is better than a gulden that is tem-
porary and uncertain. But these companies trade with per-
manent and sure gulden, and we with temporary and
uncertain pfennigs. No wonder they become kings
and we beggars !
Kings and princes ought to look into these things and
forbid them by strict laws, but I hear that they have an in-
terest in them, and the saying of Isaiah is fulfilled, "Thy
princes have become companions of thieves." They hang Isaiah
thieves who have stolen a gulden or half a gulden 1:23
and trade with those who rob the whole world and steal
more than all the rest, so that the proverb may hold true:
Big thieves hang the little ones, and as the Roman senator
Cato said : Simple thieves lie in prisons and in stocks ; public
thieves walk abroad in gold and silk. But what will God
say to this at last? He will do as He says by Ezekiel;
princes and merchants, one thief with another, He will melt \ 2 .' 2C
them together like lead and brass, as when a city burns, so
that there shall be neither princes nor merchants any more.
That time, I fear, is already at the door. We do not think
of amending our lives, no matter how great our sin and
wrong may be, and He cannot leave wrong unpunished.
No one need ask, then, how he can belong to the com-
panies with a good conscience. The only advice to give
him is : Let them alone, they will not change. If the com-
panies are to stay, right and honesty must perish; if right
and honesty are to stay, the companies must perish. "The
bed is too narrow," says Isaiah, "one must fall out; the Isaiah
cover is too small, it will not cover both." 28:2C
I know full well that this book of mine will be taken ill,
and perhaps they will throw it all to the winds and remain
as they are; but it will not be my fault, for I have done my
part to show how richly we have deserved it if God shall
come with a rod. If I have instructed a single soul and
rescued it from the jaws of avarice, my labor will not have
36 On Trading and Usury
been in vain, though I hope, as I have said above, that this
thing has grown so high and so heavy that it can no longer
carry its own weight and they will have to stop at last.
Finally, let everyone look to himself. Let no one stop
as a favor or a service to me, nor let any one begin or con-
tinue to spite me or to cause me pain. It is your affair, not
mine. May God enlighten us and strengthen us to do His
good will. Amen,
A TREATISE ON USURY
1520
First, It should be known that in our times (of which
the Apostle Paul prophesied that they would be perilous) 1 Tim.
avarice and usury have not only taken a mighty hold in 3:1
all the world, but have undertaken to seek certain cloaks
under which they would be considered right and could thus
practice their wickedness freely, and things have gone almost
so far that we hold the holy Gospel as of no value. There-
fore, it is necessary, in this perilous time, for everyone to
see well to himself, and in dealing with temporal goods, to
make true distinctions and diligently to observe the holy
Gospel of Christ our Lord.
Second. It should be known that there are three different Three
degrees and ways of dealing well and rightly with temporal ^*** *
goods. The first is that if anyone takes some of our tern- w ith
poral goods by force, we shall not only permit it, and let Temporal
the goods go, but even be ready to let 'him take more, if he j Fep-
will Of this our dear Lord Jesus Christ says, in Matthew
be Taken
v, "If anyone will go to law with you to take your coat, let Them te>
Matt.
him take your cloak also." This is the highest degree of
this kind of work, and is not to be understood to mean, as
some think, that we are to throw the cloak after the coat, but
rather that we are to let the cloak go, and not resist or be-
come impatient about it, or demand it back again. For He
does not say, "Give him the cloak also," but "Let him take
the cloak also/' So Christ Himself, before Bishop Annas, John
when He received a blow on the cheek, offered the other 18:23
cheek also and was ready to receive more such blows ; nay, The E*
in His entire Passion we see that He never repays or returns nrf
an evil word or deed, but is always ready to endure more.
Third. It is true, indeed, that He said to the servant
(37)
38 Treatise on Usury
John Malchus, who struck Him, "If I have spoken evil, prove the
i8:3i ev jj. but jf we j] j w jjy sm itest thou me?" Some even of the
learned stumble at these words, and think that Christ did not
offer the other cheek, as He taught that men should do. But
they do not look at the words rightly; for in these words
Christ does not threaten, does not avenge Himself, does not
strike back, does not even refuse the other cheek; nay, He
1 Pet does not judge or condemn Malchus, but as Peter writes of
2:23 Him, He did not threaten, or think to recompense evil, but
committed it to God, the just Judge, as if to say, "If I have
spoken rightly or you are right in smiting me, God will find
it out, and you are bound to prove it." So Zechariah said,
2 Chron. w hen they killed him, Videa^ dominus et judicet,
24:22 "God will see it and judge." So He did also before Pilate,
John when He said, "He that hath given me over to thee hath
19:11 a greater sin than thou." For that is Christian and brotherly
fidelity, to terrify him, and hold his wrongdoing and God's
judgment before him who does you wrong; and it is your
duty to say to him, "Well, then, you are taking my coat
and this and that; if you are doing right, you will have to
answer for it." This you must do, not chiefly because of
your own injury, and also not to threaten him, but to warn
him and remind him of his own ruin. If that does not
change his purpose, let go what will, and do not demand it
back again. See, that is the meaning of the word that
Christ spoke before the court of Annas. It follows that,
like Christ on the cross, you must pray for him and do well
to him who does evil to you. But this we leave now until
the proper time.
com- Fourth. Many think that this first degree is not com-
mand, manded and need not be observed by every Christian, but
is a good counsel, laid upon the perfect for them to keep
just as virginity and chastity are counselled, not commanded
Therefore they hold it proper that everyone shall take back
what is his own, and repel force with force according to his
ability and his knowledge; and they deck out this opinion
with pretty flowers, and prove it, as they think* with many
strong arguments ; namely, First, the canon law (to say notf**
Excuses 39
ing of the temporal) says, Vim vi pellere jura
s i n u n t , that is, "The law allows that force be resisted
with force." From this comes, in the second place, the
common proverb about self-defence, that it is not punishable
for what it does. In the third place, they bring up some
illustrations from the Scriptures, such as Abraham and David
and many more, of whom we read that they punished and
repaid their enemies. In the fourth place, they bring in
Reason, and say, Solve istud (explain that) ; if this
were a commandment, it would give the wicked permission
to steal, and at last no one would keep anything; nay, no
one would be sure of his own body. In the fifth place, in
order that everything may be firmly proved, they bring up
the saying of St. Augustine 1 who explains these words of
Christ to mean that one must let the cloak go after the coat,
secundum praeparationem animi, that is,
"he shall be ready in his heart to do it." This noble, clear
exposition they interpret and darken with another gloss, and
add, "It is not necessary that we give it outwardly and in
deed; it is enough that we be inwardly, in the heart, ready
and prepared to do it." As though we were willing to do
something that we were not willing to do, and yes and no
were one thing !
Fifth. See, these are the masterpieces with which the
doctrine and example of our dear Lord Jesus Christ, to-
gether with the holy Gospel and all His martyrs and saints,
have hitherto been turned around, made unknown, and
entirely suppressed, so that nowadays those spiritual and
temporal prelates and subjects are the best Christians who
follow these rules, and yet resist Christ's life, teaching, and
Gospel. Hence it comes that lawsuits and litigations,
notaries, officiates, fl jurists, and that whole noble race,
are as numerous as flies in summer. Hence it comes that
there is so much war and bloodshed among Christians. Suits
must also be carried to Rome,* for there much money is the
thing most needed ; and throughout the Church the greatest
*On the Sermon on the Mount, 1, 19, 59.
9 The law officers of the bishops,
Cf. Vol II, 103 t
40 Treatise on Usury
and holiest and commonest work these days is suing and
being sued. 1 That is resisting the holy and peaceful life and
doctrine of Christ, and the cruel game has gone to the point
where not only is a poor man, whom God has redeemed with
His blood, cited many miles for the sake of a trifling sum
of three or four groschen, put under the ban, and
driven away from wife and children and family,* but the
bright young boys look on this as a good thing to do, and
regard it with equanimity* So shall they fall who make
a mockery of God's commandments ; so shall God blind and
put to shame those who turn the brightness of His holy
Word into darkness with Vim vi repellere licet*
and with letting the cloak go secundum praepara-
tionem animi !* For thus the heathen, too, keep the
Gospel ; nay, the wolves and all the unreasoning beasts ; men
need no longer be Christians to do it.
Sixth. Therefore, I want to do my part and, so far as
I can, to warn everyone not to be led astray, no matter how
learned, how mighty, how spiritual, or how much of all these
things at once, they may be who have made, and still make a
counsel* out of this decree, no matter how many are the
flowers and the colors with which they decorate it. No ex-
cuses help! This is simply a commandment that we are
bound to obey, as Christ and His saints have confirmed it
and exemplified it. God does not care that the laws spir-
itual or temporal permit force to be resisted with force.
And are not those precious things that the laws permit ! They
permit common brothels, though they are against God's com-
mandment, and many other wicked things which God for-
bids; and they have to permit secret sin and wickedness.
The things that human laws command and forbid matter
little; how much less the things that they permit or do not
*Rechten und fechtcn.
3 The abuse of ecclesiastical jurisdiction was a subject of bitter complaint
at the Diet of Worms- (1521). Ci Deutsche
utiterKarlV, 1.
*Eyn froliche styrn darzu trafea.
* "Force may be repelled with force." Cf. above, p. 39,
*See above, p. 39.
Instead of a commandment
Worldly Sword Spiritual Power 41
punish. Thus self-defence is before the human law un-
punishable, but before God it has no merit. Suing at law
is condemned by neither pope nor emperor, but it is con-
demned by Christ and His doctrine. That some of the Old
Testament fathers punished their enemies was never due to
their own choice in the matter, and it was never done with-
out God's express command, which punishes sinners, and
punishes, at times, both good and bad, angels and men. For
this reason they never sought revenge or their own profit,
but only acted as obedient servants of God, just as Christ Matt
teaches in the Gospel that at God's command we must act wtfSff.
even against father and mother, whom He has commanded
us to honor. Nevertheless, the two commandments are not
contradictory, but the lower is ruled by the higher. When
God commands you to take revenge or to defend yourself,
then you shall do it; and not before then.
Seventh. Nevertheless, it is true that God has instituted
the worldly sword and, the spiritual power of the Church,
and has commanded both kinds of rulers to punish the evil Rom.
and rescue the oppressed, as Paul teaches in Romans xiii, 13:3f -
and Isaiah in many places, and Psalm Ixxxi. But this should s j'. 23 ffp
be done in such a way that no one would be an accuser in PS.
his own case, but that others, in their brotherly fidelity and 82:3f -
their care for one another, would tell the rulers that this
man was innocent and that man wrong, Thus the authorities
would resort to punishment in a just and orderly way, on
proof furnished by the others; indeed, the offended party
ought to ask that his case be not tried, and ought to do his
best to prevent it. The others, for their part, ought not to
desist until the evil was punished. Thus things would be
conducted in a kindly, Christian and brotherly way, with
more regard to the sin than to the injury. Therefore Paul
rebukes the Corinthians, in I Corinthians vi, because they i cor.
went to law with one another, and did not rather suffer *'** &
themselves to be injured and defrauded, though because of
their imperfection, he did permit that they appoint the least
of themselves as judges. He did this to shame them into a
knowledge of their imperfection. In like manner we must
42 Treatise on Usury
still tolerate those who sue and are sued, as weak and child-
ish Christians whom we must not cast off, because there is
hope for their improvement, as the same Apostle teaches in
many places. We ought to tell them, however, that such
conduct is not Christian or meritorious, but human and
earthly, a hindrance to salvation and not a help.
Eighth- Christ gave this commandment in order to estab-
lish within us a peaceful, pure, and heavenly life. Now
for everyone to demand what is his and be unwilling to
endure wrong, that is not the way to peace, as those blind
men think of whom it is said, in Psalm xiii, "They know
not the way to peace," 1 which goeth only through suffering.
The heathen, too, know this by Reason, and we by daily
experience. If peace is to be kept, one party must be quiet
and suffer; and even though quarrels and litigations last for
a long while, they must finally come to an end, after injuries
and evils that would not have been, if people 'had kept this
commandment of Christ's at the start and had not allowed
the temptation, with which God tries us, to drive them from
the commandment and overcome them. God has so ordered
things that he who will not let a little go because of the
commandment, must lose much, perhaps everything, through
lawsuits and war. It is fair that a man should give to the
judges, proctors, and clerks, and receive no thanks for it,
twenty or thirty or forty gulden in serving the devil,
when he will not let his neighbor, for God's sake and for his
own eternal credit, have two gulden, or six. Thus he
loses both his temporal and eternal goods, when, if he were
obedient to God, he might have enough for both time and
eternity. It happens, at times, that in this way great lords
must lose a whole land in war and consume great sums of
money on soldiers for the sake of a small advantage or a
small liberty. That Is the perverted wisdom of the world;
it fishes with golden nets and the cost is greater than the
profit; there are those who win the little and squander the
much.
Ninth. It would "be impossible to become pure of our
The Second Degree 43
attachment to temporal goods, if God did not decree that we
should be unjustly injured, and exercised thereby in turning
our hearts away from the false temporal goods of the
world, letting them go in peace, and setting our hopes on
the invisible and eternal goods. Therefore he who requires
that which is his own, and does not let the cloak go after
the coat is resisting his own purification and the hope of
eternal salvation, for which God would exercise him and to
which He would drive him. And even though everything
were taken from us, there is no reason to fear that God will
desert us and not provide for us even in temporal matters ;
as it is written in Psalm xxxvi, "I have been young and Psalra
have grown old, and have never seen that the righteous was 37:2S
deserted or his children went after bread." This is proved Job 42:
in the case of Job also, who received in the end more than 10 ' 12
he had before, though all that he had was taken from him.
For, to put it briefly, these commandments are intended to
loose us from the world and make us desirous of heaven.
Therefore we ought peacefully and joyfully to accept the
faithful counsel of God, for if He did not give it, and did
not let wrong and unhappiness come to us, the human heart
could not maintain itself; it entangles itself too deeply in
temporal things and attaches itself to them too tightly, and
the result is satiety and disregard of the eternal goods in
heaven.
Tenth. So much for the first degree of dealing with
temporal goods! It is also the foremost and the greatest,
and yet, sad to say ! it has not only become the least, but it
has come to nothing and, amid the mists and clouds of human
laws, practices and customs, has become quite unknown.
Now comes the second degree. It is that we give our 2. Gir-
goods freely to everyone who needs them or asks for them. *"*
Of this also our Lord Jesus Christ speaks in Matthew v, Away
"He who asks of thee, to him give." Although this degree Matt
is much lower than the first, it is, nevertheless, hard and 5*2
bitter for those who have more taste for the temporal than
for the eternal goods; for they have not enough trust In
God to beEeve that He can or will maintain them in this
44 Treatise on Usury
wretched life. Therefore, they fear that they would die of
hunger or be entirely ruined if they were to do as God
commands, and give to everyone that asks them, How, then,
can they trust Him to maintain them in eternity? For, as
Luke Christ says, "He who does not trust God in a little thing
16:10 never trusts Him in a great." And yet they go about
thinking that God will make them eternally blessed, and
believing that they have good confidence in Him, though
they will not heed this commandment of His, by which He
would exercise them, and drive them to learn to trust Him
in things temporal and eternal There is reason to fear,
therefore, that he who will not hear the doctrine and obey it
will never acquire the art of trusting, and as they do not
trust God for the little temporal goods, so they must at last
despair about those that are great and eternal
Eleventh. This second degree is so small a thing that it
was commanded even to the simple, imperfect people of the
Jews, in the Old Testament, as it is written in Deuteronomy
Dcut xv, "There will always be poor people in the land, therefore
16:11 I command thee that thou open thy hand to thy poor and
needy brother, and give to him." Besides, He commanded
them severely that they must allow no one to beg, and says,
Deut. in Deuteronomy xv, "There shall be no beggar or indigent
15:4 man among you." Now if God gave this commandment in
the Old Testament, how much more ought we Christians be
bound not only to allow no one to suffer want or to beg,
but also to keep the first degree of this commandment, and
let everything go that anyone will take from us by force.
Now, however, there is so much begging that it has even
become an honor ; and it is not enough that men of the world
beg, but the spiritual estate of the priesthood practices it as
a precious thing. I will quarrel with no one about it, but I
consider that it would be more fitting that there should "be
no more begging in Christendom under the New Testament,
than among the Jews under the Old Testament ; and I hold
that the spiritual and temporal rulers would be discharging
their duty if they did away with all the beggars' sacks.*
Cf Vol rlf p m
Forgetting the Needy 45
Twelfth. There are three practices or customs among
men that are opposed to this degree of dealing. The first
is that men give and present things to their friends, the ti:
rich and powerful, who do not need them, and forget the
needy; and if they thus obtain favor, advantage, or friendship
from these people, or are praised by them as pious folk, Nat ia
they go carelessly along, satisfied with the praise, honor,
favor, or advantage that comes from men, and do not ob-
serve, meanwhile, how much better it would be if they did
these things to the needy, and obtained God's favor, praise,
and honor. Of such men Christ says, "If thou make a mid- Luke
day or an evening meal, thou shalt not invite thy friends or 14:12ff -
thy brethren, or thy relatives, or thy neighbors, or the rich,
so that they may invite thee again, and thus take thy reward ;
but when thou makest a meal, invite the poor, the sick, the
lame, the blind ; so art thou blessed, for they cannot recom-
pense it to thee ; but it shall be recompensed to thee among
the righteous, when they rise from the dead," Although
this doctrine is so clear and plain that everyone sees and
knows that it ought to be so, yet we never see an example of
it among Christians any more. There is neither measure
nor limit to the entertaining, the high living, the eating,
drinking, giving, presenting ; and yet they are all called good
people and Christians, and nothing comes out of it except
that giving to the needy is forgotten. what a horrible
judgment will fall upon these carefree spirits, when it is
asked, at the Last Day, to whom 1 they have given and done
good !
Thirteenth, The second custom is that people refuse to j^ ni ^
give to enemies and opponents. For it comes hard to our t Give
false nature to do good to those who have done it evil. But ^ nemiw
that does not help. The commandment is spoken for all men Matt
alike, "Give to him that asketh," and it is clearly expressed 5*2
in Luke vi, "To everyone that asketh of thee, give." Here Lukc
no exception is made of enemies or opponents ; nay, they are e-.so
included, as the Lord Himself makes clear in the same pas-
sage, and says, "If ye love only those that love you, what Lllkc
kind of a benevolence is that? The wicked, too, love those $:32ff.
46 Treatise on Usury
that love them. And if ye do good only to those that love
you, what kind of a benevolence is that? The wicked also
do that. But ye shall love your enemies, ye shall do good,
ye shall lend to them and expect nothing from it; so shall
your reward be great, and ye shall be children of the Highest,
for He is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked." These
wholesome commandments of Christ have so fallen into
disuse that men not only do not keep them, but have made
of them a "counsel," which one is not necessarily bound to
keep, just as they have done with the first degree. 1 They
have been helped in this by those injurious teachers who say
that it is not necessary to lay aside the signa ran-
cor is, that is, the signs of enmity, and bitter, angry
attitudes toward an enemy, but that it is enough to forgive
him in one's heart. Thus they apply Christ's commandment
about external works to the thoughts alone, though He
Himself extends it, in clear words, to works, saying, "Ye
shall do good (not merely think good) to your enemies."
Rom- So, too, in Romans xiii, Paul, in agreement with King Solo-
12:20 mon, says, "If thine enemy hunger, feed him ; if he thirst,
Pro*, give him drink; for thereby thou shalt heap coals of fire
25:21 on his head"; that is, you will load him with benefits, so
that, overcome with good, he will be kindled to love for you.
From these false doctrines has sprung the common saying,
"I will forgive, but not forget." Not so, dear Christian!
You must forgive and forget, as you desire that God shall
not only forgive and forget, but also do you more good
than before.
Fourteenth. The third custom is pretty and showy, and
does most injury to this giving. It is dangerous to speak of
it, for it concerns those who ought to be teaching and ruling
*. Givin*others, and these are the folk who, from the beginning' of
^ wor ld to its end, can never hear the truth or suffer
others to hear it. The way things now go, they apply the
high title of "alms," or "giving for God's sake," to giving
for churches, monasteries, chapels, altars, towers, bells,
1 See above, p. 37 ff.
"Giving for God's Sake" 47
organs, paintings, statues, silver and gold ornaments and
vestments, and for masses, vigils, singing, reading, testa-
mentary endowments, sodalities, and the like. Giving has
taken hold here, and the real stream of giving is on this
side, to which men have guided it and where they wanted to
have it; no wonder, therefore, that on the side to which
Christ's word guides it, things are so dry and desolate that
where there are a hundred altars or vigils, there is not one
man who feeds a tableful of poor people, let alone gives
food to a poor household. Not what Christ has commanded,
but what men have invented, is called "Giving for God's
sake"; not what one gives to the needy living members of
Christ, but what one gives to stone, wood, and paint is
"alms/' And this giving has become so precious and noble
that God Himself is not enough to recompense it, but has to
have the help of breves, bulls, parchments, lead, metal, cords
large and small, and wax, green, yellow and white. If it
makes no show, it has no value ; and it is all bought at great
cost, "for God's sake," from Rome, and such great works
are rewarded with indulgences, here and there, over and
above the reward of God ; but giving to the poor and needy,
according to Christ's commandment, this miserable work
must be robbed of such splendid reward, and be satisfied
with the reward that God gives. Thus the latter work is
pushed to the rear and the former is put out in front and
the two, when compared, shine with unequal light. There-
fore, St. Peter of Rome must now go begging throughout
the world for the building of his church, and gather great
heaps of "alms for God's sake," and pay for them dearly
and richly with indulgences.* And this work suits him well,
and he can easily attend to it, because he is dead ; for if he
were alive, he would have to preach Christ's commandments
and could not attend to the indulgences. His lambs follow
diligently after their faithful shepherd, go about with the
indulgences in every land, and wherever there is a dedica-
tion-day* or a fair these beggars gather like flies in summer,
*Cf. Vol. I, 29 ff. "
* E y n Kirchwey, ie.. either church-dedication, or an anniversary of
the dedication* These festivals drew great crowds.
Vol. IV.-4
48 Treatise on Usury
and they all preach the same song, "Give to the new building
that God may recompense you, and the holy lord, St.
Nicholas." Afterwards they go to their beer or wine, also
"for God's sake"; and the commissaries are made rich, also
"for God's sake." But there is no need for commissaries or
legates to preach to us that we shall give to the needy accord*
ing to God's commandment.
Fifteenth. What shall we say to this ? If we reject these
works, the Holy See at Rome puts us under the ban and
the high scholars quickly call us heretics, for the place to
which the stream of money is directed makes a mighty
difference. We would not prevent the building of suitable
churches and the adornment of them, for we cannot do
without them, and the worship of God ought rightly be
conducted in the finest way 1 ; but there should be a limit to
it, and we should have a care that the appointments of
worship should be pure, rather than costly. It is pitiable
and lamentable, however, that by these clamorous goings-on
we are turned away from God's commandments and led only
to the things that God has not commanded, and without
which God's commandments can well be kept. It would be
sufficient, if we gave the smaller portion to churches and
the like, and let the real stream flow toward God's command-
ment, so that among Christians good deeds clone to the poor
would shine more brightly than all the churches of stone
or of wood. To speak out boldly, it is sheer trickery, dan-
gerous and deceptive to the simple-minded, when bulls,
breves, seals, banners, and the like 3 are hung up for the sake
of dead stone churches, and the same thing is not done a
hundred times more for the sake of needy, living Chris-
tians. Beware, therefore, man ! God will not ask you, at
your death and at the Last Day, how much you have left in
your will, or whether you have given so much or so much
jf att to churches ; but He will say to you, "I was hungry and ye
25:42f.fed me not; I was naked and ye clothed me not." Let these
words go to your heart, dear man ! Everything will depend
1 Anffs zierlichst.
3 See Clemen, 30, a, 1*
Abolition of Beggary 49
on whether you have given to your neighbor and done him
good. Beware of show and glitter and color that draw you
away from this !
Sixteenth. Pope, bishops, kings, princes and lords ought
to labor for the abolition of these intolerable burdens and Abolition
impositions. It ought to be established and decreed, either * Be *-
by their own mandate or in a general council, that every for
town and village should build its own churches and care for church
its own poor folk, so that beggary would cease entirely, 1 or
at least that it would not be done in such a way that any
place should beg for its churches and its poor in all other
cities, according to the present unhappy custom; and the
Holy See at Rome ought to be left to enjoy its own bulls, for
it has enough else to do, if it will perform its office, without
selling bulls and building churches that it does not need.
God has expressed it plainly in His law, in Deuteronomy xv, Deut.
"There will always be poor people in your city." Thus He i5:ii
has committed to every city its own poor, and He will not
have men running hither and yon with beggars' sacks, as
men now run to St. James" and to Rome. Although I am
too small a man to give advice to popes and all the rulers of
the world in this case, and although I myself think that
nothing will come of it ; nevertheless, it ought to be known
what the good and needful course would be, and it is the
duty of the rulers to consider and to do the things that are
necessary for the best ruling of the common people, who
are committed to them.
Seventeenth. A device has been invented which teaches
in a masterly way, how this commandment can be circum-
vented and the Holy Ghost deceived. It is, "No one is
bound to give the needy unless they are in extreme want."
Besides, they have reserved the right to investigate and
decide what "extreme want" is. Thus we learn that no one
is to give or help until the needy are dying of hunger,
freezing to death, ruined by poverty, or running away be-
cause of debts. But this knavish gloss and deceitful addi-
CiVd. II, pp, 134 f.
St James of Compostella. See Veil. I. p. 191.
50 Treatise on Usury
Matt - tion 1 is confounded with a single word which says, "What
7:12 thou wilt that another do to thee, that do thou also/' Now
no one is so foolish as to be unwilling that anyone should give
to him until the soul is leaving his body or he has run away
from his debts, and then help him, when he can no more be
helped. But when it comes to churches, endowments, indul-
gences and other things that God has not commanded, then
no one is so keen or so careful in reckoning out whether we
are to give to the church before the tiles fall oil the roof,
the beams rot, the ceiling fall in, the dispensation-letters
mold, the indulgences decay though all these things could
wait more easily than people who are in need but in these
cases every hour is one of "extreme want/' even though all
the chests, and the floor itself, were full, and everything
well-built. Nay, in this case treasure must be gathered with-
out ceasing, not to be given or lent to the needy on earth,
but to the Holy Cross, to our Dear Lady, to the holy patron,
St. Peter, though they are in heaven. All this must be done
with more than ordinary foresight, so that if the Last Day
never came, the church would be taken care of for a hundred
or two hundred thousand years; and thus, in case of need,
the canonization of a saint, 3 or a bishop's pallium,*
or other like wares can be bought at the fair in Rome.* I
truly think that the Romans are very great fools not to sell
canonization, pallia, bulls, and breves at a higher
price and not to get more money for them, since these fat
German fools come to their fair and obligate themselves to
buy them; though, to be sure, no Antichrist could collect
these treasures more fittingly than the bottomless bag at
Rome, into which they are all gathered and set in order.
It would grieve one to the heart, if these damned goods,
taken from the needy, to whom they properly belong, were
spent for anything else than Roman wares, St. Ambrose
and Paulinus, in former times, melted the chalices and
everything that the churches had, and gave to the poor*
Turn the page, and you find how things are now. Well for
1 1 e., to Christ's commandment fl Cf. Vol. II, p. 131*
* Cf. Vol. II, p. 89 f. V
gleychen ein Jafcrmarkt, cf. Vol II, p. 95*
The Third Degree 51
you, dear Rome, that even though the Germans run short
of money, they still have chalices, monstrances, and images
enough; and all of them are still yours !
Eighteenth. We come now to the third degree of dealing
with temporal goods. It is that we willingly and gladly
lend without charges or interest. Of this our Lord Jesus
Christ says, in Matthew v, "He that would borrow of thee,
from him turn not," that is, "do not refuse him." This
degree is the lowest of all and is commanded even in the M ^ 2
Old Testament, where God says, in Deuteronomy xv, "If
anyone of thy brethren in thy city become poor, thou shalt De 1 u ^ 7ff
not harden thy heart against him nor shut thy hand; but
that shalt open it and lend him all that he needs" ; and they
have allowed this degree to remain a commandment, for all
the doctors agree that borrowing and lending shall be free,
without charge or burden, though all may not be agreed on
the question to whom we ought to lend. For as was said
about the previous degree, there are many who gladly lend
to the rich or to good friends, more to seek their favor or
put them under obligation than because God has commanded
it, and especially if it is given the high title, spoken of above,
viz., "for God's service," or "for God's sake." For every-
body gladly lends to the Holy Cross and our Dear Lady and
the patron saint, but about those to whom God's command
points there is always trouble and labor, to them no one
wants to lend, except in cases of extreme want, where
lending does no good, as has been said above.
Nineteenth. Christ, however, excluded no one from His
commandment; nay, He included all kinds of people, even
one's enemies, when He said, in Luke vi, "If ye lend only Luke
to those of whom ye expect that they will make return, what 6:34i
kind of benevolence is that? Even wicked sinners lend one
to another that they may have the same again"; and also
"Ye shall lend and expect nothing in return." I know very
well that very many doctores have interpreted these
words as though Christ had commanded to lend in such a
way as not to make any charge for it or seek any profit by
it ? but to lend gratis. This opinion is, indeed ? not wrong,
52 Treatise on Usury
for he who makes a charge for lending is not lending and
Loan * neither is he selling; it must therefore be usury, because
lending is, in its very nature, nothing else than to offer
another something without charge, on the condition that one
get back, after a while, the same thing, or its equivalent, and
nothing more. But if we look the word of Christ squarely
in the eye, it does not teach that we are to lend without
charge, for there is no need for such teaching, since there is
no lending except lending without charge, and if a charge is
made, it is not a loan. He wills that we lend not only to
friends, the rich, and those to whom we are well disposed,
who can repay us again, by returning this loan, or with
another loan, or by some other benefit ; but also that we lend
to those who cannot or will not repay us, such as the needy
and our enemies. It is just like His teaching about loving
and giving; our lending is to be done without selfishness
and without self-seeking. This does not happen unless we
lend to our enemies and to the needy; for all that He says
is aimed to teach us to do good to everyone, that is, not
only to those who do good to us, but also to those who do
us evil, or cannot do us good in return. That is what He
means when He says, "Ye shall lend and expect nothing
from it," that is, "Ye shall lend to those who cannot or will
not lend to you again." But he who lends expects to receive
back the same thing that he lends, and if he expects nothing,
then, according to their interpretation, it would be a gift
and not a loan. Because, then, it is such a little thing to
make a loan to one "who is a friend, or rich, or who may
render some service in return, that even sinners who are not
Christians do the same thing, Christians ought to do more,
and lend to those who do not the same, i. e, to the needy
and to their enemies. Thus, too, the doctrine falls which
says that we are not bound to lay aside the signa
rancoris, as has been said above; and even though
they speak rightly concerning lending, yet they turn this
commandment into a counsel and teach us that we are not
bound to lend to our enemies or to the needy, unless they
are in extreme want. Beware of this !
Three Laws for Lending 53
Twentieth. It follows that they are all usurers who lend
their neighbor wine, grain, money, or the like, in such a
way that he obligates himself to pay charges on it in a year
or at a given time; or that he burdens and overloads him-
self with a promise to give back more than he has borrowed,
or something else that is better. And in order that these
men may themselves perceive the wrong that they are doing
though the practice has, unfortunately, become common we
set before them three laws. First, This passage in the
Gospel commands that we shall lend, Now lending is not
lending unless it be done without charge and without advan-
tage to the lender, as has been said. Crafty avarice, to be
sure, sometimes paints itself a pretty color and pretends to
take the surplus as a present, but that does not help if the
present is the cause of the loan; or if the borrower would
rather not make the present, provided he could borrow
gratis. And the present is especially suspicious, if the bor-
rower makes it to the lender, or the needy to the wealthy;
for it is not natural to suppose that the needy would make a
present to the wealthy of his own free will ; it is necessity
that forces him to do so, Second, This is contrary to the
natural law, 1 which the Lord also announces in Luke vi and <j :31
Matthew vi, "What ye would that men should do to you,
that do also to them." Now, beyond all doubt, there is no 7:12
one who would that men should lend him rye to be repaid
with wheat, bad money to be repaid with good, bad wares
to be repaid with good wares ; indeed, he would much rather
that men should lend him good wares to be repaid with bad,
or with equally good wares, but without charge. Therefore
it is clear that these usurers are acting against nature, are
guilty of mortal sin, and seek their neighbor's injury and
their own profit, because they would not put up with such
treatment from others, and are thus dealing unfairly with
their neighbor. Third, It is also against the Old and the
New Law, which commands, "Thou shalt love thy neigh-
bor as thyself," But such lenders love themselves alone,
seek only their own, or do not love and seek their neigh-
M. e., Charging for loans.
54 Treatise on Usury
bor with such fidelity as they love and seek themselves.
Twenty-first. Therefore no better or briefer instruction
can be given about this, and about all dealing with temporal
goods, than that everyone who is to have dealings with his
neighbor set before him these commandments, "Whatsoever
thou wilt that another do to thee, that do thou to him also,"
and "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." If, beside
this, he were to think what he would have for himself, if he
were in his neighbor's place, he would learn for himself and
find for himself all that he needs to know. There would be
no need for law books or courts or accusation; nay, all the
cases would be quickly and simply decided. For everyone's
heart and conscience would tell him how he would like to
be dealt with, what he would like to have remitted, what
given and what forgiven, and from this he must conclude
that he ought to do just that for everyone else. But because
we leave these commandments out of view, and look only at
the business, and its profit or loss, we must have all the
countless books, courts, judges, law suits, blood, and all
misery, and thus, upon the violation of God's commandments,
must follow the destruction of God's kingdom, which is
peace and unity, in brotherly love and faithfulness. And
yet these wicked men go about, begging at times and fasting,
14:17 giving alms at times, but in this matter, on which salvation
depends, they are quite heedless and carefree, as if this
commandment did not concern them at all, though without
it they cannot be saved, even if they did all the other works
of all the saints.
Twenty-second. Here we meet two objections. The first
bjec- is that if lending were done in this way, the interest would
b e j ostj that is, the profit which they could make meanwhile
with the goods that were lent The second is the great
example. Everywhere in the world it has become the custom
to lend for profit, and especially because scholars, priests,
clergy, and churches do it, seeing that the improvement of
the church's spiritual goods and of the worship of God is
sought, and without these there would be very few Chris-
tians in the world, and everyone would be reluctant to lend
Lend Without Interest 55
Answer. There is nothing in all of that. In the first Anr
place, you must lose the interest and the profit if it be taken swcwd
from you or if you give to someone outright 1 ; why, then,
will you seek it and keep it in lending ? He who decides to
give and lend must give up the interest in advance, or it is
neither giving nor lending. In the second place, whether
it is a good custom or a bad custom, it is not Christian or
divine or natural, and no example helps against that fact.
For it is written, "Thou shalt not follow the crowd to do
evil, but honor God and His commandments above all
things," That the clergy and the churches do this is so
much the worse. For spiritual goods and churches have
neither authority nor freedom to break God's commandments,
rob their neighbor, practice usury, and do wrong. More-
over, the service of God is not improved by it, but cor-
rupted. Keeping God's commandments is improving the
service of God ; even knaves can improve the church prop-
erty; and even if the whole world had the custom of lending
with this kind of a charge, the churches and the clergy
should act the other way, and the more spiritual their pos-
sessions were, the more Christian should be the manner in
which, according to Christ's command, they would lend
them, give them, and let them go. He who does otherwise,
is doing so, not for the improvement of the churches or of
their spiritual goods, but for his own usury-seeking avarice,
which decks itself out with such good names. It is no
wonder, then, that Christians are few ; for here we see who
they are that practice really good works, though many blind
and deceive themselves with their own self-chosen good
works, which God has not commanded them, But if anyone
finds that this makes it hard for him to lend to his neighbor,
it is a sign of his great unbelief, because he despises the
comforting assurance of Christ, who says, "If we lend and Luke
give, we are children of the Highest, and our reward is
great/' He who does not believe this comforting promise
and does not make it a guide for his works, is not worthy
of it.
* See above, pp. 21 and 43 ff,
PART TWO
ON USURY
oth*r First. Beneath these three degrees are other degrees and
ways of wavs O f dealing with temporal goods, such as buying, inherit-
with"* ing, conveying, etc., and these are governed by temporal and
spiritual law. By these no one becomes better or worse in
the sight of God, for there is no Christian merit in buying
anything, getting it by inheritance, or acquiring it in some
other honest way, since the heathen, Turks, and Jews can
be this good.
But Christian dealing and the right use of temporal goods
consist in the three above-mentioned degrees or ways
giving them away, lending them without charge, and quietly
letting them go when they are taken by force. Let us now
leave all the other ways of dealing out of account, and give
attention to the matter of buying, especially the buying of
income, 1 since this makes a pretty show and seems to be a
way by which a man can burden others without sin and grow
rich without worry or trouble. For in other dealings it is
manifest to everybody if a man sells too dear, or sells false
wares, or possesses a false inheritance, or wealth that is not
his, but this slippery and newly invented business makes
itself ofttimes the pious and faithful protector of damnable
greed and usury.
A SOB- Second. Although the buying of income is now estab"-
lished as a proper trade and a permitted line of business,
it is, nevertheless, to be hated and opposed for many reasons.
First, because it is a new and slippery invention, especially
in these last, perilous times, where nothing good is invented
any more and the thoughts of all men are bent upon wealth
and honor and luxury, without any limit. We cannot find
1 D e r zinakauff. See Introduction above, p. 10 f.
(56)
Against Natural and Christian Law 57
any example of this business among the ancients, and Paul 2 rva -
says of these times that many new, wicked practices will
be invented. Second, because, as they must themselves
admit, however right it is, it makes a bad show and has an t ThesSt
offensive outward appearance, and St. Paul bids us avoid 5:23
all evil and offensive appearances, even though the thing
itself were right and proper a b omni spetie mala
abstinete (I Thessal. ult.), "Be on your guard
against every evil appearance." Now in this business the
advantage of the buyer, or receiver of income, is always
looked upon as greater and better, and is more sought after
by everyone than that of the seller, or payer of income;
and this is a sign that the business is never conducted for
the sake of the seller, but always for the sake of the buyer,
for every man's conscience fears that it cannot be right to
buy income, but no one has any doubt that he can sell it at
any risk that he cares to take. So close does this business
come to the conscience.
Third. This business, even though it be conducted with-
out usury, can scarcely be conducted without violation of
the natural law and the Christian law of love. For it is ^
to be supposed that the buyer never, or very seldom, seeks Natural
and desires the welfare and advantage of his neighbor, the
seller, more than or equally with his own, especially if the
buyer is the richer man and does not need to buy. And yet
the natural law says, What we wish and desire for ourselves, l Cor>
we shall wish and desire for our neighbor also; and it is the 13 ;5
nature of love, as St. Paul says in I Corinthians xiii, not to
seek its own profit or advantage, but that of others. But
who believes that, in this business, anyone buys income
(unless he absolutely needs it) with a view to giving his
neighbor, the seller, a profit and advantage equal to his own?
Thus it is to be feared that the buyer would not like to be
in the seller's place, as in other kinds of trade.
Fourth. Everyone must admit that whether this business
be usury or not, it does exactly the same work that usury ?? al
does; that is to say, it lays burdens upon all lands, cities,
58 Treatise on Usury
lords, and people, sucks them dry and brings them to ruin,
as no usury could have done. We see this plainly in the
S case * many cities anc * P" nc ^P a ^^ es - Now ^ le kord tau ght,
'not that the fruit is to be known by the tree, but the tree
by the fruit. Thus I cannot possibly think you a sweet
fig-tree, when you bear nothing but sharp thorns, and I
cannot reconcile the claim that this buying of incomes is
right with the fact that land and people are ruined by it,
Fifth. Let us imagine, then, or dream, or force ourselves
to think that this business is right, as it is now conducted ;
nevertheless, it deserves that pope, bishops, emperor, princes
and everybody else endeavor to have it abolished, and it is
the duty of everyone who can prevent it to do so, if only
on account of its wicked and damnable fruits, which burden
and ruin the whole world.
Sixth. Therefore it is not enough that this business should!
Nt be rescued by canon law from the reproach of usury, for
Make it fa^ <joes not rid it of or secure it against avarice and self-
love ; and from the canon law we find that it is not directed
toward love, but toward self-seeking. Money won by gam-
bling is not usury either, and yet it is not won without
self-seeking and love of self, and not without sin; the
profits of prostitution are not usury, but they are earned by
sin; and wealth that is acquired by cursing, swearing and
slander is not usury, and yet it is acquired by sin. Therefore
I cannot conclude that those who buy income which they do
not need are acting rightly and properly. I make bold to
say and give warning that the rich, who use this business
only to increase their incomes and their wealth, are in great
danger. Moreover, I do not think it permissible to act as
do some avaricious fellows (Geytzige blasen),
who collect their incomes at stated times, and quickly invest
it again in income so that the one income always drives
the other along, as water drives the millwheel. This is such
open and shameless avarice that no man, however stupid,
can deny that it is avarice; and yet all that is held to be
right. If there were no other reason to regard this buying
of income as usury or as wrong dealing (especially in such
Taking Interest 59
a case as I have mentioned), this one reason would be
enough, viz., that it is a cloak for such manifest and
shameless avarice, and allows men to do business without
risk. Whatever is of God avoids sin and every kind of
evil; but this business gives avarice free rein; therefore it
cannot be of God, as it is now conducted.
Seventh. We will now look at the arguments by which
this tender business is justified. There is a little Latin word
called inter esse. This noble, precious, tender, little
word may be rendered in German this way: If I have a
hundred gulden with which I can trade, and by my
labor and trouble make in a year five or six gulden
or more, I place it with some one else, on a productive
property, so that not I, but he, can trade with it, and for
this I take from him five gulden, which I might
have earned; thus he sells me the income five gulden
for a hundred and I am the buyer and he the seller. Here
they say, now, that the purchase of the income is proper
because, with these gulden, I might perhaps have
made more in a year, and the interest is just and sufficient.
All that is so pretty that no one can find fault with it at
any point. But it is also true that it is not possible to have
such interest on earth, for there is another, counter-interest,
which goes like this: If I have a hundred gulden,
and am to do business with it, I may run a hundred kinds
of risk of making no profits at all, nay, of losing four times
as much besides. Because of the money itself, or because
of illness, I may not be able to do business, or there may be
no wares or goods on hand. Hindrances of this kind are
innumerable, and we see that failures, losses, and injuries
are greater than profits. Thus the interest on loss is as
great as the interest of profits, or greater.
Eighth. Now if income is bought on the first kind of
interest only, 1 so that these risks and the trouble are not
assumed, and it can never happen that the buyer loses more
than he invests, and thus the money is invested as though
a i. c. F On the interest of profits.
60 Treatise on Usury
all of it could always be without the other interest, 1 then it
is clear that the trade is based on nothing, because there
cannot be any such interest, and it cannot be invented. For
in this business, goods are always on hand, and one can
transact it sitting still; a sick man can do it, a child, a
woman ; indeed, it matters not how unfit the person is, though
no such persons can engage in trade, and earn profits, with
bare money. Therefore those who regard only this kind of
interest, and trade in it, are worse than usurers ; nay, they
buy the first interest with the second interest, and win in
order that other people may lose. Again, since it is not
possible to regulate, compute, and equalize the second interest
(for it is not in man's power), I do not see how this
business can last. For who would not rather invest a hun-
dred gulden for income than trade with it, since in
trade he might lose twenty gulden in a year, and his
capital besides, while in this business he cannot lose more
than five, and keeps his capital? Moreover, in trade his
money must often be inactive because of the market ( D e r
wahr halben), or because of his own physical con-
dition, while in this business it is moving and earning all
the time.
Is it any wonder, then, that a man gets control of all the
wealth in the world, when he has goods always at hand, with
constant safety and less risk, and when his capital is pro-
tected in advance? One's profits cannot be small at times
when one can always procure goods, just as one's losses
cannot be small when one cannot get rid of goods, or cannot
procure them. Therefore, money in trade and money at
interest are different things, and the one cannot be com-
pared with the other. For money invested in income has a
basis which constantly grows and produces profit out of
the earth, while money in trade has no certainty ; the interest
it yields is accidental, and one cannot count on it at all*
Here they will say, perhaps, that, because they place money
on land, there is an "interest of loss," as well as an "interest
* i,e., "The interest o loss/'
Collateral to be Specified. 61
of profit/' for the income stands or falls according as the
land stays or not. 1 This is all true, and we shall hear more
about it below. But the fact remains that money which one
can place on land increases the "first interest" 2 too much
and decreases the "second interest" 3 as compared with
money that moves in trade ; for, as was said above, there is
more risk in trade than in land. Since, then,, one cannot get
ground with a definite sum of money, neither can one buy
income with a definite sum. Therefore, it is not enough to
say, "With so much money I can buy so much income from
a piece of ground, and therefore it is right for me to take
so much income for it and let some one else look after the
ground," For in that way one would assess a piece of
ground at a definite value. That is impossible, and great
hardship must result for land and people.
Ninth. Therefore it is no wonder that the knights of
income (Zins junckeren) quickly become rich
above others, for since the others keep their money in
trade, they are subject to the two kinds of interest, but the
knights of income, by this little trick, get out of the second
interest and come into the first; thus their risk is greatly
reduced and their safety increased. It ought, therefore, not TV,
be permitted to buy income with cash money, without sped- fmtt
fying and defining the particular piece of ground from which
the income is derived, as is now the custom, especially
among the great merchants, who place money on ground in rived
general, without specification. By so doing they ascribe to ?"**
the nature of money that which is only accidental to it. It specified
is not in the nature of money that it buys ground, but it
may happen that a piece of ground is for sale for income
when some money is at one's disposal; but that does not
happen with all ground or with all money; therefore the
ground ought to be named and exactly defined. If that were
done, it would be evident how much money would be useless
for income purposes and have to stay in trade or in the
1 The risk that the owner might lose his ground was a real risk in the
sixteenth century.
*L e,, The "interest of profit"
H e,, The "interest of loss. 1 '
62 Treatise on Usury
coffers, though it now produces income with neither right
nor pretext except that one says (in a general way), "By
placing it on a piece of ground, I can buy so much income
with it, and that will be interest/' Yes, my dear fellow, my
money can buy my neighbor's house; but if it is not for
sale, the ability of my money has no effect on his interest.
In the same way, it is not the luck of all money to buy
income from ground; and yet some people want to buy
income from everything that can be used. They are usurers,
thieves, and robbers, for they are selling the luck of the
money, which is not theirs and is not in their power. "Nay,"
you say, "it can buy income from a piece of ground." I
answer, It does not do so yet, and perhaps it never will.
Hans can take a Gretchen, but he has her not yet, and so
he is not yet married. Your money can buy income ; that is
half of it, but the deal depends on the rest of it the accep-
tance and the other half. But now the rich merchants want
to sell the good fortune of their money, and that without
any bad fortune, and sell the will and intentions of other
people besides, because it rests with them whether the sale
can be made. That is selling the thirteenth bear-skin. 1
Tenth. I say, further, that it is not enough that the
ground be there and be named, but it must be described
parcel by parcel and the money placed on it and the income
to be got from it indicated, as, for example, the house, the
garden, the meadow, the pond, the cattle, and all this free
and unsold and unencumbered. They must not play the
blind cow in the community and place a burden on the whole
property. If this provision is not made, a town, or a poor
man, must be sold in a sack and utterly ruined by the blind
bargain, 3 as we see happening now in many cities and states.
The reason is this the trade of a city may fall off, citizens
become fewer, houses burn down, fields, meadows and all
the ground run down and the goods and the cattle of every
householder grow less, more children come; or it may be
burdened with some other misfortune. Thus the wealth
*i. c., Selling: what one haa not.
a i. c., In which the goods are not seen*
Buyer Takes the Risk 63
slips away, but the blind bargain, made with the whole
property of the community, remains. Thus the poor and
small remnant of wealth must bear the burden and expense
of the whole former lot ; and this can never be right. The
buyer is sure of his income and has no risk, and this is
against the nature of any real bargain ; and it would not be
so, if the property were described parcel by parcel, and the
income were to fluctuate with the value of the ground, as is
right.
Eleventh. The only way of defending this business against
the charge of usury and it would do so better than all talk
of interest would be that the buyer of income have the Take His
same risk and uncertainty about his income that he has
about all his other property. For with his property the
receiver of income is subject to the power of God death,
sickness, flood, fire, wind, hail, thunder, rain, wolves, wild
beasts, and the manifold losses inflicted by wicked men, All
these risks should apply to the buyer of income, for upon
this, and on nothing else, his income rests ; nor has he any
right to receive income for his money, unless the payer of
the income, or seller of the property, specifically agrees,
and can have free and entire and unhindered use of his own
labor. This is proved from nature, Reason, and all laws,
which agree in saying that in a sale the risk lies with the
buyer, 1 for the seller is not bound to guarantee his wares to
the buyer. Thus when I buy the income from a particular
parcel of ground, I do not buy the ground, but the labor of
the seller upon the ground, by which he is to bring me my
income. I therefore take all the risk of hindrance that may
come to his labor, insofar as it does not come from his
fault or neglect, whether by the elements, beasts, men,
sickness, or anything else. In these things the seller of the
income has as great interest as the buyer, so that if, after
due diligence, his labor is unprofitable, he ought and can say
freely to the receiver of the income, "This year I owe you
nothing, for I sold you my labor for the production of
*The principle of caveat emptor.
Vol. IV.-5
64 Treatise on Usury
income from this and that property; I have not succeeded;
the loss is yours and not mine ; for if you would have interest
on my profits, you must also have an interest in my losses,
as the nature of a bargain requires." The owners of income,
who will not put up with that, are just as pious as robbers
and murderers, and wrest from the poor man his property
and his living. Woe to them !
Twelfth. From this it follows that the blind trade in
incomes that are based not on a designated piece of prop-
erty, but on the land of a whole community, or many prop-
erties taken together, is wrong. For although the purchaser
of income cannot show on what property the charge rests,
he has, nevertheless, no risk, never accepts the possibility
that income may fail here or there, and wants to be sure of
his income. But perhaps you will say, "If this were to be
the case, who would buy income?" I answer: See there!
I knew very well that if human nature were to do the right
thing, it would turn up its nose. Now it comes out that in
this trade in incomes the only things that are sought are
safety, avarice, and usury.
O how many cities, lands, and people must pay these
charges, when it has long since been men's duty to remit
them ! For if this risk is not taken, the purchase of incomes
is simply usury. They go on endowing churches and monas-
teries and altars and this and that, and yet there is no limit
to the trade in incomes, just as though it were possible for
wealth, persons, luck, products, and labor to be alike in all
years. However equal or unequal these things may be, the
charge must go on at the same rate. Ought this not ruin
land and people? I am surprised that the world still stands,
with this boundless usury going on! It is thus that the
world has improved! What in earlier days was called a
loan, is now changed into the purchase of income.
Thirteenth. The income purchase is sometimes made in
such a way that income is bought from those to whom the
buyer ought to lend or give something. That is utterly
worthless, for God's commandment stands in the way, and
it is His will that the needy shall be helped by loans or
Excessive Interest Charges 65
gifts. Again it happens that both buyer and seller need
their property, and therefore neither of them can lend or
give, but they have to help themselves with such a bargain.
If this is done without breaking the church-law which pro-
vides for the payment of four, five, or six gulden on
the hundred, it can be endured; but respect should be always
had for the fear of God, which fears to take too much
rather than too little, in order that avarice may not have its
way in a decent business deal. The smaller the percentage
the more divine and Christian the deal.
It is not my affair, however, to point out when one ought
to pay five, four, or six percent. I leave it for the law to
decide when the property is so good and so rich that one
can charge six percent. It is my opinion, however,, that if
we were to keep Christ's command about the first three
degrees, 1 the purchase of incomes would not be so common
or so necessary, except in cases where the amounts were
considerable and the properties large. But the practice has
got down to groschen and p f e n n i g e and deals
with little sums that could easily be taken care of by gifts
or loans in accordance with Christ's command. And yet
they will not call this avarice.
Fourteenth. There are some who not only deal in little
Rates
sums, but also take too much return seven, eight, nine, ten
percent. The rulers ought to look into this. Here the
poor common people are secretly imposed upon and severely
oppressed. For this reason these robbers and usurers often
die an unnatural and sudden death, or come to a terrible end
(as tyrants and robbers deserve), for God is a judge for
the poor and needy, as He often says in the Old Law. ^^
But then they say, "The churches and the clergy do this mmt8
and 'have done it, because this money is used for the service ctaA
of God/' Truly if a man has nothing else to do than to MomeF
justify usury, a worse thing could not be said about him,
for he would take the innocent church and the clergy with
him to the devil and lead them into sin. Leave the name
1 See atJOTe, p. 37 f.
66 Treatise on Usury
of the Church out of it, and say, "It is usury-seeking
avarice that does not like to work to earn its bread, and so
makes the name of the Church a cloak for idleness."
Why talk of service of God? The service of God is to
keep His commandments, so that no one steals, robs, over-
reaches, or the like, but gives and lends to the needy. You
would tear down this service of God in order to build
churches, endow altars, and have mass read and prayers
sung; though God has commanded none of these things,
and with your service of God you bring the true service of
God to naught. Put in the first place the service of God
that He has commanded, and let the service of God that
you have chosen for yourself come along behind. As I said
above, if all the world were to take ten percent, the church
endowments should keep strictly to the law, and take four
or five, with fear; for they ought to let their light shine, and
give an example to the worldly. But they turn things
around, and would have freedom to leave God's command-
ments and His service in order to do evil and practice
usury. If you would serve God your way, then serve Him
without injuring your neighbor, and without failing to keep
isa.ei:8 God's commandments. For He says in Isaiah Ixi, "I am a
God that loves justice and I hate the sacrifice that is stolen."
Prw. The Wise Man also says, "Give alms of that which is thine."
3:9 But these overcharges are stolen from your neighbor, against
God's commandment.
Fifteenth. But if anyone is afraid that the churches and
endowments will go down, I say that it is better to take
ten endowments and make of them one that is according to
the will of God, than to keep many against God's com-
mandment. What good does a service 1 do you if it is
against God's commandment and contrary to the true serving
of God? You cannot serve God with two kinds of service
Matt that contradict one another, any more than you can serve
6:24 two masters.
There are also some simple folk who sell these incomes
1 Ein gottes dienst.
A Dangerous Tendency 67
without having ground or security, or sell more than the
ground can bear, and this leads to evident ruin. This
matter is very dangerous and goes so far that it is hard to
say enough about it. The best thing would be to turn back
to the Gospel, approach it, and practice Christian dealing
with goods as has been said.
There is also in this business a dangerous tendency, from
which I fear that none of the buyers of income at least
very few of them are free. It is that they want their
income and their property to be sure and safe, and there-
fore place their money with others, instead of keeping it
and taking risks. They very much prefer that other people
shall work with it and take the risks, so that they themselves
can be idle and lazy, and yet stay rich or become rich, If
that is not usury, it is very much like it. Briefly, it is
against God. If you seek to take an advantage of your
neighbor which you will not let him take of you, then love
is gone and the natural law is broken. Now, I fear that,
in this buying of income, we pay little heed to the success
of our neighbor, if only our income and our property are
safe, though safety is the very thing we ought not to seek.
This is certainly a sign of greed or laziness, and although
it does not make the business worse, it is, nevertheless, sin
in the eyes of God.
*Back in Saxony and Lueneburg and Holstein, the thing
is done so crudely that it would be no wonder if one man
were to devour another. There they not only take nine or
ten percent, or whatever they can get, but they have also
hitched a special device on to it. It goes this way if a man
lets me have a thousand gulden for income, 3 I have to take
instead of cash money, so many horses or cows, so much
bacon, wheat, etc., that he can not get rid of otherwise, or
cannot sell for so high a price. Thus the money that I get
amounts to scarcely half of the sum named, say, to five
*The passage from here to the end i* an addition to the treatise of 1520.
See above, p. 9 f.
L e>, At interest
68 Treatise on Usury
hundred gulden, though the goods and the cattle ar
of no use to me, or may bring me in scarcely one or two
hundred gulden. These fellows are not highway rob-
bers, but common house thieves. 1 What shall we say about
this ? These men are not men at all, but wolves and senseless
beasts, who do not believe there is a God.
Tfc* In a word, for all this usury and unfair securing of income
TMh * there is no better advice than to follow the law and example
of Moses. We ought to bring all these charges under the
ordinance that that which shall be taken or sold or given
shall be a tithe, or in case of need a ninth, or an eighth, or
a sixth. Thus everything would be fair, and all depend on
the grace and blessing of God. If the tithe turned out well
in any year, it would bring the creditor a large sum ; if it
turned out badly, the creditor would bear the risk as well
as the debtor, and both would have to look to God. In that
case, the income could not be fixed at any given amount,
nor would that be necessary, but it would always remain
uncertain how much the tithe would yield and yet the tithe
would be certain.
The tithe, therefore, is the best of all fixed charges and it
has been in use since the beginning of the world, and in the
Old Law it is praised and established as the fairest of all
arrangements according to divine and natural law. By it,
if the tenth did not reach, or were not enough, one could
take and sell a ninth, or fix any amount that the land or
Gen. house could stand. Joseph fixed the fifth as the amount to
41:34 be taken, or found it so fixed and customary in Egypt. For
by this arrangement the divine law of fairness constantly
abides, that the lender take the risk* If things turn out
well, he takes his fifth; if they turn out badly, he takes so
much less, as God gives, and has no definite and certain
sum.
But now that incomes are bought in definite and certain
amounts, all years are equal, good and bad alike, and land
and people must be ruined. The purchaser buys the same
income for unequal and equal years, poor years and rich
*Haus reuber and hoffe reubr.
God's Laws 69,
years; nay, he buys a blessing that God has not yet given
for a blessing that is already given. That can never be
right, for by that means one sucks another's sweat and
blood, Therefore it is no wonder that in the few years that
the buying of incomes has been practiced, i. e., about a
hundred years, all princedoms and lands have been impov-
erished and pawned and ruined.
But if the sale or income were based, not on produce, 1
but on houses or places that were gained and acquired by
manual labor, it could be justified by the law of Moses, by
having a "jubilee year" in these things and not selling the Lev.
income in perpetuity. For I think that, since this business 25:loff -
is in such a disordered state, we could have no better
examples or laws than the laws which God provided for His
people, and with which He ruled them. He is as wise as
human Reason can be, and we need not be ashamed to keep
and follow the law of the Jews in this matter, for it is
profitable and good.
Emperor, kings, princes and lords ought to watch over
this matter and look to their lands and peoples, to help them
and rescue them from the horrible jaws of avarice, and
things would be so much the better for them. The diets
should deal with this as one of the most necessary things,
but they let this lie, and serve, meanwhile, the pope's tyranny,
burdening lands and people more and more, until at last
they must go to destruction because the land can no longer
endure them, but must spue them out.
God give them His light and grace. Amen.
a Getrcid, "agricultural products,"
THE RIGHT AND POWER
OF A CHRISTIAN CONGREGATION OR
COMMUNITY TO JUDGE ALL TEACHING
AND TO CALL, APPOINT, AND DISMISS
TEACHERS,
ESTABLISHED AND PROVED FROM SCRIPTURE
1523
INTRODUCTION
This and the following treatise were written by Luther with
particular reference to the congregation at Leisnig, a little Saxon
town on the Mulde river. In the spring of 1522 the entire parish had
gone over to' the Lutheran movement. The priest appointed by the
abbot of Bucli, who held the right of patronage, was dismissed and
two evangelical ministers, Hemrich Kind and Johann Gruner, were
elected by the congregation; the order of worship was revised, and
steps were taken to make the congregation financially self-supporting-.
On September 25, 1522, Luther, whose plans for Wittenberg had
been crossed by the radical movement under Karlstadt, visited the
congregation, at their request, and discussed with them these various
reforms. On January 25 of the following year the congregation sent
two accredited representatives, Sebastian von Kotteritzsch and Franz
Salbach, to Wittenberg, to obtain Luther's approval of their unani-
mously adopted ordinance of a common chest, and to request him to
prepare for them an order of worship as well as to put the congrega-
tion's right to call its own ministers upon a scriptural basis. To all
of these requests Luther responded in the course of the following
spring; to the first by publishing the Leisnig ordinance with a com-
mendatory preface ;* to the second in the Von Ordnung
Gottesdiensts in der Gemeine; to the third in the
present treatise.
Luther here draws the practical consequences of his view of the
Church, which antedates the indulgence controversy and is found
substantially complete in his first lectures on the Psalms (1S13). 3 The
only specifically new feature added was the principle of the spiritual
priesthood of believers, which dawned upon him after the Leipzig
Disputation, 6
Our treatise, therefore, contains nothing new, but is a convenient
summary of a view scattered references to which may be found in
many of Luther's previous writings,* with an eye constantly upon the
1 See p. 92 ff.
3 Cf, K, HOIX-, pp. 245-78.
* Its first appearance is in a letter to Spalatin, December 18, 1519 (ENDERS,
Luther's Briefwechsel, II, 279 fc). Cf. Treatise on the
New Testament (in this edition, Vol. I, 315 f., 318), Open Lette/r
to the Christian Nobility (Vol. II, 66 ff.), Babylonian
Captivity (Vol. II, 279 f., 283), Christian Liberty (Vol. IT,
*In* addition td the references in the foregoing note, compare in this edition
Vol. I, 35 (62 thesis), 353 ff. 361.
(73)
74 Right and Power of a Christian Congregation
actual conditions of a definite local congregation. In the first line he
calls himself "Ecclesiastes" or preacher, and this is the point of view
from which he writes. He shows that the ministry is nothing else
than the ministry of the Word. And since the Word belongs to all,
the congregation has the inherent right to have ministers of the Word ;
if its minister is not such a minister it has the right to dismiss him
and to elect one who is. The call of the congregation is emphasized
as that which makes a minister, even apart from ordination; if the
minister thus elected be refused ordination, his call is tantamount to
ordination, The secular authorities are to be appealed to, in an
emergency, to furnish ministers. Emergency, or necessity, plays an
important role throughout, and the later state rule (Notbischofa)
is foreshadowed. The last paragraph is Luther's strongest statement
of the supremacy of the Word in the sacred office. The treatise is of
particular value as a clear expression of Luther's ideal of Congrega-
tionalism, a position which he never gave up, though later he was
compelled under the stress of circumstances to content himself with
state rule. 1
The translation is based on the text of CLEMEN, II, 325 ff. The
treatise is given also in the Weimar Edition, XI, 406 ff.,
Erl an g.en Edition, XXII, 141 ff. S t. Loui s Edi t i on,
X, 1538-49; Berlin Edition, VII, 141 ff. Besides the intro-
ductions in these editions, compare the Lives of Luther by KOSTLIN-
KAWERAU (S. ed., 1903), I, 517 f., and by BERGER, II, 2 (1919), 56
ff ,, as well as KOSTLIN'S Luther's Theologie (2. ed,,
1901), I, 333 ff., and TSCHACKERT'S Entstehung der
lutherischen und reformierten Kirchenlehre
(1910), 20 f., 34. The most thorough recent discussion of the
origin and development of Luther's conception of the Church is in
K. ROLL'S Gesammelte Aufsatze zur Kirchenge*
schichte, I: Luther (1921), 245-325. A line of reasoning
similar to that of our treatise is pursued by Luther in his De
instituendis ministris (fall of 1523), on which, sec
KOSTLIN-KAWERAU, I, 630 ff.
ALBERT T. W. STEINHAEUSER
ALLENTOWN,
PENNSYLVANIA
1 In estimating Luther|s view of the power of the congregation, it should he
remembered that for him a congregation is the entire community regarded
as a religious entity. The term G e m e i n e means "the community/' as often
as it means "the congregation." C, M, J,
THE RIGHT AND POWER OF A CHRISTIAN
CONGREGATION OR COMMUNITY TO JUDGE
ALL TEACHING AND TO CALL, APPOINT, AND
DISMISS TEACHERS,
ESTABLISHED AND PROVED FROM SCRIPTURE
1523
It is necessary, first of all, to know where and what a
Christian congregation is, so that men may not engage
in purely human affairs under cover of the name of a
Christian congregation, as has always been the custom of
non-christians. Now the certain mark of the Christian
congregation is the preaching of the Gospel in its purity.
For as one can tell by the army standard, as by a sure sign,
what leader and what army have taken the field, so one may
surely know by the Gospel where Christ and His army are
stationed. Of this we have God's sure promise in Isaiah Iv.
"My word/* He says, "that goeth forth out of my mouth, isa.
shall not return unto me void; but as the rain cometh down 55:lof -
from heaven and watereth the earth, so shall my word
accomplish all things whereto I send it." Hence we are
certain that where the Gospel is preached, there must be
Christians, no matter how few in number or how sinful and
frail they be; just as where the Gospel is not preached and
the doctrines of men hold sway, there can be no Christians
but only heathens, no matter how great their numbers or how
saintly and good their lives.
From this it follows undeniably that bishops, foundations,
monastic houses, and all that crew have long since ceased to
(75)
76 Right and Power of a Christian Congregation
be either Christians or a Christian congregation, though they
have flaunted this name as their exclusive possession. For
whoever knows what the Gospel is can see, hear and
understand that they are based, to this very day, upon
their human teachings and have driven, and are still driving,
the Gospel far from them. Whatever such folk do and say
must be regarded, therefore, as heathen and secular.
Secondly, in this matter of judging teachings and of ap-
pointing and dismissing teachers or pastors, not the least
attention is to be paid to any human decree, law, precedent,
usage or custom, whether it be decreed by pope or emperor,
by princes or bishops, whether it have been observed by half
the world or by all the world, whether it be in existence for
one year or for a thousand years. The soul of man is
eternal and above everything that is temporal; therefore it
must be ruled and equipped with an eternal word alone. It
is most absurd to rule conscience, in God's stead, by means
of human law and long established custom. We must be
guided, therefore, in this matter by the Scriptures and the
Word of God. For the Word of God and the teaching of
man cannot but clash when the latter undertakes to rule
the soul. Of this we desire to give a plain instance in the
question before us.
The word and teaching of man have decreed and pre-
scribed that the judging of doctrine be left altogether to
bishops, theologians, and councils. Whatever these have
decided, all the world is bound to regard as law and as
articles of faith. This is abundantly proved by their daily
harping on the pope's canon law. One hears scarcely any-
thing else from them but the boast that they have the power
and the right to judge what is Christian and what is heretical;
the plain Christian must await their decision and abide by it.
This claim of theirs, with which they have intimidated the
whole world, and which is their chief stronghold and defence,
lo, how shamelessly and how senselessly it rages against the
law and Word of God !
For Christ decrees the very opposite. He takes from the
bishops, theologians and councils both the right and the
To Judge All Teaching and to Call Teachers 77
power to judge doctrine, and confers them upon all men,
and upon all Christians in particular. He does this when
He says in John x, "My sheep hear my voice" ; and, "My John
sheep do not follow a stranger, but flee from him; for they 1 5 :27 >
know not the voice of strangers. As many as have come '
are thieves and robbers; but the sheep did not hear them."
Here you see plainly who has the right to judge teaching.
Bishops, pope, theologians, and any one else have the power
to teach; but the sheep are to judge whether what they teach
is the voice of Christ or the voice of strangers. What reply
can be made to this by the windbags who bluster and shout,
"Councils ! councils ! Ah, we must listen to the theologians,
the bishops, the great majority; we must look to ancient
usage and custom." What! God's Word yield to your
ancient usage, your custom, your bishops? Never! We
therefore let bishops and councils decide and decree what
they please ; but when we have God's Word on our side, it
shall be for us, and not for them, to say whether it is right
or wrong, and they shall yield to us and obey our word.
Here you see plainly enough, I fancy, how much trust is
to be placed in those persons who deal with souls by means
of the word of men. Who does not see that all bishops,
foundations, monastic houses, universities, with all that are
therein, rage against this clear word of Christ by shame-
lessly taking from the sheep the judgment of doctrine and
appropriating it to themselves by their own impudent decree?
Hence they are certainly to be regarded as murderers, thieves,
wolves and apostate Christians, who are here openly con-
victed not only of denying the Word of God, but of setting
up and carrying out decrees in opposition to this Word.
Thus it behooved antichrist and Ms kingdom to do accord- 2 Then
ing to Paul's prediction in II Thessalonians ii. 2:3 f
Again, Christ says in Matthew vii, "Beware of false
prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but in-
wardly they are ravening wolves," Observe that He here
assigns the judgment not to the prophets and teachers, but
to the pupils, or the sheep. For how could one beware of
false prophets unless one examined, judged and gave a
78 Right and Power of a Christian Congregation
decision on their teaching? Indeed, there can be no false
prophets among the hearers, but among the teachers alone.
All teachers should and must, therefore, be subject with their
teaching to the judgment of the hearers.
i Thess. Our third passage is from St. Paul, in I Thessalonians v,
5:21 "Test all things; hold fast that which is good/' Note that
Paul would have no doctrine or decree to be observed unless
it be tested and found good by the congregation that hears
it. For this testing certainly does not pertain to the teachers ;
they must first declare that which is to be tested. Thus, in
this passage also, the judgment is taken from the teachers
and committed to the pupils among Christians; hence there
is a vast difference between Christians and the world. In
the world the ruler commands what he pleases, and his
su fy' ects acce pt it; but "among you," says Christ, "it shall
not be so." Among Christians every one is the other's judge
and, on the other hand, also subject to the other. 1 The
spiritual tyrants, however, have turned Christendom into a
temporal power,
Matt. Q ur {0^^ p assa ge is again a saying of Christ's, in
" Matthew xxiv, "Take heed that no man deceive you; for
many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shall
deceive many/' But what need is there of adducing further
passages? All the warnings of St. Paul in Romans xvi, I
16^13 Corinthians x, Galatians iii, iv and v, Colossians ii, and
is ' everywhere else, as well as the sayings of all the prophets
i Cor. in which they teach that doctrines of men are to be rejected,*
G ^ 0: 3 4 4 these altogether deprive the teachers of the right and power
Coi. 2:8 to judge any teaching, and assign this right and power to
the hearers with urgent commands and on pain of losing
their souls. So that the hearers not only have the power and
the right to judge all preaching, but are obliged to judge it
under penalty of forfeiting the favor of Divine Majesty.
Thus we see in how unchristian a manner the despots dealt
with us when they deprived us of this right and appropriated
1 Compare the two theses in the Treatise on Christian liberty,
Vol. ii, 312.
a Cf. the treatise vith thia title In Vd, ii, 427
To Judge All Teaching and to Call Teachers 79
it to themselves. For this thing alone they have richly
deserved to be cast out of the Christian Church and driven
forth as wolves, thieves and murderers, whose rule and teach-
ing are contrary to God's Word and will.
We conclude, then, that where there is a Christian con-
gregation which has the Gospel, it not only has the right and
the power, but is in duty bound, according to the obedience
it pledged to Christ in Baptism, and under pain of forfeiting
its salvation, to shun, to flee, to put down, to withdraw from,
the authority which our bishops, abbots, monastic houses,
foundations, and the like exercise today; since it is plainly
to be seen that their teaching and rule are opposed to God
and His Word. Thus our first point is established certainly
and firmly enough, and we should depend upon it that to
put down or to shun such bishops, abbots, monasteries, and
the like rule, is a divine right and necessary for the salva-
tion of souls.
II
A Christian congregation, however, should not and cannot
be without the Word of God. It follows therefore logically
enough from the foregoing, that it must have teachers and
preachers to administer this Word. And since in these last
accursed times the bishops and false spiritual rulers neither
are nor have any intention of being such teachers, and are
moreover unwilling to give us or to suffer us to have such
teachers ; and since we ought not to tempt God to send down
anew preachers from heaven: therefore we must do as the
Scriptures say, and call and appoint from among ourselves
men who are found fit for this work, and whom God has
enlightened with understanding and endowed with the requi-
site gifts.
For no one can deny that every Christian has God's Word
and is taught of God and anointed by Him to the priest-
hood. Thus Christ says in John vi, "They shall all be ^
taught of God/' And in Psalm xlv, "God hath anointed
thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." By "fel- P8 ' 4S:7
lows" are meant Christians, Christ's brethren, consecrated
VoL IV.-6
80 Right and Power of a Christian Congregation
1 Pet. to be priests with Him. As Peter also says in I Peter ii, "Ye
2:9 are a royal priesthood, that ye should show forth the praises
of him who hath called you into his marvelous light." 1
Now, if Christians 'have the Word of God and are anointed
by Him, they are in duty bound to confess, preach and
2 COT. spread this Word. As Paul says in II Corinthians iv, "We
4:13 have the same spirit of faith, and therefore we speak" ; and
PS. the prophet says in Psalm cxvi, "I believed, therefore I
116:10 speak"; and in Psalm li, he says in the name of all Chris-
Ps<51:13 tians, "I will teach transgressors thy ways, that sinners may
be converted unto thee." These passages prove once more
that a Christian not only has the right and power to teach
God's Word, but is in duty bound to teach it on pain of
losing his salvation and forfeiting God's favor.
Now you will say : "But, unless he has been called to do
this, he dare not preach, as you yourself have repeatedly
taught!" I reply; Here you must consider the Christian
from a double point of view. On the one hand, when he is
in a place where there are no Christians, he needs no other
call than the fact that he is a Christian, inwardly called and
anointed by God ; he is bound by the duty of brotherly love
to preach to the erring heathens or nonchristians and to
teach them the Gospel, even though no one call him to this
Ac * a s work. That is what St. Stephen did (Acts vi and vii) ; the
10 V office of preaching was not committed to him by the apostles,
7:2 ff. yet he preached and performed great wonders among the
Acts 8:sP e P' e ' Philip, Stephen's fellow-deacon, did the same (Acts
viii), without having received the office of preaching. The
A i8 S -25 same 1S true ^ ^polios (Acts xviii). In such circumstances
26, 28 the Christian looks, in brotherly love, upon the needs of poor
perishing souls, and waits for no commission or letter from
pope or bishop. For necessity breaks every law and knows
no law; moreover, love is bound to help when there is no
one else to help. But, on the other hand, when the Christian
is in a place where there are Christians, who have the same
power and right as he, he should not thrust himself forward,
1 For a discussion of the spiritual priesthood of believers, comp. Vol. ft, 66 ff,
To Judge All Teaching and to Call Teachers 81
but should rather let himself be called and drawn forth to
preach and teach in the stead and by the commission of the
rest. Indeed, a Christian has such power that he may and
should arise and teach, even among Christians, without being
called of men, in case he finds the teacher in that place to be
in error, provided that this be done in a becoming and decent
manner. Such a case is plainly described by St. Paul in ! Cor -
I Corinthians xiv, where he says, "If anything be revealed 14:3
to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace."
Notice what St, Paul does here. He commands the man
who is teaching to hold his peace and to retire (among
Christians !) , and commands the hearer to arise, even without
a call, because necessity knows no law.
If then St. Paul here bids anyone, in case of necessity,
among Christians, to arise even without a call, and calls him
by virtue of this word of God; and if he bids the other to
retire, and deposes him by virtue of these words : how much
more does an entire Christian congregation have the right to
call a man to this office whenever it becomes necessary!
And it is always necessary, and never more than now. For
in the same passage St. Paul gives to every Christian the
power to teach among Christians whenever it becomes neces- i Cor.
sary, "Ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn 14:31
and all may be admonished" ; and, "Desire earnestly to i G*.
prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues; but let all i4:39t
things be done decently and in order." Take this passage as
a most sure basis, which gives more than sufficient authority
to the Christian congregation to preach, to permit men to
preach, and to call preachers. Especially in case of neces-
sity, this passage itself calls every one in particular, without
any call of men; so that we might have no doubt that the
congregation which has the Gospel may and should choose
and call, out of its number, one who is to teach the Word
in its stead. i Tim .
But now you will say: "St. Paul, however, commanded s-,22
Timothy and Titus to appoint priests ; moreover, we read in Ttu *
Acts xiv that Paul and Barnabas appointed priests in their Act9
congregations, The congregation cannot, therefore, call 14:23
82 Right and Power of a Christian Congregation
anyone, nor can anyone come forward of his own accord to
preach among Christians ; but we must have the consent and
commission of bishops, abbots or other prelates, who sit in
the apostles' seat/' I reply: If indeed our bishops and
abbots sat in the apostles' seat, as they claim, one might speak
of letting them do what Titus and Timothy, Paul and
Barnabas did when they appointed priests. But now that
they sit in the devil's seat, and are wolves, neither preaching
the Gospel nor permitting it to be preached, the appointment
of men to the office of preaching and pastoral care among
Christians concerns them as much as it concerns the Jew and
the Turk. Mule drivers and dog leaders, that is what they
ought to be !
Moreover, even if they were the right sort of bishops and
desired to have the Gospel and to appoint the right sort of
preachers, they could not and should not do this without the
consent, choice and call of the congregation ; except in cases
of necessity, in order that souls might not be lost for lack of
God's Word. For in such necessity, as we have seen, anyone
may provide a preacher, either by personal request or through
the power of the secular authorities ; nay, he should himself
step into the breach and rise up and teach, if he be able, for
necessity is necessity and knows no bounds, just as, when
fire breaks out in a town, everyone should hasten to lend a
hand and not wait to be asked.
But where no such necessity exists, and where there are
those who have the right, the power, and the gift to teach,
no bishop ought to appoint anyone without the consent,
choice and call of the congregation; it is his duty rather to
confirm the man whom the congregation has elected and
called. If the bishop does not confirm him, he is none the
less confirmed by virtue of the call of the congregation. For
neither Titus nor Timothy nor Paul appointed any priest
mm i:7 unless he was chosen and called by the congregation. This
i Tim. is clearly proved from Paul's words in Titus i and I Timothy
Stf.ioiii, "A bishop, or priest, must be blameless"; and, "The
deacons must first be proved." Titus certainly did not know
who was blameless: this information must needs come from
To Judge All Teaching and to Call Teachers 83
the congregation, who must bring such a one to his attention.
We read also in Acts vi, with respect to a very minor office, Acts
that the apostles themselves did not venture to appoint men
to be deacons without the knowledge and consent of the
congregation. The congregation, on the contrary, chose and
called the seven deacons, and the apostles confirmed them.
But if the apostles did not venture, upon their own authority,
to appoint men to an office that had to do merely with the
distribution of bodily food, how should they 'have been so
bold as to commit to anyone the highest office of all, that of
preaching, by their own power and without the knowledge,
consent and call of the congregation ?
But since in our days the necessity exists, and there is
never a bishop to provide evangelical preachers, the example
of Titus and Timothy does not apply here. We must rather
call a preacher out of the congregation, whether he be con-
firmed by Titus or not. For the people to whom Titus
ministered would or should have done the same, if he had
refused to confirm their preachers or if there had been no
one else to appoint preachers. These days are altogether
unlike the days of Titus ; then the apostles ruled and desired
the right sort of preachers, but now our despots desire none
but wolves and thieves.
And why do the raging tyrants condemn us for electing
and calling in this manner? They themselves do the same
thing, and have no other way, Among them no one is ever
appointed pope or bishop by the authority of one man, but
he is elected and called by the chapter and thereupon con-
firmed by others, bishops by the pope as their superior, but
the pope himself by the Cardinal of Ostia as his inferior. 1
And if one should happen not to be confirmed, he is none
the less bishop or pope. Now I ask the dear tyrants this
* The Cardinal of 0tia is the cardinal dean, whose duty it is, after the pope
has received the required two-third* vote of the conclave, to ask him whether
he will accept the election and by what name he wishes to he known. If the
pope happens not to he a bishop, he is consecrated at once by the Cardinal-
Bishop of Ostia; if he is already a bishop, there takes place only the solemn
b e n e d i c t i o or blessing. See Catholic Encyclopedia: Art
"CoaclaveV
84 Right and Power of a Christian Congregation
question : If the election and call of their congregation can
make a man a bishop, and if the pope is pope solely by virtue
of his election without confirmation by any other authority,
why should not a Christian congregation make a man a
preacher solely by virtue of its call? (My argument has the
greater force because, forsooth, they regard the estate of
bishop and pope as superior to the office of preacher.) Who
has granted this right to them and withheld it from us ? The
more since our call has Scripture in its favor, while theirs is
but a human fable without Scripture, whereby they rob us
of our rights. They are tyrants and knaves, dealing with us
as the devil's apostles are bound to do.
Hence it has also been the custom in certain places that
even secular authorities such as burgomasters and princes
appointed and salaried their own city and castle preachers,
choosing whom they pleased, without the consent or com-
mission of bishops or popes ; nor has anyone ever interfered
with this custom. I am afraid, however, that it was not
done from a correct understanding of their Christian rights ;
it has come about rather because the spiritual tyrants despised
the office of preaching, held it common, and made a sharp
distinction between it and the spiritual rule. But it is in
truth the highest office of all, on which all other offices
depend and from which they follow; on the other hand,
where this office does not exist none of the others can follow,
John 4:2 For in John iv we read that Christ did not baptize, but only
i COT. preached; and Paul boasts in I Corinthians i that he was
1:17 sent not to baptize, but to preach the Gospel.
Therefore, the man to whom has been committed the office
of preaching has committed to him the highest office in the
Christian Church. He may then also baptize, say mass, and
take full charge of the care of souls. Or if he prefer, he
may confine himself to preaching, and leave baptizing and
such minor offices to others, as Christ did, and St. Paul, and
Acts 6:4 all the apostles (Acts vi). By this we see that our present
bishops and spirituals are painted images and no bishops at
all. For the highest office, that of the Word, which ought to
be their proper work, they leave to the very lowest orders,
To Judge All Teaching and to Call Teachers 85
to chaplains and monks, alms-collectors I 1 To whom they
leave also the minor offices, such as baptism and other
pastoral acts. Meanwhile they themselves administer con-
firmation and bless bells, altars and churches, works which
are neither Christian nor episcopal, but invented out of their
own heads. They are perverse and blind mummers, and
nothing but make-believe bishops. 2
iTerminarien. Cf. Vol. II, 135, n. 2.
3 Kinderbischdfe, also called Niklasbischofe, i. e., the play-
bishops chosen by school children from among their number, in the games and
pageants held in Germany on St. Nicholas' Day (December 6th).
PREFACE
TO
AN ORDINANCE OF A COMMON CHEST
1523
INTRODUCTION
The care of the poor had been neither neglected nor adequately
conducted by Church and state in the later middle ages. Alms-giving
flourished as one of the churchly virtues, but it was regarded as a
good work done to please God and not one's neighbor ; the point of
view of the giver was emphasized, that of the recipient was ignored.
The influence of the mendicant friars only added to the abuse. Efforts
at civil poor relief were no less inadequate to cope with the problem
of poverty, which was rapidly becoming acute. 1
Luther placed the whole matter upon the high plane of Christian
love, as the expression of justifying faith; he emphasized alms-
giving as the general duty of all Christians, and sought to establish
it upon a systematic basis. Already at the Leipzig Disputation in
July of 1519, he expressed the wish that there might be no mendicant
orders. Later in the same year, in his Treatise on the
Blessed Sacrament and on Brotherhoods/ he ad-
vocated the establishment by the brotherhoods of "common chests"
for the aid of needy craftsmen; and all along, especially in the
Open Letter to the Christian Nobility, 8 he strenu-
ously opposed mendicancy and begging, and insisted that every town
should support its own poor.
These principles received their first practical application in the
Wittenberg Beutelordnung,* adopted in 1521 under Karl-
stadt's advocacy, during Luther's absence at the Wartburg. The
Wittenberg Kastenordnung 5 followed early in 1522. Under
the influence of the latter, and perhaps not without Luther's direct
influence, there was drawn up in the congregation at Leisnig, probably
by its recently elected clergymen, an Ordinance of a
Common Chest, which was submitted to Luther for his
approval. It pleased him so much that he wrote a preface for it and
*In 1510 Matthew Hutlin of Pfortzheim published Liber vagatorum,
The Book of Vagabonds, which describes twenty-eight varieties of beggars, ex-
poses their tricks, and gives a vocabulary of their jargon. It is printed, with
Luther's preface (1528), in Weimar Ed., XXVI, 634 ff. Cf. PRESERVED
SMITH. The Age of the Reformation, 558-621.
a See Vol. II, 27 f.
8 See Vol. II, 115 ff., 134 ff.
* Printed in BARGE'S Karlstadt (1905), II, 359 f., and reprinted in
LIETZMANN'S K 1 e i n e T e x t e , nr. 74. Cf. K. MUXLER, Luther und
Karlstadt, 31 ff.
See LEITZMAHN*S Kleixxe Texte, nr. 21.
(89)
90 Preface to an Ordinance of a Common Chest
had it published, about Whitsuntide, 1523, as * model for other
communities. Not being the work of Luther, this ordinance has not
been translated by us, but because of its historical interest a summary
of its chief provisions may here be given. It is considerably wider
in scope than its predecessors and almost amounts to a congregational
constitution.
The nobles, council, guildmasters, elders and commons o the town of Leisnij?
and vicinage solmenly agree, in the matter of choosing their pastors, to exercise
their Christian liberty in accordance with Holy Scripture. Every householder
is obligated, with his family and servants, faithfully to hear and learn, at
appointed times, the Word of God. All are 1 pledged to put down blasphemy,
immoderate drinking, immorality, and other crying sins and vices. The parish
has the right and the duty, with the aid of the civil authorities, to bring fla-
grant offenders to book. There follow elaborate provisions for the maintenance
and administration of the common chest, into which all churchly incomes are to
flow. Over it ten wardens shall be appointed, two each from the nobles and the
town council, and three each from the citizens and the peasantry. Three times
a year a parish meeting shall be held, to hear the report of the wardens, trans-
act necessary business, and elect new wardens. Out of the chest shall be paid
all expenses incident to the salaries of the pastors, sextons, and schoolmasters,
all repairs to property, and the support of the poor of all classes. There hall
be also a school for girls under twelve years of age, with instruction in reading
and writing, conducted by "an elderly female of good report." Tuition shall be
paid only by scholars residing outside the district. The common chest shall be
used, finally, to store up supplies of grain for times of emergency. In case the
regular income does not suffice, taxes shall be laid on all inhabitants.
Luther's preface gives a general approval to these provisions, and
discusses in particular what disposition should be made of the posses-
sions of declining monastic houses. He advises that such possessions
be taken over and administered by the temporal authorities. It is
instructive to note with what scrupulous fairness to all concerned this
intricate question is handled. Remaining inmates are to be generously
supported for the rest of their lives. Those who choose to leave are
to be supplied with the means to make a fresh start in life. Needy
heirs and relatives of the donors of bequests and endowments should
have their wants supplied first. The remainder only is to go to the
common chest. And even this remainder is to be reduced by the
restoration of what Luther considers wrongful interest or usury.
Mendicant houses in cities are to be converted into schools or dwell-
ings. All these suggestions are made in the spirit of Christian love
and are intended only for those who are actuated by evangelical faith
and love.
Luther's hopes were not realized. He was compelled to be content
with the one or twa who, as he said, "would like to follow" him. He
regretted the failure of the Leisnig experiment, which being the first
should have been the best. The reasons for this failure were in part
the opposition of the temporal authorities, in part the lack of the
proper persons to carry out the plan. Here as in so many other
instances, Luther had to bow to the stubborn facts and wait
Introduction 91
unsser herr gott Christen macht," 1 (until our Lord God makes some
Christians) .
The preface, together with the Leisnig ordinance itself, is found in
Clemen's Edition, II, 404-23; the Weimar Edition,
XII, 11-30; the Erlangen Edition, XXII, 106-30; the
St. Louis Edition, X, 954-77, and the Berlin Edition,
VII, 107-37. See the introductions there, and KOSTLIN-
KAWERAU, Martin Luther, (1903), I, 549-51, and A. E.
BERGER, Martin Luther, II, 2 (1919), 452-61. Comp. B.
RiGGENBACHj Das Armenwesen der Reformat ion
(1883); L. FfeucHTWANGER, Geschichte der sozialen
Politik und der Armenpflege im Zeitalter der
Reformation (1908); R. SEEBERG, Aus Religion
und Geschichte (1906), I, 247 ff.; P. SMITH, The Age
of the Reformation (1920), 558 if., and K. HOLL,
Gesammelte Aufsatze zur Kirchenges chichte,
I: Luther (1921), 233 ff., 388 ff.
ALBERT T. W. STEINHAEUSER
AlXENTOWN,
PENNSYLVANIA
*Cf. Weimar Ed., XII, 693.
PREFACE
TO
AN ORDINANCE OF A COMMON CHEST
1523
Martin Luther, Preacher,
To all Christians in the Congregation of Leisnig,
My dear Sirs and Brethren in Christ:
Grace and Peace from God the Father
and our Saviour Jesus Christ
Dear Sirs and Brethren, Since the Father of all mercies
has called you as well as others to the fellowship of the
Gospel, and has caused His Son Jesus Christ to shine into
your hearts; and since the riches of the knowledge of
Christ have wrought so mightily among you that you have
2^44 a dopted a new order of service, and a common chest, after
4:32* the example of the apostles: I have seen fit to print and
publish this ordinance of yours, in the hope that God may
lay His gracious blessing upon it and make it a public
example to be followed by many other congregations, so
2 Cor that we, too, may boast of you, as St. Paul boasted of the
9:2 Corinthians that their zeal provoked many, although you
must confidently expect that, if your undertaking is of God,
it must needs be violently assailed, for Satan will take no
rest nor holiday.
We cherish the hope, then, that this example of yours
may be generally followed, and that as a result there will
be a great decline of the existing foundations, monastic
houses, chapels, and the horrible dregs which have until now
fattened on the wealth of the whole world, under the pre*
(92)
Preface to an Ordinance of a Common Chest 93
tence of serving God. This decline is being greatly hastened
by the holy Gospel, which is again breaking forth and which
reveals such blasphemous and damnable service of God in
its true colors. Moreover, the spirituals themselves are
behaving in such a manner that nothing good remains among
them and nothing good can penetrate to them. Things have
come to such a pass that it seems both God and man are sick
and tired of monkery and spirituality, and that there must
be a change. At the same time there is need of great care,
lest the possessions of such vacated foundations become
common plunder and everyone make off with what he can get.
I have resolved, therefore, while there is yet time, to antici-
pate this danger with Christian advice and counsel according
to my duty and ability. For the blame is laid at my door
whenever monasteries and foundations are vacated, the num-
ber of monks and nuns grows less, and anything is done to
injure and weaken the spiritual estate. This makes me
unwilling to take the additional blame if some greedy bellies
should grab these spiritual possessions and claim, in excuse
of their conduct, that I was the cause of it.
Though I fear but few will heed my advice, if it comes
to such a pass, for greed is a heedless, unbelieving rogue, I
will do my part and clear my conscience and will place the
burden upon theirs, so that no one may accuse me of having
kept silence or of having spoken too late. Let whoever will,
then, accept or reject my well-meant advice; I am without
blame. But I issue beforehand this sincere warning and
friendly request: Let no one heed or follow this advice of
mine unless he knows and understands thoroughly, from the
Gospel, that monkery and spirituality, as we have had them
these four hundred years, serve no useful purpose, but are
altogether a harmful error and deception. For a matter
such as this must be undertaken with a good, strong, Christian
conscience ; otherwise things will go from bad to worse, and
we shall be overtaken on our deathbed by terrible remorse.
In the first place: it would indeed be well if no rural
monasteries, such as those of the Benedictines, Cistercians,
Celestines, and the like, had ever appeared upon earth. But
94 Preface to an Ordinance of a Common Chest
now that they are here, the best thing is to suffer them to
pass away or to assist them, wherever one properly can, to
disappear altogether. This may be done in the following
two ways. First, by suffering the inmates to leave, if they
choose, of their own free will, as the Gospel permits them
to do. The other way is for all temporal authorities to direct
the monasteries under their jurisdiction to admit no further
applicants and, if there be too many inmates, to send them
elsewhere and to let the remainder die out. Since, however,
no one is to be forcibly brought to faith and the Gospel, the
remaining inmates, who on account of their age, their belly
or their conscience continue in the monasteries, should not
be ejected nor dealt with harshly, but supported for the rest
of their days just as before. For the Gospel teaches us to do
good even to the unworthy, as our heavenly Father sends rain
and sunshine upon good and evil alike. We must remember,
too, that these persons drifted into this estate in consequence
of the generally prevailing blindness and error, and that they
have not learned a trade by which they might support them-
selves.
I advise the temporal authorities, however, to take over
the possessions of such monasteries, and to provide out of
them for such persons as remain, until their death, and to
provide for them more amply and generously than it was
in all probability done before, in order that men may realize
that it is not a case of greed opposing the spiritual posses-
sions, but of Christian faith opposing the monasteries. In
doing this, no permission of pope or bishop is to be sought
beforehand, nor are their ban and curse to be feared ; for I
am writing this for those only who understand the Gospel
and who have the right to take such action in their own
lands, cities and jurisdiction.
In the second place: such possessions of monasteries as
are taken over by the authorities should be applied in the
following three ways. First, to support the persons still
remaining in them, as has just been said. Second, to provide
those who leave with sufficient funds to find a position and
to make a fresh start in life even though they brought nothing
Preface to an Ordinance of a Common Chest 95
with them when they entered the monastery. For when
they leave they leave, so to speak, their lifelong livelihood;
moreover, they have been defrauded, for they might have
employed the time they spent in the monastery in learning a
trade. As for those who brought something with them, it is
no more than right before God that it should be returned to
them, an equal part to each; for Christian love should here
be the judge, and not the severity of human justice. If
anyone is to suffer injury or loss, it should be the monastery
and not the individuals, for the monastery is the cause of
their error. But the third way is the best, namely, to devote
all remaining possessions to the common fund of a common
chest, out of which gifts and loans might be made, in Chris-
tian love, to all the needy in the land, whether nobles or
commons. In this way, too, the testament and intention of
the founders would be carried out. For though they erred
and were misled in giving their goods to monasteries, their
intention certainly was to give them to the glory and for
the service of God ; that was the spirit in which they com-
mitted their error. Now, there is no better service of God
than Christian love, which helps and serves the needy, as
Christ Himself will testify in the judgment of the last day Matt.
(Matthew xxv). For this reason, too, the possessions of ^ !
the Church were formerly called bona ecclesiae, that
is, common possessions, as it were, a common chest, for all
the needy among Christians.
It is, however, just and in accordance with Christian love,
that in case Jjhe heirs of the founders are impoverished and
in want, the foundations should revert to them, a goodly por-
tion to each, and all of it together if the need warrant this.
For it was certainly not the intention of their fathers to
take the bread out of the mouths of their children and heirs
and bestow it elsewhere. And even if this was their inten-
tion, it is a wrong and unchristian intention. For fathers
are in duty bound to provide above all else for their own
children ; this is the highest service they can render to God
with their temporal goods. But in case the heirs are not
Vol. IV, 7
96 Preface to an Ordinance of a Common Chest
poor or do not need it, they ought not to take back their
fathers' foundation but let it go into the common chest.
But you might say: "That is opening the door too wide;
in this way the common chest will receive precious little,
for every one will claim the whole amount and will say his
needs are so much, etc." I reply : That is why I said that
Christian love must judge and act in this matter; it cannot
be handled by means of laws and regulations. Besides, I
am setting down this advice in accordance with Christian love
for Christians alone. We must expect greed to creep in here
and there. What then ? It must not on that account remain
undone. In any case it is better that greed take too much in
an orderly way than that the whole thing become common
plunder, as it happened in Bohemia. Let everyone examine
himself to see what he should take for his own needs and
what he should leave for the common chest.
In the third place : the same procedure should be followed
with respect to abbacies, foundations, and chapters in control
of lands, cities and other possessions. For such bishops and
foundations are neither bishops nor foundations; they are
really at bottom temporal lords sailing under a spiritual
name. Hence they should be turned into temporal lords or
else their possessions should be divided between the poor
heirs and relations, and the common chest. As for prebends
and benefices, they should be left to their present incumbents ;
after their death, however, they should no longer be filled,
but divided between the poor heirs and the common chest.
In the fourth place : part of the possessions of monasteries
and foundations, and a great part of the prebends are based
upon usury, which now calls itself everywhere "interest,"
and which has in but a few years swallowed up the whole
world. Such possessions would have to be separated first of
all, like leprosy, from those possessions which consist of
simple bequests. For the advice I gave above refers only to
foundations consisting of right and honest bequests, not
bearing interest. Interest bearirig foundations, however, may
rightly be regarded as usury; for I have never yet seen or
Preface to an Ordinance of a Common Chest 97
heard of a right annuity 1 that bears interest. It would be
necessary, therefore, in such a case, to make the usury, by
returning to each one his interest payments, before allowing
such a possession to go into the common chest ; for God says, isa,
"I hate robbery for burnt offering." If it prove impossible 61:8
to find the persons who sustained loss by paying interest,
the common chest might then receive the possession. But
the right and wrong of interest is too long a story for the
present ; I have sufficiently dealt with it in the T r e a t i s e
on Usury/ from which one may learn what part of
such prebends and foundations should be restored to those
who have made payments of interest. For there is no doubt
that many prebends have received back the full amount of
their loans, and yet do not cease sucking sweat and blood
out of those who are still paying interest. This matter is
altogether one of the most urgent to which emperors and
kings, princes and lords, and everyone else should give
attention.
In the fifth place: mendicant houses within cities might
be converted into good schools for boys and girls, as they
were before. The other monasteries could be converted into
dwelling-houses, if the city needed them. The fact that they
were consecrated by bishops should not stand in the way of
this, for God knows nothing of such consecrations. But if
this advice of mine were acted upon in a Christian fashion,
many things would suggest themselves and be found feasible,
and much would be learned by experience, more than can
now be proposed in words, for various and extraordinary
conditions would arise, in which only Christian love can
judge aright.
If God were to grant this advice to be carried out, not
only should we have a well supplied common chest for all
needs, but three crying evils would be abolished. The first
of these is begging, which does so much harm to land and
people in soul and property. 8 The second is the horrible
*Cf. Vol. II, 159 f.
'See Weimar Ed., VI, 3 ff., 36 If. This Edition, this voL p. 37 ff.
Cf. VoL II, 115 f., 134 ff.
98 Preface to an Ordinance of a Common Chest
abuse of the ban, which serves no other purpose than to
torture the people in the interest of the possessions of priests
and monks. If there were no possessions there would be no
need of this ban. The third evil is the wretched annuities,
the greatest usury on earth, which has until now vaunted
its rights especially in spiritual possessions.
But whosoever will not follow this advice nor curb his
greed, of him I wash my hands. Well do I know that few
will accept it; indeed, I am content if one or two follow
me or would at least like to follow me. The world must
remain the world, and Satan the prince of the world. I have
done what I can and what I am in duty bound to do. God
help us all to take the right course and to remain firm.
Amen.
TO THE COUNCILMEN
OF ALL CITIES IN GERMANY
THAT THEY ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN
CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS
1524
INTRODUCTION
With his conception of the spiritual priesthood of all believers,
Luther could not but regard the educational system of the church as
antiquated and insufficient. While his views on education were in
certain respects akin to those of the humanists, they differed radically
from them by reason of their essentially religious motivation. For
the mystics and enthusiasts, with their emphasis on the spirit and their
depreciation of the letter and of letters, the giver of the open Bible to
the common people could have nothing but contempt
Ever since 1516 1 we find throughout Luther's writings scattered
references to the importance of a thorough education for "the poor
young people who are committed to us for direction and instruction." 3
But it was not until 1524 that he addressed his ringing appeal to the
councilmen of all German cities, urging them to establish and maintain
schools. This appeal, together with .the later Predigt, das's
man Kinder zur Schule ha 1 ten solle (1530), given
below, 3 forms Luther's classic pronouncement on. the subject of
education.
Among the outstanding features of the educational program here
laid down, the following may be mentioned: The responsibility o
establishing and supporting adequate schools is laid upon the con-
sciences of the secular authorities in the towns as one of their most
important Christian duties. Though Luther has in view primarily
the Latin or higher schools, he does not ignore the necessity of
common or public schools, and he desires that girls as well as boys be
educated.* There is even the suggestion of compulsory education, and
the proposal of free scholarships at least for advanced pupils. The
objections to education are stated with an understanding of the popular
mind possessed only by a man of the people, and met with the
thoroughness of a trained schoolman. Though the religious motive
runs through all, and determines the curriculum suggested, stress is
laid also on the temporal and social aspects of education and, in the
later Predigt, on the value of a liberal education for its own
*Cf. NEUBAUER, II, 2.
a See Vol. II, 1S2.
See this volme, p. 135 ff.
*Cf. above, Vol. II, 151. In 1527 Luther invited Frl. Else y. Kanitz to open
a girls' school in Wittenberg and offered her board and lodging in his house.
(See ENDERS, Luther'sBriefwechsel, VI., p. 79 f.; comp. M. CURKIE,
The Letters of Martin Luther, 1908, p. 160 1)
(101)
102 To the Councilmen of All Cities in Germany
sake. A final feature is the advocacy of well-chosen public libraries.
All in all, a pretentious, forward-looking program, which marks
Luther as one of the outstanding figures in the history of popular
education.
The appeal had its effect and roused many of the councilmen to
action. Up to 1600, at least 300 city and town schools were estab-
lished in German lands. In 1537 a Roman Catholic theologian, John
Zwick, confessed that if he were a boy again he would attend Lutheran
institutions rather than those of his own church, on account of the
greater thoroughness of the former. 1
The treatise was translated into Latin by Obsopoeus, and published
with a highly laudatory preface by Melanchthon. An English trans-
lation of it, as well as o<f the Predigt, is given in F. V. N.
PAINTER, Luther on Education (1889), where there is
also an excellent historical introduction. O. ALBRECHT devoted
a valuable study to it in Studien z u Luthers Schrift
an die Ratsherrn (Theol. Studien u. Kritiken, 1897). See
also KOSTLIN-KAWERAU, Martin Luther (1903), I, 545 ff., II,
223 .; A. E. BERGER, Martin Luther, II, 2 (1919), 562 ff.,
and R. NEUBAUER, Martin Luther, II, (1914), 1 ff. Comp.
G. MERTZ, Das Schulwesen der deutschen Refor-
matiooszeit (1902); F. P. GRAVES, A History of Edu-
cation during the Middle Ages and the Tran-
sition to Modern Times (1910), and K. HOLL, Ge-
sammelte Aufsatze zur Kirchengeschichte, I:
Luther (1921), 395 ff.
ALBERT T. W. STEINHAEUSER
ALLENTOW.N),
PENNSYLVANIA
1 Quotation, ia BBRGEB* II, pt. 2, p. 577.
TO THE COUNCILMEN OF ALL CITIES IN
GERMANY THAT THEY ESTABLISH AND
MAINTAIN CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS
1524
To the Burgomasters and Councilmen of all cities in
Germany. Martin Luther.
Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Prudent, wise and dear Sirs : Having been put under the
ban some three years ago and declared an outlaw, I should
have remained silent had I feared the command of men
more than God. There are indeed many persons in Ger-
many, both great and small, who on that account, still
attack my speaking and writing and shed much blood over it. 1
But God has opened my mouth and bidden me speak, and is
mightily supporting me and, without my help, strengthening
and spreading my cause the more they rage, and seems to be
laughing and mocking at their rage, as it is said in the
second Psalm. By this token alone everyone who is not ** 2:4
hardened can see that this cause must indeed be of God, for
it plainly bears the mark of a divine word and work, which
always thrive best when men are most determined to perse-
cute and suppress them.
Therefore I will speak, as Isaiah says; and not hold my Isa *
peace as long as I live, until Christ's righteousness go forth
as brightness and His saving grace be lighted as a lamp.
1 Heinrich Vos and Johann van den Esschen, the first martyrs of Protestant-
ism, were 'burnt at Brussels, July 1, 1523. Cf. also The Burning of
Brother Henry in Dithmar schen (1525), included in this vol-
ttme, see p. 184 ft'.
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104 To the Councilmen of All Cities in Germany
And I pray you now, all my dear sirs and friends, to receive
kindly and lay to heart this writing and admonition of
mine. For, no matter what I may be personally, I can boast
before God with a good conscience that I am not seeking my
own advantage, which I could attain far better by remaining
silent, but am dealing in hearty good faith with you and with
the whole German land, to which I have a divine commission,
let men believe it or not. And I wish to assure you and
declare to you, frankly and confidently, that if you heed me
in this matter, you heed not me but Christ, and that if you
heed me not, you despise not me but Christ. For I know
and am well aware of what I am saying and teaching and
for what purpose I say it, and everyone who is willing rightly
to consider my teaching will discover it for himself.
First of all, then, we are experiencing today throughout
The De. Germany how schools are everywhere allowed to go to wrack
ScLJfc an( * ruin; universities are growing weak, monasteries are
declining. This grass is like to wither and the flower thereof
isa. fadeth, as Isaiah says, because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth
40:7 upon it in His Word, and shineth with so great heat upon
it through the Gospel. For since it is becoming known,
through God's Word, how unchristian and devoted only to
men's bellies those institutions are; and especially since the
carnal multitude see that they are no longer obliged or able
to drive their sons and daughters into monasteries and cathe-
dral schools, and to turn them out of their own houses and
possessions and plant them in other people's possessions, no
one is any longer willing to have children educated. "Tell
us," they say, "why should we send them to school, if they
are not to become priests, monks and nuns? They had
better learn such things as will help them to make a living !"
From this confession of theirs it is very evident what such
people are thinking and on what their minds are set. For if
they had not sought only the belly and a temporal living for
their children when they sent them into the monasteries and
cathedral schools or into the spiritual estates, but had been
earnestly concerned for their salvation and blessedness, they
would not thus fold their hands, relapse into indifference and
Work of
the
That They Establish Christian Schools 105
say : "If the spiritual estate is no longer to count for any-
thing, then we will let education be and not bother our
heads about it." They would rather say : "If it is true, as
the Gospel teaches, that this estate is dangerous to our chil-
dren, why then, dear sirs, show us another way to educate
them that will be pleasing to God and profitable to them;
we certainly want to provide not only for the bellies of our
dear children, but also for their souls." That, at least, is
what true, Christian and faithful parents would say.
But it is not surprising that the Evil One takes this at- The
titude and inspires carnal and worldly hearts to neglect the
children and youths. Who can blame him for it? He is a
prince and god of this world. How can he possibly be pleased
to see his nests, the monasteries and the spiritual gangs, de-
stroyed by the Gospel, in which nests he corrupts above all
the young folk, who mean so much, yea, everything to him ?
How can he be expected to permit or promote the proper
training of the, young? He would indeed be a fool to suffer
and help men to establish in his kingdom the very thing by
which that kingdom must be most speedily overthrown, as
would surely happen if he lost that choice morsel, the dear
youth, and had to permit them to be saved for the service
of God at his expense and by means of his possessions.
It was a most prudent course, therefore, that he adopted
in the days when Christians had their children taught and
trained in a Christian manner. The young multitude bade
fair to escape him entirely and to work intolerable havoc to
his kingdom. Then he went to work, spread his nets and
set up such monasteries, schools and estates that it was not
possible for a boy to escape him without a miracle from
heaven. Now, however, that he sees his snares exposed
through God's Word, he flies to the other extreme and will
not suffer anyone to study at all. It is again a right and
prudent course that he pursues, in order to preserve his
kingdom and by all means to retain the young. If he has
them in his possession, they will grow up under him and
remain his; who will take anything from him? He thus
possesses the world in peace. For if a really crushing loss
106 To the Councilman of All Cities in Germany
is to be inflicted upon him, it must come through the young
people, reared in the knowledge of God and spreading and
teaching others God's Word.
No one believes what a dangerous design of the devil's
this is. It goes forward so silently that no one perceives it,
and the harm is done before one can prevent it. Men fear
the Turks and wars and floods, for in such matters they
understand what is harmful and what is beneficial. But what
the devil has here in mind, no one sees, no one fears, it
proceeds so quietly. And yet everyone who would give a
gulden to fight the Turks, if they were at our very door,
ought properly to give a hundred gulden to this cause, even
if only one boy could be trained therewith to become a true
Christian man ; for a true Christian man is better and worth
more than all men upon earth.
Therefore, I pray you all, my dear sirs and friends, for
God's sake and the poor youths', not to treat this subject as
lightly as some do, who are not aware of what the prince
of this world intends. For it is a serious and important
matter that we help and assist our youth, and one in which
Christ and all the world are mightily concerned. By helping
them we shall be helping ourselves and all men. And reflect
that these secret, subtle and crafty attacks of the devil must
needs be met with deep Christian seriousness. If it is neces-
sary, dear sirs, to expend annually such great sums for fire-
arms, roads, bridges, dams and countless similar items, in
order that a city may enjoy temporal peace and prosperity,
why should not at least as much be devoted to the poor,
needy youth, so that we might engage one or two competent
men to teach school?
Mean* Moreover, every citizen should be moved by the following
consideration. Formerly he was obliged to give up so much
money and property for indulgences, masses, vigils, endow-
ments, testaments, anniversaries, mendicants, brotherhoods,
pilgrimages, and other like humbug; but now that he is rid
by the grace of God of all that robbing and giving, he ought,
out of gratitude to God and for His glory, to give a part
of that amount for schools in which to train the poor chit-
That They Establish Christian Schools 107
dren, which would indeed be a good and precious investment.
If the light of the Gospel had not dawned and set him free,
he would have to give up to the above-mentioned robbers
ten times as much and more for ever, without any return.
He should also know that where there is objection and op-
position to this proposal, the devil is assuredly present, who
did not object when men gave their money for monasteries
and masses, and poured it out in streams, for he perceives
that this work is not to his advantage. Let this then, my
dear sirs and friends, be the first consideration to move you,
that we must upset this scheme of the devil, our most
dangerous and subtle foe.
Our second consideration is found in the words of St. Paul
in II Corinthians vi, that we receive not the grace of God
in vain nor neglect the day of salvation. For Almighty God
has indeed graciously visited us Germans and proclaimed a
true year of jubilee. 1 We have at present the most excellent
and learned young men, adorned with the languages and all
arts, who could be of much service if we made use of them
as instructors of the young. Is it not evident that we are
now able to prepare a boy in three years, so that at the age
of "fifteen or eighteen he wilLJmow more than all universities
and monasteries hitherto? ^Indeed, what did men learn in
those institutions but how to"t>ecome asses, blockheads and
dunces ! For twenty and forty years one sat over one's books
without acquiring either Latin or German. I say nothing of
the shameful and viciousjji e, by which the excellent youths
were miserably corrupted^/
It is true that, rather than have the universities and monas-
teries continue as before, with no other place for youth to
study and live, I should wish no boy ever to study nor to
be able to speak; for it is my earnest intention, prayer and
1 Luther wrote* "eyn recht gulden iar." This may be freely translated "a
golden opportunity." but the allusion will be lost. Gulden Jahr was he
popular term for the year of jubilee, i.e., the year in which a papal indulgence
was proclaimed. It was regarded as a year of exceptional opportunity and
blessing; it waa indeed a year cxf gold for the Church, and literally a gulden-
year for those who spent their money for letters of pardon (see 86. Thesis,
, Vd. I, 37). Cf. KOLDE in Prot. Realencyk. (3. ed.), IX, 545-50,
108 To the Councilmen of All Cities in Germany
desire, that those ass-stables and devil's-schools should either
sink into the abyss or be converted into Christian schools. 1
But now that God has so richly blessed us and has given us
so many men able to instruct and train our young people
aright, surely we ought not to despise the grace of God nor
suffer Him to knock in vain. He is standing at our door;
happy are we if we open to Him! He is calling to us;
blessed is he that answers him ! If we let Him pass by, who
will bring Him back ?
Let us consider our former misery and the darkness in
which we sat. Germany, I trow, has never heard so much
of God's Word as now; at least we find nothing like it in
history. If we permit it to go by without thanks and honor,
it is to be feared we shall suff er a still more dreadful darkness
and plague. Buy, dear Germans, while the fair is at your
doors ; gather in the harvest while there is sunshine and fair
weather ; use the grace and Word of God while they are here.
For," know this, God's Word and grace is a passing rain-
storm, which does not return where it has once been. It
came to the Jews, but it passed over ; now they have nothing.
Paul brought it to the Greeks, but it passed over ; now they
have the Turk. Rome and the Latins had it, too; but it
passed over; now they have the pope. And you Germans
must not think you will have it for ever; for ingratitude and
contempt will not suffer it to remain. Take and hold fast,
then, whoever can ; idle hands cannot but have a lean year.
God ha Our third consideration is by far the most -important of
Cora " all; it is the command of God. Its importance is seen in
it that He so frequently through Moses urges and enjoins
parents to instruct their children that it is said in Psalm
Pfc 78: Ixxviii, "How straitly he commanded our fathers that they
5 f< should give knowledge unto their children and instruct their
children's children." It is seen also in the fourth command-
2i:i8 ment > * n which He so urgently enjoins children to obey their
ff. parents that He would even have disobedient children sen-
tenced to death. Indeed, for what other purpose do we older
*Cf. above, pp, 106 f.
That They Establish Christian Schools 109
folk exist than to care for, instruct and bring up the young?
The foolish youths cannot possibly instruct nor protect them-
selves ; God has therefore entrusted them to us who are old
and know by experience what is good for them, and He will Dcut
compel us to render a strict account. Hence Moses also 32:7
commands, "Ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy
elders, and they will tell thee."
But it is a sin and a disgrace that we must needs urge
and be urged to train our children and youths and seek their
best interests, when nature itself should drive us to do this
and the examples even of the heathen afford us manifold
instruction. There is not an irrational animal but looks
after its young and teaches them what they need to know,
except the ostrich, of which God says that she is hardened Jo1 j 6 39: 14
against her young ones, as though they were not hers, and
leaves her eggs in the earth. And what would it profit us if
we possessed and performed all else and became utter saints,
and yet neglected the chief purpose of our life, namely, the
care of the young? I believe also that among outward sins
none so heavily burdens the world in the sight of God nor
deserves such severe punishment as the sin we commit against
our children by not giving them an education.
When I was a lad they had this maxim in the schools:
Non minus est negligere scholarem quam
corrumpere virginem, It is just as bad to
neglect a pupil as to corrupt a virgin. This was said in
order to frighten schoolmasters, for there was then no more
grievous sin known than corrupting a virgin. But, dear
Lord God, how small a sin is corrupting virgins or wives
(which being a bodily and known sin may be atoned for)
compared with the sin by which precious souls are neglected
and corrupted (which is neither regarded nor known as sin
and is never atoned for). woe unto the world for ever
and ever! Children are daily born and grow up among us,
and there is, alas ! no one to care for or to direct them ; we
let them go on as they will. The monasteries and founda-
tions should see to it, but they are the very ones of whom
Christ says in Matthew xviii, "Woe unto the world because
110 To the Councilmen of All Cities in Germany
of offences ! Whoso shall offend one of these young ones
that believe in me, it were well for him that a millstone
were hanged about his neck and he were drowned in the
depth of the sea." They are nothing but devourers and
destroyers of children.
"Ah," you say, "but all that is addressed to parents ; what
business is it of councilmen and magistrates?" Very true:
but if the parents neglect it, who is to see to it? Shall it
on that account remain undone and the children be neglected?
In that case, how will magistrates and councilmen excuse
themselves by saying it is no business of theirs ? There are
various reasons why parents neglect their duty.
Wh * In the first place, there are those who lack the piety and
Neglect decency, even if they had the ability, to do it. Like the
Their ostrich, they are hardened against their young, and are
Dllty content to have cast the eggs from them and to have brought
children into the world; they will do nothing more. But
these children must live among us and with us in the same
city. How then can reason and above all Christian love
suffer them to grow up untrained and to poison and pollute
Gen. 20: ^ er children, until at last the whole city perish, as it
24 f. happened in Sodom and Gomorrah, Geba, and other cities.
2 Kings Secondly, the great majority of parents are, alas ! unfitted for
23:8 this work and do not know how children are to be trained
and taught, for they themselves have learned nothing but
how to provide for the belly; whereas it takes persons of
exceptional ability to teach and train children aright. Thirdly,
even if parents were able and willing to do it themselves,
they have neither the time nor the opportunity for it, what
with their other duties and housework. Necessity compels
us, therefore, to engage public schoolteachers for the chil-
dren, unless everyone were willing to engage an instructor
of his own. But that would be too heavy a burden upon the
common man, and many a promising boy would be neglected
on account of poverty. Besides, many parents die and leave
orphans, and if we do not know by experience how these are
Pa cared for by their guardians, God Himself tells us by calling
68:6 Himself the Father of the orphans, as of those who are
That They Establish Christian Schools 111
neglected by everyone else. Moreover, there are some who
have no children of their own, and who for that reason take
no interest in the training of children.
It therefore becomes the business of cotincilmen and why the
magistrates to devote the greatest care and attention to state
the young. For since the property, honor and life of the J^ita
whole city are committed to their faithful keeping, they would school*
fail in their duty toward God and man if they did not seek
its welfare and improvement with all their powers day and
night. Now the welfare of a city consists not alone in
gathering great treasures and providing solid walls, beautiful
buildings, and a goodly supply of guns and armor. Nay,
where these abound and reckless fools get control of them,
the city suffers only the greater loss. But a city's best and
highest welfare, safety and strength consist in its having
many able, learned, wise, honorable and well-bred citizens;
such men can readily gather treasures and all goods, protect
them and put them to a good useT~I
Thus it was done in ancienTTlome. There boys were
trained in such a way that by the time they were fifteen,
eighteen or twenty years of age they were thoroughly con-
versant with Latin and Greek and the various liberal arts,
as they are called, 1 and immediately entered upon a military
or a political career. In this way they became intelligent,
wise and competent men, skilled in all knowledge and experi-
ence, so that if all the bishops, priests and monks in Germany
today were rolled into one they would not equal one Roman
soldier. As a result, their cause prospered ; they had capable
and trained men for every position. Thus there has always
been forced upon men everywhere, even among the heathen,
the necessity of maintaining schoolmasters, if a nation was
to be brought to a high standard. Hence St. Paul draws
the word "schoolmaster" from the common practice of
mankind, when he says in Galatians iv, "The law became
our schoolmaster." <& 3s24
Since, then, a city should and must have men, and there
Le,, the triviutn: grammar, rhetoric, and logic; and the quadriv-
ium: music, arithmetic, geometry, and astronomy.
Vol, IV. 8
112 To the Councilman of All Cities in Germany
is everywhere a lack of such men and complaint that they
cannot be found, we dare not wait until they grow up of
their own accord (nor can we hew them out of stone nor
carve them out of wood) ; and since God will work no
miracles so long as men can solve their problems by means
of the other gifts He has granted them : therefore we must
do our part and spare no labor or expense to train and
produce such men. Whose fault is it that there are at
present in all cities so few capable men, but the fault of
the authorities who 'have left the young to grow up like
saplings in the forest and have given no thought to their
instruction and training! As a result, they have grown so
misshapen that they cannot be used for building purposes,
but are mere brushwood, fit only for fuel
The civil government must certainly continue. Shall we
then permit none but clods and boors to rule, when we can
get better men? That would indeed be a barbarous and
foolish policy. We might as well make rulers of swine and
wolves, and set them over those who will not consider how
they may be ruled by men. Moreover, it is inhuman per-
versity to think no further than this, "We will rule now;
what concern is it of ours how they will fare who come
after us ?" Not over human beings, but over swine and dogs
should such persons rule, who seek only their own profit or
honor in governing. Even if we took the utmost pains to
train up none but able, learned and skilled rulers, there would
still be room enough for toil and labor in order that the
government might prosper. How shall it prosper if no one
takes any pains at all?
"But," you say again, "granted that we must have schools,
what is the use of teaching Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and the
other liberal arts ? We can still teach the Bible and God's
Word in German, which is sufficient for our salvation." I
reply: Alas! I know well that we Germans must always
remain brutes and stupid beasts, as neighboring nations call
us and as we richly deserve to be called. But I wonder why
we never ask: What is the use of silks, wine, spices, and
strange foreign wares, when we have in Germany not only
That They Establish Christian Schools 113
wine, grain, wool, flax, wood and stone enough for our needs,
but also the very best and choicest of them for our honor
and ornament? Arts and languages, which are not only not
harmful, but a greater ornament, profit, honor and benefit,
both for the understanding of Scripture and for the conduct
of government, these we despise; but we cannot do without
foreign wares, which we do not need, which bring us in no
profit, and which reduce us to our last penny. Are we not
justly dubbed German fools and beasts?
Truly, if there were no other use for the languages, this FOT **
alone ought to rejoice and move us, that they are so fine and ^ ^ e
noble a gift of God, with which He is now richly visiting Church
and endowing us Germans, more richly indeed than any
other land. There is little evidence that the devil suffered
them to be revived through the universities and monasteries;
these have, on the contrary, always raged against them and
are still raging. For the devil smelt a rat and perceived that
if the languages were revived, there would be a hole knocked
in his kingdom which he might have difficulty stopping.
Since he was unable, however, to prevent their being revived,
his aim is now to keep them on such slender rations that they
will of themselves decline and pass away. They are like an
unwelcome guest who has come to his house ; so he deter-
mines to show him such entertainment that he will not tarry
long. Very few of us, my dear sirs, see through this
wicked plot of the devil.
Therefore, my beloved Germans, let us open our eyes,
thank God for this precious treasure, and guard it well, lest
it be again taken from us and the devil have his will. For
though the Gospel has come and daily comes through the
Holy Spirit alone, we cannot deny that it has come by means
of the languages, by which it was also spread abroad, and
by which it must be preserved. For when God desired
through the apostles to spread abroad the Gospel in all the Acts 2*
world, He provided tongues for that purpose. And before
that He had spread the Greek and Latin languages, by means
of the Roman empire, throughout all lands, in order that
His Gospel might the more speedily bear fruit far and wide.
114 To the Councilmen of All Cities in Germany
He has done the same now. No one knew for what purpose
God suffered the languages to be revived, until we now
begin to see that it was for the sake of the Gospel, which
He intended afterwards to reveal, in order to expose and
destroy thereby the kingdom of antichrist. To this end He
also gave over Greece to the Turk, in order that the Greeks,
driven out and scattered, might spread their language and
.give an incentive to the study of other languages as well.
In proportion, then, as we prize the Gospel, let us guard
the languages. For not in vain did God have His Scriptures
set down in these two languages alone the Old Testament
in Hebrew, the New in Greek. The languages, therefore,
that God did not despise but chose above all others for His
Word, we too ought to honor above all others. For St. Paul
declared it to be a peculiar glory and distinction of Hebrew
that God gave His Word in that language, when he said in
Rom. Romans iii, "What profit is there of circumcision? Much
3:1 tf. every way: chiefly, because unto them were committed the
P S oracles of God." King David also boasts in Psalm cxlvii,
H7:i9 "He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judg-
ments unto Israel. He hath not dealt so with any nation
nor made known to them his judgments." Hence Hebrew
Rom. is called a sacred language, and St. Paul terms it in Romans i
1:2 "the holy scriptures," doubtless because of the holy Word
of God contained therein. Similarly, the Greek language
may be called sacred, because it was chosen above all others
as the language in which the New Testament was to be
written and from which, as from a fountain, it flowed by
translation into other languages and made them also sacred.
And let us be sure of this : we shall not long preserve the
Gospel without the languages. The languages are the sheath
6;i; in which this sword of the Spirit is contained; they are the
casket in which we carry this jewel; they are the vessel in
which we hold this wine ; they are the larder in which this
food is stored ; and as the Gospel itself says, they are the
baskets in which we bear these loaves and fishes and frag-
ments. If through our neglect we let the languages go
(which may God forbid !) , we shall not only lose the Gospel,
That They Establish Christian Schools 115
but come at last to the point where we shall be unable either
to speak or write a correct Latin or German. As proof and
warning of this, let us take the wretched and woeful example
of the universities and monasteries, in which men not only
unlearned the Gospel, but corrupted the languages so that
the miserable folk were fairly turned into beasts, unable to
read or write a correct German or Latin and wellnigh losing
their natural reason to boot.
Hence the apostles themselves considered it necessary to
put the New Testament into Greek and to bind it fast to
that language, doubtless in order to preserve it for us safe
and sound as in a sacred ark. For they foresaw all that was
to come and now has come to pass", and knew that if it were
contained only in men's heads, wild and fearful disorder and
confusion, and many various interpretations, fancies and
doctrines would arise in the Church, which could be pre-
vented and from which the plain man could be protected
only by committing the New Testament to writing and lan-
guage. Hence it is certain that unless the languages remain
the Gospel must finally perish.
This has been proved and is still shown by experience.
Immediately after the days of the apostles, when languages
ceased, the Gospel, the faith and the whole Church gradually
declined, until they sank under the pope to the lowest depth ;
and after the languages declined very little that is excellent
was witnessed in the Church, but a great many dreadful
abominations arose because the languages were unknown.
On the other hand, since the languages have been restored,
they bring with them so bright a light and accomplish such
great things that the wole world wonders and is forced to
confess that we have the Gospel quite as purely as the apostles
had it, and that it has altogether attained to its original
purity, far beyond what it was in the days of St. Jerome or
St. Augustine. In short, the Holy Spirit is no fool and does
nothing unadvisedly or uselessly; He regarded the languages AjAa 2:4
as of so great value and necessity to the Church that He
oftentimes brought them down with Him from heaven. This l Jfj
alone should be a sufficient incentive for us to pursue them
116 To the Councilmen of All Cities in Germany
with diligence and reverence and not to despise them, for
He Himself has now again revived them upon earth,
"But," you say, "many of the fathers were saved and even
became teachers without languages." That is true. But
how do you account for the fact that they so frequently
erred in the Scriptures? How often does not St. Augustine
err in the Psalter and in other expositions! Likewise St
Hilary, and indeed all of them who attempted to expound
Scripture without the languages. And even though what
they said now and then was true, they were not sure whether
it really belonged in the passage into which they read it. For
example, it is correct to say that Christ is the Son of God;
but it must have sounded like a jest to their opponents when
PS. they proved this from Psalm ex, Tecum principium
11033 in die virtutis tuae, whereas in the Hebrew there is
not a word about the Deity in this passage! Now when
men defend the faith with such uncertain arguments and
mistaken proof texts, are not Christians put to shame and
made a laughing-stock in the eyes of opponents who know
the language ? And the latter become only the more hardened
in their errors and have a good pretext for regarding our
faith as a human dream.
What is the reason that our faith is thus put to shame?
It is because we do not know the languages; and there is
no other way out than to know the languages. Was not
St. Jerome obliged to make a revised translation of the
Psalter from the Hebrew, because when we dispute with
Jews on the basis of our Psalter they laugh at us and say
our version does not agree with the Hebrew? Now the
expositions of all the early fathers who treated the Scriptures
without languages, even when their teaching is not wrong,
are of such a nature that they very often employ uncertain,
inconsistent and inappropriate language; they grope like a
blind man along a wall, so that they very frequently miss the
sense of their text and twist it like a nose of wax to suit
their fancy, as in the verse mentioned above, Tecum
principium, etc. Even St Augustine is obliged to
confess, as he does in his De doctrina Christiana,
That They Establish Christian Schools 117
that a Christian teacher who is to expound the Scriptures
must know, in addition to Latin, also Greek and Hebrew;
otherwise it is impossible not to stumble constantly, nay,
there is room enough for labor and toil even when one is
well versed in the languages.
There is a great difference, therefore, between a simple i Cor.
preacher of the faith and an expositor of Scripture, or as 12:28ff -
St. Paul puts it, a prophet. A simple preacher, to be sure, 14:26ff "
is in possession of so many clear passages and texts from
translations that he can know and teach Christ, lead a holy
life and preach to others. But to interpret Scripture, to
treat it independently, and to dispute with those who cite it
incorrectly, to that he is unequal; that cannot be done
without languages. Yet there must always be such prophets
in the Church, who are able to treat and expound the Scrip-
tures and also to dispute; a saintly life and correct doctrine
are not enough. Hence languages are absolutely necessary
in the Church, just as prophets or expositors are necessary,
although not every Christian or preacher need be such a 12:8 ff.
prophet, as StPaul says in I Corinthians xii and Ephesians iv. Eph.
Thus it has come about that since the days of the apostles 4:U
the Scriptures have remained obscure and no trustworthy
and enduring expositions have anywhere been written. For
even the holy fathers frequently erred, as has been said, and
because of their ignorance of the languages seldom agree;
one says this, another that St. Bernard was a man of lofty
mind, whom I almost venture to set above all other celebrated
teachers both ancient and modern ; and yet he often trifles
with Scripture, albeit in a pious spirit, and in many of his
quotations departs from its true sense. For this reason the
sophists 1 also claimed that Scripture was obscure ; they held
that God's Word was by its very nature obscure and em-
ployed a peculiar speech. They do not see that the whole
trouble lies in ignorance of the languages; if we understood
the languages there would be no simpler speech anywhere
1 Luther's standing name for the mediaeval theologians.
118 To the Gouncilmen of All Cities in Germany
than God's Word. A Turk's speech must needs be obscure
to me; a Turkish child of seven would easily understand him,
whereas I do not know the language.
Hence it was also a stupid undertaking to attempt to learn
the meaning of Scripture by reading the expositions of the
fathers and their numerous books and glosses. Instead of
this, men should have given themselves to the study of lan-
guages. For because they were without languages the dear
fathers at times belabored a text with many words and yet
caught barely an inkling of its meaning; their comment is
half guess work, half error. And yet you run after it with
much labor, when you could meanwhile by means of the
languages find a much better interpretation than the one you
are following. For in comparison with the comments of all
the fathers, the languages are as sunlight to shadow. Since,
then, it becomes Christians to use the Holy Scriptures as
their own and only book, and it is a sin and shame not to
know our own book nor to understand our God's speech and
words, it is a still greater sin and loss if we do not study the
languages, the more that God is now offering and giving us
men and books and every aid and inducement to this study,
and desires His Bible to be an open book. How glad would
the clear fathers have been if they had had our opportunity
of learning the languages and coming thus equipped to the
Holy Scriptures ! What toil and labor it cost them barely to
gather up the crumbs, while we may have the whole loaf with
but half their labor, indeed, with scarce any labor at all. Oh,
how their diligence puts our indolence to shame; nay, how
strictly God will judge our lack of diligence and gratitude!
Here belongs also what St. Paul says in I Corinthians xiv,
Cor. namely, that there should be in the Church those who will
judge all teaching. 1 To this end it is undoubtedly necessary
to know the languages. For the preacher or teacher may
expound the Bible from beginning to end after his own
fashion, hit or miss, if there is no one present to judge
whether his teaching be right or wrong. But in order to
*Cf. above p. 117.
That They Establish Christian Schools 119
judge, men must know the languages, otherwise it is im-
possible. Therefore, though the faith and the Gospel may
be proclaimed by simple preachers without the languages,
such preaching is flat and tame, men grow at last wearied
and disgusted and it falls to the ground. But when the
preacher is versed in the languages, his discourse has fresh-
ness and force, the whole of Scripture is treated, and faith
finds itself constantly renewed by a continual variety of
words and works. Hence Psalm cxxviii 1 likens such studies Pa. 29$
in the Scriptures to a chase when it declares that God
disco vereth the dense forest to the deer; and Psalm i likens Ps. 1:3
them to an ever green tree beside ever fresh waters.
Nor should we be led astray because some boast of the
Spirit and despise the Scriptures 3 or others, like the Walden-
sian Brethren, 3 consider the languages unnecessary. But,
dear friend, you may say what you will about the Spirit, I
too have been in the Spirit and have seen the Spirit, perhaps
more of it (if it comes to boasting of one's own flesh) than
they with all their vaunting shall see in a year. My Spirit,
moreover, has given some account of itself, while theirs sits
very quietly in its corner and does little but sing its own
praise. But I know full well how perfectly the "Spirit" does
all things: I should indeed have failed egregiously if the
languages had not aided me and given me a certain and
positive knowledge of Scripture. I too could have lived
uprightly and preached the truth in seclusion, but I should
then have left undisturbed the pope and the sophists with
the whole antichristian realm. The devil has not so much
respect for my spirit as he has for my speech and pen when
they deal with Scripture. For my spirit takes from him
*By mistake Luther or his printer prefixed a superfluous numeral. A worse
mistake is the forced application of the two psalm verses.
a The Schwarmer, especially the Zwickau prophets and Karlstadt.
Luther dealt fully with them in his Wider dJe himmlischen
Propheten (1525).
8 He means the Bohemian Brethren, or Picards (as distinguished from the
Utraquists, cf Vol II, 144), for whom he wrote Vom Anheten des
Sakraments (1523), Cf. KOSTLIN-KAWERAU, Martin Luthetr
(1903), I, 633-38,
120 To the Gouncilmen of All Cities in Germany
nothing but myself alone, but Holy Scripture and the lan-
guages leave him but little room on earth, and that means a
loss to his kingdom.
Nor can I at all commend the Waldensian Brethren for
depreciating the languages. Even if they taught the truth,
they must nevertheless frequently miss the right sense of a
text and are also unequipped and unskilled in the defence of
the faith against error. Moreover, their teaching is so
obscure and expressed in so peculiar a form, departing from
that of Scripture, that I am afraid it may not be pure or may
not continue pure. For there is great danger in speaking of
divine things in a different manner and in different terms
from those employed by God Himself. In short, they may
lead holy lives and teach holy things among themselves, but
as long as they remain without the languages they cannot but
lack what all the rest lack, namely, the ability to treat Scrip-
ture with certainty and thoroughness and to be useful to
other nations. But since they could do this and refuse, let
them see how they will answer for it to God.
FW th* Well, this may suffice concerning the necessity and value
sate of languages and Christian schools for the spiritual realm
an< ^ ^ e sa l vat i n f sou ls- Let us now consider also the
body. Let us suppose that there were no soul and no heaven
or hell and we had to consider only the temporal government
after the manner of the world, and let us see whether it does
not need good schools and educated persons more sorely
even than the spiritual realm. Hitherto the sophists have
shown no concern whatever for the temporal government,
and have confined their schools so exclusively to the spiritual
estate that it was well nigh a disgrace for an educated man
to marry; he had to hear such remarks as, "Behold, he is
turning secular and does not care to become a spiritual ! w
just as if their spiritual estate were alone pleasing to God
and the secular estate, as they call it, were altogether of the
PS. 64:1 (j ev ;i an( j unchristian. But in the sight of God they thetn-
se ^ ves become meanwhile the devil's own, and (as happened
to Israel in the Babylonian captivity) this poor populace has
alone remained in the land and in the right estate, while the
That They Establish Christian Schools 121
better people and the leaders were carried off to the devil
with tonsure and cowl to Babylon. 1
It is not necessary here to state that the temporal govern-
ment is a divine order; I have elsewhere 2 so fully treated
this subject that I trust no one has any doubt about it. The
question is rather, how to get good and skilled persons into
the government. In this we are challenged and put to shame
by the heathen, who in former times, especially in Rome and
Greece, without knowing whether this estate was pleasing to
God or not, were so earnest and diligent in educating and
fitting their boys and girls for it that when I think of this I
blush for us Christians, and especially for us Germans, who
are such utter blockheads and beasts that we can ask, "Pray,
what good are schools if one is not to become a spiritual?"
We certainly know, or should know, how necessary and
useful a thing it is and how well pleasing to God, when a
prince, lord, councilman or any other ruler is educated and
trained to conduct himself in his office as a Christian should.
If then there were no soul, as I have said, and if there
were no need at all of schools and languages for the sake
of the Scriptures and of God, this one consideration should
suffice to establish everywhere the very best schools for both
boys and girls, namely, that in order outwardly to maintain
its temporal estate, the world must have good and skilled
men and women, so that the former may rule well over land
and people and the latter may keep house and train children
and servants aright. Now such men must come from our
boys and such women from our girls. Therefore the thing
to do is to teach and train our boys and girls in the proper
manner. But I said above that the common man does
nothing to bring this about ; he cannot, he will not, he does
not know how. Princes and lords ought to do it, but they
must needs ride in sledges, and drink, and take part in
masquerades; they are burdened with high and important
business in cellar, kitchen and bedroom. And though some
of them would gladly da it, they must stand in fear of the
* Cf. Vol. H, 242.
> Cf, Vol. HI, p. 22$ ff.
122 To the Gouncilmen of All Cities in Germany
others, lest they be taken for fools or heretics. It rests,
therefore, dear councilmen, altogether with you; you have
also more opportunity for doing it than princes and lords.
Th "But," you say, "everyone may instruct his sons and
Kind of daughters himself, or at least train them by means of
Needed discipline." I reply: We know indeed what such teaching
and training amount to. Even when the severest discipline
is applied and has turned out well, the net result is a certain
enforced outward respectability ; underneath are the same old
blockheads, unable to converse on any subject or to be of
assistance to anyone. But if children were instructed and
trained in schools or elsewhere where there were learned and
well-trained schoolmasters and schoolmistresses to teach the
languages, the other arts, and history, they would hear the
happenings and the sayings of all the world and learn how
it fared with various cities, estates, kingdoms, princes, men,
and women ; thus they could in a short time set before them-
selves, as in a mirror, the character, life, counsels and pur-
poses, success and failure of the whole world from the begin-
ning. As a result of this knowledge, they could form their
own opinions and adapt themselves to the course of this out-
ward life in the fear of God, draw from history the knowl-
edge and understanding of what should be sought and what
avoided in this outward life, and become able also by this
standard to assist and direct others. But the training which
is undertaken at home, apart from such schools, attempts to
make us wise through our own experience. Before that
comes to pass we shall be dead a hundred times over, and
shall have acted inconsiderately all our life; for much time
is needed to acquire one's own experience.
Now since the young must romp and leap or at least have
something to do that gives them pleasure, and since this
should not be forbidden (nor would it be well to forbid them
everything), why should we not furnish them such schools
and lay before them such studies? By the grace of God it
has now become possible for children to study with pleasure
and in play languages, the other arts, or history. The kind
of schools we attended are a thing of the past that hell and
That They Establish Christian Schools 123
purgatory in which we were tormented with cases and tenses,
and yet learned less than nothing with all the flogging,
trembling, anguish and misery. If we take so much time
and trouble to teach children card-playing, singing and danc-
ing, why do we not take as much time and trouble to teach
them reading and other branches, while they are young and
have the time, and are apt and eager to learn ? For my part,
if I had children and could accomplish it, they should study
not only the languages and history, but singing, instrumental
music, and all of mathematics. 1 For what is all this but
mere child's play? In these branches the Greeks in former
times trained their children, who grew up into men and
women of wondrous ability, skilled in every pursuit. How I
regret now that I did not read more poets and historians, and
that no one taught me them ! I was obliged instead to read,
with great cost, labor and injury, that devil's filth, the
philosophers and sophists, from which I have all I can do to
get myself clean.
Now you say, "But who can spare his children for so long
a time, and train them all to be young gentlemen? There is
work for them to do at home, etc." I reply: It is not in
the least my intention to have such schools established as we
had heretofore, in which a boy sat over his Donatus and
Alexander 3 for twenty or thirty years and yet learned nothing.
We are living in a new world today and things are being
done differently. My idea is to let boys go to such a school
for one or two hours a day, and spend the remainder of the
time working at home, learning a trade or doing whatever
their parents desired ; so that both study and work might go
hand in hand while they were young and able to do both.
They spend at least ten times as much time with their pea-
shooters or playing ball or racing and tussling. In like
manner, a girl can surely find time enough to go to school
one hour a day and still attend to all her duties at home ; she
H.e., arithmetic, geometry, and astronomy. Cf. above, p. Ill, n. 1.
* Aelius Donatus, Ars Grammatica and A r s minor; and
Alexander de Villa Dei, Doctrinale ptierorum, two widely used
mediaeval grammars, the latter in verse form. Cf. 0, SCHEEI,, Martin
Luther, I, 86.
124 To the Councilmen of All Cities in Germany
sleeps, dances and plays away more time than that. There
is only one thing lacking, and that is the earnest desire to
train the young people and to benefit and serve the world
with well-bred men and women. The devil very much pre-
fers coarse blockheads and ne'er-do-wells, lest men live too
comfortably on earth.
But the exceptional pupils, who give promise of becoming
skilled teachers, preachers and holders of other spiritual posi-
tions, should be kept longer at school or altogether dedicated
to a life of study, as we read of the holy martyrs who had
the training of Sts. Agnes, Agatha, Lucy and others, 1 That
was how the monasteries and cathedral schools originated,
which have now, however, been perverted to a very different
and damnable use. And there is great need of such advanced
study, for the shaven crowd is fast dwindling ; besides, most
of them are unfit to teach and rule, for all they know is how
to care for the belly, which is indeed all they have been
taught. We must certainly have men to administer God's
Word and Sacraments and to do pastoral work among the
people. But where shall we get them if we let our schools
decline and do not replace them with others that are Chris-
tian? For the schools that have been maintained hitherto,
even if they were not to pass away, can produce nothing but
lost and pernicious deceivers.
It is highly necessary, therefore, that we take up this
matter in all seriousness and without loss of time, not only
for the sake of the young, but in order to preserve both our
spiritual and our temporal estate. If we miss this oppor-
tunity, we may perhaps find our hands tied later on when we
would gladly attend to it, and may be compelled in vain to
suffer, in addition to the loss, the pangs of remorse for ever.
For God is generously offering us His help, He stretches
forth His hand and gives us all things needful for this work.
If we despise His offer we are judged already with Israel,
65:2 ^ whom Isaiah says, "I have spread out my hands all the
day unto the unbelieving and rebellious people" ; and Prov-
1 St. Agnes was martyred while still a school girl. Cf, SCHAEFZR, L . a 1 s
Kirch en historiker, 235. On Ss. Agatha and Lucy, ibid. 233, 236.
That They Establish Christian Schools 125
erbs i, "I have stretched out my hand, and no man re-
garded; ye 'have set at nought all my counsel; therefore I
will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear
cometh upon you/' Of this let us beware ! Consider, as an **
example, the great zeal of King Solomon in this regard; so 1:24ff<
deeply concerned was he for the young that in the midst of
his royal duties he prepared for them a book called Proverbs.
And consider Christ Himself how He draws young children
to Himself, how urgently He commends them to us, and how
He praises the angels that attend them (Matthew xviii), in
order to show us how great a service it is to train the young
well ; on the other hand, how terrible is His anger when men
offend them and let them perish !
Therefore, dear sirs, take seriously this work, which God
so urgently requires of you, which your office lays upon you,
which is so necessary for the young, and without which
neither the temporal nor the spiritual realm can exist. Alas !
we have rotted and perished long enough in darkness; we
have too long been German beasts. Let us for once make
use of our reason, so that God may behold our gratitude for
His benefits, and other lands see that we, too, are human
beings, able to learn useful things from them or teach them
to them, in order that through us, too, the world may be
made better. I have done my part. It has truly been my
purpose to help and benefit the German nation. If some
despise me for this and refuse to listen to my sincere advice,
because they think they know better, I cannot help it. I
know indeed that others could have done this better; it is
only because they hold their peace that I am doing it as well
as I can. It is surely better to have spoken on the subject,
however inadequately, than to have remained altogether
silent. I hope that God will stir up some of you, so that my
well-meant advice may not be in vain, and that you will not
consider him that utters it but fix your mind on the cause
itself and let it fix itself in your mind.
Finally, one thing more should be well considered by all The
who earnestly desire to have such schools and languages
established and maintained in Germany. It is this: no tin
126 To the Councilman of All Cities in Germany
effort or expense should be spared to found good libraries,
especially in the larger cities, which can well afford it. For
if the Bible and all the arts are to be preserved, they must
be contained and held fast in books and writings, as was
done by the prophets and apostles themselves, as I have said
above. 1 This is necessary, not only that those who are to
be our spiritual and temporal leaders may have books to
read and study, but that the good books, the arts and the
languages that we now have through the grace of God may
be preserved and not lost. St. Paul, too, was concerned for
1 Tim - this, when he commanded Timothy to give attendance to
2 Tim. reading, and bade him bring with him the parchment left at
4:13 Troas. Indeed, all kingdoms that attained preeminence gave
attention to this matter, especially the people of Israel, among
whom Moses was the first to undertake this work, when he
Dent, had the book of the law preserved in the ark of God and gave
3i:25f.j j n c h ar g e O f the Levites, from whom whoever needed it
Deut. might obtain a copy ; he even commands the king to procure
17:18 rom th em a C0 py Q f thjs book. Thus we see how God
appointed the levitical priesthood, among its other duties, to
watch over and have the care of books. Afterwards this
library was added to and improved by Joshua, then by
Samuel, David, Solomon, Isaiah, and thus continuously by
many other kings and prophets. Whence have come the
Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament, which would never
have been collected or preserved if God had not required
such care to be bestowed upon them.
Following this example, the cathedral schools and monas-
teries also established libraries in former days, although
there were few good books in them. What a loss it was
not to have attended to the securing of books and good
libraries in those days when there were books and men
enough for that purpose, was plainly seen afterwards when
all arts and languages gradually declined, and instead of
good books the stupid, useless and harmful books of the
That They Establish Christian Schools 127
monks, Catholicon, 1 Florista, 3 Graecista,*
Labyrinthus, 4 Dormi secure, 6 and the like
ass's dung, were introduced by the devil. Consequently the
Latin language became corrupted and there remained no-
where a decent school, course of instruction or method of
study, until, as we have experienced and observed, men
recovered with much toil and labor the languages and arts,
although only imperfectly, from bits and fragments of old
books hidden among dust and worms, and are still searching
laboriously for them every day, as men dig for treasures
and jewels in the ashes of a ruined city.
It served us right, and God properly rewarded us for our
ingratitude in not considering His benefits nor providing,
while we had the time and the ability, for the continuance
among us of good books and learned men. When we neg-
lected this, as though it was no concern of ours, He in turn
did the same, and instead of Holy Scripture and good books
suffered Aristotle to come in with countless hurtful books
that only drew us farther away from the Bible. In addition
to these He let in those devil's masks, the monks, and the
phantoms of the universities, which we endowed with super-
human gifts, and received and loaded upon our own necks a
host of doctors, preachers, masters, priests and monks, that
is to say, great coarse fat asses adorned with red and brown
birettas, resembling a sow with a golden chain and jewels,
who taught us nothing good, but made us only the blinder
and more stupid, and in return devoured all our goods and
filled all monasteries and indeed every corner with the filth
and dung of their vile, poisonous books, which it is appalling
to contemplate.
Was it not a cruel misfortune that a boy was obliged here-
4 A Latin lexicon, compiled by the Dominican Joh. Januensis (1286).
i.e.. Ludolph von Luchow in Hildesheim, author of a rhymed Latin syntax
(1317).
i.e., Eberhard von Bethune, the alleged author of a combined grammar and
lexicon.
* The title of a poem de raiseriis rectorumscholarutn (1220),
probably by Eberhard von Bethune.
The aptly chosen title of a collection of sermons made by Job, von Werden
about the middle of the 15th century.
Vol. IV. 9
128 To the Councihnen of All Cities in Germany
tof ore to study twenty years and more, only to learn enough
bad Latin to become a priest and read mass ? Whoever got
as far as this was counted blessed. Blessed was the mother
that bore such a child ! And yet he remained all his life a
poor ignoramus, fit neither to cackle nor to lay eggs. Such
teachers and masters we were obliged to put up with every-
where, who knew nothing themselves and could teach nothing
good or worth while, nay, who did not even know how to
study and teach. Where was the fault? There, were no
other books than those stupid books of the monks and sophists.
What else could come from them but pupils and teachers as
stupid as the books they used ? A daw cannot hatch doves,
and a fool cannot produce a sage. That is the reward of
ingratitude, because men did not found libraries, but let the
good books perish and kept the poor ones.
The But my advice is not to huddle together indiscriminately
Khld all sorts of books and to look only to their number and
to Keep quantity. I would gather only the best; there is no need of
collecting the commentaries of all jurists, the sentences of
all theologians, the questions of all philosophers, and the
sermons of all monks. Indeed, I would throw out all such
dung and furnish my library with the right sort of books,
consulting with scholars as to my choice. First of all there
should be in it the Holy Scriptures in Latin, Greek, Hebrew,
German, and in whatever other languages they might be had.
Then the best commentaries, and if I could find them, the
most ancient, in Greek, Hebrew and Latin. Then books that
aid us in acquiring the languages, such as the poets and
orators, no matter whether heathen or Christian, Greek or
Latin; for it is from such books one must learn grammar.
Then should come books of the liberal arts and all the other
arts. Lastly, books of law and of medicine, though here too
a careful choice among commentaries should be made.
Among the chief books, however, should be chronicles and
histories, in whatever language they may be had; for they
are of wondrous value for understanding and controlling the
course of this world and especially for noting the wonderful
That They Establish Christian Schools 129
works of God. 1 How many fine tales and maxims we should
have today of things that took place and were current in
German lands, not one of which is known to us, simply
because there was no one to write them down, and no one to
preserve the books had they been written. That is why
nothing is known in other lands about us Germans, and we
must be content to have all the world call us German beasts,
who know only how to war, gorge and guzzle. The Greeks
and Romans and even the Hebrews recorded their history
so accurately and diligently that if but a woman or a child
did or said anything unusual, all the world must read and
know it. Meanwhile we Germans are still nothing but
Germans and will always remain Germans.
Since, then, God has at present so graciously bestowed
upon us an abundance of arts, scholars, and books, it is time
to reap and gather in the best, so far as we are able, and to
lay up treasure in order that we may preserve for the future
something of these years of jubilee 31 and not lose this bounti-
ful harvest. For it is to be feared (and a beginning is
already being made) that men will go on writing new and
different books until at last, through- the agency of the devil,
the good books which have now been produced and printed
will again be suppressed and the bad and hurtful books with
their useless and senseless rubbish will once more swarm
back and litter every nook and corner. For the devil as-
suredly intends that we should again be burdened and tor-
tured with Catholicons, Floristas, modernists, 8 and the cursed
dung of the monks and sophists, just as before, for ever
^studying and yet never learning anything.
Therefore I beseech you, my dear sirs, to let this my sincer-
ity and zeal bear fruit among you. Should there be any who
count me too insignificant to profit by my advice, or who
despise me as one condemned by the tyrants, I pray them to
1 Luther discusses at length the value of history in his preface to LINK'S
translation of G, CA*EIXA'S History of Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan (1539),
reprinted in the Weimar Ed. LXIII, 353 ff. Cf. R. NEUBAUER,
Martin Luther, II (4. and 5. cd., 1914), 97-103.
a Cf. above, p. 107.
1 Cf. above, p. 127, The modernists are the Nominalists.
130 To the Gouncilmen of All Cities in Germany
consider that I am not seeking my own advantage, but only
the welfare and salvation of all Germany, Even if I were a
fool and had hit upon a good idea, certainly no wise man
should think it a disgrace to follow me. And if I were a
very Turk and a heathen, and my plan were nevertheless seen
to benefit not myself but the Christians, they ought not in
fairness to spurn my offer. It has happened before that a
fool gave better counsel than a whole council of wise men.
Ex. 18;17 ft Moses was obliged to receive instruction from Jethro.
Herewith I commend you all to the grace of God. May
He soften and kindle your hearts, that they may be deeply
concerned for the poor, miserable and neglected youths and
with the help of God assist and help them, to the end that
there may be a blessed and Christian government in German
lands as to body and soul, with all plenty and abundance, to
the praise and glory of God the Father, through Jesus Christ
our Saviour, Amen.
A SERMON
ON
KEEPING CHILDREN IN SCHOOL
1530
INTRODUCTION
In the Spring of 1529, Luther wrote a preface for a book, published
by his friend, Justus Menius, under the title, Oeconomia
Christiana. 1 The book dealt with the duties of married folk
and the Christian training of children. Luther's preface emphasized
the duty of Christians to provide their children with an education, and
concluded as follows:
"Thus, even In temporal government, you can serve ycxur lord or your city
better by training children than by building him castles and cities and gathering
the treasures of the whole world; for what good does all that do, if there are
no learned, wise, godly people? I shall say nothing of the temporal benefit
and eternal reward that accrue to you before God and the world, if you have
thus raised your child better than was in your shameful, hoggish counsel and
intention. I shall give an exhortation on this subject another time in a separate
book, God willing 1 and write against the shameful, dangerous, damned parents,
who are not parents but shameful hogs and poisonous beasts, who devour their
own children."
Luther carried out this intention in the Summer of 1530. The diet
was in session at Augsburg", and he spent the time at the castle of
Coburg, where he had greater leisure than in Wittenberg. It was
there that he wrote the Sermon. We do not know the date when
the work was begun, but it was completed July 15th and the first
edition came from the press August 1st, 1530.
The work is described in the title as "a sermon," and was intended
to furnish preachers with arguments that could be used to persuade
people to provide their sons with an education, but it grew into a
book, of which ne says, in the dedication, that he has had to restrain
himself by force, to keep it from getting too big. In a^ letter to
Melanchthon, dated July 5th, he had referred to this and remarked,
"I was never so verbose as I seem now to have become ; perhaps it is
the garrulity of old age." 2
This Sermon should be read alongside the letter To the
Councilmen of all the Cities of Germany. 8 The
two works are complementary. The earlier argues for the estab-
lishment and maintenance of schools; the later for the use of the
schools thus established. The two together enable the reader to
form a clear conception of Luther's ideas on education.
The text of the Sermon is found in Weimar Ed. XXX a ,
1 The preface is printed hi Erlangen Ed. LXIII, pp. 277 ff.
a Enders VIII, 80.
Above, pp. 103 ff.
(133)
134 A Sermon on Keeping Children in School
517 ff.; Erlangen Ed. 1 , XX, 1 ff.; Erlangen Ed.* XVII,
378 f f ., St.LouisEd. There is an English translation in F. V. N.
PAINTER, Luther on Education (1889). The following trans-
lation is from the text of Clemen, IV, 144 ff.
For literature, see the Introduction in Weimar Ed. and
the introduction to the letter To the Councilmen, above, pp,
101 f.
CHARLES M. JACOBS,
MOUNT AIRY,
PHILADELPHIA.
A SERMON
ON
KEEPING CHILDREN IN SCHOOL
1530
DEDICATORY LETTER
To the
Honorable and Wise
Lazarus Spengler,
Syndic of the City of Nuremberg,
my especially dear sir and friend
Grace and peace in Christ, our dear Lord and true
Saviour. Amen.
Honorable and wise dear sir and friend.
I have composed a sermon to the preachers here and there,
to the effect that they shall exhort their people to keep their
children in school. The thing has grown under my hands
and become almost a book, though I have had to restrain
myself by force in order that it might not become altogether
too big, so full and rich is this subject. I hope that it may do
much good, and I have published it under your name 1 with
the sole thought that it may thereby secure greater respect,
and be read, if it be worthy, by the burghers of your city, for
I well perceive that your preachers will be diligent enough in
this matter and (because they are people whom God has
endowed with great gifts) that they understand the case and
push it forward. Thus, praise God! they need neither my
admonition nor my instruction. And yet it does no harm
to have many people agreeing with one another and resisting
the devil the more strongly.
For it can scarcely be possible that, in so great a city, with
such a large crowd of citizens, the devil will not try his arts
and tempt some to despise the Word of God and the schools.
1 i.e., dedicated it to Spengler.
(135)
136 A Sermon on Keeping Children in School
This is the case particularly because there are many things
there (especially commercial business 1 ) to turn the children
from the schools to the service of Mammon, and without
doubt the devil has these things in mind. If he could cause
the Word and the schools to be despised in Nuremberg, his
attack would have had no small measure of success, for he
would have set an example that would have mighty im-
portance throughout Germany, and he would, in truth, deal
all the schools in other cities a hard blow. For Nuremberg
truly shines throughout all Germany like a sun among moon
and stars, and what is practiced there has a powerful in-
fluence on other cities.
But praise and thanks be to God, Who has long hindered
the devil's purposes, and put it into the heart of an honorable
and wise Council to found and equip such a fine and glorious
school, at great cost and expense. 3 It elects and appoints to
it the very finest people, so that (not to boast too much!)
it used to be the case that no university, not even Paris, was
so well provided with teachers. I say this on the testimony
of those who were trained with me in universities, for I
know their wisdom, and have learned it too, and, sad to say !
I still know it all too well. This is indeed a fine achievement, 8
and a virtue of such a famous city, and an honor to its well
known Council. For in this they have given rich Christian
thought to their subjects, and have contributed to their
eternal salvation, as well as to their temporal profit and
honor. Such a work God will assuredly strengthen with ever
increasing blessing and grace, though the devil must strive
against it for a while, since he cannot be happy when such a
fine tabernacle is built to the Lord in this sun. He must
assemble clouds and mist and dust, and try in every way
to keep such glory from shining too far, or to turn it into
darkness ; what else could he do ?
Therefore I hope that the citizens will acknowledge the
fidelity and the love of their lords by keeping their children
1 Luther saw peculiar snares of Satan in commercial pursuits. See his work
On Trade and Usury, above, pp. 12 ff.
9 In 1526 the city of Nuremberg had founded a new gymnasium.
Among its teachers were such distinguished scholars as Joachim Camerarius aad
Eobanus Hess.
Catorrhoma.
A Sermon on Keeping Children in School 137
in school and honestly helping to support this work, because
they see that, without cost to themselves, their children are
so richly and diligently cared for and that everything is
provided for them. This will be the case, especially if the
preachers are really active; for if they are not active, the
common man will be attacked and overcome by thoughts
that come from Satan and give this up and turn to other
affairs. Indeed he cannot think this matter through, as a
preacher can, and see how important it is, or how great the
chances are for profit or for loss; therefore we must have
patience with them, if only they are not obdurate or wicked.
I know Nuremberg well enough to know that it has, thank
God ! many fine Christian citizens, who do gladly and from
the heart that which they ought to do, if only they know or
are told their duty. They have this reputation not only with
me, but far and wide, and there is no reason to fear that
they will fail in this. There may, indeed, be an idolater or
servant of the idol (I mean of Mammon) who takes his son
out of school and says, "If my son can do sums and read, he
can do enough ; we now have German books, etc." Thus he
sets other citizens who are pious, a bad example, which they
follow without reckoning the harm it does, and with the best
intentions, thinking it the right thing and the only thing to
do. This mistake the preachers can easily provide against,
for every community, and especially so great a city, must
have more people in it than merchants, and other people who
can do more than keep accounts and read German books.
German books are made especially for the common man to
read at home. But for preaching and governing and sitting
in judgment, all the knowledge and all the languages in the
world are too little, to say nothing of Germany only. This
is particularly true in these days of ours, when one has to
talk with other peoples more than with Neighbor Hans.
These idolaters think nothing about governing, and do not
realize that without the preachers and the rulers they could
not serve their idol a single hour.
Of course, I believe that among so many people there may
be an idolater, or a few of them, who would not care whether
honor or shame canie to the noble city of Nuremberg, so
138 A Sermon on Keeping Children in School
long as they got their pfennig. On the other hand,
people ought not to care about these mischievous idolaters,
and should let them and their bad example go, and think,
"The greater the reputation that comes to our city when
an honorable Council deals so faithfully and honestly with
the schools, the greater were the shame if the citizens were
to despise this fidelity and kindness, and become partakers of
the bad example and offence given to other cities which then
could say, 'Yes, that is what they do at Nuremberg ; there are
people there too ; why should we do any better ?' "
You idolater, if you will not consider what God and honor
require, and will think of nothing but your idol, 1 God will
yet find people who will consider it. Thank God! I have
known several cities where the Council cared nothing for
the Word or the schools, but where there were many pious
citizens, who by daily persistence compelled the Council to
found schools and churches. Therefore, if God will, the
shameful report will not go out from Nuremberg, on your
account, that the citizens followed your example and despised
the schools which an honorable Council founds and maintains
with so great fidelity, at such great cost, when in much
smaller cities the citizens have got their schools, even though
their Councils thought nothing of them.
But where am I getting to with my talk, dear friend? I
suppose it lies in the nature of these things that there has
to be much talk about them. In this case the talking has
been done under your name and that of all the burghers of
your city. I beg that you will take it kindly, and help to
further and to push this matter, as, indeed, you have done
and are doing. God knows, I mean it well.
May Christ our Lord strengthen and preserve you until
that day when, if God will, we shall see each other with joy
and in another shape. He who has given you so much to do
for His work and His Word will also go on and complete it
all. To Him be praise and thanks forever. Amen.
Your obedient,
MART. LUTHER.
H.e., Money.
TO ALL MY DEAR FRIENDS,
PASTORS AND PREACHERS,
WHO TRULY LOVE CHRIST,
MARTIN LUTHER.
Grace and peace in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
My dear friends, you see with your own eyes how that
wretch of a Satan is now attacking us in all sorts of ways,
with force and guile, and is afflicting us with all kinds of
plagues, in order to destroy the holy Gospel and the kingdom
of God, or if he cannot destroy them, to hinder them at
every turn and prevent them from making progress and
gaining the upper hand. Among his wiles, one of the very
greatest, if not the greatest of all, is this he deludes and
deceives the common people so that they are not willing to Out
keep their children in school or bring them up as scholars.
He puts the mischievous idea into their minds that because Satan
there is no hope for monkery, nunnery, or priestcraft, as
they have existed heretofore, there is no more need for
scholars or for much studying, but that we must consider
how to make a living and get rich.
This seems to me to be a real masterpiece of the devil's
art. He sees that in our time he cannot do what he would
like to do; therefore he thinks to have his own way with
our descendants, whom he is getting ready in our very sight,
so that they may learn nothing and know nothing, and when
we are dead, he will have before him a naked, bare, defence-
less people, with whom he can do as he pleases. For if the
Scriptures and learning disappear, what will remain in Ger-
many but a disorderly and wild crowd of Tartars or Turks,
(139)
140 A Sermon on Keeping Children in School
or perhaps, a pig-sty and a mob of wild beasts ? But he does
not let them see this now. He blinds them in masterly fashion,
so that, when it has gone to the point where he wants it and
their own experience compels them to see it, he can laugh in
his sleeve at all the complaining and the howling. However
much they may wish, they will then be able to do nothing
that will help, and will have to say that things have gone on
too long. They will then be willing to give a hundred
gulden for half a scholar, though now they will not
give ten for two whole scholars.
And it will serve them right. Because they are not now
willing to support and keep pious, honorable, virtuous school-
masters and teachers, offered them by God, to raise their
children in the fear of God, and in virtue, knowledge, learn-
ing, and honor, with great labor, diligence, and care, and at
small cost and expense; therefore they will get in their places
L oca ten and Bacchanten, 1 gross asses and louts,
such as they have had before, who at great cost and ex-
pense, will teach the children nothing else than how to be
utter asses, and in return will dishonor their wives and
daughters and maid-servants, and become lords over their
houses and goods, as has happened heretofore. This will be
the reward of the great and shameful ingratitude into which
the devil is so craftily leading them.
Now because, as pastors, it is a part of the duty of our
office to be on our guard against these and other wicked
wiles, we must not go to sleep on this matter, which is of
Against suc fo g reat i m p 0r tance ; but we must incite, exhort, torment,
and nag, with all our power and diligence and care, so that
the common people may not let themselves be so deceived and
deluded by the devil. Therefore let each of us look to
himself and remember his office, so that he does not go to
sleep and allow the devil to become god and lord. For if we
are silent about this and go to sleep on it, and the young
people are neglected and our descendants become Tartars or
1 Names applied in contempt to teachers whose education was defective and
who could not hold the higher places in the schools.
A Sermon on Keeping Children in School 141
wild beasts, it will be the fault of our silence and our snoring,
and we shall have a heavy account to render for it.
To be sure, I know very well that many of you, without
my exhortation, are doing this work better than I can advise
you; also I have previously published a book to the Coun-
cillors of the cities. 1 Nevertheless, because some may have
forgotten this, or would be more persistent on account of
my example, I have sent you this sermon of mine, which I
have preached more than once to our people. From it you
can observe that I am working faithfully with you in this
matter, and that we are doing our best everywhere and are
guiltless before God in the conduct of our office. The case
is truly in our hands, because we see that even those who are
called clergy take the attitude of men who would let all the
schools, and their discipline and teaching, go to destruction,
or even help to overthrow them, because they cannot have
their own way with them, as they once did. This, too, is the
devil's doing, through them. God help us. Amen.
* Above pp. 103 ff.
A SERMON ON
KEEPING CHILDREN IN SCHOOL
Dear friends : I see that the common people are indifferent
to the maintenance of the schools, and are taking their chil-
dren entirely away from learning, and are turning them only
to the making of a living and to care for their bellies. Be-
Profit sides, they either will not or cannot think what a horrible
and ^ S8atlc ^ unc ^ r i st i an undertaking this is, and what great and mur-
catwm derous harm they are doing throughout the world, in the
service of the devil. Therefore I have undertaken to give
you this exhortation, on the chance that there may still be
some who believe a little that there is a God in heaven and a
hell prepared for unbelievers, and that they may be converted
by this exhortation ; though almost all the world is acting as
though there were neither a God in heaven nor a devil in hell.
Therefore, I shall count up the profit and loss in this thing.
First we shall take up the spiritual, or eternal, profit and
loss, and then the temporal, or worldly.
I hope, indeed, that believers, and those who want to be
The called Christians, know very well that the spiritual estate 1
spiritual h as b een established and instituted by God, not with gold or
silver, but with the precious blood and the bitter death of
His only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. From His wounds
rt ? t flow the Sacraments 3 (they used to depict this on the broad-
in*ti- ry ^des 8 ), and He earned it dearly that in the whole world
tutedby men should have this office of preaching, baptizing, loosing,
God - binding, giving the Sacrament, comforting, warning, exhort-
ing with God's Word, and whatever else belongs to the
pastoral office. This office not only helps to further and
maintain this temporal life and all the worldly classes, but it
1 1> e r geistliche Stand, I.e., the clergy, or the ministry.
a The blood and water from the side of Christ.
* One-page tracts, frequently illustrated with wood-cuts.
(142)
A Sermon on Keeping Children in School 143
also delivers from sin and death, which is its proper and
chief work. Indeed, the world stands and abides only be-
cause of the spiritual estate; if it were not for this estate, it
would long since have gone to destruction.
I am not thinking, however, of the present spiritual estate Nat the
in the monastic houses and the foundations, with its celibacy,
for it has long since fallen from its first glorious foundation
and is now nothing more than an estate founded by worldly
wisdom for the getting of money and income. There is
nothing spiritual about it except that the clergy are not
married, and they do not need marriage, for they have some-
thing else in its place; except for this, everything about it
is merely external, temporal, perishable pomp. They give no
heed to the Word or the office of preaching; and where the Bnt
Word is not in use, the clergy must be bad. But the estate Ministry
of which I am thinking is that which has the office of preach- of the
ing and the service of Word and Sacraments, which gives
the Spirit and all blessedness such as one cannot attain by
any chanting or pomp. It includes the work of pastors,
teachers, preachers, lectors, priests (whom men call chap-
lains), sacristans, school-teachers, and whatever other work
belongs to these offices and persons. This estate the Scrip-
tures highly exalt and praise. St. Paul calls them God's 2 Ccvr
stewards and servants; bishops, doctors, prophets; God's 5;2o
ambassadors to reconcile the world to God. Joel calls them Ha
"saviors," David "kings and priests," Haggai "angels"; and 1; ' 13
Malachi says, "The lips of the priest keep the law, for he is
an angel of the Lord of Sabaoth." Christ Himself gives
them the same name, not only in Matthew xi, where He calls Matt.
John the Baptist an angel, 1 but also through the whole book :io
of John's Revelation.
For this reason the ancients greatly avoided this estate
and dreaded to take the office upon them because of its great
dignity and honor, and had to be forced and driven into it.
To be sure, there have been many since then who have
praised this estate highly, though more because of the saying
of mass than because of preaching. This praise and glorifica-
* Of course Luther is playing upon the meaning of angel, i.e., "messenger."
Vol. IV. 10
144 A Sermon on Keeping Children in School
tion grew to the point where the office and estate of the
priesthood (i. e. of the sacrificing of the mass) was placed
above Mary and the angels, because the angels and Mary
could not say mass, and a priest could. A new priest and
his first mass were glorious, and blessed was the woman who
had borne a priest; though the office of preaching is the
highest and chief of all, and it was not regarded so highly.
In a word, a priest was a man who could say mass, even
though he did not know a word to preach and was an
unlearned ass. That is in fact the spiritual estate even to
the present day.
Now if it is sure and true that God Himself has established
and instituted the spiritual estate with His own blood and
death, it is easy to conclude that He will have it highly
honored and not suffer it to be destroyed or to cease, but
will have it maintained until the Last Day. For the Gospel
and the Church 1 must abide until the Last Day, as Christ
Matt sa J s i n the last chapter of Matthew. But by whom shall it
28:20 be maintained? Oxen and horses and dogs and swine will
not do it, neither will wood and stone. We men shall have
to do it, for this office is not committed to oxen and horses,
but to us men. But where shall we get men for it except
from those who have children? If you will not raise your
Giving child for this office, and the next man will not, and so on,
^* to and no father or mother will give a child to God for this
Ministry work, what will become of the spiritual office and estate ?
The old men, who are now in the office, will not live forever,
but are dying off every day, and there are no others to take
their place. What will God say to this at last ? Think you
that He will be pleased because we so shamefully despise
His office, divinely instituted for His praise and our salva-
tion, and won so dearly, and because we so ungratefully let
it drop and pass away?
He has not given you children and the means to support
them, only that you may do with them as you please, or
train them for worldly glory. You have been earnestly com-
manded to raise them for God's service, or be completely
*Christenheit.
A Sermon on Keeping Children in School 145
rooted out, with your children and everything else; then
everything that you have spent on them will be lost. The
First Commandment says, "I visit the iniquities of the fathers
upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of
them that hate me." But how will you raise them for God's
service if the office of preaching and the spiritual estate have
gone down? And it is your fault; you could have done
something for it and helped to maintain it, if you had
allowed your child to study. If you can do it, and your child
has the ability or the desire, and you do it not, but stand in
the way, listen to this, You are guilty of the harm that is
done if the spiritual estate goes down, and neither God nor
God's Word remains in the world. In so far as you are able,
you are letting it go down ; you will not give one child to it,
and you would do the same thing about all your children, if
you had a world full of them; thus, so far as you are con-
cerned, the service of God simply goes to destruction.
It does not help your case to say, "My neighbor keeps his
son in school and so I need not" ; for your neighbor can say
the same thing and so can all the neighbors; meanwhile, Ability
where is God getting people for His spiritual office? You
have the people and will not give them ; your neighbor also
will not give them ; thus the office goes to destruction, so far
as your part in it is concerned. Because, then, you allow the
office, instituted and established by your God and so dearly
won, go to ruin and be destroyed, with such horrible ingrati-
tude, you will be accursed and have nothing but shame
and misery for yourself and your children, or be so tor-
mented otherwise that both you and they will be damned,
not only here on earth, but eternally in hell This will not
fail; and you will learn that your children are not so wholly
yours that you need give nothing of them to God. It is His
will that He shall also have a right in them; and they are
more His than yours.
In order that you may not think that I am too severe with
you in this, I shall lay before you a partial statement of the
profit and the loss (for who can tell it all?) that you experi-
ence, so that you yourself may be compelled to say that you
146 A Sermon on Keeping Children in School
belong to the devil and ought rightly to be damned eternally
in heU, if you find yourself guilty in this matter and do not
reform; or else that you may rejoice and be glad from the
heart, if you find that you are chosen by God, with your
wealth and your labor, to raise a son who will be a pious
Christian pastor, preacher, or school-teacher, and thereby
have raised for God a special servant, nay (as has been said)
an angel of God, a true bishop before God, a savior of many
people, a king and prince in the kingdom of Christ, and a
teacher of God's people, a light of the world. Who can tell
all the glory and the virtue that a real and faithful pastor has
in the eyes of God? There is no dearer treasure, nor any
more precious thing on earth or in this life than a real and
faithful pastor or preacher.
^ Reckon for yourself the profit which the preaching-office
a/the an d the care f sou ' s produce ; your son is assuredly produc-
Ministry ing this profit, if he is conducting this office faithfully. For
example, So many souls are daily taught by him, converted,
baptized and brought to Christ and saved, redeemed from
sins, death, hell, and the devil, and through him come to ever-
lasting righteousness, to everlasting life and heaven. As
\ z Daniel says, "They that teach others shall shine as the
heavens, and they that turn many to righteousness shall be
as the stars in eternity." Because God's Word and office
when they are rightly administered, must without ceasing do
great things, and work actual miracles, so your son must
without ceasing do great miracles before God, such as raising
the dead, driving out devils, making the blind to see, the deaf
to hear, the lepers clean, the dumb to speak. Though these
things may not happen in a bodily way, yet they do happen
spiritually in the soul, where the miracles are even greater.
Christ says, in John xiv, "He that believeth on Me shall do
Ol u-i2 the works that I do, and do still greater works." If a believer
can do this to single individuals, how much more will a public
preacher do it to a great crowd? Not that he does this as a
man ! It is his office, ordained by God for this purpose, that
does it, that and the Word of God which he teaches; he is
the instrument for this.
A Sermon on Keeping Children in School 147
Now if he does such great works and miracles spiritually,
it follows that he does them also in a bodily way, or at
least begins and causes them. For how does it happen that
Christians will rise from the dead at the Last Day, and that * Gnc *
all the deaf, blind, lame, and those that suffer other bodily
ills, must lay these ills off, and their bodies become not only
fine and beautiful and sound, but even shine as bright and
f&r as suns, as Christ says? Is it not because here on Matt.
earth, through God's Word, they have been converted, become 1 3 :43
believers, been baptized, and been incorporated into Christ?
Thus Paul says, in Romans viii, that God will raise up our Rom.
mortal bodies because of the Spirit Who dwelleth in us. 8:11
Now who helps men to this faith and to this beginning of
the resurrection of the body without the office of preaching
and of the Word of God, which your son has ? Is that not
an immeasurably greater and more glorious work and miracle
than if he were in a bodily or temporal way to raise the dead
again to this life, or help the blind, deaf, dumb, and leprous
in the world and in this transitory life?
If you were sure that your son would do this work for
one single man, viz., that he would make one blind man see
or one dead man rise, take one soul from the devil, rescue
one person from hell; whichever one of these things he
would do, ought you not rightly, with all joy, pledge all of The n*
your property to train him for this office and work, and leap ^
for joy because with your money you had accomplished so a Swl
great a thing for God? What are all the foundations and *> <h*
monastic houses, as they now exist, with all their works, ^
compared with one such pastor, preacher, or school-teacher?
In former times, and at the beginning, they were founded,
indeed, by pious kings and lords for the precious work of
training such preachers and pastors ; but now, sad to say !
they have fallen, through the devil's activity, into such a
wretched state that they have become caves of death and
outer courts of hell, for the corruption and injury of the
Church.
See, now ! Your son does these works, not only for one
person, but for many, nay, for all men together; and he
148 A Sermon on Keeping Children in School
does them every day. Best of all, he does them in the sight
of God, Who looks upon them and holds them so high and
dear, as has been said, 1 even though men may not recognize
them or pay any heed to them, Nay, if all the world calls
him a heretic, a deceiver, a liar, a rebel, it is so much the
better, and is a good sign that he is an upright man and like
his Lord Christ. For Christ, too, had to be a rebel, a
murderer, and a deceiver, and be judged and crucified with
the murderers. What would it matter, if I were a preacher,
that the world called me a devil, if I knew that God called
me His angel? Let the world call me a deceiver as long as
it will ; God calls me His true servant and steward, the angels
call me their comrade, the saints call me their brother, be-
lievers call me their father, wretched souls call me their
savior, the ignorant call me their light ; and God says "Yes,
it is so," and the angels and all creatures join in. Ah!
How prettily has the world, together with the devil, deceived
me, with its slanders and scoffings! What has it won at
my expense ? What harm has it done me ? The dear thing !
I have spoken of the works and wonders which your son
does for souls, to help them against sin and death and the
devil. But for the world, too, he does great and mighty
for the works. He informs and instructs all classes how they are to
World con( j uc t themselves outwardly in their offices and ranks, so
that they may do what is right before God ; he can comfort
and advise those who are troubled, compose difficulties,
relieve troubled consciences, help to maintain peace and to
of Pea se ^tle and remove differences, doing innumerable works of
this kind every day. For a preacher confirms and strengthens
and helps to maintain government, and temporal peace of all
kinds. He checks the rebellious ; teaches obedience, morals,
discipline, and honor; instructs fathers and mothers and
children and servants in their duties; in a word, he is the
teacher of all secular offices and ranks. These are, indeed,
the smallest good works of a pastor, and yet they are so
high and noble that no wise men among all the heathen have
above, p. 143,
The,
Main-
A Sermon on Keeping Children in School 149
either known them or understood them, still less been able to
do them* Nay more, even today no jurist, no university,
foundation, or monastery knows these works, and they are
not taught either in canon law or secular law. For in these
spheres there is no one who calls these offices God's great
gifts, or His gracious ordinances; it is only the Word of
God and the preachers that praise and honor them so highly.
Therefore, to tell the truth, peace, which is the greatest
of earthly goods, and in which all other temporal goods are
comprised, is really a fruit of true preaching, for where true
preaching is, there war and discord and bloodshed do not
come; but where the preaching is not right, it is no wonder
that there is war or constant unrest and the desire and the
will for fighting and the shedding of blood. We can see
right now that the sophists can do nothing but cry "Blood"
and spit fire. They are shedding the blood of innocent
priests because they have married, although the pope and
their own canon law, while they punish this kind of marriage
severely, only depose the priest from his office, but leave their
persons and their property untouched and allow them to
retain their Christian honor ; still less do they condemn such
priests to hell or regard them as heretics. To this the jurists
and all the world bear witness, and it was made a law at the
diet of Nuremberg. But these blind blood-hounds have
given up preaching and betaken themselves to lies, and there-
fore they cannot desist from murder. The devil, their god,
does this also. He was from the beginning, and still re- John
mains, "a liar and a murderer." s-,44
A true pastor, then, serves men in body and soul, in
property and honor. See now how he serves God and what r^
a glorious sacrifice, or service, 1 he renders ; for by his work Service
and his word the kingdom of God is maintained in the a * God
world; so, too, are kept the Name and the honor and the
glory of God, the true knowledge of God, the right faith
and understanding of Christ, the fruits of the suffering and
blood and death of Christ, the gifts and works and power of
*Gottesdienst "service of God" or "worship."
150 A Sermon on Keeping Children in School
the Holy Spirit, the true and saving use of baptism and the
Sacrament, the right and pure doctrine of the Gospel, the
right way of disciplining and crucifying the body. Who
could ever give high enough praise to any one of these
things? ,What more can be said about them? The more
one does with these things, the more he carries on the battle
against the devil, the world's wisdom, and the imaginations
of the flesh; the more victories he wins; the more he puts
down error and prevents heresy. For he must strive and
fight against the gates of hell and overcome the devil. He
does it, too; and yet not he, but his work and his word. 1
These are the innumerable and unspeakable works and
miracles of the preaching-office. In a word, if one would
praise God to the uttermost, one must praise His Word and
the preaching of it; for it is God's Word, and the preaching
of it is His.
Now even though you were a king, you ought not think
yourself worthy to give your son and train him to this office
and work, even at the cost of all that you had. Is not the
money and the labor that you expend on such a son too
highly honored, too gloriously blessed, too profitably in-
vested? Is it not counted in God's sight better than any
kingdom or empire ? A man ought to go on his knees to the
ends of the earth, carrying his penny, if he were sure that
there it could be so gloriously and profitably invested; and
yet, only see ! You have in your house and on your lap that
in which you can invest it so gloriously. Shame, and shame,
and shame again upon our blind and shameful ingratitude!
We do not see what a fine and beautiful service we could
render to God; nay, what great lords we could be in His
sight, with just a little effort, and that with our own money
and property.
The sophists accuse us Lutherans of not teaching good
works. Fine fellows they are! They have not so bad an
understanding of good works ! Are not the things that have
been mentioned good works? What are all the works of
the foundations and the monasteries compared with these
1 S e i n ampt, i.e., the work of his office.
A Sermon on Keeping Children in School 151
glorious wonders? They are the cawings of daws and
ravens, and not as good as the cawing of the daws; for
the daws caw from love, because they take pleasure in it,
but they howl their croakings without pleasure, like hoopees
or owls. Now if it was formerly the custom to think
highly of new priests and their first masses, 1 and if fathers
and mothers and all their friends were glad that they had
raised a son to be an idle, lazy, useless mass-priest, or
glutton, 3 who puts God to shame with his blasphemous sacri-
fice of the mass and his wasted prayers, and scandalizes and
defrauds the world with his unchaste life ; how much more
should you rejoice if you have raised a son for this office*
and are sure that he serves God so gloriously, helps men so
richly, and smites the devil in such knightly fashion? You
have made your son a genuine and fine sacrifice to God, and
the very angels must look upon it as a splendid miracle.
You ought also to know the harm that you are doing, if
you take the opposite course. If God has given you a child ^
who has the ability and the talent for this office, and you do wrong
not train him for it, but look only to the belly and to temporal * f
livelihood, then take the list of things mentioned above and
run over the good works and wonders noted there, and see Ministry
what a pious prig and small potato* you are. For, so far as
in you lies, you are depriving God of an angel, a servant, a
king and prince in His kingdom, a savior and comforter of
men in matters that pertain to body and soul, property and
honor, a captain and a knight to fight against the devil.
Thus you are making place for the devil and advancing his
kingdom, so that he keeps souls in sin and death and hell,
and daily brings more into them, and wins victories every-
where; the world remains in heresy, errors, contention, war,
and strife and gets worse every day; the kingdom of God
goes down, together with Christian faith, the fruits of the
sufferings and the blood of Christ, the work of the Holy
Spirit, the Gospel, and all worship of God; and all devil-
worship and misbelief get the upper hand. All of this need
1 Sec aboyt p. 144. a Messpfafen oder fresspfaffcn.
Le., The office of preaching.
4 The exact equivalent of Luther's kreutlein.
152 A Sermon on Keeping Children in School
not have happened and could have been hindered, or even
improved, if your son had been trained for this work and
entered it.
Suppose that God were to address you on your death-bed,
or at the Last Judgment, and say, "I was hungry, thirsty, a
Matt stranger, naked, sick, imprisoned, and you rendered me no
ff / service? For in that you have not done it to people on
earth, or to my kingdom or Gospel, but have helped put them
down and allowed men's souls to be ruined, you have done
this to me ; for you could have helped. I had given you a
child and money for this purpose, but you wantonly allowed
me and my kingdom and all men's souls to suffer want and
pine away, and thereby served the devil and his kingdom
against me and my kingdom; now let him be your reward.
Go with him into the abyss of hell. My kingdom in heaven
and earth you have not helped to build, but to destroy and
weaken ; but you have helped the devil to build and increase
his hell; live, therefore in the house that you have built."
How shall you stand then ?
What think you? Will you not be overwhelmed, not by
little drops of sin, but by whole cloudbursts of it you, who
now give no heed and go along securely, as though you were
doing well not to train your child in doctrine ? But then you
will have to say that you are justly condemned to the abyss
of hell as one of the worst and most harmful of men who
have lived on earth, and indeed, if you were to consider these
things, even now, while you are living, you would be truly
horrified at yourself, for no conscience can endure it to be
found guilty of the things that have been mentioned; how
much less can it endure it, if things like this, more than can
be numbered, fall on it all at once, and suddenly? Your
heart will then have to cry out that your sins are more than
Prayer the leaves and the grass, and greater than heaven and earth ;
o 9 Man and you will say, with Manassah, king of Judah, "My sins
are more than the sands of the sea, and my iniquity is great."
Even the law of nature tells you that. He who can prevent
injury, and does not, is guilty of the injury, because he
certainly desired and willed the injury, and would inflict it
A Sermon on Keeping Children in School 153
himself, if he had occasion or opportunity. These people,
therefore, are certainly as good as the devil himself, because
they are so hostile to both God and the world that they help
to ruin both heaven and earth, and serve the devil so faith-
fully. In a word, if we can call the devil hard enough names,
then we can give hard enough names to these people, who
hinder the work of God; for they are the servants of the
devil.
By what I have said I do not want to insist that every man
must train his child for this office, for not all the boys must ^T Not
become pastors, preachers and school-masters. It is well to *
know that the children of lords and great men are not to be
used for this work, for the world needs heirs and people,
otherwise the government will go to pieces. 1 I am speaking
of the common people, who used to have their children
educated for the sake of the livings and benefices, and now
keep them away, only for the sake of support. They do
not need heirs, and yet they keep their children out of
school, regardless of the fact that the children are clever
and apt for these offices, and could serve God in them, with-
out privation or hindrance. Such boys of ability ought to
be kept at study, especially if they are poor men's sons, for
all the foundations and monasteries and livings endowments
were established for this purpose. Beside them, indeed,
other boys ought also to study, even though they are not so
clever, and ought to learn to understand, write, and read
Latin; for it is not only highly learned Doctors and Masters
of Holy Scripture, that we need. We must also have ordi-
nary pastors, who will teach the Gospel and the Catechism 3
to the young and the ignorant, and baptize, and administer
the Sacrament. They are of no use in a conflict with heretics,
but that does not matter; in a good building we must have
not only hewn facings, but also backing-stone; so we must
have sacristans and other persons, who serve and help the
preachers and the Word of God.
1 The hereditary feudal lordship was the only form of government that Luther
knew.
*By "the catechism" Luther means here, as generally, the Commandments,
the Creed, and the Lord's Prayer,
154 A Sermon on Keeping Children in School
Even though a boy who has studied Latin afterwards
learns a handicraft, and becomes a burgher, we have him in
reserve, in case he should have to be used as a pastor, or in
some other service of the Word. His knowledge does not
hurt him in the earning of a living ; on the contrary, he can
rule his house all the better because of it, and besides, he is
prepared for the work of preacher or pastor, if he is needed.
It is especially easy in our day to train persons who can teach
the Gospel and the Catechism, because not only Holy Scrip-
tures, but knowledge of all kinds is so abundant, what with
so many books, and so much reading, and (thank God!) so
much preaching, that one can learn more in three years than
used to be possible in twenty. Even women and children
can now learn from German books and sermons more about
God and Christ (I am telling only the truth!) than all the
universities, foundations, monasteries, the whole papacy and
all the world used to know. But the ordinary pastors must
be able to use Latin; they cannot do without it any more
than the scholars can do without Greek and Hebrew; so
St. Augustine says, and so even the canon law prescribes.
But you say, "Suppose things were to turn out badly, and
my son were to become a heretic, or a knave of some other
kind; it is said that the learned are the crooked, etc/' O
well! You have to take that chance. Your diligence and
labor will not be lost. God will have regard to your faithful
service and count it as though it had turned out well. You
have to take the chance of how he will turn out in any other
occupation for which you train him. How was it with the
good Abraham? His son Ishmael did not turn out well;
neither did Isaac's son Esau, or Adam's son Cain. Should
Abraham have given up training his son Isaac, or Isaac his
son Jacob, or Adam his son Cain for the service of God?
How many bad kings and people there were among the holy
and chosen nation of Israel, who were the cause of heresies
and idolatries and all kinds of misfortune, and who killed all
the prophets ! Ought Levi the priest to have let the whole
nation go on that account, and no longer trained anyone for
the service of God? How many bad priests and Levites
A Sermon on Keeping Children in School 155
were there in the tribe of Levi, which God Himself had
chosen for the priesthood? How many people has God on
the earth who misuse all His kindness and all His creatures?
Ought He on that account desist from His kindness and let
no man live? Ought He cease to do good?
Then, too, in order that you may not worry too much
about where your son's living will come from, if he gives TBe sap.
himself to learning, and to God's work and service, He has ***
... r
not left you or forgotten you, and you ought not to worry
or complain. He has promised by St. Paul in I Corinthians >
ix, "He that serves the Gospel shall be supported by the 9:14
Gospel"; and Christ Himself says in Matthew x, "A laborer Matt
is worthy of his hire ; eat and drink what they have." Under
the Old Testament, in order that His office of preaching
might not perish, He chose and took the whole family
of Levi, one-twelfth of the whole nation of Israel, and
gave them the tithe from the whole nation, ,beside the
first-fruits of all kinds of sacrifices, their own cities
and villages, fields, pasture-lands, cattle, and all that goes
with them. Under the New Testament, see how, in former
times, emperors, kings, princes, and lords gave to this
office rich possessions, which the foundations and monas-
teries now hold, and use them to surpass kings and princes.
He will not and cannot leave those who serve Him faith-
fully ; the promises that He has made are too great, when Heb
He has said, in Hebrews xiii, "I will not leave thee nor 13:5
neglect thee/'
Count for yourself, too, how many parishes, preaching
places, schools, and sacristanships there are. Most of them
are sufficiently provided for, 1 and vacancies are occurring
every day. What does that mean except that God has pro-
vided kitchen and cellar for your son, so that his living is
ready for 'him before he needs it, and he does not have to
seek it? When I was a young student, I heard it said that
in Saxony there were (if I remember rightly) about eighteen
hundred parishes. If that were true, and every parish re-
quired at least two persons, a pastor and a sacristan (except
2 Le., By endowments.
156 A Sermon on Keeping Children in School
that in the cities there are preachers, chaplains, assistants,
schoolteachers, and helpers), then in this one principality,
there are needed about four thousand educated persons, of
whom about one-third die off every ten years. I would wager
that in half of Germany there are not four thousand pupils in
the schools, I estimate that there are scarcely eight hundred
parishes in Saxony ; how many will that make for the whole
of Germany? I would like to know where we are going to
get pastors, schoolteachers, and sacristans three years from
now. If we do nothing about this, and if the princes espe-
cially do not try to see that the boys' schools and the
universities are properly provided for, there will be such a
scarcity of men that we shall have to give three or four
towns to one pastor and ten villages to one chaplain, if we
can get even that many men.
The universities at Erfurt, Leipzig, and elsewhere are
ruined, and so are the boys' schools here and there, so that it
is distressing to see them, and little Wittenberg now has to
do better than any of them. 1 The foundations and the mon-
asteries (bad luck to them!) will also feel the scarcity, I
think. They will not sing the song through on the high pitch
that they have struck, however refractory they become, and
even though they have to put up with, or even reverence,
in their chapters people whom they would once have been
unwilling to look at. Let your boy go on with his studying
then, and do not worry; perhaps if the world stands for a
while longer and God gives the princes and the cities grace to
act, the property of the foundations and the monasteries will
come back to the use for which it was appointed. And
where is the use of worrying much about the belly? There
Matt stands Christ, and says, "Do not worry about what ye shall
6:31.33 eat and drink; your heavenly Father well knows that you
need this ; seek first the kingdom of God and His righteous-
ness, and all this will come to you/' If anyone does not
believe, let him keep on worrying and die of hunger.
To be sure, it is true that a few years ago many pastors
1 The average number of students at Wittenberg between 1526 and 1530 WM
250; at Leipzig 145; at) Erfurt 44. See Weimar Ed. XXX, a 550, n. 2.
A Sermon on Keeping Children in School 157
did suffer great want, and they still do. That must be blamed
on the evil that is in the world, making the people so wicked d T of
j j. r 1 j ,. Ministers
and ungrateful and avaricious, and making them persecute
the Gospel. By this God is trying us to see whether we are
upright and sincere. We must think of this time as like the
time of the martyrs, for then, too, godly teachers suffered
great want and poverty, as Paul himself boasted, and Christ 2 ^
also prophesied in Matthew ix, "When the bridegroom is
taken from them, then shall they fast/' That is the true Matt -
fasting of the Gospel. Seldom, too, has God's Word come, 9:1S
that hard times have not come with it. In the days of
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Elijah, and Elisha, there
was cruel want, alongside of the great light of the truth;
and in the beginning of the Gospel there was a great famine Acts 4
throughout the world. This has to be the fault of the dear
Gospel and the Word of God, and not of the world's previous
iniquity and present obstinate ingratitude! Thus the Jews
blamed all their misery on the teaching of Jeremiah, and the Je ^' 6 ^ 4:
Romans, when they were overthrown by the Goths, knew
nothing to blame it on except the fact that they had become
Christians; against this St. Augustine wrote a great book,
De civitate dei. 1
No matter what people say, a the world is the world. As
those men became liars and were destroyed, so these shall
become liars and pass away, that Christ and His Word may
abide. He is seated firm and high, as it is written, "The
Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand." There Fs -
He sits ; if anyone likes, and is wicked, let him pull Him
down ! But as long as He remains seated there, we too shall
remain; what is the use? To put it in a word, your son can
easily get as good a living in the preaching office as in a
trade ; unless it be that you are thinking of great wealth and
of making your son a great lord in the eyes of the world,
such as the bishops and canons are. If that is in your mind,
then what I am saying does not concern you. I am speaking
1 The City of God, written shortly after 410 A.D., when Rome was
captured by the Visigoths, tinder Alaric.
"Las wasschen wer da wesscht
158 A Sermon on Keeping Children in School
now to believers, who honor the preaching office and hold
it high above all riches, as the 'office that is nearest to God
Himself and the highest treasure that is given to men, so
that they may know how great is the service they can render
to God in this, as men who would rather have a part in this
work, even with small possessions, than have this world's
goods and be without this work. These men will recognize
that the soul is more than the belly, and that the belly may
easily have enough and be obliged to leave behind that which
is more than enough. But they that seek riches will take all
their goods with them; how can that fail?
Let this be the first part of this sermon, a hasty and brief
account of the spiritual profit and loss which one has from
the support or the neglect of the schools.
The second part will deal with the temporal, or
Tto worldly, profit and loss. And in the first place, it is true
^ ce ^ worldly government is in no way to be
Profit compared with the spiritual office of preaching, as St. Paul
01 EAl " calls it; for it is not purchased at so dear a price as the
preaching office, with the blood and the death of the Son of
God ; therefore it cannot do such great wonders and works
as the preaching office. For all the works of this estate
belong to this temporal, transient life, the maintaining of
body, wife, child, house, property, and honor, and what be-
longs to the needs of this life. As far as eternal life sur-
passes this temporal life, so far and so high above the
temporal office does the preaching office go. For worldly
lordship is a picture, shadow, and figure of the lordship of
Christ. The office of preaching (where it exists as God
ordained it) brings and bestows eternal righteousness, eternal
peace, and eternal life. This is the praise that St. Paul gives
4:i ff. ^ in Second Corinthians iv. But worldly government main-
tains temporal and transient peace and life.
Coven*. Nevertheless it is a glorious ordinance of God and splendid
m<mt gift of God, Who has established and instituted it, and will
have it maintained, as something that men cannot do without
If there were no worldly government, no man could live be-
cause of other men; one would devour the other, as the brute
A Sermon on Keeping Children in School 159
beasts do. Therefore as it is the function and the honor of the
office of preaching to make sinners saints, and dead men live,
and damned men saved, and the devil's children God's chil-
dren; so it is the function and the honor of worldly govern-
ment to make men out of wild beasts and to prevent men
from becoming wild beasts. It keeps a man's body, so that
not everyone may slay it; it keeps a man's wife, so that not
everyone may seize and defile her ; it keeps a man's child, his
daughter or son, so that not everyone may carry them away
and steal them ; it keeps a man's house, so that not everyone
may break in and commit outrage there; it keeps a man's
fields and cattle and all his goods, so that not everyone may
attack and steal and rob and damage them. There is nothing
of this among the beasts, and if it were not for worldly
government, there would be nothing of it among men, but
they would cease to be men and become mere beasts. Do
you not think that, if the birds and beasts could speak, and
were to see worldly government among men, they would say,
"O ye men ! You are not men but gods, compared with us !
How safe you live and hold your property, while among us
no one is sure for an hour of life, or property, or means of
livelihood, because of the others ! Out upon your thankless-
ness, who do not see what a glorious life the God of all of
us has given you compared with us beasts 1"
It is certain, then, that government is a creation and an
ordinance of God, and that for us men in this life it is a
necessary office and rank, which we can no more do without
than we can do without life itself, since without government
this life cannot continue. Therefore it is easy to understand
that God has not commanded it and instituted it in order that
it may be destroyed, but that He will have it maintained, as
is clearly stated in Romans xiii by Paul, and in First Peter
iii, where it is said that they are to protect the good and a Pe i %
punish the bad. Now who will maintain it except us men, 2:i3f.
to whom God has committed it and who verily need it for
ourselves? The wild beasts will not maintain it, nor will
wood and stone. But who are the men that can maintain it?
Assuredly not only those men who want to rule with the fist,
Vol. IV. 11
160 A Sermon on Keeping Children in School
as many now think to do. For if the fist alone is to rule,
things will surely come to such a condition as exists among
the beasts, and whoever gets the better of another will stick
him in the bag. We have before our eyes enough examples
of how much good the fist does without wisdom or reason.
Therefore Solomon says, in Proverbs viii, that wisdom
Pr ^ 4 must rule, not force, and speaks of wisdom thus, "Mine is
both counsel and help; mine is both understanding and
EccL might ; by me must kings be kings, and counsellors sit justly" ;
9:18 and in Ecclesiastes x> "Wisdom is better than armor or
9:16 weapons" ; and again, "Wisdom is better than strength." All
experience proves this and in all the histories we find that
force, without reason or wisdom, has never once accom-
plished anything. Therefore the murderers and tyrants, if
they do not proceed cautiously and get some justice and
counsel and laws among them (even though they are them-
selves wicked), and direct and use their fist and their power
accordingly, will not be able to continue, but will fall out
with one another and go to destruction of themselves. Briefly,
then, it is not the law of the fist, but the law of the head
that must rule; not force, but wisdom or reason, among the
wicked as among the good.
Accordingly, since our government in Germany must be
tion for guided by the Roman imperial law, and this is our govern-
Bf**- ment's wisdom and reason, given it by God, it follows that
this government cannot be maintained, but must go to de-
struction, unless this law is maintained. Now who will main-
tain it ? Fist and armor do not ; heads and books must do
it. Men must learn and know the law and the wisdom of
our worldly government. It is a fine thing, to be sure, if an
emperor, prince, or lord is by nature so wise and able that
he can get at the law without studying it, 1 as could Duke
Frederick of Saxony 2 and Sir Fabian von Feilitsch, 8 both
of whom I knew. I will not mention any men who are
1 D a s er das r e c h t auswendig trefen k a u.
3 The Elector Frederick, d. 1525.
Fabian von Feilitsch, d. 1520, one of the councillors of Frederick of Saxony.
Luther dedicated to him the Assertio omnium articuloru m.. of
1521, though he died before the work was published. Cf. Weimar Ed. VII.
91 ft; ENDERS, III, 3.
A Sermon on Keeping Children in School 161
now living. But because such birds are rare and their ex-
amples are dangerous on account of the others who have not
this power by nature, it is better, in ruling, to keep the
common law that is written in the books, so that the govern-
ment may have greater reputation and honor and need no
miracles or special gifts.
Thus the jurists and scholars in this worldly government
are the persons who preserve this law, and maintain the
worldly government; and just as a pious theologian and
sincere preacher is called, in the realm of Christ, an angel
of God, a savior, prophet, priest, servant, and teacher (as
has been said above), 1 so a pious jurist and true scholar can
be called, in the worldly realm of the emperor, a prophet,
priest, angel, and savior. Moreover, as a heretic or false
preacher is, in the realm of Christ, a devil, thief, murderer,
and blasphemer, so a false and faithless jurist, in the em-
peror's house or realm, is a thief and a knave and a traitor,
a scoundrel and a devil for the whole Empire. When I
speak of the jurists, I do not mean only the Doctors of Laws,
but the whole profession, 2 including chancellors, secretaries, 8
judges, advocates, notaries, and all who have to do with the
legal side of government ; also the big-bugs known as coun-
sellors, for they, too, work with law, and belong among the
jurists; and just as the word "counsellors" (Ret he)
is not far from the word "traitors" (Verrether),*
so the deeds of the two are not far apart; they "counsel"
their lords, at times, so faithfully that no traitor could betray
them so well.
You see, then, the profit that a pious legal scholar, or
jurist, can produce ; nay, who can tell it all ? For whatever
belongs to the work and ordinance of God produces con-
stantly so many and so great fruits that they cannot be
counted or comprehended. For one thing, he maintains and
helps to further with his law book, (by God's ordinance),
i See above, p. 143, 146 8.
3 D a s gantze handwerck.
The "secretaries" were the law officers of the incorporated towns.
* The play on words cannot be rendered into English. Luther writes, W i e
das wort Rethe nicht weit vora wort Verrether ist.
162 A Sermon on Keeping Children in School
the whole worldly government, emperor, princes, lords,
cities, land, and people, as has been said above; 1 for all of
these must be preserved by wisdom and law. But who will
praise this work highly enough? From it you have guardian-
ship and protection for your body and life, against neighbors,
enemies, murderers. Then, too, you have protection and
peace for your wife, daughter, son, house, and home, ser-
vants, money, property, lands, and everything that you have.
For all of this is bound around, walled in, and hedged about
with law. The greatness of all this can never be completely
written in any books ; for who will speak fully of the un-
speakable blessing of peace, and say how much it both gives
and saves in one single year?
All these great works your son can do, and he can become
so useful a man, if you will hold him to it, and have him
study; and you can become a partaker of all this, and invest
your money thus profitably. Ought it not to flatter you, and
be a great honor for you, to see your son an angel in the
empire and an apostle of the empire, and a cornerstone and
bulwark of temporal peace on earth, and all this with the
certainty that God so regards it, and that it is really true?
For although this work does not make men righteous before
God, or save them, nevertheless, it is a joyful comfort to
know that these works please God so well, and please Him
even more when such a man is a believer and in the kingdom
of Christ ; for in this way he thanks God for His benefits
and presents the finest thank-offering, the highest worship.
You must be a gross, ungrateful clod, worthy that men
should drive you out among the beasts, if you saw that your
rSon could become a man to help the emperor preserve his
Law empire, sword, and crown; to help the prince rule his land;
to counsel and help cities and territories ; to help protect so
many men's bodies, wives, children, property, and honor;
and would not risk enough on it to permit your son to study
and come to this position. Tell me, what do all the founda-
tions, monasteries, and the like do? I would take the work
of a faithful, pious jurist and secretary in preference to the
*?. 159, 161. "~ "
A Sermon on Keeping Children in School 163
holiness of all priests, monks, and nuns, even when they are
doing their very best. If these great and good works do
not move you, then you ought at least be moved by the
honor and the good pleasure of God, when you know that
by this means you thank God so gloriously and render Him
such great service, as has been said, It is a shameful despis-
ing of God that we do not grant this glorious and divine work
to our children, and only stick them into the service of the
belly and of avarice, and do not let them study except to
seek a living, like hogs, wallowing forever with noses in the
filth, and do not train them to so worthy a rank and duty.
Certainly we must either be crazy, or without love for our
children.
But listen still further- Suppose that it is God's will, and
that He demands your son for this office! You surely owe
it to your God to help maintain this institution, if you can.
Now it cannot be maintained unless we keep our children at
their studies and in school; there is no doubt about that.
And there is need in this office of abler people than are
needed in the office of preaching, so that it is necessary to
keep the best boy for this work ; for in the preaching office
Christ does the whole thing, by His Spirit, but in worldly
government one must use reason, from which the laws have
come, for God has subjected temporal rule and bodily Gen.
things to reason (Genesis ii), and has not sent the Holy 2:19
Spirit from heaven for this purpose. Therefore governing
is harder, because it cannot be ruling over things that are
certain, and must act, so to speak, in the dark.
Now if you have a son who is gifted for learning, and you
can keep him at it, and do not do so, but go your way without
asking what is to become of worldly government and law
and peace; then you are doing everything you can against
worldly authority, like the Turks, nay, like the devil himself.
For you are taking from empire, princedom, land, city, a
savior, comforter, cornerstone, helper, and deliverer, and so
far as you are concerned, the emperor might lose sword and
crown, the land lose protection and peace ; and you are the
man through whose fault (so far as your power goes) no
164 A Sermon on Keeping Children in School
one may have securely his body, wife, child, house, home, or
goods ; but you offer all these freely on the butcher's bench,
and become the reason why men are to become mere beasts,
and devour one another in the end. All this you assuredly
are doing, especially if you are knowingly keeping your son
out of this wholesome office for the belly's sake. Now are
you not a fine, useful man in the world ? Every day you use
the empire and its peace, and by way of thanks you rob it
of your son and stick him into the service of avarice, and
thus you strive with all diligence that there may be no one
to help maintain the empire and law and peace, but that
everything may go to destruction, provided only that by this
empire you may have and keep your own body and life,
property and honor.
What do you think you have deserved by this ? Are you
worthy that men should let you live among them? But
what will God say to it, Who has given you your child and
your property so that you may serve God with them and
keep your son in His service? Or is it not serving God
when we help maintain His ordinance, and worldly govern-
ment? Now you neglect that service as though it were no
concern of yours, or as though you were more free than
other men, and were not bound to serve God, but might do
as you pleased with your son and your property, even though
God, with both His worldly and His spiritual empire, were
to fall into the abyss. And yet you want to make daily use
of the empire's protection, peace, and law, and to have the
preaching office and the Word of God ready for you and at
your service, so that God may serve you free of charge both
with preaching and with worldly government, in order that,
without any worry, you may take your son away from Him
and teach him to serve only Mammon Do you not think
that God will some day say such a Benedicite
over your avarice and belly-care as will ruin you, both here
and hereafter, with your son and all that you have? Dear
fellow, is not your 'heart terrified at this abominable abomina-
tion, your idolatry, despising of God, ingratitude, your
destruction of both of God's institutions and ordinances,
A Sermon on Keeping Children in School 165
nay, the injury and ruin that you inflict on all men? Ah,
well! I have told you and warned you; do you see to it!
You hear both the profit you can gain and the loss that you
can suffer, do as you please ; God will recompense you.
I shall say nothing here about the fine pleasure that a man
gets from having studied, even though he never has an The Re-
office of any kind; how at home by himself he can read all
kinds of things, how he can talk and associate with the
learned; travel and do business in foreign lands; for perhaps
there are very few people who are moved by this pleasure.
But since you are so bent on the pursuit of Mammon and of
a living, see how much and how great is the wealth that
God has put at the disposal of the schools and scholars, so
that you have no need to despise learning and knowledge
because of your poverty. Then see that emperors and kings
must have chancellors and secretaries, counsellors, jurists,
and scholars ; there is no prince who does not need to have
chancellors, jurists, counsellors, scholars, and secretaries;
all the counts, lords, cities, and castles must have syndics,
secretaries, and other scholars; there is not a noble but
must have a secretary; and to speak of men of ordinary
education, there are also the miners and the merchants and
the traders. Only count the number of kings, princes, counts,
lords, cities, etc. Three years from now, where shall we be
getting the educated men, when the scarcity is now beginning Scarcity
here and there? I really believe that kings will have to
become lawyers, princes chancellors, counts and lords secre-
taries, and burgomasters sacristans.
Unless something is done about this quickly, we must
become Tartars or Turks, or an uneducated schoolmaster 1
will become a doctor and counsellor at court. Therefore I
hold that there was never a better time to study than now;
not only because knowledge is so abundant and so cheap, but
also because of the great wealth and honor that must follow
knowledge. Those who study in these times will become ex-
pensive folk, for two princes and three cities will yet compete
for one scholar. For whether you look above you or about
1 L o c a t oder bacchant, see above, p. 140.
166 A Sermon on Keeping Children in School
you, you find that countless offices are waiting in these next
ten years for scholars, and yet there are very few who are be-
ing trained for them. And not only has God appointed such
great wealth for schools and scholars, but it is honorable and
divine wealth, earned in a divine and honorable position, by
many glorious, good, and useful works, which please God
and are a service of God. The avaricious man, on the con-
trary, earns his wealth with despite (even though his works
are not Godless and sinful) and with hateful works, about
which he cannot have a glad conscience, and cannot say that
he is serving God with them. For my part, I would rather
earn ten gulden by a work that is a service of God,
than a thousand gulden by a work that is not a
service of God, but only of my own profit and of Mammon.
But with this honorable wealth honor also goes. Chan-
cellors, secretaries, and the people who hold the offices sit
also in high places and help to counsel and to rule, as has
been said, 1 and they are in actual fact lords upon earth, even
though they are not lords personally and by birth and rank.
-^ an ^ savs ^at ^ e ^ a< ^ to ^ ^ e king's work, and it is true.
A chancellor must attend to the work or business of em-
peror, king, or prince; a town secretary must do the work
of the Council or the town; and this with God and with
honor, for God gives it blessing and good fortune and suc-
cess. And when an emperor, king, prince is not at war, but
rules by law, what is he except a secretary and a jurist, if it
is the work he does that we are speaking of ? For they deal
with the law, and that is the work of a secretary or a jurist.
Who rules the prince's land and people when there is peace,
and not war? Is it the fighting-men, or the captains? I
think it is the pen that does it. And whait is greedy-belly
doing, meantime, with his Mammon ? He comes to no such
honor, and dirties himself the while with his rust-eaten
money.
The Emperor Justinian 3 himself declares: portet
1 See above, p. 162.
a Justinian (Roman Emperor, 527-565) caused the preparation of the great
code of Roman Law which was the basis of the German legal system of Luther's
day. Luther is quoting the Constitutio imperitoriaxn majes-
t a t c m, which forms the preface to his Institutions.
A Sermon on Keeping Children in School 167
majestatem imepritoriam non solum arm is
decoratum, sed etiam legibus armatam
esse. "Imperial majesty," he says, "must not only be
adorned with arms, but also armed with laws*" See how
daringly this emperor turns his words about. He calls the
laws his armor and weapons, and arms his decoration and
adornment; he would make his secretaries his knights and
fighting-men. It is finely said indeed. For the laws are
indeed the true armor and weapons which maintain and
protect land and people, nay, the very empire itself, and the
worldly government, as has been sufficiently told above* Thus
wisdom is better than might, and pious jurists are the true
knights, who defend the emperor and the princes. Many
sayings of this kind couM be brought out of the poets and
the histories, but it would take too long. Solomon himself KccL
says, in Ecclesiastes ix, that a poor man saved a city, by his
wisdom, from a mighty king.
I do not wish to be understood as breaking off, by what I Honor-
have said, with soldiers, fighting-men, and those whose busi- falg>1
ness is war, or as despising or casting them off. They too,
when they are obedient, help with their fist, to protect peace
and everything. Everything has its own honor before God,
as His ordinance and work. But I must also praise my
own trade 1 for once because my neighbors have fallen out
with it and there is danger that it may come into contempt.
This is the way that St. Paul praises his own office so con-
stantly that some think he goes too far and is guilty of pride.
If there is anyone who wants to have force and soldiers
praised and honored, he will find enough about the things
for which they are to be praised, I hope, in another little
book, in which I have praised them honestly and fully.
For the jurists and petty secretaries do not please me at all
when they so praise themselves as to despise or mock at
other classes, as though they were the whole thing and there
was nobody else in the world who amounted to anything
except themselves. This is what the shavelings 3 and the
He., Scholarship.
^Schuerlinge, the tonsured clergy.
168 A Sermon on Keeping umidren in
whole papacy have done heretofore. All classes and all the
works of God are to be praised as highly as ever they can
be, and none of them is to be despised in favor of another,
for it is written, Confessio et magnificentia
Ps * o p u s e j u s , "What God does is fair and fine" j 1 and again
P S . ' in Psalm civ, "God is well pleased with His works/' Espe-
104:31 daily ought preachers to impress these ideas upon the people
from their youth up, schoolteachers impress them on the
boys, and parents on their children, so that they may well
learn what classes and offices are God's and ordained of
God. If they know this, so that they despise and mock at
and speak evil of none of them, but hold them all in honor,
that pleases God and serves the cause of peace and unity;
for God is a great lord, and has many kinds of servants.
Scholars We find, too, some swaggerers who permit themselves to
"^ think that the name "secretary" is scarcely worthy to be
Com- mentioned or listened to. well! Do not let that worry
pared y OU ! Remember that these good fellows must sometimes
have a little pastime and fun, and let this be their fun ! You
are still a secretary before God and the world. They may
swagger, but notice that they pay the highest honor to the
quill. They put it a on the top of their hats and their helmets,
as though to confess, by this act, that the quill is the highest
thing in the world, without which they would be armed for
battle and could not walk about in times of peace, still less
swagger so boldly. For they, too, must make use of the
peace which the emperor's preachers and teachers, i. e. the
jurists, teach and maintain. You see, therefore, that they
put the tool of our trade, the good quill, on top, and rightly;
but the tool of their trade, the sword, they gird about their
loins, where it hangs well and is ready for their work. On
their heads it would not be becoming; there the quill must
wave. So if they have sinned against you, this is their
penance, and you should forgive them.
But that brings me to this fact. There are many great
to whom the trade of a writer is a hateful thing, because
1 "His work is honor and majesty" (Eng. R. V.)
* Luther's f e d d e r means both "pen" and "plume."
A Sermon on Keeping Children in School 169
they do not know, or do not consider, that it is a divine
office and work, and do not see how necessary and useful
it is to the world; and if they were to see (which may
God forbid!), their knowledge would come too late. There-
fore, this is what you ought to do. Pay no attention to
them, and look around at fine, pious noblemen, such as
Count George von Wertheim, 1 Hans von Schwarzenberg/
George von Frundsberg, 8 and their like, who are dead, for I
will say nothing about the living. Refresh yourself and
comfort yourself with them, and remember that for the sake Gen
of one man, Lot, God honored the whole land of Zoar; for w
the sake of a single Naaman, the whole land of Syria; for 2
the sake of one Joseph, the whole kingdom of Egypt. Why Gen
should not you also honor all the nobility for the sake of 4i:47
the many honest noblemen whom you, without doubt, have
before your eyes ? And when you look at them, you must
think that there is not a bad one left. How could it be that
untimely fruit should not fall from the fair tree of nobility,
and that some of the fruit should not be wormy and warty?
That does not make it a bad tree, to be condemned. Thus
it is with the children of God. For God Himself spares
the whole human race for the sake of one man, whose name
is Jesus Christ ; if He were to look only at men, He would
have nothing but wrath. The preachers, to be sure, and the
worldly authorities, cannot do this, and neither look at nor
consider anything bad, for they must punish the bad, one
with the word, the other with the sword. But I am speaking
to individuals, as Christians, and say that they ought to
learn to distinguish between God's work and men's wicked-
ness. In all of God's offices and ranks there are many
wicked men; but the rank is and remains good, no matter
how much men misuse it. You find many bad women, many
false servants, many unfaithful maids, many wrong-doing
1 George von Wertheim (<L1530) introduced the Reformation into his terri-
tories in 1522. Cf. ENDERS, IV, 3 r. n. 11.
3 Tohann von Schwarzenberg (1463-1528) a patron of learning:, as well as of
the Reformation. Biographies by WAGNBR (Berlin, 1893) and W. SCHEEL (Ber-
lin, 1905).
* George von Frtmdsberg (d. 1527), one of tne most famous German soldiers
of his day. See Allgexn. Deutsche Biographic, VIII, 154 L
170 A Sermon on Keeping Children in School
officials and counsellors; nevertheless, the classes wives,
servants, maids and all the offices are God's institution,
work, and ordinance. The sun remains good, even though
the whole world misuse it, one to rob and another to kill, one
to do this kind of evil and another that. Who could do
anything evil, unless he had the sun to light him to it, and
the earth to hold him up, and the air to keep him alive, and
Rom - thus had God Himself to guard him? The saying continues
true, Omnis creatura subjecta est vanitate,
sed non volens 1 (Romans viii).
Some think that the office of writer is a light and little
office, while it is a real work to ride in armor and endure
heat, frost, dust, thirst, and other discomforts. Of course !
That is the old story! No one sees where the other's shoe
pinches, and stands agape at the other man's good luck.
True it is that it would be hard for me to ride in armor;
but, on the other hand, I would like to see the horseman
who could sit still the whole day and look into a book, even
though he had nothing to care about, to dream, to think, or
to read. Ask a writer, preacher, or speaker whether writing
and speaking is work; ask a schoolmaster whether teaching
and training boys is work? The pen is light; that is true.
Also there is no tool of any of the trades that is easier to
get than the writer's tool, for all that is needed is goose
feathers, and there are enough of them everywhere. But
the best part of the body (which is the head) must lay hold
here and do most of the work, and the noblest of the mem-
bers (which is the tongue), and the high faculty (which is
speech) . In other occupations, it is only the fist or the foot
or the back or some other such member that has to work ;
and while they are at it, they can sing and jest, which the
writer cannot do. "Three fingers do it," they say of writers ;
but a man's whole body and soul work at it.
I have heard it said of the praiseworthy and dear Emperor
Maximilian,* that when the big men complained because he
used writers so much for embassies and work of the kind,
* "Every creature was subjected to vanity, but not willingly."
a Died 1519.
A Sermon on Keeping Children in School 171
he said, "What shall I do ? They cannot be used, so I have
to take writers"; and again, "I can make knights, but I
cannot make doctors." So, too, I have heard of a fine noble-
man, who said, "I will have my son study. It is no great
art to hang two legs over a horse and become a knight ; he
has already learned that from me." That was well said.
Once more, I do not want this to be understood as though I
were speaking against the knightly class, or any other class,
but only against the worthless swaggerers, who despise all
learning and wisdom, and can boast of nothing except wear-
ing armor and hanging two legs over a horse, though they
seldom have to do it, and in return have enough of comfort,
pleasure, joy, honor, and wealth the whole year round. It is
true that, as they say, knowledge is light to carry and armor
heavy; but wearing armor is soon learned, and wisdom is
not soon learned, and is not easily practiced or used.
To bring this talk to an end ! We ought to know that God schoia
is a wonderful lord. His trade is to take beggars and make N tto
them lords, just as He makes all things out of nothing. gpised
This trade of His no one will interfere with or hinder. He
has the whole world sing of Him, in Psalm cxii, "Who is
like the Lord, Who sitteth so high and beholdeth so deep?
Who lifteth the small out of the dust and raiseth the poor
out of the filth, that He may make them sit among the
princes, even among the princes of His people." Look PS. 113:
about you, at the courts of all the kings and princes, at the **
cities and the parishes; see whether this Psalm does not
rule with many strong examples. There you will find jurists,
doctors, counsellors, writers, preachers, who were usually
poor and have certainly been boys at school, and have
mounted and flown up by their pens, 1 until they are lords, as
the Psalm says, and like princes, help to rule lands and
peoples. It is not God's will that born kings, princes, lords,
and nobles should rule and be lords alone ; He wills to have
His beggars with them, so that they may not think that noble
birth alone, and not God alone, makes lords and rulers, It
is said, and it is true, that the pope too was a school boy.
0r "their feathers."
172 A Sermon on Keeping Children in School
Therefore do not despise the fellows who come to your
door and say, Panem propter deum 1 and sing for
bread; you are listening, as this Psalm says, to the singing
of great princes and lords. I too was such a P a r -
tekenhengst, 3 and got bread at the house-doors, espe-
cially at Eisenach, my dear town, although afterwards my
dear father lovingly and faithfully kept me at the university
at Erfurt, and by his sweat and labor helped me to what I
have become. Nevertheless, I was a Parteken-
h e n g s t , 2 and I have come so far by means of the writer's
pen, as this Psalm says, that I would not change with the
emperor of the Turks, and have his wealth and do without
my knowledge ; nay, I would not take for it all the wealth
in the world heaped up many times. And without any
doubt, I should not have come to this, if I had not got into
school and into the trade of writing.
Therefore, have your son study, and do not hesitate about
it, and even if he has to go after his bread meanwhile, you
are giving our Lord God a fine bit of wood out of which He
can carve you a lord. It must continue to be a fact that your
son and my son/ that is, the sons of common folk, must
rule the world, both in the spiritual and the worldly ranks,
as this Psalm testifies. For the rich misers cannot and will
not do it ; they are the Carthusians 3 and monks of Mammon,
and they must serve him day and night. The born princes
and lords cannot do it alone, and especially they cannot under-
stand anything at all about the spiritual office. Thus both
kinds of government on earth must remain with the middle
class common people, and with their children.
And do not be disturbed because the common miser de-
spises knowledge so deeply and says, "Ha, if my son can
read and write German and do sums, he can do enough, I
am going to make a business man of him." They will soon
be so tame that they will dig ten ells deep into the earth with
1 "Bread for God's sake."
2 Possibly "crumb-horse," a school boy who sang, with others, in the streets
for bread (particula pan is). On Luther's singing at Eisenach, see
especially, SCHEEL, Martin Luther, I (1916), pp. 104 ff.
* i.e., The strictest devotees.
A Sermon on Keeping Children in School 173
their fingers to get a scholar. For the business man will not
be a business man long, if preaching and law shall fail; this
I know for sure. We theologians and jurists must continue,
or all the rest will go to ruin with us; this will not fail.
When the theologians disappear, God's Word also disappears,
and there remain nothing but heathen, nay, nothing but
devils ; when the jurists disappear, then the law disappears,
and peace with it, and there remains nothing but robbery,
murder, crime, and violence, nay, nothing but wild beasts.
But what earnings and profits the business man will have
when peace is gone, I shall let his ledger tell him; and what
good all his property will do him when preaching goes down,
I shall let his conscience show him.
It is particularly vexing that such rude and unchristian
words are spoken by those who want to be so altogether
evangelical. They know how to get the better of everyone
and cry down everyone with Scripture, and yet they will
not grant either God or their own children so much honor or
wealth as to train them in the schools, so that they may come
to glorious and divine positions, in which they can serve God
and the world, even though it is plain and certain that these
positions are established and ready, and well provided with
wealth and honor. On the contrary, they turn their sons
away from them and shove them into the service of Mammon,
of which nothing is plain and certain, which must be full of
danger to body and wealth and soul, and which cannot be,
besides, a service of God.
At this point I should also tell how many scholars are
needed in medicine and other liberal arts, concerning which other
a great book could be written and about which one could
preach for a half year. Where would the preachers and
lawyers and physicians come from, if we had not grammar
and the other sciences of speech? They must all flow from
this spring. But the task would be too long and too great.
I would be brief and say that a diligent and pious school-
teacher, or master, or whoever it is that faithfully trains and
teaches boys, can never be sufficiently rewarded, or repaid
with any money, as even the heathen Aristotle says. Never-
174 A Sermon on Keeping Children in School
theless, this work is as shamefully despised among us as
though it was nothing at all. I myself, if I could leave the
preaching office and other things, or had to do so, would not
be so glad to have any other work as that of schoolmaster,
or teacher of boys, for I know that this is the most useful,
the greatest, and the best, next to the work of preaching.
Indeed, I scarcely know which of the two is the better ; for
it is hard to make old dogs obedient and old rascals pious ;
and that is the work at which the preacher must labor, often
in vain. But young trees can be better bent and trained,
though some of them break in the process. Let it be one of
the greatest virtues on earth faithfully to train other people's
children ; very few people, almost none, in fact, do this for
their own.
That the physicians are lords, we can see with our own
eyes, and that we cannot do without them, our own experi-
ence teaches. But that they are a class that is useful to the
world, a comforting and wholesome class, and that their
work is a service acceptable to God and made and founded
by Him, all of this not only is proved by the nature of the
work itself, but it is testified by the Scriptures, 1 in Ecclesias-
ticus xxxviii where almost a whole chapter is given up to
praise of the physicians, It says, "Thou shalt honor the
physician, for one cannot do without him, and God has
appointed him, for all healing is of God. The skill of the
physician bringeth him to honor, and in the sight of great
men he shall be held worthy. God hath created medicines
out of the earth, and he is no reasonable man who despiseth
them. For as in the time of Moses the bitter water was
sweetened with wood, it was His will to make known to men
thereby what medicine can do; and He hath also given to
men this skill, that His wonders may be praised. For here-
with can the physician soothe all kinds of pain, and make
many sweet and good confections, and prepare salves whereby
the sick become well ; and of these works of his there is no
end, etc." But I have said too much about this ; the preachers
1 Luther here quotes the Apocrypha as "Scripture." He renders the whole
passage very freely.
A Sermon on Keeping Children in School 175
can draw all these things out more fully, and impress upon
the people the profit and the loss that they can here produce,
for the whole world, and for our descendants, better than I
can write it.
I will let everything rest here, for it has been my purpose
faithfully to exhort and urge everyone who can help in this Th
cause. Only think for yourself how many good things God Shame
has given you gratis, and is daily giving, namely, body and
soul, house and home, wife and child, the services and the
use of all His creatures in heaven and earth; beside all this,
the Gospel and the office of preaching, baptism, the Sacra-
ment, and the whole treasure of His Son and His Spirit, not
only without your merit, but also without cost or trouble
to you, for you do not now have to support either schools
or parishes, 1 as you would be bound to do according to the
Gospel. And you are such an accursed, ungrateful wretch
that you will not give a son to be trained to preserve these
gifts of God. You have everything, gratis ; and you show
not a particle of gratitude, but you let God's kingdom and
men's souls' salvation go to ruin and help cast it down to
the ground.
Ought not God to be angry over this ? Ought not famine
come? Ought not pestilence, the sweating-sickness, and the
French disease find us ? Ought not blind folk, wild, raving
tyrants, rule? Ought not war and contention arise? Ought
not government in Germany become bad ? Ought not Turk
and Tartar plunder us? Nay, it would be no wonder if
God opened the doors and windows of hell and snowed and
hailed devils among us, or let brimstone and hell-fire rain
from heaven and sink us, all together, into the abyss of hell,
like Sodom and Gomorrah. For if Sodom and Gomorrah
had had or seen or heard as much as we, they would be
standing today. They were not one tenth as wicked as
Germany is, for they had not God's Word and the preaching
office, while we have both gratis, and act like men who want
God and His Word, and all moral control and honor to go
to ruin ; indeed, the fanatics have actually begun to suppress
1 i. c. Because they are supported by endowments.
Vol. IV. 12
176 A Sermon on Keeping Children in School
the Word of God. The nobles and the rich men, too, have
attacked it to overthrow good morals and honor, so that we
may become the kind of people that we have deserved to be.
For what else are the Gospel and the preaching office that
we have than the blood and sweat of our Lord? He won
them by His anguished, bloody sweat, earned them by His
blood and Cross, and gave them to us. We have them with-
out any cost to ourselves, and have done nothing for them,
nor given anything. Ah, God ! How bitter it was for Him,
and yet how kindly and gladly He did it ! How greatly the
dear Apostles and all the saints suffered in order that these
things might come to us ! How many have been put to
death for them in our own time ! To speak of myself, too,
how many times I have had to suffer death for them, so that
I might serve my Germans with them! But all this is
nothing, compared with what Christ, God's Son and our dear
heart, has spent on them. And yet, by all this suffering, He
will have earned from us only this, some persecute this
office, and condemn, and slander it, and wish it to the devil;
while others keep hands off, support neither pastors nor
preachers, and give nothing toward their maintenance. Be-
sides this, they turn the children away from this office, so
that it will soon go to destruction, and Christ's blood and
agony be in vain; and yet, they go their ways undisturbed,
have no qualms of conscience, no repentance, and no sorrow
for this hellish and more than hellish ingratitude, this un-
speakable sin and blasphemy. They show neither fear nor
awe of God's wrath, neither desire nor love for the dear
Saviour in return for His bitter and hard pains. Neverthe-
less, with these terrible abominations they want to be Evan-
gelicals and Christians !
If this is the way that things are to go in Germany, I am
sorry that I was born a German, or ever wrote or spoke
German; and if I could do it with a good conscience, I
would give my aid and counsel to have the pope come back
over us, and oppress and shame and ruin us worse than ever
he did before. Formerly, when people served the devil and
put the blood of Christ to shame, all the purses were wide
A Sermon on Keeping Children in School 177
open, and there was no limit to men's giving to churches,
schools, and all sorts of abominations. Children could be
driven, pushed, and forced into monasteries, churches, foun-
dations, and schools, at unspeakable cost, and all of it was
lost, But now, when they are to found real schools and real
churches, nay, not found them, but keep them in repair,
for God has founded them and given enough even for their
maintenance, and we know what God's Word is and that to
honor Christ's blood is to found a real church, now, I say,
all the purses are closed with iron chains, and nobody can
give anything. And besides, they tear their children away,
and do not allow them to be supported by the churches (to
which we give nothing) and to enter these wholesome offices,
in which, without their effort they are cared for even in tem-
poral things, in order to serve God and honor and preserve
Christ's blood and pains; but they push them, rather, into
the jaws of Mammon, meanwhile treading Christ's blood
under foot; and yet they are good Christians!
I pray that God will graciously let me die 1 and take me
hence, that I may not see the misery that must come over
Germany. For I believe that if ten Moseses stood and
prayed for us, they would accomplish nothing. I feel, too,
when I would pray for my dear Germany, that my prayer
rebounds, and does not press up to heaven, as it does when
I pray for other things. For it shall be that God will save
Lot and sink Sodom. God grant that I am compelled to lie,
and be, in this matter, a false prophet! That would happen,
if we reformed, and honored our Lord's Word and His
precious blood and death otherwise than we have done here-
tofore, and helped and trained our young people for God's
offices, as has been said.
But I hold that it is the duty of the government to compel
its subjects to keep their children in school, especially those
children who were mentioned above. For it is truly its duty
to maintain the offices and classes that have been mentioned,
so that preachers, jurists, pastors, writers, physicians, school-
masters, and the like may continue, for we cannot do without
*Ich bitte Gott umb ein gnedigs stundlin.
178 A Sermon on Keeping Children in School
them. If it can compel its subjects who are fitted for the
work to carry pike and musket, man the walls, and do other
kinds of work, when war is necessary ; how much more can
it and ought it compel its subjects to keep their children in
school, because here there is a worse war on, a war with the
very devil, who goes about to suck out secretly the strength
of cities and princedoms, and empty them of able persons,
until he has bored out the pith, and left an empty shell of
useless folk, with whom he can play and juggle as he will.
That is, indeed, starving out a city or a land; it destroys
itself without battle, before one is aware of it. The Turk
acts differently. He takes every third child in his whole
empire and trains it for what he will. How much more
ought our lords take some boys for schooling, since that
does not take the child away from its parents, but is for
their own good too ; and it trains him for usefulness to the
community, and for an office in which enough is given him.
Therefore let everyone be on his guard who can. Let the
government, when it sees a promising boy, have him kept in
school; if the father is poor, let it help him with church
property. Let the rich make their wills with this work in
view, as some have done who have endowed stipends ; that is
the right way to bequeath your money to the Church. This
way you do not, to be sure, release departed souls from
purgatory, but by maintaining God's offices, you help the
living and those to come who are not yet born, so that they
do not get into purgatory, nay, so that they are released from
hell and go to heaven ; and you help the living to peace and
comfort. That would be a praiseworthy Christian testament,
and God would have delight and pleasure in it, and would
bless and honor you in return, by giving you pleasure and
joy in Him.
Well, then, dear Germans, I have said enough to you.
You have heard your prophet. God grant that we may obey
His Word, to praise and thank our dear Lord for His
precious blood, so freely offered for us ; and may He keep
us from the abominable wickedness of ingratitude and f orget-
fulness of His blessings. Amen.
THE BURNING OF FRIAR HENRY IN
DITHMARSCHEN
1525
INTRODUCTION
In the Netherlands with their hardy and independent population,
prepared by the preref ormatory labors of Pupper of Goch and Wesel,
the piety and schools of the Brethren of the Common Lot, and the
humanism of Erasmus, the Reformation found from the beginning a
fertile soil. Luther's teachings won adherents especially among his
Augustinian brethren, who belonged to the German congregation under
the leadership of Staupitz and later of Link. Foremost among 1 them
were the friars at Antwerp, men like Henry Voes, John Esch, Jacob
Propst, and Henry of Zutphen. To Voes and Esch, burned at
Brussels on July 1, 1523, fell the honor of being the first martyrs of
the evangelic cause. Propst, prior of the Antwerp monks since 1519,
whom Erasmus called "a pure Christian, who almost alone preaches
Christ," escaped a like fate in 1522 by a public recantation, but
became afterwards a trusted friend of Luther and labored faithfully
for thirty-six years in the evangelic ministry at Bremen. 1 Henry of
Zutphen, who succeeded him as prior, "outshone them all" when, at
the age of thirty-six, after escaping from prison in Antwerp and
laboring for two years in Bremen, he was burned at the stake in
Holstein on December 10, 1524.
Henry of Zutphen, this is the only name we know him by; he has
been variously called Moller, Moller, and Miiller,* but without war-
rant, was born about 1488 at Zutphen, a village in the province of
Geldern in the Netherlands ; entered the Augustinian order ; studied
at Wittenberg, 1508, becoming bachelor of philosophy in 1509 and
master in 1511. He served as sub-prior at Cologne, 1514, and as
prior at Dort, 1515. In 1520 he returned to Wittenberg, becoming an
intimate friend of Luther and Melanchthon, and took his bachelor of
divinity degree in 1521, defending theses on Justification, which three
years later he submitted to the archbishop of Bremen. 8 In the sum-
mer of 1522 he left Wittenberg for Antwerp, where he succeeded
Propst as prior and became the leader of the reform movement.
Here he was taken prisoner on September 29, 1522, by Margaret of
Savoy, regent of the Netherlands,* but was immediately liberated by
the populace including thousands of women, and after several days of
hiding made his escape. Intending to return once more to Wittenberg,
he stopped at Bremen, where he was called as preached at St. Ansgar's
1 See below, p. 187. * See below, p. 190.
a Prot. Realenc., 15,268-9. * See below, p. 190.
(181)
182 The Burning of Friar Henry in Dithmarschen
chapel in November, 1522, and obtained Luther's permission, in the
absence of his vicar general Link, to accept the call. 1 After a richly
blessed ministry at Bremen, toward the close of which Jacob Propst
and John Timann became his colleagues at Our Dear Lady and
St. Martin's respectively, he accepted a call to conduct a preaching
mission at Meldorf in Dithmarschen, between the Elbe and Eider
rivers in western Holstem. Here he preached his first sermon on
the Second Sunday in Advent, December 4, 1524, and on the following
Saturday, December 10, was burned at the stake in the nearby village
of Heide by a band of drunken peasants instigated by the ecclesiastical
and civil authorities.
The sad tidings was immediately communicated to Luther by
Propst, heart-broken at the calamity and deeply shamed by the
recollection of his own cowardice almost three years ago. The letter
was intended originally for the Augustinian brethren at Antwerp, but
the messenger having departed, Propst sent it to Luther after adding
a paragraph in which he besought him to send a letter of consolation
to the church at Bremen. 3
With this request Luther was glad to comply. The death of Voes
and Esch, a year and a half before, had stirred in him emotions that
could be released only in verse; in their memory he had sung his
first hymn, "Ein neues Lied wir heben an," 3 and had written a com-
forting letter to the Christians in the Netherlands.* Now again, no
less deeply moved, he put together the story of Henry's martyrdom,
relying on the data in Propst's letter as well as on other information,
prefixed to it a devotional exposition of Psalm ix, and dedicated the
whole in a prefatory epistle of truly apostolic tone to the Christians
at Bremen. Wisely he adopted the simple and direct style of the old
chronicle writers, keeping himself and his emotions in the background,
and achieved a "beautiful bare narrative" the equal of anything in
Foxe's "Book of Martyrs." Thus Von Bruder Henrico
ynn Diedmar verbrand is one of the most beautiful and
tender of Luther's writings and deserves a place in the first rank of
all his works.
The writing, whose date is either February or March, 1525, is
found in the various editions of Luther's Works at the following
places: Weimar, 18, 215-250; Erlangen, 26 a , 400-426; 53,
347-354; Berlin, 7, 275-302; Walch, 21, 94-121; St.
Louis, 21 a, 687-709. The major portion of it is given also,
with excellent linguistic notes, in R. NEUBAUER, Martin Luther,
I (5. and 6. ed., 1913), 191-205.
The following literature should be consulted: J. F.
l NDERS, 4, 89.
3 Propst's letter in ENDERS, 5, 90-94.
8 See Berlin Ed,, 8, 23. Cf. KOSTLIJT-KAWERAU, I, 607-8.
4 Wei mar Ed., 12, 73-80; SMITH-JACOBS, Luther's Corres-
pondence, II, 194-6.
Introduction 183
He in rich von Zutphen (1886); BERTHEAU in Prot.
Realenc. (3. ed.), 21, 735-742; KALKOFF, Die Anfange
der Gegenr ef or mation in den Niederlanden
(1903); LINDSAY, History of the Reformation (1916,
reprint), II, 224-234; KOSTUN-KAWERAU, Martin Luther (5.
ed, 1903), I, 603-620.
The spot at Heide where Friar Henry was burned has been marked,
since 1830, by a simple monument. Claus Harms, whose first parish
was in Lunden, 1 retold his story in 1817, and Claus Groth, the most
artistic of German dialect poets (born, at Heide in 1819), celebrated
him in verse, both in the Low German dialect. That Friar Henry's
memory still lives among the common folk of Holstein is seen from a
passing reference in Gustav Frenssen's Dorfpredigten (88th
thousand, 1921) in which his marytyrdom is mentioned as equally well
known with that of John Huss.
A. T. W. STEINHAEUSER.
ALLENTOWN,
PENNSYLVANIA
1 See below, p. 196.
THE BURNING OF FRIAR HENRY IN
DITHMARSCHEN
1525
Martin Luther, Preacher at Wittenberg,
to all beloved and elect friends of God in Christ
at Bremen.
Grace and peace from God our Father and our Lord
Jesus Christ.
Most dearly beloved in Christ: Having gathered from
trustworthy and upright witnesses 1 the true history of the
martyrdom of your evangelist, the blessed Friar Henry, I
was unwilling that it should remain hidden or be but imper-
fectly known. I liave resolved to publish it, therefore, to
the praise and glory of divine grace, which has in these days
been so abundantly bestowed upon us condemned, lost, and
unworthy sinners that we not only have, hear, and read the
pure Word of God and see it rise, as the sun in his bright-
ness, upon many lands, but also perceive and experience how
the Spirit of God is confirming and establishing this Word
with mighty and heroic deeds, as He has been wont to do
from the beginning. Above all, He has given us brave and
bold hearts, so that in many places both preachers and hearers
are daily being added to the number of the saints, some shed-
ding their blood, others being cast into prison, still others
driven into exile, and all enduring the shame of the cross of
Christ. Now hath appeared again the form of a true Chris-
tian life, terrible indeed with suffering and persecution in
the world's eyes, but precious and well pleasing in the sight
of God; as it is said in the Psalter, "Precious in the sight of
1 Among others, Pastor Propst of Bremen. See Introduction, p. 181.
(184)
The Burning of Friar Henry in Dithmarschen 185
the Lord is the death of His saints," and again in Psalm ** 72:
Ixxii, "Precious shall their blood be in His sight/' 14
Of these your Henry Zutphen doth verily outshine all,
who endured so shameful a martyrdom in Dithmarschen for
the sake of the Word of God, and mightily sealed the Gospel
with 'his blood. Howbeit John and Henry o Brussels, 1 the
first martyrs of all, became likewise two bright and shining
lights through their good death, being offered as a sacrifice
to God for a sweet smelling savor. With them belong also
Caspar Tauber burned at Vienna,* and George the bookseller
in Hungary.* I have heard recently of still another who was
burned at Prague in Bohemia for leaving his order of impure
chastity and entering the divine estate of matrimony, the
order of pure chastity. 4 These and their like will drown in
their blood the papacy with its god the devil; they will also
preserve the Word of God in its truth and purity from the
unclean prof aners, the new false prophets, 1 who are nowadays
bestirring themselves and breaking forth everywhere. For it
is certain that God is suffering them to die and pour out
their blood in these days when divers heresies and schisms
are arising, in order through them to admonish us and to
bear witness that this doctrine, which they taught and kept
and for which they shed their blood, is indeed the true doc-
trine and confers the true Spirit; even as aforetime the holy
martyrs died for the sake of the Gospel and sealed and certi-
fied it unto us with their blood.
No such glory was ever obtained by those who have misled
the world with their doctrines of works, human righteous-
ness, and free will. For such doctrines the devil puts no one
to death; he suffers their adherents gladly, nay he grants
them great riches and the honor and power of this world, so
that they are at peace and lead a pleasant life. Even though
they died for those doctrines, they would be no martyrs of
God, but their own and the devil's martyrs. The very
*John Esch and Henry Vocs, See Introduction.
*A wealthy merchant of Vienna, beheaded and Burned on September 17,
1524. Cf. ENDERS, 5, 46, 53-4.
Burned with his books at Pesth. Cf. ENDKK*, 5, 54.
4 Nothing further is known of this martyr.
Carlstadt, Munzer, and followers.
186 The Burning of Friar Henry in Dithmarschen
heathen have endured death for their temporal rights, goods,
Rom. and honor; as St. Paul says, in Romans v, that peradventure
5:7 some one might die for a good thing 1 (that is, for things the
world counts good, such as riches, honor, and power), but
for a righteous thing 1 one will scarcely die. But to die for
the Word of God and for faith, that is a precious, fine, and
noble death, possible only to the Spirit and sons of God. To
endure such a death is to die for the unrighteous and even
for those who put us to death, and to intercede for them in
18 33*12 dying; as Christ did according to Isaiah, "And made inter-
cession for the transgressors." Hence we read of no in-
stance of a Christian dying for the doctrine of free will and
of works, nor for anything else than the Word of God.
Forasmuch, then, as our merciful Lord has so graciously
visited you at Bremen, and has drawn very near to you and
given you through this same Henry so plain and tangible a
demonstration of His Spirit and power, I have thought fit
to write down for you and to publish the narrative of his
sufferings, in order to admonish you in Christ not to mourn,
nor to speak ill of his murderers, but rather to rejoice and
to thank and praise God, who has made you meet to behold
and possess these His wonders and gifts of grace. As for
those murderers, they have already suffered retribution
enough and more than enough, having so horribly stained
their hands with innocent blood, and heaped up such great
and terrible guilt in the sight of God, that there is far more
reason to weep and lament for them than for the blessed
Henry, and to pray that not they alone but the whole land
of Dithmarschen may be converted and come to the knowl-
edge of the truth. This fruit of Henry's martyrdom is the
more confidently to be expected, since many in that land are
already turning eagerly to the Gospel and regret this murder
committed among them. For God, who permitted the blessed
Henry to suffer in that place, verily intends not only to
punish the ungodly, if they do not repent, but to turn this
1 Thtis Luther translated in the earlier editions of his New Testament; later
he put "for a good man" and "for a righteous man." Tyndale had the Utter
from the beginning.
The Burning of Friar Henry in Dithmarschen 187
murder into a blessing to many in that land and to bring
them thereby to eternal life. 1
I pray you, in the name of God, to take a hearty interest
in the dear folk at Dithmarschen, and to show them all
friendly comfort and aid, so that they too may come over to
our side. For I hear that many are incensed beyond measure
at the monks for bringing this outrage upon their land. That
is a good spark, kindled by God; it will surely spread into a
fine flame, if you treat it with kind and gentle spirit, so that
it be not quenched.
I commend to you your preacher, Jacob Propst, 3 together
with the other preachers, whom may God strengthen with
you all, and grant you grace to hold fast the doctrine sealed
with Henry's blood, and to follow cheerfully, should God
require it, in his footsteps. Amen.
All our brethren in Christ salute you. Pray for us. The
grace of God be with you. Amen.
THE HISTORY OF FRIAR HENRY ZUTPHEN
In the year of our Lord one thousand five hundred and
two and twenty came Henry to Bremen, not intending to
preach there, for he was on 'his way to Wittenberg, having
been driven by the tyrants out of Antwerp for the Gospel's
sake. But being requested by certain good Christians to
preach them a sermon, he consented out of Christian love,
and delivered his first sermon on the Sunday next before
1 Here follows a devotional exposition of Psalm ix, which is omitted in the
translation.
a Jacob Propst, or Praepositus, born at Ypres in last decade of 15th century;
entered Augustinian order; studied at Wittenberg, 1519; became prior of
Antwerp in same year; praised by Erasmus. Back in Wittenberg, 1521, bachelor
of theology; returned to Antwerp in same year. Imprisoned at Brussels, where
he escaped death by recanting, February 9, 1522. Once more in Wittenberg,
1523; wrote a penitent history of his persecutions; on intimate terms with
Luther; married a close friend of Frau Katie, 1523: Pastor for thirty-six
years at Our Dear Lady in Bremen, beginning 1524; in correspondence with
Luther; sponsor for Luther's youngest daughter Margaret. Died, 1562. See
Realenc.
188 The Burning of Friar Henry in Dithmarschen
St. Martin's Day/ When the people heard him and perceived
that he taught the Word of God, the whole congregation of
the parish earnestly besought and invited him to remain with
them and declare to them the Word of God, which he was
agreed to undertake for a season.
Now as soon as this became known to the socalled spirit-
uals, namely, the canons with the monks and priests, they
put forth every effort to suppress and cast out both him and
the Word of God, for the sake of their greed, as is the
custom in all lands. To this end they petitioned the honor-
able and wise council to expel that wicked heretic, forasmuch
as his teaching and preaching were against the holy Chris-
tian Church. Upon which the honorable council summoned
the trustees and elders of the parish in which Henry
preached, and laid before them the accusation of the chapter
and of all the clergy,
The trustees of the parish replied that to the best of their
knowledge they had engaged a godly and learned preacher,
who taught them the Word of God in its truth and purity.
If, however, the chapter or anyone else, great or small,
could bring proof that he had taught contrary to God's
Word or preached any other heresy, they would by no means
suffer this nor retain him in office, but would assist the
chapter in bringing him to book. If, on the other hand, the
gentlemen of the chapter with the other clergy could fasten
no charge upon him of having taught contrary to God's Word,
but were minded to displace him forcibly and without any
fault on his part, they would by no means permit this to be
done. They respectfully prayed the honorable council, there-
fore, not to expect them to take this action, but to leave them
in the enjoyment of their legal rights; they, on their part,
would see that their preacher conformed at all times to the
law. This reply the honorable council communicated by
messenger to the chapter. When the spirituals perceived that
they could accomplish nothing with good words, they resorted
to anger and threats, ran off forthwith to their bishop* and
1 November 9, 1522.
a Christopher of Brunswick, archbishop of Bremen and Verden (1511-58),
a brother of Duke Henry of Brunswick- Wolff enbiittel.
The Burning of Friar Henry in Dithmarschen 189
notified him that the Bremers 'had turned heretics and re-
fused obedience to their clergy, with many lamentations
about the danger of the whole land being led astray.
Then the bishop despatched two of his councilors to
Bremen with orders that the monk be sent to him. On being
questioned for what reason he was to be delivered up, they
replied that he preached against Holy Church; asked to
indicate in what articles, they had no answer. One of the
councilors was the suffragan bishop of the preaching friars, 1
who did his utmost to bring the monk into his power, fearing
he might otherwise find himself without a job. The honor-
able council finally made them the following reply: Foras-
much as the preacher they had engaged had not been refuted
from Holy Scripture, and no one was able to point out any
article in which he preached error, they saw no way to induce
their citizens to let him go ; therefore they respectfully prayed
their gracious lord bishop to send his foremost scholars to
Bremen, to hold a disputation with their preacher. If the
latter were found to be in error, they would impose on him
a fitting punishment and expel him; but if not, they could
not see their way to dismiss him. To this the suffragan
replied, beseeching them earnestly, for the peace of the whole
land, to deliver up the preacher to him, with many protesta-
tions that he sought only the salvation of their souls. But
in vain ; for the Bremers held to their original reply.
Thereupon the suffragan departed in high dudgeon from
Bremen, and refused afterwards in the greatness of his
anger to confirm the children of those heretics. On return-
ing to his lord, he submitted to him the above reply together
with what he had learned from the priests and monks.
After this, when each day brought fresh tidings of how the
preacher was daily delivering stronger and stronger sermons
against the clergy', they changed their tactics and sent esti-
mable men to warn the Bremers of the harm that would come
upon their city through their preacher violating the decree o
His Holiness the Pope and His Majesty the Emperor; they
1 Suffragan Michde of the Dominican order.
190 The Burning of Friar Henry in Dithmarschen
also made known that he was a prisoner of Lady Margaret's, 1
which was likely to bring heavy damages upon them, and
they published threatening letters from Lady Margaret de-
manding his surrender. All to no avail; for to all of this
the honorable council replied invariably, in writing and by
word of mouth, in the most unobjectionable manner. Then
the bishop and his crowd concocted another scheme to sup-
press the Word of God ; they called a provincial synod, not
at Bremen as is customary, but at Buxtehude, where they
might be free to deal with Friar Henry as they pleased. To
which synod they cited and summoned all the prelates and
scholars in the whole bishopric, for the purpose of discussing
matters of faith and practice.
To this synod the preacher also was cited, but with the
difference that he was to be proceeded against as a heretic,
notwithstanding he had not been convicted nor tried. The
elders, therefore, with the whole parish refused to let their
preacher attend; for the malice of the papists was apparent
to all. Friar Henry, however, drew up a summary of his
preaching, that is, of the things he taught and believed, in
brief articles, 3 which he sent to the archbishop with a letter
in which he showed his innocence and the correctness of his
articles, and offered, if they could show from Scripture that
he was in error, to give up and recant such error, only they
must show it from Holy Scripture, for he was able to prove
his teaching and preaching from Scripture.
This offer they rejected together with the articles, for he
had no reply. What decision they reached may be gathered,
however, from the fact that immediately afterwards they
ordered the bull of Pope Leo X s and the imperial edict
Issued at Worms* to be published and posted up. Neverthe-
less, the good preacher continued his sermons without inter-
ruption, constantly declaring himself willing and ready to
answer to everyone for his doctrine and preaching. Mean-
while the papists were not idle, but sent their chaplains every
1 See Introduction, p. 181. a See Introduction, p. 181.
The bull against Luther, announced June 15. 1520, and published January
3, 1521.
*May 8, 1521.
The Burning of Friar Henry in Dithmarschen 191
day to his services, thinking to entangle him in his words.
But God showed forth his marvelous works and brought
certain of them to repentance, so that the greater part of
the chaplains they sent acknowledged such doctrine and
preaching to be the truth and from God, which no one could
withstand, for they had never in their lives heard such doc-
trine from any man. Wherefore they ought to have ceased
from their evil ways and from persecuting God's Word and
to have come to faith, that so they might be saved ; but their
wickedness had blinded them and hardened them like unto
Pharaoh, so that they became only the more wicked, accord-
ing to their deserts. And though they daily cried, "Heresy !
heresy !" not one of all the monks has been able to this day
to say a word against his preaching, no nor ever will be.
Now when Almighty God beheld the time approaching
that the good Henry should bear witness with his blood to
the truth he had proclaimed, He sent him into the midst of
the murderers whom He had raised up for this purpose. For
it came to pass, in the year four and twenty after Christ,
that he was called by Pastor Nicolas Boye 1 and other good
Christians of the parish of Meldorf in Dithmarschen to
proclaim to them the Word of God and deliver them from
the jaws of Antichrist, who had there set up a mighty
kingdom. Which call he accepted as from God and prom-
ised to come to them. On St. Catharine's Eve a he invited six
good brethren and fellow citizens to his house, to whom he
made known his call to Dithmarschen and his decision to go
thither to see what God would accomplish through him ; for
he was in duty bound to preach the Word of God not only
to them at Bremen, but to whosoever desired it. He prayed
them to advise him how he might most readily proceed
thither without the whole congregation knowing it and seek-
ing to prevent him, which they would certainly have done.
The good Christians besought him to remain with them, and
to consider how little hold the Gospel had gained upon the
*A member of one of the first families in Dithmarschen; born about 1500;
studied at Wittenberg:, 1518 ff.; returned to his homeland in 1523, where he
was given charge of the parish of Meldorf; died, 1542.
"November 24.
192 The Burning of Friar Henry in Dithmarschen
populace, especially in the surrounding towns, and that the
persecution was still strong; and to consider that he had
been called by them to preach the Word of God. If the
Dithmarschers desired a preacher, let him send them some
one else; for they well knew what manner of folk the
Dithmarschers were. Moreover, they told him, they could
not let him depart without the consent of the entire parish.
Henry acknowledged that he had been called by them, but
replied that they had enough pious and learned men to preach
to them; 1 the papists, moreover, were in large measure dis-
credited, even women and children being able to see through
and reject their foolishness; besides, they had had him for
two years, while the Dithmarschers had no preacher at all;
wherefore he could not with a good conscience refuse their
request. As to their not being able to dismiss him without
the knowledge and consent of the whole congregation, that
carried no weight, for it was not his intention to leave them
for good and all; his plan was to remain in Dithmarschen
for only a short time, say one or two months, until he had
laid a foundation by his personal presence and preaching, and
then to return to Bremen. It was his desire and request,
therefore, that after his departure they should make known
to the congregation the call which had come to him and which
he had not been able to decline, and that they should explain
to them the reasons for his secret departure; for he must
needs leave secretly on account of his enemies, who sought
to harm him, lying in wait day and night, as they themselves
knew, to put him out of the way. He assured them also
that he would ere long be back among them again. With
these words he convinced them, so that they suffered him to
depart; for it was their hope that the Dithmarschers, who
are oppressed above other people with idolatry, might come
to a true knowledge of the Word of God.
Accordingly, on Monday of the first week in Advent,*
Henry set out through the midst of the diocese of Bremen
on his way to Dithmarschen, and came to Meldorf , whither
he had been called, and where he was received with great joy
1 e. g., Propst and Timann. "November 28.
The Burning of Friar Henry in Dithmarschen 193
by the pastor of the parish and other good Christians* As
soon as he arrived, and before he had preached a sermon,
the devil with his members flew into a rage and stirred up in
particular Augustine Torneborch, the prior of the Black
Cloister (the monks of which are called Jacobins 1 or preach-
ing friars), who ran pell-mell to his comrade Master John
Snicken, the vicar or commissioner of the official of Ham-
burg, with whom he consulted what had best be done to
prevent their kingdom from falling.
They finally decided that they must before all else prevent
him from preaching; for if he were to preach before the
common people, their knavery would be exposed and the
game would be up. For they were well aware of what had
happened at Bremen. This decision having been reached,
the prior of the preaching monks set out early next morning,
having passed a poor night what with his great anxiety, and
journeyed to Heide, it ws the Saturday before the Second
Sunday in Advent, and appeared before the eight and forty
regents of the whole province, making bitter accusation and
notifying them that the monk had come from Bremen with
the purpose of leading the whole land of Dithmarschen
astray, just as he had done in Bremen. The prior was sup-
ported by Master Giinther, the clerk of the province, and by
Peter Nannen, both sworn enemies of the Word of God.
The two of them most zealously abetted him, and represented
to the remaining six and forty regents, who were unlearned
and plain men, what a name they could make for themselves
in all the Low Countries, and especially how they might earn
the undying gratitude of the Bishop of Bremen, if they put
this heretic monk to death. On hearing this the poor simple-
tons straightway passed a written resolution to kill him, a
man they had not even laid eyes on, much less tried and
convicted.
The prior, in short, obtained a letter or mandate from
the eight and forty regents for the pastor of the parish, com-
manding him, under full penalty of the law, to expel the monk
1 Dominican friars, called Jacobins because their first convent in Paris wa.s
in. a hospice bearing the name of St. Jacques.
194 The Burning of Friar Henry in Dithmarschen
before ever he preached a sermon. Armed with this letter
the prior set out post-haste for Meldorf , and delivered it to
the good pastor during the night, hoping to prevent Henry
from preaching ; for he knew well enough how much was at
stake. When the pastor read the letter or mandate, he was
greatly astonished at its contents, because it was contrary to
custom for the eight and forty to interfere in Church mat-
ters, since the right to manage its own affairs belonged to
the whole congregation of the parish according to the ancient
custom of the province. For ever since its adoption by the
whole province, it has been a standing rule that every parish
has the right to appoint and dismiss its pastor or preacher
of its own free choice.
The pastor apprised Friar Henry of the contents of the
letter, and informed him also of the usage and custom of
the province. To which Henry replied that, having been
called by the whole parish to preach the Word of God, he
would abide by this call so long as it was the pleasure of the
whole congregation; for we must obey the Word of God
rather than man. If God was minded to let him perish in
Dithmarschen, it was no farther to heaven from there than
from another place; he must in any case shed his blood at
some time for the Word of God.
In this mood he mounted the pulpit on the following
Sunday, 1 and preached his first sermon, from the words of
Rom. i:9 Paul in Romans i, "God is my witness," etc., and from the
Lk. 21: Gospel for the day. At the close of the service the whole
25 " 36 parish was called together and the letter of the eight and
forty regents, brought by the aforesaid prior, was read to
them, in which they were ordered, under penalty of a thou-
sand Rhenish gulden, to prevent the monk from preaching,
as well as to send accredited delegates to Heide, where a
session of the provincial council was to be held for disposal
of an important matter.
On hearing this letter read they became exceedingly angry
that such a mandate had been sent them altogether contrary
to the custom of the province, according to which every
1 Decanter 4.
The Burning of Friar Henry in Dithmarschen 195
parish had the right to elect as its preacher whomever it
pleased; and they decided unanimously to retain and protect
the good Henry as their preacher, having been profoundly
stirred by the first sermon they had heard him preach. In
the afternoon Henry preached again, from Paul's words in
Romans xv, "We then that are strong," etc. 15:1
On the Monday following, the people of Meldorf sent two
delegates to Heide, declaring themselves ready to argue their
cause with anyone in the whole province and making known
what Christian sermons they had heard Henry preach. In
addition thereto, the pastor wrote a letter to the eight and
forty regents, informing them that neither he nor Henry
had any intention of fomenting trouble, but only of teaching
the pure and uncorrupted Word of God, and offering to
defend his cause and Friar Henry's against all comers. He
humbly prayed them not to trust the monks, who were seek-
ing from hatred and greed to suppress the truth, nor to
condemn the Word of God, but first of all to investigate the
whole truth and to condemn no one unheard. If they were
found to be in the wrong, they were ready to take their
punishment.
This offer with the testimony was ignored and not an-
swered. All talked, some saying one thing, others another.
Finally Peter Detleves, one of the elders, took the floor.
"Since there is great dissension in all lands," said he, "in
matters of faith, and since we as the most unlearned and
ignorant are not able to settle such questions, it is our sincere
opinion that the matter should be postponed until the coming
council, which is to be called in the near future, as we have
been informed by our clerk, Master Gtinther. Whatever our
good friends and neighbors hold and believe at that time, we
are willing to accept But if, as it is claimed, the Word of
God is not being taught dearly enough, and anyone is able to
teach it more clearly and more purely, we have no intention
of forbidding it, for we want no disturbance in our land.
Everyone ought therefore to be patient and let the matter rest
until next Eastertide; in the meantime it will perhaps be
discovered what is right and what is wrong." This solution
196 The Burning of Friar Henry in Dithmarschen
pleased them all, and the delegates from Meldorf returned
home and made their report with great joy to the assembled
parish, hoping all would turn out well.
On the Day of St. Nicholas, Bishop, 1 he preached two
Lk 19 j sermons ; the first on the gospel, "A certain nobleman/' etc.,
12-25 the second from the text, "And they truly were many
7/23 priests/' etc., with so much spirit that everyone marveled
and prayed God earnestly to let them keep such a preacher
a long time. On the Feast of the Conception of Mary 3 he
preached two sermons from the gospel, "The book of genera-
tion/' etc., setting forth the promises of Christ made to the
fathers and the faith which they met, and showing how we
too must be saved by such faith without any merit on our
part. All this he set forth with so much spirit that everyone
marveled and thanked God fervently for sending them such
a preacher; for they now saw plainly how they had been
duped by the monks and priests. They also besought him
earnestly to tarry with them over Christmas and preach twice
each day ; for they were afraid he might be called elsewhere.
Meanwhile the prior and Master John Snicken were not idle.
For when the prior found his malice accomplishing nothing,
he repaired with Doctor William* of the preaching friars to
Lunden to the grey monks, called barefoot friars or Minor-
ites/ in order to seek aid and counsel how to carry out his
purpose; for those monks have great skill to deceive poor
wights with their dissembling.
The grey friars at once summoned several of the regents,
namely, Peter Nannen, Peter Swin, and Claus Roden, and
showed them with great lamentation, as is their wont, how
the heretic was preaching and misleading the people, a part
of whom had become his adherents. Unless they saw to it
and put the heretic to death, the worship of Mary together
with the two holy convents would be overthrown. That was
the "Scripture" with which they thought to destroy the
heretic, and thus it came to pass. When the poor simpletons
heard this they became angry, and Peter Swin declared that
* December 6. 8 William Soltezenlmsetx of Hamburg.
t December 8. * Franciscans.
The Burning of Friar Henry in Dithmarschen 197
they had written to the pastor as well as to Henry how they
were to conduct themselves; if necessary, they would write
again. To this the prior replied, "Not so: you must go
about it in a different way; for if you begin writing to the
heretic he will reply, and as sure as you live you will be
drawn into the same heresy before you know it; for when
he begins to speak, it is impossible for anyone to withstand
him/' Then they decided that he must be taken secretly by
night and at once burned at the stake, before it became known
to the people and before ever he could open his mouth. This
plan pleased them all mightily, and none more than the grey
monks.
To carry out the plan, Peter Nannen, a particular friend
of the prior's and willing to curry favor, took unto himself
several leaders from other villages, with the aid and advice
of Master Gunther. One should in fairness mention no
names; but since fame is what they were out after, they
ought not to be deprived of it. These are the names of the
ringleaders: Peter Nannen, Peter Swin's son, Henning of
Lunden, John Holm, Lorenz Hannemann, Ludwig Hanne-
mann, Bostel John Preen, Claus of Weslingburen, Brosi
John of Wockenhausen, Marquard Kramer, of Benstedt,
Ludecke John of Wessling, and Peter Grossvogt of Hem-
mingstedt. These leaders together with the others that were
with them were ordered to the parish of Neuenkirchen, where
they met at the house of Master Gunther, to consult how
to capture the good Henry and prevent his speaking; for
they had already passed sentence upon him that he should
be burned.
They agreed to meet on the morrow after the Conception
of Mary 1 at Hemmingstedt, a half mile from Meldorf, and
they strictly guarded the roads into Meldorf , so that no one
might warn the people of that village. It was ordered that
at nightfall, at the sound of the Ave Maria bell, the men of
all the villages should assemble. In all there came together
about five hundred peasants. When they were assembled,
* December 9.
198 The Burning of Friar Henry in Dithmarschen
the purpose of the summons was announced to them; for
no one but the leaders knew what was in the wind. When
the common men heard what it was, they were minded to
turn back and not commit so wicked a deed. But the leaders
commanded them, on pain of life and goods, to proceed.
They had also consumed three butts of Hamburg beer, which
put them in fighting mood. So they came fully armed to
Meldorf at midnight on the stroke of twelve.
The Jacobins or preaching friars provided them with
lights and torches to see by, lest the good Henry should
escape. They had also a traitor with them, Henning's Hans
by name, who told them everything. They broke into the
parsonage and after the manner of drunken, senseless peas-
ants, smashed everything within, cans, pots, clothing, cups;
but whatever they found of silver or gold, they took along.
They burst into the pastor's bedroom, smiting and stabbing,
and crying, "Kill him ! kill him !" A part of them drove him
naked into the muddy road, arrested him, and bade him come
with them. The others cried, "Let him go! We have no
orders to arrest him." After wreaking their malice on the
pastor, they burst in upon good Friar Henry, dragged him
naked from his bed, beating and stabbing after the fashion
of mad, drunken peasants, and tied his hands tightly behind
his back. Thus they dragged and thrust him until even
Peter Nannen was moved with pity, he that was so venomous
a foe of the Word of God, and bade them let him walk
unmolested, he would be sure to follow. They gave him in
charge of Balke John as his leader, who did not so much
lead as drag him along.*
When they had brought him to Hemmingstedt, they asked
him how he had come into their province and what he wanted
there. He answered them courteously and told them the
truth, so that even they were moved and cried out, "Away
with him! If we listened long to him, we should become
heretics too." He then begged them to set him on a horse,
for he was weary and spent and his feet were very sore
1 Propst, in his letter to Luther, tells that they dragged Henry, bound to the
tail of a horse, as far as Heide. ENDEBS, 5, 92*
The Burning of Friar Henry in Dithmarschen 199
from having walked and been led, naked and barefoot,
through the cold night and over icy roads. At this they broke
out into mocking laughter and asked if they must needs keep
a stable for the heretic; it was too bad, but he would have to
go afoot. Thus they dragged him through the night as far
as Heide, where they took him to the house of one Raldenes,
and were about to make him fast with iron chains, when the
householder took pity on him and would not permit this.
Upon his refusal to let them have their way they brought the
good Henry to the house of a priest named Reimer Hotzeck,
an underling of the official of Hamburg, where they locked
him in the cellar and set the drunken peasants on guard,
who had their sport with him till morning. Among others
there came to him Simon the priest of Altenworden, and
Christian the priest of Neuenklrchen, both most ignorant
persecutors of God's Word, who asked him why he had laid
off the sacred habit. He answered them courteously from
Scripture, but they understood not what he said.
Master Giinther also came to him, inquiring whether he
wished to be sent to the bishop of Bremen or would rather
take his punishment in Dithmarschen, Henry replied, "If I
had taught or done anything unchristian you might indeed
punish me for it; the will of God be done." Upon this
Master Giinther cried, "Listen to him, dear friends ; he wants
to die in Dithmarschen." But the common folk with one
accord gave themselves all night long to their guzzling. In
the morning at eight a council was held in the marketplace,
to deliberate what was to be done. The full peasants
shouted, "Only burn him ! On to the fire ! Thus we shall
gain today favor with God and man ; for the longer we let
him live, the more persons will he pervert with his heresy.
Where is the good of long deliberation? He must die in
any case." In this manner the good Henry was condemned
unheard to the stake.
Announcement was then made that all who had assisted in
his capture were to march with their weapons to the fire.
The grey or barefoot friars were on hand, encouraging the
wretched creatures and saying, "Now you are going about
200 The Burning of Friar Henry in Dithmarschen
the matter in the right way," and urging on the poor, pitiable
drunken folk. Then they took him and bound him, neck and
feet and hands, and led him away with loud shouts to the
fire. A woman standing in her doorway saw them pass and
began to weep bitterly at the pitiable sight. To whom the
good Henry said, "My dear woman, weep not for me." When
he was come to the place where the fire was prepared, he sat
down upon the ground for utter weariness. Then came up
the magistrate, Schosser Maes, bribed to take this part, as it
is credibly reported, 1 and condemned Friar Henry to the fire,
pronouncing sentence in these words, "This scoundrel has
preached against the Mother of God and against the Christian
faith; wherefore, on behalf of my gracious lord the Bishop
of Bremen, I condemn him to the fire." Friar Henry replied,
"That I have not done; but as Thou wilt, O Lord!" and lift-
ing up his eyes to heaven, he said, "Lord, forgive them, for
they know not what they do. Thy name alone is holy, O
heavenly Father."
Then a good Christian woman, Claus Jungen's wife and
sister to Peter Nannen, a resident of Meldorf , came forward
and standing before the fire offered to go to the whipping
post and let them wreak their anger upon her, and besides to
give a thousand gulden, if they would put the man in ward
again until the following Monday, when he might be tried
before the court of the whole province and thereafter burned.
When they heard that they went stark mad with fury, and
struck the woman to the ground and trampled upon her.
They rained blows upon the good martyr of Christ ; one man
drove his smallsword into his skull; but John Holm of
Neuenkirchen beat him with a mace ; the rest stabbed him in
the sides, the back, the arms, wherever they could come at
him, and not once, but as often as he attempted to speak.
Master Giinther incited and urged on the crowd, saying,
"Go to, my fine fellows ! this is God's work !" Presently the
aforesaid Master Giinther brought up an ignorant grey friar
to shrive him. To whom said the martyr of Christ, "My
ipropst informed Luther that Maes did not hold the office of magistrate at
the time, and that he received ten florins for his work. ENDEKS, 5, 92.
The Burning of Friar Henry in Dithmarschen 201
brother, have I ever offended thee in any way or provoked
thee to anger ?" "Why, no!" replied the monk. "Then,"
said good Friar Henry, "what sin should I confess to
thee that thou shouldest forgive me ?" The grey monk was
covered with confusion and withdrew.
Now the fire would not burn, how often soever they
kindled it. Meanwhile they wreaked their fury upon him,
beating him with halberds and pikes. This they did by the
space of about two hours, during which time he stood before
the peasants naked but for his shirt, with eyes lifted to
heaven. At last they brought a long ladder, to which they
bound him very tight, in order to cast him into the fire.
Then began the good martyr of Christ to recite the Creed,
but one of them struck 'him on the mouth with his fist, bid-
ding him burn first, after which he might recite whatever
he pleased. Another stood with one foot upon his breast and
bound him about the neck to a rung of the ladder, so firmly
that the blood gushed from his mouth and nose ; his purpose
was to strangle him, for he perceived that for all his many
wounds he could not die.
Thereupon they raised him up together with the ladder.
One of them set his halberd against the ladder to assist in
raising it; for the province has no hangman. The halberd
glanced off and pierced the holy martyr of Christ through
the midst. Thus they cast the good man with the ladder upon
the wood. But the ladder fell to one side. John Holm then
ran forward, took his mace, and beat it upon his breast until
he died and never stirred more. Thus they roasted him upon
the coals, for the wood refused to burn.
That is in brief the true history of the suffering of the
holy martyr Henry of Zutphen.
AN ADMONITION TO PEACE:
A REPLY TO
THE TWELVE ARTICLES OF THE PEASANTS
IN SWABIA
1525
INTRODUCTION
The Peasants' War of 1525 is the most tragic episode in the history
of the Reformation in Germany. No student of Luther's life and
work can pass by the writings in which he expressed his views about
it. They are fundamental to an understanding of his conceptions of
society, of the state, and of the relation of the Gospel to both. We
have in them, also, the key to the subsequent development of the
Lutheran churches of Germany, with their repression of the demo-
cratic element in church government and their close dependence upon
the territorial states.
The social ferment, out of which the Peasants' War arose, had its
beginning far back of the Reformation, It had been in progress for
a full century before the Reformation began, and evidences of it can
be found in England and France, as well as in Germany. The causes
of social movements of this land are always difficult to trace. They
are primarily psychological. Revolutions and rebellions are the
product of states of mind, and the processes by which economic and
material conditions beget mental states are seldom visible to the eye
of the historian.
Nevertheless, it is possible to name with certainty some 01 the
causes of this social ferment. One of them was the ambition of the
peasant for a higher social status, far a recognition of his value to the
life of society, conferred in the form of privileges and exemptions,
which was the only form of recognition that the time understood. A
second cause, corollary to the former, was the peasant's dissatisfaction
with the economic burdens that he had to bear. A third cause was
the increased demands that were made upon the peasants as the feudal
system gradually gave way before the rising power of the territorial
state. The efforts of the smaller feudal land-holders to maintain
themselves in the face of the growing authority of the great princely
houses required resources that could be had only by laying greater
burdens upon the tillers of the soil, in the form of increased taxation
and new services.
From its earliest beginnings, this movement among the peasantry
had had a rebellious aspect. For one thing it involved a degree of
hostility to existing church institutions. The abbots and the bishops,
along with the knights and other landlords, were held responsible for
the peasants' ills. This attitude of mind made the peasantry a fertile
field for religious propaganda. The proposals for church reform
that had been almost constant since the days of Wyclif had been
(205)
206 An Admonition to Peace
popular among the peasants, especially those proposals which looked
toward reforming the Church by reducing- it to apostolic poverty.
Heretical ideas of many kinds had combined with these criticisms of
the Church, and the hope of the coming millenium glowed most
brightly in the hearts of those who had the least to hope for this
side of it.
Throughout the fifteenth century, peasant uprisings, of larger or
smaller extent, had been relatively common occurrences. There was
scarcely a decade that some such rebellion did not take place in some
locality, and these revolts were accompanied or paralleled by similar
uprisings of the lower classes in the cities. They were directed against
the city councils and the country landlords, clerical and lay. Quite
usually they claimed a religious motive, and had their inception in
visions and revelations of the Lord. The Peasants' War of 1525 was
thus the last of a long series of similar rebellions, but it was the first
to occur after the beginning of the Reformation and it was by far
the greatest and the most disastrous of them all.
It was intimately connected with the Reformation. The teaching
of Luther had been taken up eagerly by the lower classes, but they
gave it an interpretation that Luther had never intended it to have.
To people who were already oti the verge of rebellion, it seemed to
furnish a new theoretical reason for opposition to the Church, and to
point a way by which the oppressive institutions of the Church,
especially the monasteries and the endowed foundations, could be
overthrown without giving up the spiritual benefits which the Church
claimed to confer. This view of it was zealously spread by radical
reformers and preachers of religious revolution. The best known of
these men were Thomas Muenzer and Balthasar Hubmaier. 1 They
aimed to be reformers of society, as well as of the Church. They
believed that the Church could be reformed only by the abolition of
existing ecclesiastical institutions and the creation of new and pure
ones, and their ideal of society was a theocracy, a kingdom of God
on earth, that would be ruled only by God's Word, written in Scrip-
ture or revealed by His Spirit to His chosen prophets. It was but
natural that preachers of this kind of doctrine should find enthusiastic
audiences among the classes that felt themselves oppressed. It was
the entrance of these new ideas into a state of mind already pre-
disposed to revolution that would seem to have produced the uprising
of 1525.
Long before the rebellion came, Luther realized that the preaching
of radical reform was sure to lead to serious conflicts. He had ex-
perienced the dangers of it in the Wittentierg disturbances of 1522.
His^ Eight Wittenberg Sermons (1522) 3 had proclaimed
his ideas of the method by which reforms should be introduced. In
1 Biography by VEDDER, in Heroes of the Reformation
Scries, New York, 1905.
a ln this edition, Vol. II, pp. 387-425.
Introduction 207
his Faithful Exhortation (1522) and his tract On Tem-
poral Government 1 he had issued his warnings against violent
measures and defined his attitude toward the ruling classes. In 1525 he
had to decide whether, in the face of a new situation, he would still
hold to the principles that he had expressed.
In 1524 and 1525 there were three main centers of revolutionary
activity in Germany, Swabia, Franconia, and Thuringia. Thuringia
was Luther's old home, and a considerable part of it was under the
government of his own prince, Frederick of Saxony; but it was in
Swabia that the situation first became acute. As early as May, 1524,
there were local uprisings in these territories, and through the whole
remainder of that year the discontent was spreading. There were
meetings of peasants here and there for the formulation of demands
upon their rulers, and the various "articles" that came out of these
meetings are among our most valuable sources for the history of the
movement. In more than one place the peasants refused point blank
to pay the taxes or perform the services demanded of them, and every-
where throughout the region they were preparing for armed revolt. In
the midst of this ferment Muenzer, Hubmaier, and others were preach-
ing religious revolution.
Among the manifestos of various kinds that were issued by the
peasants, the Twelve Articles came to have the most im-
portant place. They were adopted originally by the peasants of the
neighborhood of Memmingen and date from January or February,
1525. They appeared in print before March 19th, and circulated
rapidly, being reprinted at least twenty-four times, in widely separated
localities, before the end of May. Their authorship presents a prob-
lem that will probably never be solved. The names of Christopher
Schappeler and Sebastian Lotzer, who were undoubtedly leaders in
the movement, have been connected with them, and the earlier his-
torians ascribed their authorship to one or both of these men. On
the basis of extensive research, Wilhelm Stolze 2 has suggested that
they were written by Hubmaier, or by some one of his disciples.
Because of their importance and because of Luther's frequent ref-
erences to them, it has seemed advisable to append the full text of
the Articles.
Just when the Articles may have come to Luther's attention, we do
not know, but it was certainly before April 16th, on which date
Melanchthon wrote to Camerarius of Luther's purpose to reply to them
(Corpus Reformatorum, i, 739 ) . The actual work of
writing 1 this reply was begun during a journey which took Luther into
Thuringia, another of the centers of discontent. How much he may
have been influenced by the things that he saw and heard there must
remain uncertain. The title that Luther gave to this first treatment
1 Both in this edition, Vol. Ill, 206 ff; 228 f.
a Most recently in Bauernkrieg und Reformation (1926)
pp. 56 f,, 77 ff.
Vol. IV. 14
208 An Admonition to Peace
of the peasants' grievances is Ermahnung zum Frieden auf
die zwoelf Artikel der Bauernschaft in
Schwaben.
There was more than one reason why Luther felt called upon to
take a hand in the situation. In the Articles themselves the
peasants were appealing to "Christian law," or "Christian right/' in
support of their demands, and Luther felt this to be a complete per-
version of the Gospel. In Article XII, also, the peasants had requested
advice and instruction on this very point upon the basis of Holy Scrip-
ture. Moreover, at the time when Luther received the Articles
the insurrection had not yet begun in earnest. The Articles ex-
press a situation of calm before the breaking of the storm. The
peasants were in arms but had not yet committed overt acts of
violence, and Luther hoped that such acts might still be averted, if
they were in earnest with their request for advice. The growing
tension in Thuringia doubtless had something to do with his decision.
But beside these reasons there was another. In the Admonition
Luther refers to a "second document" that has come into his hands.
We do not know for certain what that document was, but we do
know that in it Luther was appealed to by name as one of those whose
advice and instruction the peasants sought. We know of two such
documents. The one is a set of instructions given to representatives
of the peasant bands as a guide for negotiations with the Swabian
League. 1 They are to ask, among other things, for the appointment
of a commission to interpret the "divine law/' and it is suggested that
it consist of Ferdinand of Austria, Frederick of Saxony, and Luther,
Melanchthon, or Bugenhagen. The other is constitution of the "Chris-
tian Association," adopted by the Swabian peasants, March 7, 1525. 3
Appended to this document is a list of fourteen doctores who
will be acceptable expounders of the "divine law." Luther's name
headed this list, which included also Melanchthon, Brenz, Osiander,
and Zwingli.
The Admonition consists of three parts. The first is ad-
dressed to the princes and lords. Luther asks them to take the threat-
ened rebellion seriously, to try conciliation, to moderate their demands
upon the peasants, and to reform their way of living. He tells them
frankly that they are to blame for the situation that exists. The
second part is addressed to the peasants. Here Luther admits that
many of the peasants' demands, contained in the Articles, are
just. They have been treated outrageously by their rulers and burdens
have been imposed upon them that they ought not to be asked to bear.
Nevertheless, they are wrong in attempting to change these things by
force, and they are doubly wrong in claiming that the Gospel gives
them this right, for the law which Christians accept requires submis-
1 W e i m a r Ed., XVIII, 280.
a Handlung ttnd ar tick el, etc., in Boehmer, TJrkmxden zur
Gesctuchte des Bauernkriegs, pp. 22 ff.
Introduction 209
sion to authority and declares that everyone who takes the sword will
perish with the sword. He discusses the Preface and the first three
articles in some detail, and dismisses the rest as matters that concern
the lawyers. The third part is addressed to both lords and peasants.
He reminds them that he has just proved that both parties are wrong
and that neither is acting in a Christian way. If it comes to a con-
flict, both parties will lose their souls and Germany will be ruined.
The proper way to settle the matter is to appoint a commission to
study the situation and propose a compromise that will be agreed to by
both parties.
The whole treatise is composed in a dispassionate spirit, Luther
speaks plainly, as always. He blames the agitation among the peasants
upon the radical preachers, who have confused the law and the Gospel,
and he accuses the nobles of bringing this rebellion upon themselves
by their arbitrary and unchristian conduct and their persecution of the
Gospel. Nevertheless, it is a moderate and fair statement of a view
of the situation which is thoroughly consistent with Luther's earlier
utterances, and from which he did not afterwards depart. That the
Admonition failed of its intended effect was due to the rapidity
with which events moved. Before its publication the Peasants' War
was already in full sway, and the peasants who had sought the advice
and instruction that it gave were burning and pillaging monasteries
and castles, villages and towns.
Literature. The literature on the Peasants' War and Luther's
relation to it is very extensive, though comparatively little of it is in
English. The histories of the Reformation and the biographies of
the principal reformers all discuss it, the most recent being that of
MACKINNON, Luther and the Reformation III (1929),
pp. 180-210. The best bibliography in an English work is found in
the Cambridge Modern History, Vol. II (1907), pp.
752-54. With this should be compared the bibliography of W. STOLZE,
Der deutsche Bauernkrieg"; Untersttchungen
ueber seine Entstehung und seinen Verlauf, Halle,
1907, and for the more recent literature Paul ALTHATJS, in Jahr-
buecher der Luthergesellschaf t , 1925, pp. 1-39, and
Theologische Literaturzeitung, 1926, col. 298. BAX,
The Peasants' War in Germany, 1899, is a one-sided and
inaccurate work. The most recent interpretation of the events is
that of W. STOLZE, Bauernkrieg und Reform at ion, Leip-
zig, 1926. A valuable edition of the most important sources is that
of BOEHMER, Urkunden zur Geschichte des Bauern-
kriegs und der Wiedertaeuf e)r, Bonn, 1910. The Twelve
Articles are given in English translation in BAX, op. cit., pp.
63-74, and in KIDD, Sources of the Continental Refor-
mation, 1911, No. 83.
The text of the Admonition is found in Weimar Ed.,
210 An Admonition to Peace
XVIII, 291 ff.j Eriangen Ed., XXIV, 259 ff. (271 if.); St.
Louis Ed., XVI, 45-70; Berlin Ed., VII, 311' ff.; Clemen,
III, 47 ff. The translation follows the text of Clemen; the appended
translation of the Twelve Articles is based on that of Kidd,
compared with the text of Boehmer.
CHARLES M. JACOBS.
MOUNT AIRY,
PHILADELPHIA.
THE TWELVE ARTICLES 1
The fundamental and true chief articles of all the peasants
and subjects of spiritual and temporal lords, concerning the
things in which they feel themselves aggrieved.
To the Christian reader peace, and the grace of God
through Christ.
There are many antichristians who have lately taken occa-
sion of the assembling of the peasants to cast scorn upon the
Gospel, saying, Is this the fruit of the new Gospel? Is no
one to be obedient, but are all to rebel and balk, to run
together with force and gather in crowds in order to reform,
to overthrow, or perhaps to slay the spiritual and temporal
lords ? To all these godless and wicked critics the following
articles make answer, in order, first, to remove this reproach
from the Word of God, and second, to justify in a Christian
way the disobedience, nay, the rebellion of the peasants.
First, The Gospel is not a cause of rebellion and disturb-
itom.1 ance, because it is a message about Christ, the promised
Messiah, whose words and life teach nothing but love, peace,
patience and unity; and all who believe in this Christ become
1 Since the Admonition is Luther's commentary on these Articles,
it has seemed best to give their text in full.
Introduction 211
loving, peaceful, patient and harmonious. This is the foun-
dation of all the articles of the peasants (as will clearly
appear), and they are directed to the hearing of the Word
of God and to life in accordance with it. How, then, can
the antichristians call the Gospel a cause of revolt and dis-
turbance? But the fact that some antichristians and enemies
of the Gospel resist these demands and requests is not the
fault of the Gospel, but of the devil, the deadliest enemy of
the Gospel, who arouses opposition in his own by means of
unbelief. Hereby the Word of God, which teaches love,
peace, and unity, is suppressed and taken away.
Second, It follows evidently that the peasants, desiring in
their articles this Gospel for doctrine and life, cannot be
called disobedient and rebellious; but if it be the will of
God to hear the peasants, earnestly crying to live according Rom. n
to His Word, who will blame the will of God? Who will ^ 4
meddle in His judgment? Nay, who will resist His majesty? E^a. 3
Did He not hear the children of Israel, crying to Him, and **& 14
release them out of the hand of Pharaoh, and can He not
today deliver His own? Yea, He will deliver them, and that
quickly! Therefore, Christian reader, read the following
articles with care, and afterwards judge.
Here follow the articles.
THE FIRST ARTICLE
First, It is our humble petition and request, as also the
will and intention of all of us, that in the future we should ^^ in j 3
have authority and power so that a whole community should Acts 14
choose and appoint a pastor, and also have the right to depose DeuL 17
him, if he should conduct himself improperly. The pastor EXL 31
thus chosen should preach to us the Holy Gospel purely and Deut 10
clearly, without any human addition, doctrine, or command- jotn 6
ment; for to proclaim to us continually the true faith gives us Gal - 2
cause to pray to God for His grace to instil and confirm this
true faith within us, and if His grace is not instilled in us, we
always remain flesh and blood, which availeth nothing, since
it stands clearly in the Scriptures that only through true
faith can we come to God, and only through His mercy can
212 An Admonition to Peace
we be saved. Therefore we need a leader and pastor; and
thus our demand is grounded on the Scriptures.
THE SECOND ARTICLE
Second, Since the tithe 1 is appointed in the Old Testament
* ancl M filled in the New, we will none the less gladly pay the
Whole
Epistle just tithe of grain, but in a proper way. Since men ought to
to the gj ve j t to (^d anc } distribute it to those that are His, it be-
^e jews j^ s ^ ^ e p as tor who clearly proclaims the Word of God,
and we will that, for the future, this tithe be gathered and re-
ceived by our church-provost, 3 whom a community appoints ;
that out of it there shall be given to the pastor, who shall be
chosen by an entire community, a modest, sufficient main-
Deut. 25 tenance for him and his, with the consent of the whole com-
munity; that the remainder shall be distributed to the poor
MatTio an d needy who are in the same village, according to the cir-
i Cor. 9 cumstances and with the consent of the community. Any-
thing that then remains shall be kept, so that if the needs of
the land require the laying of a war-tax, no general tax may
be laid upon the poor, but it shall be paid out of this surplus.
If it should happen that there were one or more villages
that had sold their tithes to meet certain needs, they are to be
Luke 6 i n f rrne d that he who has the tithes in this way from a whole
Matt, s village is not to be deprived of them without return, but we
will come to agreement with him, in proper way, form, and
manner, to buy them back from him on suitable terms and at
a suitable time. But in case anyone has not bought the tithes
from any village, and his forbears have simply appropriated
them to themselves, we will not, and ought not, and intend
not, to pay him anything further, but will keep them for the
support of the aforesaid, our chosen pastor, and for distribu-
tion to the needy, as the Holy Scriptures contain, no matter
whether the holders of the tithes be spiritual or temporal.
The small tithe 8 we will not give at all, for God the Lord
Gen. i created cattle for the free use of men, and we regard this an
1 The tax for the support of the parish priest, usually paid in kind, not in
money.
1 The lay-officer who administered the property of the parish. He was known
by many names. Cf. BOEHMER, p. 5, n. 5.
Also known as the "blood-titjie" and the "cattle-tithe,"
Introduction 213
improper tithe, which men have invented ; therefore we will
not give it any longer.
THE THIRD ARTICLE
Third, It has been the custom hitherto for men to hold us
as their own property; and this is pitiable, seeing that Christ
has redeemed and bought us all with the precious shedding of
His blood, the lowly as well as the great, excepting no one*
Therefore, it agrees with Scripture that we be free and will
to be so. Not that we would be entirely free; God does not
teach us that we should desire no rulers. We are to live in isa. 53
the commandments, not in the free self-will of the flesh; but J ^ J
we are to love God, recognize Him in our neighbor as our R 0m . is
Lord, and do all (as we gladly would do) that God has com- Wisd - 6
manded in the Lord's Supper; therefore, we ought to live
according to His commandment. This commandment does Deut 6
not teach us that we are not to be obedient to the rulers, but Matt 4
we are to humble ourselves, not before the rulers only, but ^ uke j"
before everyone. Thus to our chosen and appointed rulers John' 13
(appointed for us by God) we are willingly obedient in all Ro 13
proper and Christian matters, and we have no doubt that, as
true and real Christians, they will gladly release us from Acts
serfdom, or show us in the Gospel that we are serfs.
THE FOURTH ARTICLE
Fourth, It has been the custom hitherto that no poor man
has had the power to be allowed to catch game, wild fowl,
or fish in running water; and this seems to us altogether
improper and unbrotherly, selfish, and not according to the
Word of God. In some places the rulers keep the game to Gen. i
spite us and for our great loss, because the unreasoning ^jfj 7
beasts wantonly devour that property of ours which God i cor. 10
causes to grow for the use of man ; and we have to endure C Ql - 2
this and keep quiet about it, though it is against God and
neighbor. When God the Lord created man, He gave him
authority over all animals, over the birds in the air, and over
the fish in the water. Therefore it is our request that if
anyone has waters, he offer satisfactory documentary evi-
214 An Admonition to Peace
dence that the waters have been wittingly sold to him; in that
case we do not wish to take them from him by force; on the
contrary, Christian consideration must be shown, for the
sake of brotherly love. But he who cannot bring sufficient
proof of this shall surrender them to the community in a
proper manner.
THE FIFTH ARTICLE
Fifth, We are also aggrieved in the matter of wood-cut-
ting, for our lords have appropriated all the woods to them-
selves alone, and when the poor man needs any wood, he
must buy it at a double price. It is our opinion that woods
held by lords, spiritual or temporal, who have not bought
them, should revert to an entire community, and that a corn-
First munity be free, in a regular way, to allow anyone to take
Chapter h om e what he needs for firewood without payment, and also
Q eg . to take for nothing any that he needs for wood-working,
though with the consent of him whom the community shall
choose to supervise this. If there are no woods that have
not been thus honestly purchased, a brotherly and Christian
agreement should be reached about them; but if the property
had first been appropriated and afterwards sold, the agree-
ment shall be made in accordance with the facts in the case,
and according to brotherly love and the Holy Scriptures.
THE SIXTH ARTICLE
Sixth, We have a heavy grievance because of the services 1
which are increased from day to day, and grow daily. We
Rom. 10 d es i re that this matter be properly looked into and that we
be not so heavily burdened, but that gracious regard be had
to us, as our ancestors rendered services only according to
the Word of God.
THE SEVENTH ARTICLE
Seventh, We will not henceforth allow ourselves to be
further oppressed by the lords, but a man shall possess his
holding in accordance with the terms on which it has been
* Requirements of labor given gratis to the lord of the land. The amount
of this service was fixed by custom, but the limits were not always observed.
Introduction 215
granted, according to the agreement between lord and peas-
ant. The lord shall not compel him further, or force him to
more services, or demand anything else from him for noth-
ing, so that the peasant may use and enjoy his holding
unburdened and peacefully ; but if the lord needs more ser-
vices, the peasant shall be willing and obedient, though at
such times as may not work the peasant injury, and he
shall perform the services for proper pay.
THE EIGHTH ARTICLE
Eighth, We are greatly aggrieved, as many of us have
holdings, because the said holdings will not support the rents,
and the peasants suffer loss and ruin. (We ask) that the
lords have honorable men inspect the said holdings, and fix Matt, n
a fair rent, so that the peasant shall not labor for nothing,
for every laborer is worthy of his hire.
THE NINTH ARTICLE
Ninth, We are aggrieved by the great wrong of continually
making new laws. Punishment is inflicted on us, not accord-
ing to the facts in the case, but at times by great ill-will, at
times by great favor. In our opinion we should be pun- J er * &
ished by the ancient written law, and the cases dealt with
according to the facts, and not according to favor.
THE TENTH ARTICLE
Tenth, We are aggrieved because some have appropriated
to themselves meadows out of the common fields, which
once belonged to a community. We would take these back Lute s
again into the hands of our communities, unless they have
been honestly purchased; but if they have been unjustly
purchased, we should come to a kindly and brotherly agree-
ment about them, according to the facts in the case.
THE ELEVENTH ARTICLE
Dent 1
Eleventh, We would have the custom called T o d f a 1 1 1 Matt $
entirely abolished. We will not suffer it, or allow widows J 4 ** 2
j ^ S3L * 1
1 Ducs paid to the lord upon the death of a tenant. The nature of the
payment was fixed hy custom, Cf. the English heriot.
216 An Admonition to Peace
and orphans to be so shamefully robbed, against God and
honor, as now happens in many places, under many forms,
and that by those who ought to guard and protect them.
They have skinned and scraped us, and though they had little
authority, they have taken that. God will no longer suffer it ;
it shall be entirely done away; no man shall henceforth be
bound to give anything of it, whether little or much.
CONCLUSION
Twelfth, It is our conclusion and final opinion that, if one
or more of the articles here set forth were not to be in agree-
ment with the Word of God (though we think this is not
the case), these articles, when they are shown to us by the
Word of God to be improper, we will recede from, if this is
explained to us with arguments of Scripture. If some of the
articles were conceded to us, and it were afterwards found
that they were unjust, they shall be from that hour null and
void, and have no more force ; likewise, if in the Scriptures,
with the truth, more things were discovered that were
against God and injurious to our neighbor, 1 we will, and
we have determined to, use forbearance and practice and
exercise ourselves in all Christian doctrine. Therefore we
will pray to God the Lord, for He, and none other can give
us this. The peace of Christ be with us all.
1 TIie implication is that these things shall be added to the Articles.
AN ADMONITION TO PEACE:
A REPLY TO
THE TWELVE ARTICLES OF THE PEASANTS
IN SWABIA
1525
AN ADMONITION TO PEACE:
A REPLY TO
THE TWELVE ARTICLES OF THE PEASANTS
IN SWABIA
1525
The peasants who have now banded together in Swabia
have put their intolerable grievances against the rulers into
twelve articles, and undertaken to support them with certain
passages of Scripture, and have published them in printed
form. The thing about them that pleases me best is that, in
the twelfth article, 1 they offer to accept instruction gladly
and willingly, if there is need or necessity for it, and are
willing to be corrected, in so far as that can be done by clear,
plain, undeniable passages of Scripture, since it is right and
proper that no one's conscience should be instructed or cor-
rected, except by divine Scripture,
Now, if that is their serious and sincere meaning and it
would not be right for me to interpret it otherwise, because
in these articles they come out boldly into the open, and show
no desire to shun the light then there is good reason to hope
that things will be well. As one who am counted among
those who now deal with the divine Scriptures here on earth,
and especially as one whom they mention and call upon by
name in the second document, 3 it gives me the greater courage
and confidence in openly publishing my instruction, which I
do in a friendly and Christian spirit, as a duty of brotherly
love, in order that, if any misfortune or disaster shall come
out of this matter, it may not be attributed to me, or blamed
on me, because of my silence. But if this offer of theirs is
* Sec text of the Articles in Introduction, above, p. 211.
a See Introduction, p. 208.
(219)
220 An Admonition to Peace
only pretence and show (and without doubt there are some
of that kind of people among them ; for it is not possible that
so great a crowd should all be true Christians and have good
intentions, but a large part of them must be using the good
intentions of the rest for their own selfish purposes and seek-
ing their own advantage), then without doubt, it will accom-
plish very little, or contribute, in fact, to their great injury
and eternal ruin.
Because this matter, then, is great and perilous, concerning,
as it does, both the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the
world (for if this rebellion were to proceed and get the
upper hand, both kingdoms would be destroyed and there
would be neither worldly government nor Word of God, but
it would result in the permanent destruction of all Germany),
therefore it is necessary to speak boldly and to give advice
without regard to anyone. It is also necessary that we be
willing listeners and allow things to be said to us, so that
our hearts may not be hardened and our ears stopped, as has
happened before now, and we may not get the full vigor 1 of
God's wrath. For the many terrible signs 3 that are seen both
in heaven and earth, point to a great disaster and a mighty
change in Germany. Although, sad to say, we care little
about this. Nevertheless, God goes on His way, and some
time He will make our hard heads soft.
TO THE PRINCES AND LORDS
We have no one on earth to thank for this mischievous
rebellion, except you princes and lords; and especially you
Prida of kl* n d ^shops and mad priests and monks, whose hearts are
th* hardened, even to the present day, and who do not cease to
Princes ra g e g^ rav e against the holy Gospel, although you know
that it is true, and that you cannot refute it. Besides, in your
temporal government, you do nothing but flay and rob your
subjects, in order that you may lead a life of splendor and
pride, until the poor common people can bear it no longer.
1 Gang und schwang.
a Luther was a firm believer in portents. Cf . Smith & Jacobs, L u t h e t ' ft
Correspondence II, pp. 125, 318, 432, 470, 512.
A Reply to the Twelve Articles 221
The sword is at your throats, but you think yourselves so
firm in the saddle that no one can unhorse you. This false
security and stubborn perversity will break your necks, as
you will discover. I have often told you before to beware
of the saying, in Psalm cvi, Effundit contemptum PS.
super principes, "He poureth contempt upon princes." 107:4
You are striving after it, and want to be smitten over the
head, and no warning or exhorting will help you to avoid it.
Well, then, since you are the cause of this wrath of God,
it will undoubtedly come upon you, if you do not mend your
ways in time. The signs in heaven and the wonders on earth
are meant for you, dear lords ; they bode no good for you,
and no good will come to you. A great part of God's wrath
has already come, and God is sending so many false teachers
and prophets among us, 1 so that through error and blasphemy
we may richly deserve hell and everlasting damnation. The
rest of it is now here, for the peasants are mustering, and
this must result in the ruin, destruction, and desolation of
Germany by cruel murder and bloodshed, unless God shall
be moved by our repentance to prevent it.
For you ought to know, dear lords, that God is doing this
because this raging of yours cannot and will not and ought
not be endured for long. You must become different men God's
and yield to God's Word. If you do not do this amicably Jad *\
and willingly, then you will be compelled to it by force and m
destruction. If these peasants do not do it for you, others
will. Even though you were to beat them all, they would
still be unbeaten, for God will raise up others. It is His
will to beat you, and you will be beaten. It is not the peas-
ants, dear lords, who are resisting you ; it is God Himself
who is resisting you in order to visit your raging upon you.
There are some of you who have said that they will stake
land and people on the extirpation of Lutheran teaching. 2
What would you think, if you were to turn out to be your
own prophets, and your land and people were already staked ?
*A reference to the religious revolutionaries, especially Thomas Muenzer.
a Cf. the proclamation of Duke George of Saxony (Feb. 10, 1522), "We
shall not hesitate to stake life and property on this cause" (Clemen II,
313, n. 17).
222 An Admonition to Peace
Do not jest with God, dear lords ! The Jews, too, said, "We
John have no king/' and it became so serious that they had to be
19:15 without a king forever.
To make your sin still greater, and ensure your mericless
J^f^ destruction, some of you are beginning to blame this affair
Blame on the Gospel and say it is the fruit of my teaching. Well,
well ! Slander away, dear lords You did not want to know
what I taught, and what the Gospel is ; now there is one at
the door who will soon teach you, unless you amend your
ways. You, and everyone else, must bear me witness that I
have taught with all quietness, 1 'have striven earnestly against
rebellion, and have diligently held and exhorted subjects to
obedience and reverence toward even your tyrannous and
ravenous rule. This rebellion cannot be coming from me.
But the murder-prophets, 3 who hate me as much as they hate
you, have come among these people and have gone about
among them for more than three years, and no one has re-
sisted them save me alone. If, therefore, God is minded to
punish you, and allows the devil, through his false prophets,
to stir up the people against you, and if it is, perhaps, His
will that I shall not be able to prevent it any longer ; what
can I or my Gospel do ? Not only has it suffered your per-
secution and murdering and raging; it has also prayed for
you and helped protect and maintain your rule over the com-
mon people. If I had any desire to be revenged on you, I
could laugh in my sleeve, and become a mere onlooker at
the doings of the peasants, or even join in with them and
help make matters worse ; but from this may my God pre-
serve me, as He has done hitherto .
Therefore, my dear lords, enemies or friends, I beg sub-
missively that you will not despise my faithfulness, though
I am a poor man. I beg that you will not make light of this
rebellion. Not that I believe or fear that they will be too
strong for you, or that I would have you be afraid of them
on that account But fear God and have respect for His
wrath ! If it be His will to punish you as you have deserved
1 M i t aller^Stille, i. e., without inciting rebellion.
a i. e., The religious revolutionaries.
A Reply to the Twelve Articles 223
(and I am afraid that it is), then He would punish you,
even though the peasants were a hundred times fewer than
they are. He can make peasants out of stones and slay a
hundred of you by one peasant, so that all your armor and
your strength will be too little.
If it is still possible to give you advice, my lords, give a
little place to the will and wrath of God. A cart-load of hay
must give way to a drunken man ;* how much more ought you
to leave your raging and your obstinate tyranny and deal aioa
reasonably with the peasants, as though they were drunk or Rom -
out of their mind. Do not begin a struggle with them, for 12:19
you do not know what the end of it will be. Try kindness
first, for you do not know what God wills to do, and do not
strike a spark that will kindle all Germany and that no one
can quench. Our sins are before God ; therefore we have to
fear His wrath when even a leaf rustles, let alone when such
multitude sets itself in motion. You lose nothing by kind-
ness; and even though you were to lose something, it can
afterwards come back to you ten times over in peace, while
in conflict you may, perhaps, lose both life and goods. Why
run into danger, when you can get more by another, and a
good way?
The peasants have put forth twelve articles, some of which
are so fair and just as to take away your reputation in the
eyes of God and the world and fulfil the Psalm about pouring
contempt upon princes. Nevertheless, almost all of them are
framed in their own interest and for their own good, though
not for their best good. I should, indeed, have put forth 107:4
other articles against you that would have dealt with all
Germany and its government.
I did this in my book To the German Nobility,*
when there was more at stake ; but you made light of that,
and now you must listen to and put up with these selfish arti-
cles, It serves you right, as people to whom nothing can be
told.
The first article, in which they ask the right to hear the rf.
Gospel and choose their pastors, you cannot reject with aemen
*A proverb. a ln this edition, Vol. II, pp. 61 ff.
Vol. IV.-45
51, n.13
224 An Admonition to Peace
Some of any show of right, though, to be sure, it contains some self-
Them ishness, since they allege that these pastors are to be sup-
Jurt ported by the tithes, and these do not belong to them. Nev-
ertheless, the sense of the article is that permission should
be given for the preaching of the Gospel, and this no ruler
can or ought oppose. Indeed no ruler ought to prevent
anyone from teaching or believing what he pleases, whether
Gospel or lies. It is enough if he prevents the teaching of
sedition and rebellion.
The other articles recite physical grievances, such as
Leibfall, 1 imposts and the like; and they, too, are fair
and just. For rulers are not instituted in order that they
may seek their own profit and self-will, but in order to pro-
vide for the best interests of their subjects. Flaying and
extortion are, in the long run, intolerable. What good would
it do if a peasant's field bore as many g u 1 d e n as stalks or
grains of wheat, if that only meant that the rulers would take
all the more, and make their splendor all the greater, and
squander the property on clothing, eating, drinking, build-
ing, and the like, as though it were chaff? The splendor
would have to be checked and the expenditure stopped, so
that a poor man too could keep something. You have gath-
ered further information from their broadsides, in which
they present their grievances sufficiently.
TO THE PEASANTS
So far, dear friends, you have learned only that I admit
Luke it to be (sad to say !) all too true and certain that the princes
1:52 and lords, who forbid the preaching of the Gospel and
oppress the people so unbearably, are worthy, and have well
J^ deserved, that God put them down from their seats, as men
a Good w^ nave sinned deeply against God and man. And they
c*r* have no excuse. Nevertheless, you, too, must have a care
fag y OU fafe U p votir CSL - [1&t w ;^ a g 00 ^ conscience and with
justice. If you have a good conscience, you have the com-
1 An inheritance tax paid by the heirs of serfs to the lord; cf, above p.
216, n. 1.
A Reply to the Twelve Articles 225
f orting advantage that God will be with you, and will help
you through. Even though you were worsted for a while,
and though you suffered death, you would win in the end, and
would preserve your soul eternally with all the saints. But
if you have not justice and a good conscience, you will be
worsted ; and even though you were to win for a while, and
were to slay all the princes, yet in the end you would be lost
eternally, body and soul. This is, therefore, no joking mat-
ter for you ; it concerns your body and soul eternally. The
thing that is most necessary to consider and that must be
most seriously regarded, is not how strong you are and how
completely wrong they are, but whether you have justice and
a good conscience on your side.
Therefore, dear brethren, I beg you, in a kindly and
brotherly way, to look diligently to what you do, and not to
believe all kinds of spirits and preachers, now that Satan has
raised up many evil spirits of disorder and of murder, and
filled the world with them. Only listen and give ear, as you
offer many times to do. 1 I will not spare you the earnest
warning that I owe you, even though some of you, poisoned
by the murderous spirits, will hate me for it, and call me a
hypocrite. That does not worry me; it is enough for me if I
save some of the good-hearted and upright men among you
from the danger of God's wrath. The rest I fear as little,
as they despise me much; and they shall not harm me. I
know One Who is greater and mightier than they are, and
He teaches me in Psalm iii, "I am not afraid, though many
thousands of people set themselves against me." My confi- Ps 3:6
dence shall outlast .their confidence; that I know for sure.
In the first place, dear brethren, you bear the name of
God and call yourselves a "Christian band" or union, and
allege that you want to live and act "according to the divine J^
Law." Now you know that the name, Word, and titles of G od Not
God are not to be assumed idly or in vain, as He says in the t*
second Commandment, "Thou shalt not bear the name of the
Lord Thy God in vain," and adds "For God will not let him
be guiltless who bears His name in vain." Here is a clear,
He-, In the XII Articles. See Introduction, p. 211 #. and 217.
226 An Admonition to Peace
plain text, which applies to you, as to all men. Without
regard to your great numbers, your rights, and your terror,
it threatens you, as well as us and all others, with God's
wrath. -He is, as you also know, mighty enough and strong
enough to punish you as He here threatens, if His name is
borne in vain; and so you have to expect no good fortune,
but only misfortune, if you bear His name falsely. Learn
from this how to judge yourselves; and accept this kindly
warning. For Him Who once drowned the whole world in
the Flood and sank Sodom with fire, it is a simple thing to
slay or to defeat so many thousand peasants. He is an
almighty and terrible God.
j^ tta In the second place, it is easy to prove that you are bearing
Peasant! God's name in vain and putting it to shame; nor is it to be
^ doubted that you will, in the end, encounter all misfortune,
unless God is untrue. For here stands God's Word, and
Matt says through the mouth of Christ, "He who takes the sword
26:52 shall perish by the sword." That means nothing else than
Rom. ^^ no one > ky his own violence, shall arrogate authority to
i3:i himself; but as Paul says, "Let every soul be subject to the
higher powers 1 with fear and reverence."
How can you get over these sayings and laws of God, when
you boast that you are acting according to divine law, and
yet take the sword in your own hands, and revolt against
the "higher powers" that are ordained of God? Do you not
Rom - think that Paul's judgment in Romans xiii will strike you,
"He that withstands the ordinance of God shall receive con-
demnation" ? That is "bearing God's name in vain ;" alleging
God's law and withstanding God's law, under His name. O
have a care, dear sirs ! It will not turn out that way in the
end.
In the third place, you say that the rulers are wicked and
intolerable, for they will not allow us the Gospel, and they
N^ionai oppress us too hard by the burdens they lay on our temporal
Lav 10 goods, and they are ruining us body and soul. I answer :
******* The fact that the rulers are wicked and unjust does not
*** excuse tumult and rebellion, for to punish wickedness does
A Reply to the Twelve Articles 27
not belong to everybody, but to the worldly rulers who bear Rom.
the sword. Thus Paul says in Romans xiii, and Peter, in I 13:4
Peter iii, that they are ordained of God for the punishment i Pet
of the wicked. Then, too, there is the natural kw of all the 2:7
world, which says that no one may be judge in his own cause
or take his own revenge. The proverb is true, "He who
resists is wrong," and the other proverb, "He who resists
makes strife." The divine law agrees with this, and says, in
Deuteronomy xxxii, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith
the Lord." Now you cannot deny that your rebellion pro- 32:35
ceeds in such a way that you make yourselves your own
judges, and avenge yourselves, and are unwilling to suffer
any wrong. That is contrary not only to Christian law and
the Gospel, but also to natural law and all equity.
If your undertaking is to prosper, when you have against
you the divine and Christian law of the Old and New Tes-
taments, and also the natural law, you must produce a new
and special command of God, confirmed by signs and won-
ders, which bids you do these things. Otherwise God will
not allow His Word and ordinance to be broken by your
violence. On the contrary, because you boast of the divine
law and yet act against it, He will let you fall and be pun-
ished terribly, as men who dishonor His name; and then He
will condemn you eternally, as was said above. For the
word of Christ in Matthew vii, applies to you; you see the
mote in the eye of the rulers, and see not the beam in your 7:3
own eye. Also the saying of Paul in Romans iii, "Let us
do evil that good may come; whose damnation is just and Rom
right." It is true that the rulers do wrong when they sup-
press the Gospel and oppress you in temporal things; but
you do much more wrong when you not only suppress God's
Word, -but tread it under foot, and invade His authority and
His law, and put yourselves above God. Besides, you take
from the rulers their authority and right; nay, all that they
have. For what have they left, when they have lost their
authority? ^ ta
I make you the judges, and leave it to you to decide who *^ ?
is the worse robber, the man who takes a large part of
228 An Admonition to Peace
another's goods, but leaves him something, or the man who
takes everything that he has, and his living besides. The
rulers unjustly take your property; that is the one side. On
the other hand, you take from them the authority, in which
their whole property and life and being consist. Therefore,
you are far greater robbers than they, and intend to do worse
things than they have done. "Nay," you say, "we are going
to leave them enough to live on." If anyone wants to believe
that, let him ! I do not believe it. One who dares go so far
as to take away, by force, the authority, which is the main
thing, will not leave it at that, but will take the other, and the
smaller thing, that depends upon it. The wolf that eats a
whole sheep will also eat its ear. And even though you were
so good as to leave them enough to live on, nevertheless, you
would take the best thing they have, namely, their authority,
and make yourselves lords over them; and that would be too
great a robbery and wrong, God will hold you the greatest
robbers.
Can you not imagine it, or figure it out, dear friends ? If
your enterprise were right, then any man might become judge
over another, and there would remain in the world neither
authority, nor government, nor order, nor land, but there
would be only murder and bloodshed ; for as soon as anyone
saw that someone was wronging 'him, he would turn to and
judge him and punish him. Now if that is unjust and intol-
erable when done by an individual, neither can it be endured
when done by a band or a crowd. But if it can be endured
from a band or a crowd, it cannot be prevented with right
and justice when individuals attempt it; for in both cases
the cause is the same, namely, a wrong. And what would
you do yourselves, if disorder broke out in your band, and
one man set himself against another and took his own ven-
geance on him? Would you put up with that? Would you
not say that he must let others, whom you appointed, do the
judging and avenging? How, then, do you expect to stand
with God and the world, when you do your own judging and
avenging upon those who have injured you; nay, upon your
rulers, whom God has ordained?
A Reply to the Twelve Articles 229
Now, all this has been said concerning the common, divine
and natural law which even heathen, Turks, and Jews have
to keep, if there is to be any peace or order in the world.
Even though you were to keep this whole law, you would do
no better and no more than heathen and Turks. For not to
be one's own judge and avenger, but to leave this to the
authorities and the rulers, makes no man a Christian ; it is a
thing that must eventually be done whether willingly or not.
But because you are acting against this law, you see plainly
that you are worse than heathen or Turks, to say nothing of
the fact that you are not Christians. But what do you think
that Christ will say to this ? You bear His name, and call
yourselves a "Christian assembly/' and yet you are so far
from Christian, and your actions and lives are so horribly
contrary to His law, that you are not worthy to be called even
heathen or Turks, but are much worse than these, because
you rage and struggle against the divine and natural law,
which all the heathen keep.
See, dear friends, what kind of preachers you have and
what they think of your souls. I fear that some prophets
of murder 1 have come among you, who would like, by your
means, to become lords in the world, and do not care that
they are endangering your life, property, honor, and soul,
temporally and eternally. If, now, it is really your will to
keep the divine law, as you boast, then do it. There it stands !
God says, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay"; and again,
"Be subject not only to good lords, but also to the wicked,"
If you do this, well and good ; if not, you may, indeed, cause 32:35
a calamity, but it will finally come upon yourselves. Let no 1 *^j
one be in doubt about this ! God is just, and will not endure
it. Be careful, therefore, with your liberty, that you do not
run from the rain and fall in the water, and thinking to gain
freedom of body, lose body and goods and soul eternally.
God's wrath is there; fear it, I advise you! The devil has
sent false prophets among you; beware of them !
And now we would go on, and speak of the law of Christ,
and of the Gospel, which is not binding on the heathen, as
1 See above, p. 221, n. 2.
230 An Admonition to Peace
The the other law is. 1 For if you boast that you are Christians
an ^ are gi a( i w hen you are called Christians, and want to be
known as Christians, then you must also allow your law to
be held up before you rightly. Listen, then, dear Christians,
to your Christian law ! Your Supreme Lord Christ, whose
Matt, 5:name you bear, says, in Matthew vi, "Ye shall not resist
39 5. eyj^ b u t if any one compels you to go one mile, go with him
two miles, and if anyone takes your cloak, let him have your
coat, too; and if anyone smites you on one cheek, offer him
the other also." Do you hear, "Christian assembly" ? How
does your undertaking agree with this law? You will not
endure it when anyone does you ill or wrong, but will be
free, and suffer nothing but good and right; and Christ says
that we are not to resist any evil or wrong, but always yield,
suffer it, and let things be taken from us. If you will not
bear this law, then put off the name of Christian, and boast
of another name that accords with your actions, or Christ
Himself will tear His name from off you, and that will be
too hard for you.
item. Thus says Paul, too, in Romans xii, "Avenge not your-
12:19 selves, dearly beloved, but give place to the wrath of God."
I n: r 20 Again, he praises the Corinthians, in II Corinthians xi,
1 6- r iff.because they suffer it gladly if a man smite or rob them ; and
in I Corinthians vi, he rebukes them because they went to
law about property, and did not endure the wrong. Nay
our Leader, 3 Jesus Christ, says, in Matthew vii, that we are
to wish good to those who wrong us, and pray for our perse-
cutors, and do good to those who do evil to us. These are our
Christian laws, dear friends! Now see how far the false
prophets have led you away from them, and yet they call
you Christians, though they have made you worse than
heathen. For from these sayings, a child easily grasps that
it is Christian law not to strive against wrongs, not to grasp
after the sword, not to protect oneself, not to avenge one-
self, but to give up life and property, and let who takes it
take it ; we have enough in our Lord, who will not leave us,
M. e., "The divine and natural law," spoken of above.
Hcrtzog.
A Reply to the Twelve Articles 231
as He has promised Suffering, suffering; cross, cross ! This
and nothing else, is the Christian law! But now you battle
for temporal goods, and will not let the coat go after the
cloak, 1 but want to recover the cloak. How, then, will you
die, and give up your life, or love your enemies, or do good
to them? O worthless Christians! Dear friends, Christians
are not so common that so many of them can get together in
one crowd. A Christian is a rare bird! Would to God that
the majority of us were good, pious heathen, who kept the
natural law, not to mention the Christian law !
I will also give you some illustrations of Christian law
so that you may see whither the mad prophets have led you.
Look at St. Peter in the garden. He wanted to defend his
Lord Christ with the sword, and cut off Malchus' ear. Tell
me, had not Peter great right on his side ? Was it not an
intolerable wrong that they were going to take from Christ,
not only His property, but also His life? Nay, they not only
took from Him life and property, but in so doing they en-
tirely suppressed the Gospel by which they were to be saved,
and thus robbed heaven. Such a wrong you have not yet
suffered, dear friends. But see what Christ does and teaches
in this case. However great the wrong was, nevertheless He
stopped St. Peter, bade him put up his sword, and would not
allow him to avenge or prevent this wrong. In addition He
passed a judgment of death upon him, as though upon a mur-
derer, and said, "He that takes the sword shall perish with
the sword." From this we must understand that it is not
enough that anyone has done us wrong, and that we have a
good case, and have right on our side, but we must also have
the right and power committed to us by God to use the sword
and punish wrong. Moreover, a Christian must also endure
it if anyone desires to keep the Gospel away from him; if,
indeed, it is possible to keep the Gospel from anyone, as we
shall hear.
A second example is Christ himself. What did He do
when they took His life on the cross and thereby took away
from Him the work of preaching for which He had been
* See above, p. 230.
232 An Admonition to Peace
sent by God Himself for the blessing of the souls of men?
1 Pet. He did just what St. Peter says. He committeed the whole
2:23 matter to Him who judgeth righteously, and He endured this
intolerable wrong. More than that, He prayed for His per-
Luke secutors and said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not
23:34 what they do."
Now, if you are true Christians, you must certainly act in
this same way and follow this example. If you do otherwise,
then let go the name of Christian and the boast of Christian
law; for then you are certainly not Christians but are resist-
ing Christ and His law, His doctrine and His example. But
if you do it, you will quickly see God's miracles and He will
help you as He helped Christ whom He avenged after the
completion of His passion, in such a way that His Gospel
and His kingdom won through with power and gained the
upper hand, in spite of all His enemies. In this same way He
will help you, too, and His Gospel will rise with power
among you, if you first suffer to the end, and leave the case
to Him, and await His vengeance. But now you yourselves
are interfering, and wish to conquer and maintain your-
selves, not with suffering, but with the fist. Thus you hinder
His vengeance, and will yourselves become the reason why
you will keep neither Gospel nor fist.
Luther I must also give you an illustration from this present time.
No * Pope and emperor have set themselves against me and have
raged. Now how have I brought it about that the more pope
and emperor have raged the more my Gospel spread? I
have never drawn sword nor desired revenge. I have begun
no division and no rebellion, but, so far as I was able, I
have helped the worldly rulers, even those who persecuted
the Gospel and me, to maintain their power and honor. But
I have stopped with committing the matter to God and rely-
ing confidently at all times upon His hand. Therefore, He
has not only preserved my life in spite of the pope and all
the tyrants (and this many really consider a great miracle;
as I myself must also confess that it is), but He has caused
my Gospel always to increase and spread. Now you inter-
fere with me. You want to help the Gospel and do not see
A Reply to the Twelve Articles 233
that by what you are doing you are hindering it and holding
it down in the highest degree,
I say all this, dear friends, as a faithful warning. In this
case you should rid yourselves of the name of Christians and Thc
cease to boast of Christian law. For no matter how right Peasants
you are, it is not for a Christian to appeal to law, or to fight, Not .
but rather to suffer wrong and endure evil ; and there is no tiaJ J~
other way (I Corinthians vi). You yourselves confess in
your Preface, 1 that all who believe in Christ become kindly, 1 ^g.
peaceful, patient, and united; but in your deeds you are dis-
playing nothing but impatience, turbulence, strife and vio-
lence; thus you contradict your own words. You want to be
known as patient people, who will endure neither wrong nor
evil, but will endure what is right and good. That is fine
patience! Any knave can practice it! It does not take a
Christian to do that ! Therefore I say again, however good
and right your cause may be, nevertheless, because you
would defend yourselves, and suffer neither violence nor
wrong, you may do anything that God does not prevent, but
leave the name of Christian out of it; leave out, I say, the
name of Christian, and do not make it a cloak for your
impatient, disorderly, unchristian undertaking. I shall not
let you have that name, but so long as there is a heart-beat
in my body, I shall do all I can to take that name from you.
You will not succeed, or will succeed only in ruining your
bodies and souls.
In saying this, it is not my intention to justify or defend NOT the
the rulers in the intolerable wrongs which you suffer from R*i
them. They are wrong, and do you cruel wrongs; that I
admit. But what I hope is that, if neither party will allow
itself to be instructed, and the one party attacks and comes
to blows with the other (which God forbid!), neither shall
be called Christians, but that, as is usual when one people
fights with another, God will punish one knave with another,
as the saying goes. If it comes to a conflict (which may God
graciously avert!), I hope that you will be counted as people
of such a kind and such a name that the rulers may know
1 Cf. Introduction, p. 211.
234 An Admonition to Peace
that they are fighting not against Christians but against
heathen ; and that you, too, may know that you are fighting
the rulers not as Christians but as heathen. For Christians
fight for themselves not with sword and gun, but with the
Cross and with suffering, just as Christ, our Leader, does not
bear a sword, but hangs on the Cross. Your victory, there-
2 Cor. fore, does not consist in conquering and reigning, or in the
10:4 use of force, but in defeat and in weakness, as St. Paul
2 COT sa y s * n ^ Corinthians i, "The weapons of our knighthood
12:9 are not carnal, but mighty in God''; and again, "Strength is
made perfect in weakness."
vphat Your name and title must be those of people who fight
Luther because they will not, and ought not, endure wrong or evil,
wm Do according to the teaching of nature. You should have that
name, and let the name of Christ alone, for that is the kind
of works that you are doing. If, however, you will not
take that name, but keep the name of Christian, then I must
understand that this cause is my cause, and count and hold
you as enemies who would quench or hinder my Gospel
more than pope and emperor have so far done, since under
the name of the Gospel you are acting against the Gospel.
Nor would I conceal from you what I expect to do. I shall
commit the cause to God, stake my own neck, by God's grace,
and rely confidently on Him, as I have hitherto done against
pope and emperor, and pray for you, that He may enlighten
you, and resist your undertaking, and not let it succeed. For
I see well that the devil, who has not been able to destroy me
by means of the pope, now seeks to abolish me and swallow
me up by means of the bloodthirsty prophets of murder and
spirits of turbulence that are among you. Well, let him
swallow me! I will leave little enough room in his belly;
that I know! And even if you win, you will have small
enjoyment of it ! I beg you, humbly and kindly, to come to
your senses and not make it necessary for me to trust and
pray to God against you.
For although I am a poor, sinful man, I know and am
certain that in this case I have a right cause, if I fight in
behalf of the name "Christian" and pray that it be not put
A Reply to the Twelve Articles 235
to shame. I am sure, too-, that my prayer is acceptable to
God and will be heard, for He Himself has taught us to
pray, in the Lord's Prayer, "Hallowed be thy name," and
in the Second Commandment He has forbidden that it be put
to shame. Therefore I beg that you will not think lightly of
my prayer and the prayer of those who pray along with me,
for it will be too mighty for you and will arouse God against
you, as St. James says, "The prayer of the righteous availeth
much, if it persist, as the prayer of Elijah did." We have
also many comfortable promises of God that He will hear S:16f *
us, such as John xiv, "What ye ask in my name, I will do" ;
and I John v, "If we ask anything according to His will, He John
heareth us." Such confidence and assurance in prayer you 14 ' 14
cannot have because your own conscience and the Scriptures s ; i4
testify that your enterprise is heathenish, and not Christian,
and under the name of the Gospel, works against the Gospel
and brings contempt upon the name of Christian. I know
that none of you has ever once prayed to God or called upon
Him in behalf of this cause. You could not do it ! For you
dare not lift your eyes to Him in this case; but only shake
defiance with the fist which you have clenched in impatience
and with an intolerant will. This will not turn out well for
yQu.
If you were Christians, you would stop defying and threat-
ening, and stay inside the Lord's Prayer, and advance your
cause with God by praying, and say, "Thy will be done," and
"Deliver us from evil. Amen." You see in the Psalter that
the true saints take their necessities to God, and lament them,
and seek aid from Him, and do not defend themselves or
resist evil. Such prayer would have done more to help you,
in all your needs, than if the world were full of you, espe-
cially if, beside that, you had a good conscience, and a com-
forting assurance that your prayers were heard, as His prom-
ises declare; such as I Timothy iv, "He is the helper of all 4 !JJ
men, especially of the believers," and Psalm xxxix, "Call
upon me in trouble, and I will help thee"; and Psalm xc, Ps * SO:1S
"He called upon me in trouble, therefore will I deliver him." PS. 91*15
See ! That is the Christian way to get rid of misfortune and
236 An Admonition to Peace
evil, namely, endure it and call upon God. But because you
do neither neither call nor endure but aid yourselves with
your own might, and make yourselves your own God and
Saviour, therefore God cannot and must not be your God or
Saviour. By God's permission (which, we pray, may not be
given!), you might accomplish something as heathen and
blasphemers, though only for your eternal and temporal ruin ;
but as Christians, or Evangelicals, you will win nothing; I
would wager a thousand necks in it !
On the basis of what has been said, all your articles are
Th* easily answered; for even though all of them were right and
Article* p r0 p er according to the law of Nature, nevertheless you have
3^ forgotten the Christian law, since you have not put them
through by means of patience and prayer to God, as Christian
people ought, but have undertaken, with impatience and
violence, to wrest them from the rulers, and extort them by
force; and this is against the law of the land and against
natural justice. The man who framed your articles is no
pious and honest man, for he has indicated on the margin*
many chapters of Scripture, on which the articles are sup-
posed to rest, but keeps the porridge in his mouth, and leaves
out the passages by which he would show his own wickedness
and that of your enterprise. He has done this to deceive
you and urge you on and bring you into danger. For the
chapters he adduces, when they are read through, say very
little in favor of your undertaking, but rather the opposite;
viz, that men shall live and act as Christians. He is some
prophet of turbulence, who seeks, through you, to work his
will upon the Gospel. May God prevent, and guard you
against him!
In the Preface you are conciliatory and allege that you
wou ld n t be seditious, and make the excuse that you desire
to teach and live according to the Gospel There your own
mouth and your own works rebuke you, for you confess that
you are making disturbances and rising in revolt, and you
want to adorn such conduct by means of the Gospel. You
have heard above that the Gospel teaches that Christians
1 The Articles were printed with marginal references to Scripture.
A Reply to the Twelve Articles 237
ought to endure and suffer wrong, and pray to God in all
their necessities, yet you are not willing to suffer, but like
heathen, force the rulers to conform to your impatient will.
You adduce the children of Israel as an example, saying that
God heard their crying and delivered them. Why then do
you not follow the example that you bring forward? Call
upon God and wait until He sends you a Moses, who will
prove by signs and wonders that he is sent from God. The
children of Israel did not riot against Pharaoh, or help them-
selves as you propose to do. This illustration, therefore, is
dead against you, and condemns you. You boast of it, and
yet you do the opposite.
Again, it is not true when you declare that you teach and
live according to the Gospel There is not one of the articles
which teaches a single point of the Gospel, but everything is
directed to one purpose ; namely, that your bodies and your
properties may be free. In a word, they all deal with worldly
and temporal matters. You would have power and wealth,
so as not to suffer wrong; and yet the Gospel does not take
worldly matters into account, and makes the external life con-
sist only in suffering, wrong, cross, patience, and contempt
for temporal wealth and life. How, then, does the Gospel
agree with you; except that you are seeking to give your
unevangelical and unchristian enterprise an evangelical
appearance, and do not see that you are thereby bringing
shame on the holy Gospel of Christ, and making it a cloak
for wickedness ? Therefore you must take a different atti-
tude, and either drop this matter entirely and decide to suffer
these wrongs, if you would be Christians and have the name
of Christian ; or else, if you are going on with it, make use
of another name and not be called and considered Christians.
There is no third course, and no other way.
True enough, you are right in desiring the Gospel, if you
are really in earnest about it. Indeed, I am willing to make ^
this article even sharper than you do, and say it is intolerable GOSPI
that anyone should be shut out of heaven and driven by force to Pre
into hell. No one should suffer that; he ought rather lose his
neck a hundred times. But he who keeps the Gospel from
me, shuts heaven against me and drives me by force into hell ;
238 An Admonition to Peace
for the Gospel is the only way and means for the soul's
salvation, and on peril of losing my soul, I should not suffer
this. Tell me, is that not stated sharply enough? And yet
it does not follow that I must set myself with my fist against
the rulers who do me this wrong. "But/' you say, "how am
I at once to suffer it and not suffer it?" The answer is easy.
It is impossible that anyone shall have the Gospel kept from
him. There is no power in heaven or earth that can do this,
for it is a public teaching that moves freely about under the
heavens and is bound to no one place. In this it is like the
star, running through the air, which showed Christ's birth to
the wise men from the East.
It is true, indeed, that the rulers may suppress the Gospel
in cities or places where the Gospel is, or where there are
preachers ; but you can leave these cities or places and follow
the Gospel to some other place. It is not necessary that, for
the Gospel's sake, you should capture or hold the city or
place; but let the lord have his city, and do you follow the
Gospel. Thus you suffer men to do you wrong and drive
you away; and yet, at the same time you do not suffer men
to take the Gospel from you or keep it from you. Thus the
two things, suffering and not suffering, come to one. If you
will hold the city for the sake of the Gospel, you rob the
lord of the city of what is his, and pretend that you are doing
it for the Gospel's sake. Dear friend, the Gospel does not
teach robbing or the taking of things, even though the lord
of the property abuses it by using it against God, wrongfully,
and to your injury. The Gospel needs no bodily place or city
to dwell in ; it will and must dwell in hearts. This is what
Christ taught in Matthew x, "If they drive you out of one
Matt city, flee to another." He does not say, "If they drive you
10:23 ou t of one city, stay there, and capture the city, to the praise
of the Gospel, and make a riot against the lord of the city,"
though that is what men now want to do, and what they are
teaching. But He says, "Flee, flee straightway into another,
until the Son of Man shall come." Thus He says, too, in
Matthew xxiii, that the godless shall drive His evangelists
l ^ from one city to another ; and Paul also says, in II Corin-
4:11* thians iv, "We are in no certain place." If it so happen that
A Reply to the Twelve Articles 239
a Christian must be moving constantly from one place to an-
other, and leaving the place where he is and everything that
he has, or if he sit in uncertainty, expecting this to happen
any -hour, then it is well with him; it is as it should be with a
Christian. For because he will not suffer the Gospel to be
taken from him or kept from him, he has to suffer city, place,
property, and everything that he is and has, to be taken and
kept from him. Now how does this agree with your under-
taking? You capture and hold cities and places that are not
yours, and will not suffer them to be taken or kept from you;
though you take and keep them from their natural lords.
What kind of Christians are these, who, for the Gospel's
sake, become robbers, thieves, and scoundrels, and then say
they are evangelicals?
On the First Article
"An entire community shall have the
power to choose and depose a pastor."
This article is right if only it were understood in a Christian
sense, though the chapters indicated on the margin do not
help it. 1 If the goods of the parish come from the rulers, and
not from the community, then the community cannot apply
these goods to the use of him whom they choose, for that
would be robbery and theft. If they desire a pastor, let them
first humbly ask one from the rulers. If the rulers are un-
willing, then let them choose their own pastor, and support
him with their own property, and let the rulers have their
property, or else secure it from them in a lawful way. But
if the rulers will not tolerate the pastor whom they chose and
support, then let him flee to another city, and let any flee with
him who will, as Christ teaches. That is a Christian and
evangelical way to choose and have one's own pastor. Who-
ever does otherwise, acts in an unchristian manner, as a
robber and brawler.
On the Second Article
"The tithes shall be divided out to the
pastor and the poor, and the balance kept
for needs of the land, et c." This article is nothing
*The passages were 1 Tim. 3:1 ff.; Tit 1:5 fi.; Acts 14:23; Dent. 17:9.
Vftl TV Irt
240 An Admonition to Peace
but theft and highway robbery. They would appropriate
for themselves the tithes, which are not theirs but the rulers',
and would do with them what they please. Not so, dear
friends! That is the same thing as deposing the rulers
altogether, when your preface expressly says that no one is
to be deprived of what is his. If you would make gifts
Pror and do good, do it out of your own property, as the Wise
3:9 Man says, for God says by Isaiah, "I hate the sacrifice that
tsa. ' 19 ot k v robbery." You speak in this article as though you
61:8 were already lords in the land and had taken all the prop-
erty of the rulers for your own and would be no one's sub-
jects, and would give nothing. From this one grasps what
you have in mind. Stop it, dear sirs, stop itl It will not
be you who end it! The chapters of Scripture that your
lying preacher and false prophet has smeared on the margin/
do not help you at all ; they are against you.
On the Third Article
"There shall be no serfs, for Christ has
made all men fre e." That is making Christian liberty
. an utterly carnal thing. Did not Abraham and other patri-
archs and prophets have slaves ? Read what St. Paul teaches
serfdom a t> ou t servants, who, at that time, were all slaves. Therefore
this article is dead against the Gospel. It is a piece of rob-
bery by which every man" fakes from his lord the body, which
has become his lord's property. For a slave can be a Chris-
tian, and have Christian liberty, in the same way that a pris-
oner or a sick man is a Christian, and yet not free. This
article would make all men equal, and turn the spiritual king-
dom of Christ into a worldly, external kingdom; and that is
impossible. For a worldly kingdom cannot stand unless
there is in it an inequality of persons, so that some are free,
some imprisoned, some lords, some subjects, etc.; and St.
GaL Paul says in Galatians v, that in Christ master and servant
3l2 are one thing. On this subject my friend Urban Regius 3 has
written enough; you may read further in his book.
*The pasaages were Ps. 110:4; Gen. 14:20; Dent. 18:1 ff.; 12:6 ff.: 25:4;
1 Tim. 5: 18; Matt. 10:10; 1 Cor. 9:9.
'The Augsburg reformer. His book bore the title, Von Leiblygen-
schaft oder Kn e chtheit .
A Reply to the Twelve Articles 241
On the Other Eight Articles
The other articles, about freedom of game, birds, fish,
wood, forests ; about services, tithe, imposts, excises, Tod-
fall, etc., these I leave to the lawyers, for it is not fitting
that I, an evangelist, should judge or decide them. It is for
me to instruct and teach men's consciences in things that
concern divine and Christian matters ; there are books enough
about the other things in the imperial laws. I have said
above that these things do not concern a Christian, and that
he cares nothing about them. He lets anyone else rob, take,
skin, scrape, devour, and rage, for he is a martyr on earth.
Therefore the peasants ought rightly let the name of Chris-
tian alone, and act in some other name, as men who want
human and natural rights, not as those who seek Christian
rights. This means that on all these points they should keep
still, suffer, and make their complaints to God alone.
See, dear friends, this is the instruction that you asked of
me in the second document. 1 I beg that you will remember
that you offer willingly to be instructed by the Scriptures.
Now when this reaches you, do not cry out at me, "Luther
flatters the princes and speaks contrary to the Gospel." First
read and see my arguments from Scripture; for this is your
affair; I am excused in the sight of God and the world. I
know well the false prophets that are among you. Do not
listen to them. They are surely deceiving you. They do
not think of your consciences, but would make Galatians of
you,* so that by means of you they might come to wealth and
honor, and must afterwards, with you, be damned eternally
in hell.
ADMONITION TO BOTH RULERS AND PEASANTS
Therefore, dear sirs, since there is nothing Christian on
either side and nothing Christian is at issue betwen you, but
both lords and peasants are dealing with heathenish, or
worldly, right and wrong, and with temporal goods; since,
moreover, both parties are acting against God and are tinder
*See Introduction, p. 208.
*Le., Turn your minds away from the Gospel to the Law. Cf. Gal. 3: 1.
242 An Admonition to Peace
His wrath, as you have heard ; therefore, for God's sake,
let yourselves be advised, and attack these matters as such
matters are to be attacked, that is, with justice and not with
force or with strife, and do not start an endless bloodshed in
Germany. For because both of you are wrong, and both of
you would avenge and defend yourselves, both of you will
destroy yourselves and God will use one knave to flog
another.
You lords have both Scripture and history against you, for
both tell how tyrants are punished. Even the heathen poets 1
say that tyrants seldom die a dry death, but usually have
been slain, and have perished in blood. Because, then, it is
an assured fact that you rule tyranically and with rage, pro-
hibit the Gospel, and skin and oppress the poor, you have
no reason for confidence or hope that you will perish other-
wise than your kind have perished.
Look at all the kingdoms that have come to their end by
the sword, Assyria, Persia, Greece, Rome. They have all
been destroyed at last in the same way that they destroyed
others. Thus God shows that He is judge upon earth and
leaves no wrong unpunished. Therefore nothing is more cer-
tain than that this same judgment is close to you, 1 ' whether
it come now or later, unless you reform.
You peasants also have Scripture and experience against
you. They teach that turbulence has never had a good end,
Matt. an d God has always held strictly to the word, "He that takes
26:52 the sword shall perish by the sword." Because, then, you
are doing wrong by judging yourselves and avenging your-
selves, and are bearing the name of Christian unworthily
besides, you are certainly under the wrath of God ; and even
though you win and destroy all the lords, in the end you
9>22ff would have to tear the flesh from one another's bones, like
Num. 'wild beasts. For because not spirit, but flesh and blood,
i6:3i rules among you, God will shortly send an evil spirit among
2 Sam. y u as ^ e did to the men of Shechem and to Abimelech.
18:14 See the end that finally comes to turbulence in the story of
^ 20: Korah, in Numbers xvi, and of Absalom, Sheba, Samri and
1 Juvenal X, 112 f.
* Luther says, "Lies at your neck."
A Reply to the Twelve Articles 243
their like. Briefly, God hates both tyrants and rebels ; there- 1
fore He sets them on each other, so that both parties perish i6:is
shamefully, and His wrath and judgment upon the godless
ire fulfilled.
To me the saddest and the really pitiful thing, and that
which I would willingly buy off with my own life and death,
is that on both sides two inevitable injuries must follow. For
because neither party strives with a good conscience, but
both fight for the upholding of wrong, it must follow, in the i.
first place, that those who are slain are lost eternally, body
and soul, as men who die in their sins, without penitence and
without grace, in the wrath of God. There is nothing to be
done for them. The lords would be fighting for the strength-
ening and maintaining of their tyranny, their persecution of
the Gospel, and their unjust oppression of the poor, or else
for the aiding of that kind of rulers. That is a terrible
wrong and is against God. He who commits such a sin
must be lost eternally. The peasants, on the other hand,
would fight to defend their turbulence and their abuse of the
name of Christian. Both these things are greatly against
God, and he who dies in them or for them must also be lost
eternally, and there is no help for it.
The second injury is that Germany will be laid waste, and
if this bloodshed once starts, it will scarcely cease until 2 .
everything is destroyed. It is easy to start a fight, but to
stop it when we will is not in our power. What have they Enilied
ever done to you* all these innocent children, women, and
old people, whom you fools are drawing with you into such
danger that you should fill the land with blood and robbery
widows and orphans? Oh, the devirs mind is wicked enough!
And God is angry, and threatens to let him loose upon us and
cool his rage in our blood and souls. Beware, dear sirs, and
be wise! It concerns both of you! What good will it do
you to condemn yourselves eternally and wilfully and leave
behind you, for your descendants, a desolate and devastated
and bloody land besides, when you could arrange things bet-
ter, while there is still time, by penitence toward God and
friendly agreement, or by suffering in the sight of men?
With defiance and strife you will do nothing.
244 An Admonition to Peace
It would, therefore, be my faithful counsel to choose from
among the nobles certain counts and lords, and from the cities
The certain councilmen, and have these matters dealt with in a
^ to friendly way, and settled; that you lords let down your stub-
the bornness as you must do in the end, whether you will or
Maitter w ill not and give up a little of your tyranny and oppression,
so that poor people get air and room to live; that the peas-
ants for their part, let themselves be instructed, and give over
and let go some of the articles that grasp too far and too high,
so that the case may be settled by human law and agreement,
even though it cannot be dealt with in a Christian way.
If you shall not follow this advice (and God forbid that
you do not follow it!), I must let you come to grips, but I am
guiltless as regards your souls, your blood, and your prop-
erty; you will bear the guilt yourselves. I have told you that
you are both wrong and that your fighting is wrong. You
lords are not fighting against Christians, for Christians do
nothing against you, but prefer to suffer all things but
against open robbers and defamers of the Christian name.
Those of them who die are already condemned eternally. On
the other hand, you peasants are not fighting against Chris-
tians, but against tyrants, and persecutors of God and man,
and murderers of the holy Christ. Those of them who die
are also condemned eternally. There you have God's sure
verdict upon both parties ; that I know. Do what you please
to keep your bodies and souls, if you will not follow this
verdict.
I, however, will pray to my God that He will either bring
both your parties to agreement and unite you, or else prevent
things from turning out as you intend. To be sure, the terri-
Jer. i5:ible signs and wonders that have come to pass in these times
give me a heavy heart and make me fear that God's wrath
Ezek. has become too strong; as He says in Jeremiah "Though
14:14 Noah, Job, and Daniel stood before me, I would have no
pleasure in the people." Would to God that you might fear
His wrath and amend your ways, that the plague of it might
be put off and postponed a while ! At all events, I have given
all of you, faithfully enough, Christian and brotherly advice.
God grant that it may help ! Ajtnen.
AGAINST THE ROBBING AND MURDERING
HORDES OF PEASANTS
1525
INTRODUCTION
The Twelve Articles represent the demands that the Swabian
peasants were making of their rulers in the early months of 1525.
Luther received them shortly before April 16, and the Admonition
to Peace was published early in May. 1 Meanwhile events had been
moving so rapidly that his warnings and advice were too late.
Early in April the peasants of Swabia delivered their first attacks
upon their landlords and rulers, plundering and destroying castles,
monasteries, and churches. Almost at the same time disturbances
began in the neighborhood of Rothenburg and before May 1st most of
Franconia was at the mercy of the peasant bands, led by Florian Geyer
and Goetz von Berlichingen. Similar outbreaks followed in many
localities, especially in Thuringia, where Muehlhausen, the home of
Thomas Muenzer, was the storm center. Their early successes led
the peasants to believe that the time of their deliverance had come, and
their victories were followed, especially in the towns, by the most
ruthless and revolting atrocities.
Luther received belated reports of conditions in the South while
he was away from Wittenberg, in the heart of the disaffected districts
of Thuringia, It was against the peasants in arms, murdering and
burning and robbing, that he wrote the little tract here presented. The
dispassionate tone of the Admonition is entirely abandoned. The
rebellion is a reality, and Luther's one hope is to see it put down as
rapidly as possible. The time for half-way measures, for conciliation,
and for making concessions has passed ; government is threatened with
destruction, and anarchy is at the door. This explains the violent
language of the tract
The exact date of its writing cannot be determined, but its ideas
correspond closely with those expressed in a letter to John Ruehel,
written from Seeburg, May 4th, and even the language of the two
documents has close resemblances. It is likely, therefore, that the two
were written on or about the same date. There is a similar difficulty
with the date of publication. It was certainly before the middle of
May, but more than that we cannot say. The first edition contains a
re-print of the Admonition.
The text is found in Weimar Ed. XVIII, 357-61; Er-
langen Ed. XXIV, 288-94; St. Louis Ed. XVI, 71-76;
Clemen III, 69-74 ; B e r 1 i n E d . VII, 346-52. The translation is
from the text of Clemen.
CHARLES M. JACOBS.
MOUNT AIRY,
PHILADELPHIA.
1 See Introduction to the Admonition, above, p. 20 S.
De Wette II, 652; SMITH AND JACOBS, Luther 1 * Corre-
spondence, 11,308.
(247)
AGAINST THE ROBBING AND MURDERING
HORDES OF PEASANTS
1525
Against the rioting peasants, Martin Luther.
In the former book 1 I did not venture to judge the peas-
ants, since they had offered to be set right and to b<
instructed, and Christ's commands, in Matthew vii, says thai
we are not to judge. But before I look around they go on
and, forgetting their offer, they betake themselves to vio-
lence > and r k ^ ra e ^ act like ma(i ^g$. B y *k* s lt i{
easy to see what they had in their false minds, and that the
pretences which they made in their twelve articles, under the
name of the Gospel, were nothing but lies. It is the devil's
work that they are at, and in particular it is the work of the
archdevil who rules at Miihlhausen, 3 and does nothing else
than stir up robbery, murder, and bloodshed ; as Christ says
of him in John viii, "He was a murderer from the begin-
ning/' Since, then, these peasants and wretched folk have lei
J0 g? 44 themselves be led astray, and do otherwise than they have
promised, I too must write of them otherwise than I have
written, and begin by setting their sin before them, as Goc
IS 58*i comman ds Isaiah and Ezekiel, on the chance that some oi
them may learn to know themselves. Then I must instrud
the rulers how they are to conduct themselves in these
circumstances.
The peasants have taken on themselves the burden of three
sjns of terrible sins against God and man, by which they have abun-
dantly merited death in body and soul. In the first place
J J r
Peasants
1 The Admonition to Peace, above, pp. 218 ff.
a Thomas Muenzer. Cf. MACKINNON, L. and the Ref. Ill (1929),
pp. 180 S. For literature ibid., p. 181, n. 44.
(248)
Against the Robbing and Murdering Peasants 249
they have sworn 1 to be true and faithful, submissive and
obedient, to their rulers, as Christ commands, when He says, 20:25
"Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's," and in Rom
Romans xiii, "Let everyone be subject unto the higher 13 :i
powers/" Because they are breaking this obedience, and are
setting themselves against the higher powers, wilfully and
with violence, they have forfeited body and soul, as faithless, i. Per-
perjured, lying, disobedient knaves and scoundrels are wont 3wy
to do. St. Paul passed this judgment on them in Romans
xiii, when he said, that they who resist the power will bring nom.
a judgment upon themselves. This saying will smite the 13:2
peasants sooner or later, for it is God's will that faith be
kept and duty done.
In the second place, they are starting a rebellion, and
violently robbing and plundering monasteries and castles
which are not theirs, by which they have a second time de- 2 - _**
served death in body and soul, if only as highwaymen and
murderers. Besides, any man against whom it can be proved
that he is a maker of sedition is outside the law of God and
Empire, so that the first who can slay him is doing right and
well. For if a man is an open rebel every man is his judge
and executioner, just as when a fire starts, the first to put it
out is the best man. For rebellion is not simple murder, but
is like a great fire, which attacks and lays waste a whole land.
Thus rebellion brings with it a land full of murder and blood-
shed, makes widows and orphans, and turns everything
upside down, like the greatest disaster. Therefore let every-
one who can, smite, slay, and stab, secretly or openly, remem-
bering that nothing can be more poisonous, hurtful, or
devilish than a rebel. It is just as when one must kill a mad
dog; if you do not strike him, he will strike you, and a whole
land with you.
In the third place, they cloak this terrible and horrible sin
with the Gospel, call themselves "Christian brethren," 8
receive oaths and homage, and compel people to hold with
them to these abominations. Thus they become the greatest
1 The feudal oath of homage,
* Or "government," or "rulers," Obrigkeit.
* Cf. Introduction to the Admonition, above p. 208.
250 Against the Robbing and Murdering Peasants
of all blasphemers of God and slanderers of His holy Name,
serving the devil, under the outward appearance of the Gos-
pel, thus earning death in body and soul ten times over. I
have never heard of more hideous sin. I suspect that the
devil feels the Last Day coming and therefore undertakes
such an unheard-of act, as though saying to himself, "This
is the last, therefore it shall be the worst; I will stir up the
dregs and knock out the bottom." God will guard us against
him! See what a mighty prince the devil is, how he has the
world in his hands and can throw everything into confusion,
when he can so quickly catch so many thousands of peasants,
deceive them, blind them, harden them, and throw them into
revolt, and do with them whatever his raging fury undertakes.
It does not help the peasants, when they pretend that,
according to Genesis i and ii, all things were created free and
common, and that all of us alike have been baptized. For
under the New Testament Moses does not count; for there
stands our Master, Christ, and subjects us, with our bodies
Luke and our property, to the emperor and the law of this world,
20:25 w h en ]j e savs ^ "Render to Csesar the things that are
R i3-i C& s * r * s " P au ^ too > sa y s > * n Romans xii, to all baptized Chris-
tians, "Let every man be subject to the power," and Peter
1 2^13 sa y s > "^ e su bject to every ordinance of man." By this doc-
trine of Christ we are bound to live, as the Father commands
from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son ; hear him."
For baptism does not make men free in body and property,
but in soul; and the Gospel does not make goods common,
except in the case of those who do of their own free will
Acts 4: what the apostles and disciples did in Acts iv. They did not
demand, as do our insane peasants in their raging, that the
goods of others, of a Pilate and a Herod, should be com-
mon, but only their own goods. Our peasants, however,
would have other men's goods common, and keep their own
goods for themselves. Fine Christians these ! I think there
is not a devil left in hell ; they have all gone into the peas-
wimt ia ants * ^ e ^ r rav * n kas one W on <l all measure.
to L since the peasants, then, have brought both God and man
Bone down upon them and are already so many times guilty of
Against the Robbing and Murdering Peasants 251
death in body and soul, since they submit to no court and
wait for no verdict, but only rage on, I must instruct the
worldly governors how they are to act in the matter with a
clear conscience.
First. I will not oppose a ruler who, even though he
does not tolerate the Gospel, will smite and punish these
peasants without offering to submit the case to judgment. 1
For he is within his rights, since the peasants are not con-
tending any longer for the Gospel, but have become faithless,
perjured, disobedient, rebellious murderers, robbers, and
blasphemers, whom even heathen rulers have the right and
power to punish; nay, it is their duty to punish them, for it
is just for this purpose that they bear the sword, and are "the
ministers of God upon him that doeth evil."
But if the ruler is a Christian and tolerates the Gospel, so
that the peasants have no appearance of a case against him,
he should proceed with fear. First he must take the matter
to God, confessing that we have deserved these things, and
remembering that God may, perhaps, have thus aroused the
devil as a punishment upon all Germany. Then he should
humbly pray for help against the devil, for "we are battling E H
not only against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wicked- 6:12;
ness in the air," and this must be attacked with prayer. Then, 2:2
when our hearts are so turned to God that we are ready to let
His divine will be done, whether He will or will not have us
to be princes and lords, we must go beyond our duty, and
offer the mad peasants an opportunity to come to terms,
even though they are not worthy of it. Finally, if that does
not help, then swiftly grasp the sword.
For a prince and lord must remember in this case that he
is God's minister and the servant of His wrath (Romans Ro *;
xiii), to whom the sword is committeed for use upon such
fellows, and that he sins as greatly against God, if he does
not punish and protect and does not fulfil the duties of his
office, as does one to whom the sword has not been committed
when he commits a murder. If he can punish and does not Wratil
even though the punishment consist in the taking of life and
H e., Without trial.
252 Against the Robbing and Murdering Peasants
the shedding of blood- then he is guilty of all the murder
and all the evil which these fellows commit, because, by wil-
ful neglect of the divine command, he permits them to
practice their wickedness, though he can prevent it, and is
in duty bound to do so. Here, then, there is no time for
sleeping ; no place for patience or mercy. It is the time of
the sword, not the day of grace.
The rulers, then, should go on unconcerned, and with a
good conscience lay about them as long as their hearts still
beat. It is to their advantage that the peasants have a bad
conscience and an unjust cause, and that any peasant who is
killed is lost in body and soul and is eternally the devil's. But
the rulers have a good conscience and a just cause ; and can,
therefore, say to God with all assurance of heart, "Behold,
my God, you have appointed me prince or lord, of this I can
R have no doubt; and Thou hast committed to me the sword
13:4 over the evildoers (Romans xiii). It is Thy Word, and
cannot lie. I must fulfill my office, or forfeit Thy grace. It
is also plain that these peasants have deserved death many
times over, in Thine eyes and the eyes of the world, and have
been committed to me for punishment. If it be Thy will that
I be slain by them, atid that my rulership be taken from me
and destroyed, so be it: Thy will be done. So shall I die
and be destroyed fulfilling Thy commandment and Thy
Word, and shall be found obedient to Thy commandment
and my office. Therefore will I punish and smite as long as
my heart beats. Thou wilt judge and make things right/'
Thus it may be that one who is killed fighting on the
ruler's side may be a true martyr in the eyes of God, if he
fights with such a conscience as I have just described, for he
Must Be is ; n Q od > s Word and j s O b e( j{ ent to jjim. On the other
hand, one who perishes on the peasants' side is an eternal
brand of hell, for he bears the sword against God's Word
and is disobedient to Him, and is a member of the devil. And
even though it happen that the peasants gain the upper hand
(which God forbid!) for to God all things are possible, and
we do not know whether it may be His will, through the
devil, to destroy all order and rule and cast the world upon
Against the Robbing and Murdering Peasants 253
a desolate heap, as a prelude to the Last Day, which cannot
be far offnevertheless, they may die without worry and go
to the scaffold with a good conscience, who are found exer-
cising their office of the sword. They may leave to the devil
the kingdom of the world, and take in exchange the everlast-
ing kingdom. Strange times, these, when a prince can win
heaven with bloodshed, better than other men with prayer!
Finally, there is another thing that ought to move the
rulers. The peasants are not content to be themselves the
devil's own, but they force and compel many good people
against their wills to join their devilish league, and so make
them partakers t pf all of their own wickedness and damna- cent
tion. For anyone who consents to what they do, goes to the Peo * le
devil with them, and is guilty of all the evil deeds that they
commit ; though he has to do this because he is so weak in
faith that he does not resist them. A pious Christian ought
to suffer a hundred deaths, rather than give a hair's breadth
of consent to the peasants' cause. ho-w many martyrs
could now be made by the bloodthirsty peasants and the
murdering prophets ! Now the rulers ought to have mercy
on these prisoners of the peasants, and if they had no other
reason to use the sword, with a good conscience, against the
peasants, and to risk their own lives and property in fighting
them, there would be reason enough, and more than enough,
in this that thus they would be rescuing and helping these
souls, whom the peasants have forced into their devilish
league and who, without willing it, are sinning so horribly,
and who must be damned. For truly these souls are in pur-
gatory; nay, in the bonds of hell and the devil.
Therefore, dear lords, here is a place where you can release,
rescue, help. Have mercy on these poor people I 1 Stab, smite,
slay, whoever can. If you die in doing it, well for you ! A
more blessed death can never be yours, for you die in obey-
ing the divine Word and commandment in Romans xiii, and
in loving service of your neighbor, whom you are rescuing
from the bonds of hell and of the devil. And so I beg every-
one who can to flee from the peasants as from the devil him-
M. e., On those whom the peasants have compelled to join them.
254 Against the Robbing and Murdering Peasants
self; those who do not flee, I pray that God will enlighten
and convert. As for those who are not to be converted, God
grant that they may have neither fortune nor success. To
this let every pious Christian say Amen! For this prayer
is right and good, and pleases God; this I know. If anyone
think this too hard, let him remember that rebellion is intol-
erable and that the destruction of the world is to be expected
every hour.
AN OPEN LETTER CONCERNING THE HARD
BOOK AGAINST THE PEASANTS
1525
Vol. IV. -17
INTRODUCTION
The tract Against the Robbing and Murdering
Hordes of Peasants was published before the middle of
May, but by the time that it had gained wide circulation the Peasants'
War was practically at an end. Once more events had moved so
swiftly that Luther's utterances were untimely. 1 Before May 15th the
backbone of the insurrection had been broken in Swabia, Franconia,
and Thuringia. In Alsace, the Odenwald, and the Palatinate the
defeat of the peasants was slower in co>ming- } but there were few
localities in which the lords had not won their decisive victories
before June 5th. The peasants were at the mercy of the governments
against which they had risen in revolt, and on which, during their
short period of success, they had wreaked revenge for the wrongs
that they had long endured. This time it was the rulers who were
ruthless. In their hour of victory they sated a veritable lust for
blood, under the guise of exemplary punishment. Luther's tract seemed
to be a defence of their cruelties, though it was composed in a wholly
different situation. 3
Luther's utterances gave great offence, not only to those who had
sympathized with the hopes of the peasants, but to many of his own
friends and followers. On May 30th, he wrote to Amsdorf, "The
time will come, perhaps, when I, too, can say, 'All ye shall be
offended this night because of me'." 3 His intimate friend, John Ruehl,
had written him on May 26th, "To many of those who are favorable
to you it is a strange thing that you allow the tyrants to slay without
mercy and say that they can become martyrs." 4 On all sides he was
accused of harshness and sycophancy. In this situation, it was appar-
ent that he must speak again. He did so in a sermon preached at
Wittenberg on Pentecost ; he spoke to a larger audience in this Open
Letter.
The date of its composition is uncertain. The earliest reference to
its publication is in a letter of Spalatin's from which we gather that
he was sending out copies of it on August 1st. That would throw the
date of composition into the early part of July, The fact that it is
1 See above, pp. 209, 247, 248.
a Cf . BRENZ, Von Milderung der Fuersten, in Plug-
schriften a us d. ersten Jahren d. Rfn. III. 4.
8 ENDEHS V, 182 ; SMITH AND JACOBS, Luther's Correspondence
II, 319.
*Weimar Ed. XVIII, 377. Cf. Luther's reply, DE WETTE II,
669 ff. SMITH AND JACOBS II, 320 ff.
(257)
258 Concerning the Hard Book Against the Peasants
addressed to Kaspar Mueller, who was a member of the party that
came up from Mans f eld to help celebrate Luther's wedding (June
27th), and the additional fact that in his letter of invitation to his
Mansfeld friends (June 15th) 1 he makes no reference to it, point
to the conclusion that it was written after June 27th. 3
In the Open Letter Luther upholds the views that he had
expressed in the Admonition to Peace and in the tract
against the peasants. He maintains that there is no excuse for insur-
rection and armed rebellion. On the other hand, he declares that the
severe treatment which the lords are inflicting on those who have sur-
rendered cannot be justified, and the conclusion of the work condemns
unsparingly "the furious, raving, senseless tyrants, who even after the
battle cannot get their fill of blood."
The text of the Open Letter is found in Weimar Ed
XVIII, 384-401. Erlangen Ed. XXIV, 295-319; St. Louis
Ed., XVI, 77-98; Clemen, III, 75-93; Berlin Ed. VII, 358-
82. The translation follows Clemen.
For literature, see Introduction to the Admonition to
Peace, above p. 209, and K. MUELLER, Kirche, Gemeinde
und Obrigkeit nach Luther (1910).
CHARLES M. JACOBS.
MOUNT AIRY,
PHILADELPHIA.
1 De Wette III, 1; SMITH AND JACOBS, II, 323.
a So Weimar Ed. XVIII, 377.
AN OPEN LETTER CONCERNING THE HARD
BOOK AGAINST THE PEASANTS
1525
To the honorable and wise Caspar Mueller, 1 Chancellor of
Mansf eld, my good friend. Grace and peace in Christ.
I have been obliged to answer your letter 3 in a printed
book, because the little book that I published against the
peasants 8 has given rise to so many complaints and questions, Critics
as though it were unchristian and too hard. To be sure, I
had intended to stop my ears, and let the blind, unthankful
creatures who seek in me nothing but causes of offence
smother in their own vexation until they had to rot, since
they have got so little improvement from my other books
that they cannot accept such a plain, simple judgment upon
earthly things. For I remembered the word of Christ in
John iii, "If ye believe not when I speak of earthly things, Joha
how shall ye believe when I speak of heavenly things?" And
when the disciples asked, "Knowest thou that the Pharisees
are offended at this saying?" He said, "Let them be offended; ^ 4
they are blind and leaders of the blind" (Matthew xv).
They cry and boast, "There, there you see Luther's spirit!
He teaches bloodshed without mercy. He must be the devil's
mouthpiece." Ah, well, if I were not used to being judged
and condemned, this might move me ; but I am not conscious
of any pride that is greater than my pride in this, that my
work and teaching must at first suffer reverses and be cruci-
fied. No one is satisfied unless he can condemn Luther.
Luther is the target of contradiction. Everyone has to win
his spurs against him and carry off the honors of the tourna-
1 Muller was chancellor of the counts of Mansf eld and a frequent corre-
spondent of Luthe^s. See Introduction.
a Thfe letter is lost
Against the Robting and Murdering Hordes, abore
pp. 248 .
(259)
26B An Open Letter
ment. In these matters everybody else has a higher spirit
than I, and I must needs be altogether fleshly. Would God
that they had a higher spirit ! I would then gladly be a man
i cor. of flesh indeed, and say, as St. Paul to his Corinthians, "Ye
4:8 are rich; ye are full; ye reign without us." But I fear it is
all too true that they have a high spirit, for I have not as yet
seen them undertake very much that does not bring them
to sin and shame.
-. But they do not see how they stumble, when they thus pass
NO judgment on me, and how, by their contradicting, they reveal
Anww the thoughts of their hearts, as Simeon says of Christ in
Luke Luke ii. They say that they note well what kind of a spirit
2:34 1 I have; I, too, note how splendidly they have grasped and
learned the Gospel. They have, in fact, not a spark of
knowledge of it, and yet they babble much about it. How
can they know what heavenly righteousness in Christ may be,
according to the Gospel, when they do not know what earthly
righteousness in rulers is, according to the law? Such people
are not worthy to hear a single word or see a single work
that might make them better; but they ought to have nothing
but offence, as the Jews had in Christ, because their hearts
are so full of wicked wiles that they desire nothing more than
P fi . to be offended, so that they may fare according to the saying
18:27 in Psalm xvii, "With the froward thou wilt show thyself
Dent froward," and in Deuteronomy xxxii, "I will move them to
32:21 jealousy with those that are not a people ; I will provoke them
to anger with a foolish nation."
This was the reason why I wanted to keep silent, and let
them stumble unconcernedly on, and take offence, until they
received their deserts, and their hearts were hardened and
their eyes blinded by sheer offence, and they went to destruc-
tion these people who have hitherto learned nothing from
the great, clear light of the Gospel, which has shone so lav-
ishly everywhere; 1 who have made so little of the fear of
God that they think nothing "evangelical" except to despise
and judge others, and to consider themselves great in spirit
and lofty of understanding; and who from the doctrine of
* Luther says, "The light .... which has sounded so richly/*
Concerning the Hard Book Against the Peasants 261
humility take nothing but pride, like the spider, which sucks
only poison out of the rose. You seek an explanation, how-
ever, not for yourself but to stop the mouths of these useless
fellows. I suspect that you are undertaking a vain and
impossible task; for who can stop the mouth of a fool? His
heart is crammed with folly, and that which fills the heart 12:34
must overflow the lips. Nevertheless, because you ask it, I
will do you this vain and lost service.
First of all, then, I must warn those who criticize my book
that they ought to hold their tongues and have a care lest
they make a mistake and lose their own heads ; for they are
certainly rebels at heart, and Solomon says, "My son, fear
thou the Lord and the king, and mingle not with the rebel-
lious ; for their calamity shall rise suddenly, and who know-
eth the ruin of them both?" There we see that both rebels
and those who mingle with them are condemned, and God
will not have it made a jest, but king and government are
to be feared. But they who are "mingling with the rebel-
lious" are those who take their part, lament over them, justify
them, and show mercy to those on whom God has no mercy,
but whom He will have punished and destroyed. For the
man who thus takes the part of the rebels makes it perfectly
plain that he, too, if he had opportunity, would cause disaster,
as he has determined in his heart. The rulers, therefore,
ought to seize these people by the cap and make them hold
their tongues and note that this is a serious matter.
If they think this answer too hard, and that this is talking
violence and only shutting men's mouths, 1 I reply that this
is right. A rebel is not worth answering with arguments, for Open to
he does not accept them. The- answer for such mouths is a
fist that brings sweat from the nose. The peasants would not
listen; they would not let anyone tell them anything; their
ears must be unbuttoned with bullets, till their heads jump
off their shoulders. Such pupils need such a rod. He who
will not hear God's Word, when it is spoken with kindness, 1
must listen to ttte headsman, when he comes with his axe.
1 i. c., Instead of convincing them. . ,
*A reference to the Admonition to Peace.
262 An Open Letter
NO If it is said that in this I am uncharitable and unmerciful, I
Mercy answer, "This is not a question of mercy; 1 we are talking of
a^eb God's Word. It is His will that the king be honored and
rebels destroyed ; and He is as merciful as we are."
Of mercy I will neither hear nor know anything, but give
heed to God's will in His Word. Therefore my little book
will be right, and will remain so, though the whole world take
offence at it. What care I that you do not like it, if God
likes it? If He will have wrath, and not mercy, what have
you to do with mercy? Did not Saul sin by showing mercy
1 15^23 u P on Amalek, when he failed to execute God's wrath, as he
had been commanded? Did not Ahab sin, when he had
mercy on the King of Syria, and let him live, contrary to
1 20-42 8 God's word? If you wish for mercy, then do not "mingle
with the rebellious," but fear the powers that be, and do
Rom. good; if you do evil, then be afraid, for, says Paul, "He
13:3 f - beareth not the sword in vain."
This ought to be answer enough to all who take offence at
my book and make it useless. Is it not right for a man to
hold his tongue, when he hears that God says this, and that
this is God's will? Or is God bound to give reasons to such
empty babblers, and tell them why this is His will ? I had
thought that the mere wink of His eye would be enough to
put every creature to silence, much more a word of His.
PIW. 24;There stands God's Word, "My son, fear God and the king;
21 f * if not, thy calamity will come quickly" ; and Romans xii, "He
Rom. that resisteth the ordinance of God, will receive judgment."
13:2 Why is not St. Paul merciful? If we are to preach God's
Word, we must preach the word that declares His wrath, as
well as that which declares His mercy; we must preach of
hell as well as of heaven, and help extend God's Word and
judgment and work over both the righteous and the wicked,
so that the wicked may be punished and the good protected.
And yet, in order that the righteous God may hold His
own against these His judges, and His decree be found just
and sure, we shall undertake to advocate His Word against
these blasphemers and show the reason for His divine will,
*B*rmhertzig fcyn, barmiertzig her.
Concerning the Hard Book Against the Peasants 263
and light two candles for the devil. 1 They throw it up to me Loke
that Christ teaches, "Be ye merciful as your Father is mer- 6:36
ciful"; and again, "I will have mercy and not sacrifice"; cf- Matfc
and again, "The Son of Man is come not to destroy souls, but
to save them"; etc. Here they think they have hit the nail
on the head. "Luther ought to have taught that we should
have mercy on the peasants, and he teaches, instead, that we
should kill them out of hand. What do you think of that?
Let us see whether Luther will jump that ditch ! I think he
is caught/' Thank you, my dear masters. If these high
spirits had not taught me, how would I ever have known this
or found it out? How should I know that God demands
mercy, I, who have taught and written more about mercy
than any other man in a thousand years ?
This is the devil himself. He wants to do all the evil that
he can, and so he stirs up good and pious hearts and tempts
them with things like this, so that they may not see how black m*
he is, and tries to deck himself out in a reputation for mercy, ClT
But it will not help him! My good friends, you who are
praising mercy so highly because the peasants are beaten, why
did you not praise it when the peasants were raging, smiting,
robbing, burning, and plundering, until they were terrible to
men's eyes and ears? Why were they not merciful to the
princes and lords, whom they wanted to wipe out entirely?
No one spoke of mercy then. Everything was "rights";
nothing was said of mercy; it was nothing. "Rights, rights,
rights !" they were everything. Now that they are beaten,
and the stone that they threw at heaven is falling bade on
their own heads, no one is to say anything of rights, hut
speak only of mercy.
And yet they are stupid enough to think that no one
notices the rascal behind it! Ah, no! You are in plain
sight, you black, ugly devil ! You praise mercy, not because
you ar in earnest about it and love mercy, or you would
have praised it to the peasants ; but because you are afraid
for your own skin, and would use the appearance and repu-
tation of mercy in order to escape God's rod and punishment.
1 i. e., Throw doable light on, the subject.
264 An Open Letter
Not so, dear fellow! You must take your turn, and die with-
out mercy, St. Paul says, "If thou do that which is evil, be
9 afraid; for the power beareth not the sword in vain, but for
the wrath of God upon him that doeth evil." You would do
evil and not suffer the wrath, but cover yourself up with a
reputation for mercy. Come back tomorrow and we shall
bake you a little cake. Who cannot do this ? Suppose I were
to break into a man's house, rape his wife and daughters,
break open his coffers, take his money, set a sword to his
breast, and say, "If you will not put up with this, I shall run
you through, for you are a godless wretch"; then if a crowd
gathered and were about to kill me, or if the judge ordered
my head off, suppose I were to cry out, "Ei, Christ teaches
that you are to be merciful and not kill me"; what would
people say? That is exactly what my peasants and peas-
ants' advocates are doing now. Now that they have done
their own sweet will upon their lords, like robbers, mur-
derers, thieves, and scalawags, we are to have a song about
mercy, and say, "Be merciful, as Christ teaches, and let us
rage, as the devil teaches : do good to us, and let us do our
worst to you; be satisfied with what we have done and call
it right, and call what you are doing wrong." Who could
not do that? If that is mercy, then we shall start a pretty
state of affairs ; we shall have no sword, ruler, punishment,
hangman, or prison, and let every knave do as he pleases;
then, when he is to be punished, we shall sing, "Ei, be mer-
ciful, as Christ teaches." That would be fine law! There
you see what they have in mind who condemn my book as
though it denied mercy. They are certainly good peasants,
rebels, and regular blood-dogs, or else they have been led
astray by them; for they would like all wickedness to go
unpunished, while under the name of mercy, they are the
most merciless and cruel destroyers of the whole world, so
far as it is in their power to be.
"Nay," say they, "we do not justify the peasants and
would not prevent their punishment, but it seems wrong to
us for you to teach that no mercy should be shown the poor
peasants; for you say that they ought to be slain without
Concerning the Hard Book Against the Peasants 265
mercy." 1 I answer that if you really mean that, I am all
golden. 2 But all this is merely a cloak for your bloodthirsty
self-will, which takes secret delight in the ways of the peas-
ants. Where have I ever taught that no mercy should be
shown? In that self -same book do I not beg tie rulers to
show grace to those who surrender ? Why do you not open
your eyes and read it? Then it would not have been neces-
sary for you to damn my book, and take offence at it. But
you are so full of poison that you seize upon the one bit of it
in which I say that those who will not surrender or listen
ought to be killed without mercy; and pass by the rest of it,
in which I say that those who surrender are to be shown
grace. Everybody can see that you are a spider that sucks
poison from the rose. It is not true that you condemn the
peasants, or that you love mercy, but you would like to see
wickedness free and unpunished, and the temporal sword
brought to nought. Nevertheless, you will not accomplish it.
So much for the unchristian and merciless bloodhounds
who praise the sayings about mercy 8 in order that sheer
wickedness and mercilessness may rule in the world as they
please ! To the others, whom they have led astray, or who
are so weak that they cannot compare my book with the
words oi Christ, I have this to say: There are two king-
doms, one the kingdom of God, the other the kingdom of the
world. I have written this so often that I am surprised
that there is anyone who does not know it or note it. One
who knows how to distinguish rightly between these two
kingdoms will certainly not be offended at my little book, and
will also have a right understanding of the sayings about
mercy. God's kingdom is a kingdom of grace and mercy,
not of wrath and punishment. In it there is only forgive-
ness, consideration for one another, love, service, the doing
of good, peace, joy, etc. But the kingdom of the world is a
kingdom of wrath and severity. In it there is only punish-
ment, repression, judgment, and condemnation, for the sup-
pressing of the wicked and the protection of the good. For
1 See above, pp. 251, 253.
He., Free of all blame.
i c., The sayings of Christ, quoted above.
266 An Open Letter
isa. this reason it has the sword, and a prince or lord is called in
14:5 Scripture Gods wrath, or God's rod (Isaiah xiv).
The words of Scripture that speak of mercy apply to the
Mercy inkingdom of God and to Christians, not to the kingdom of the
jjjjj^. world, for it is a Christian's duty not only to be merciful,
dom of but to endure every kind of suffering robbery, arson,
Christ mur der, d ev ii an d hell. It goes without saying that he is to
smite, slay and recompense no one. But the kingdom of the
world is nothing else than the servant of God's wrath upon
the wicked, and is a real precursor of hell and everlasting
death. It should not be merciful, but strict, severe and wrath-
fe That f u i - m the fulfilment of its work and duty. Its tool is not
World a wreath of roses or a flower of love, but a naked sword ;
and a sword is a symbol of wrath, severity and punishment.
It is turned only against the wicked, to hold them in check
and keep them at peace, and to protect and save the righteous.
EX. Therefore God decrees, in the law of Moses and in Exodus
21:14 xxii, where He institutes the sword, "Thou shalt take the
murderer even from mine altar, and shalt not have mercy
on him," and the Epistle to the Hebrews confesses that he
Heb> who acts against the law shall die without mercy. This shows
10:28 that in the exercise of their office, worldly rulers cannot and
ought not be merciful, though out of grace, they may give
their office a holiday.
Now he who would confuse these two kingdoms as our
false fanatics do would put wrath into God's kingdom and
mercy into the world's kingdom; and that is the same as put-
ting die devil in heaven and God in hell. Both of these things
these sympathizers with the peasants would like to do. First
they wanted to go to work with the sword, fight for the Gos-
pel as "Christian brethren/' 1 and kill other people, when it
was these others' duty to be merciful and patient. Now that
the kingdom of the world has overcome them, they want to
have mercy in it; that is to say, they would endure no
worldly kingdom, but would not grant God's kingdom to
anyone. Can you imagine anything more perverse? Not so,
dear friends ! If one has deserved wrath in the kingdom of
1 See above, pp. 208, 225, 229 f.
Concerning the Hard Book Against the Peasants 267
the world, let him submit, and either take his punishment, or
humbly sue for pardon; those who are in God's kingdom
ought to have mercy on everyone and pray for everyone, and
yet not hinder the kingdom of the world in the maintenance
of its rights and the performance of its duty, but rather
assist it.
Although the severity of the world's kingdom seems
unmerciful, nevertheless, when we see it rightly, it is not Severe
the smallest of God's mercies. Let everyone think this over m ^ m '"
and give his own judgment on the following case. Suppose Really
I had a wife and children, a house, servants, and property, Merctfl11
and a thief or murderer fell upon me, killed me in my own
house, ravished my wife and children, took all that I had, and
went unpunished, so that he could do the same thing again,
when he wished. Tell me, who would be more in need of
mercy in such a case, I or the thief and murderer ? Without
doubt it would be I who would need most that people should
have mercy on me. But how can this mercy be shown to me
and my poor, miserable wife and children, except by sup-
pressing such a knave, and protecting me and maintaining
my rights, or, if he will not be suppressed and keeps on, by
giving him his just dues, and punishing him, so that he must
stop it? What fine mercy to me it would be, if we were to
have mercy on the thief and murderer, and let him kill, and
abuse and rob me !
That kind of mercy which rules and acts through the
temporal sword, these peasants 1 advocates do not consider.
They open their eyes and their mouths upon the wrath and
the severity only, and say that we are flattering the furious
princes and lords, when we teach that they are to punish the
wicked. And yet they are themselves ten times worse flat-
terers of the murderous knaves and wicked peasants; nay,
they are bloodthirsty murderers, rebels at heart, for they
have no mercy on those whom the peasants overthrew,
robbed, dishonored, and subjected to all kinds of injustice.
For if the intentions of the peasants had been carried out,
no honest man would have been safe from them, but who-
ever had a pfennig more than another would have had
268 An Open Letter
to suffer for it They had already begun that, and it would
not have stopped there; women and children would have
been put to shame; they would have taken to killing each
other, too, and there would have been no peace or safety
anywhere. Has anything been heard of that is more unre-
strained than a mob of peasants when they are fed full and
Pro*, have got power ? As Solomon says, in Proverbs xxx, "Such
30:21 * p e0 pi e the W orld cannot bear."
On such people are we now to have mercy above others,
and let them rage on as they please with everyone's body,
life, wife, children, honor and property? Are we to leave
them unpunished, and allow the innocent to perish shamefully
before our very eyes, without mercy or help or comfort? I
hear constant reports that the Bamberg peasants were offered
more than they asked, provided only they would keep the
peace, and they would not. Margrave Casimir, 1 too, prom-
ised his peasants that whatever others won with strife and
rebellion, he would give them out of free grace; but that did
not help either. It is well known that the Franconian peas-
ants, out of sheer wantonness, planned nothing else than
robbing, burning, breaking, and destroying. It is my own
experience with the Thuringian peasants that the more they
were exhorted and instructed, the more obstinate, the prouder,
the madder they became. Their attitude everywhere was so
wanton and defiant that it seemed as though they really
wanted to be slain without grace or mercy. They scornfully
defied God's wrath, and now it is coming upon them, as the
PS. cviii Psalm says, "They would not have grace, and now it is
109:17 far away from them."
The Scriptures, therefore, have fine, clear eyes and see the
temporal sword aright. They see that out of great mercy, it
must be unmerciful, and from utter kindliness, it must exer-
i Pet. cise wrath and severity. As Peter and Paul say, it is God's
2:14 servant for vengeance, wrath, and punishment upon the
Rom. wicked, but for the protection, praise, and honor of the
13t4 righteous. It looks upon the righteous and has mercy on
1 0asimlir, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (1481-1527).
Deutsche Biographic, iv, 43 ff.
Concerning the Hard Book Against the Peasants 269
them, and in order that they may not suffer, it guards, bites,
stabs, cuts, hews, and slays, as has been commanded it by
God, whose servant it knows itself to be, even in this. This
punishing of the wicked without grace does not occur for
its own sake, because the punishment of the wicked is a
thing to seek after, not in order that the evil desires that are
in their blood may be atoned for, but in order that the
righteous may be protected, and peace and safety main-
tained. And beyond all doubt, these are precious works of
mercy, love, and kindness, since there is nothing on earth
that is worse than disturbance, insecurity, oppression, vio-
lence, and injustice. Who could or would stay alive, if such
things were the rule? Therefore the wrath and severity of
the sword is just as necessary to a people as eating and drink-
ing, nay, as life itself.
"Nay," say they, "we are not talking about the obdurate
peasants who are unwilling to surrender, but of those who
have been beaten, or who have given themselves up. To
them the princes ought to show mercy, and not treat them
so cruelly." I answer; You cannot be a good man if you
slander my little book and say that I speak in it of such
conquered peasants, or of those who have surrendered,
whereas I made it plain that I was speaking of those who
were first approached in a friendly way, and would not. All
my words were against the obdurate, hardened, blinded peas-
ants, who would neither see nor hear, as anyone may see
who reads them ; and yet you say that I advocate the slaugh-
ter of the poor captured peasants without mercy. If you are
going to read books this way and interpret them as you
please, what book will have any chance with you? There-
fore, as I wrote them so I write now ; On the obstinate, hard-
ened, blinded peasants, let no one have mercy, but let every-
one, as he is able, hew, stab, slay, lay about him as though
among mad dogs, in order that, by so doing, he may show
mercy to those who are ruined, driven away, and led astray
by these peasants, so that peace and safety may be maintained.
It is better to cut off one member without mercy than to
have the whole body perish by fire, or by disease* How do
270 An Open Letter
you like that? Am I still a preacher of the Gospel who
advocates grace and mercy? If you think I am not, it makes
little difference, for you are a bloodhound and a rebel-
lious murderer and destroyer of the country, you and your
rebellious peasants, whom you are flattering in their rebellion.
They say further, that the peasants have slain nobody as
they are being slain. What shall be said to that? What a
splendid argument! They have slain nobody! That was
because people had to do what they wanted ! They threatened
to kill those who would not go along with them; they laid
hold of the sword that did not belong to them ; they attacked
property, houses, and possessions. Arguing this way, a
thief and murderer, who took from me what he wanted by
threatening me with death, would be no murderer. If they
had done what they were kindly asked to do, they would not
have been killed ; when they were not willing to do it, it was
right to do to them what they themselves had done, or
threatened to do, to those who did not agree with them.
Besides, it is plain that they are faithless, perjured, disobe-
dient, rebellious thieves, robbers, murderers, and blasphemers,
and there is not one of them who has not deserved ten times
over to suffer death without mercy. We are not seeing this
thing straight. 1 We see only the punishment, and how it
hurts, and not the guilt and the deserts, and the unspeakable
injury and ruin that was sure to follow. If the punishment
hurts, cease to do evil. Paul gives the same answer to this
^. 3f . kind of folk when he says, in Romans xiii, "Wilt thou not
be afraid of the sword, do that which is good ; but if thou
do evil, be afraid."
They say in the third place, that the lords are misusing
their sword and slaying too cruelly, I answer: What has
that to do with my book? Why lay others' guilt on me? If
they are misusing their power, they have not learned it from
me; and they will have their reward. For the Supreme
Judge, who is using them to punish the self-willed peasants,
has not forgotten them either, and they will not escape Him.
My book speaks not of what the lords deserve, but of what
1 Man will yhe mit dem schalcks auge sell en.
Concerning the Hard Book Against the Peasants 271
the peasants deserve. When I have time and occasion to do
so, I shall attack the princes and lords, too, for in my office
of teacher, a prince is just the same to me as a peasant. I
have already done them certain services which have not made Matt
me overpopular with them; but that matters little to me. I
'have One who is greater than all of them, as John says.
If my first advice, given when the rebellion was just be-
ginning, 1 had been followed, and a peasant, or a hundred of
them had been knocked down so that the rest would have
tripped over them, 3 and if they had not been allowed to get
the upper hand many thousands of them, who now have to
die, would have been saved, for they would have stayed at
home. That would have been a needful deed of mercy, per-
formed with little wrath; now it is necessary to use so much
severity, because there are so many of them to control.
But God's will has been done, in order to teach both sides
a lesson. First, the peasants had to learn that things had
been too easy for them and that they were not able to stand i.
prosperity and peace. 8 They had to learn that hereafter they
ought to thank God if they have to give up only one cow in
order to enjoy the other cow in peace; for it is always better
to possess the half of one's property in peace and safety,
than to have the whole of it and be at every instant in danger
of thieves and murderers, since that way we have it not at
all. The peasants did not know what a precious thing it is
to be in peace and safety and to enjoy one's food and drink
in happiness and security, and so they did not thank God for
it He had to take this way to teach them, and relieve their
itch. To the lords, on the other hand, this thing was useful,
too. They 'have found out what is behind the rabble and how
far they are to be trusted, so that they might learn henceforth
to rule justly and put their lands and roads in order. There
was no longer either government or order ; it had all been
* In the Admonition, above, p. 219 ff.
*i. e., If the first to rebel Bad "been so treated that the rest would have
come to their senses. Cf. notes in Clemen, III, 85, and Berlin VII,
371.
See Introduction to the Admonition, above, p. 205.
Vol. IV.-18
272 An Open Letter
given up. 1 There was no longer any fear or reverence among
the people; everybody did as he pleased; no one wanted to
give anything, but everyone wanted to revel, drink, dress up,
and be idle, as though every man were a lord. The ass will
have blows, and the people will be ruled by force ; God knew
that full well, and so He gave the rulers, not a feather-
duster/ but a sword.
Not the smallest of the objections that they conjure up is
^ that there have been among the peasants many righteous
F<rartii folk, who got there innocently and under compulsion, and
Crfticisin that injustice is done in the sight of God when they are exe-
cuted. I answer: They are talking like people who have
never heard a single word of God's, and therefore my reply
must be such as I would give to heathen or to children ; so
little has been accomplished among the people by all the books
and sermons !
I say, in the first place, that no injustice is done to those
who have been compelled by the peasants. Not a Christian
stayed among them, and these men did not get among them
innocently, as they pretend. It does appear, indeed, as
though they were suffering injustice, but it is not so. Tell
me, my dear friend, if a man killed your father and mother,
dishonored your wife and children, burned your house, and
took your money and everything that you had, and then said
that he had to do it because he had been forced to it, what
kind of an excuse would that be? Who has ever heard that
anyone can be compelled to do good or evil? Who can com-
pel a man's will ? O, it does not hold water, it does not fit,
when a man says, "I have to do wrong ; I am forced to it."
To deny Christ and the Word of God is a great sin and
wrong, and many are forced to do it, but do you think that
that excuses them? Likewise, to raise an insurrection, to
become disobedient and faithless to rulers, to perjure one-
self, to rob and bum, that is a great wrong, and some of
the peasants were forced to do it; but how does that help
them? Why do they let themselves be forced?
1 This seems to be the sense of Luther's Es stund alles off en
und mussig.
* Literally, "a fox-tail."
Concerning the Hard Book Against the Peasants 273
"Nay," say they, "but they threatened to take my lif e and T^
my property." Ei, my dear fellow, to keep your life and Fallacy
property, you are willing to break God's commandments, kill
me, and ravish my wife and children; but how did God and I
come to that? Would you be willing to suffer the same
things at my hands ? If you had been so compelled that the
peasants bound you hand and foot, and carried you along
by force, and you had defended yourself with your mouth,
and rebuked them for doing it, and your heart had thus con-
fessed and borne witness that it was unwilling and refused to
consent, then your honor would have been preserved; you
would have been compelled in body, but uncompelled in will.
But, as it is, you keep silent and do not rebuke them ; you
go along with the crowd and do not make your unwillingness
known, and thus it helps you nothing. This has gone on too
long for you now to say that you were unwilling. You ought
to have feared and heeded God's commandment more than
men, even at the risk of danger or of death. He would not
have deserted you, but would have stood by you faithfully,
rescued you, and helped you. Therefore, as they are damned
who deny God, even though they are forced to do it, so it is
no excuse for the peasants that they have let themselves be
forced.
If that excuse were to pass, there would be no more pun-
ishment of sin or crime; for where is there a sin to which
the devil, the flesh, and the world do not drive us and, as
it were, force us? Do you not think that there are times
when a wicked lust drives men to adultery with a raging
fever that may well be considered a greater compulsion than
that which drove a peasant into revolt? Who is lord of his
own heart? Who can resist the devil and the flesh? It is not
possible, indeed, for us to ward off the lightest sin, for the 2 ' Iini *
Scriptures say that we are captives of the devil, as though he 2 " 26;
were our prince and god, so that we have to do what he wills Acta
and what he puts into our hearts. There are some terrible 10:3 8
stories to prove this. Ought it therefore to go unpunished
and be thought right? Not so! It is our duty to call God
to our aid, and to resist sin and wrong. If you die or suffer
274 An Open Letter
for it, well for you ! Your soul is blessed before God and
highly honored by the world! But if you yield and obey,
you must die anyhow, and your death is shameful before
God and the world, because you have allowed yourself to be
forced to wrongdoing. Thus it would be better to die with
honor and blessedness, in praise of God, than to have to die
with shame, in punishment and pain.
"Good God!" you say. "If only we had known that!"
Good God, I answer, how can I help it? Ignorance is no
excuse. Ought not a Christian to know what is to be known?
Why do they not learn? Why do they not support good
preachers ? They want to be ignorant. The Gospel has come
into Germany; many persecute it, few desire it, fewer accept
it, and those who do accept are so lax and lazy that they
let the schools go to ruin, and the parishes and pulpits go
down. No one gives any thought to maintaining the Gospel
and training the people, and everywhere it seems as though
it hurt us to learn anything and as though we wanted to know
nothing. What wonder is it, then, if God visits us, and lets
us see a bit of the punishment that follows the despising of
His Gospel, a sin of which we all are guilty (for even
though some of us are innocent of this rebellion, we have
deserved worse things), in order to warn us and drive us to
school, so that we may get some sense and some knowledge.
How is it in war time, when the innocent must go forth
Common w ^ ^ SP&ty nav > when it seems that it goes hardest
with the innocent, who must become widows and orphans?
These are plagues that God sends upon us. They are well
deserved, and one of us must suffer them with the rest, if we
are to live together, as the proverb says, "One is guilty of
one's neighbor's fire." 1
One who lives in a community must do his share in bear-
ing and suffering the community's burdens, dangers, and
injuries, even though, not he, but his neighbor has caused
them: He must do this in the same way that he enjoys the
peace, profit, protection, wealth, freedom, and convenience
^ 1 Ein nachbar 1st detn andern ein brand scbuldig,
i e., if your neighbor's bourse burns, you suffer.
Concerning the Hard Book Against the Peasants 275
of the community, even though he has not won them or
brought them into being. He must learn to sing with Job, Job 2:io
and so comfort himself, "Have we received good from the
hand of the Lord, and shall we not also bear the evil?" So
many good days are worth a bad hour, and so many good
years are worth a bad day, or year. For a long time we have
had peace and good days, until we became presumptuous and
sensitive, did not know what peace and good days meant, and
did not once thank God for them; now we have to learn.
It is my advice that we abstain from complaining and
murmuring and thank God that, by His grace and mercy, no
greater misfortune has befallen us, such as the devil was
minded to bring about through the peasants. That is what worse
Jeremiah did. When the Jews were driven out and captured
and slain, he comforted himself, and said. "It is of the Lord's Lam
n ,pp
grace and goodness that we are not entirely destroyed." We
Germans are much worse than the Jews, and yet we have not
been driven out and slain, as they were; but we want to
murmur and become impatient and justify ourselves. We
are so unwilling to have a part of us slain that God's wrath
against us may increase and He may let us go to destruction,
remove His hand, and give us over entirely to the devil. We
are acting as we mad Germans always do. We know nothing
about God, and talk about these things as though there were
no God who does them and wills that they be done. It is
our intention not to suffer at all, but to be nobles, who can
sit on cushions and do as they please.
For that is what you would have seen if this devil's busi-
ness of the peasants had gone on and God had not thus
warded them off by the sword, in answer to the prayers of
pious Christians. Throughout all Germany things would
have gone as they are going now with those who are being
killed and destroyed ; only it would have "been much worse.
No one would have been safe from another; any man might
have killed another, burned down his house and home, and
ravished his wife and children. For this business did not
start with God; there was no order in it; it had already
come to a pass where none of them trusted or believed
276 An Open Letter
another; they deposed one captain after another; and thing!
were done, not as honest men would have had them done, btr
according to the wishes of the vilest knaves. The devil hac
it in mind to lay all Germany utterly waste, because there was
no other way by which he could suppress the Gospel. Whc
knows what will yet happen, if we keep on with our murmur-
ing and ingratitude ? God can let the peasants go mad again,
or release upon us some other plague, so that things may
become even worse than they are now. I think that this has
been a good strong warning and threat. If we neglect it,
and are not converted, and fear God, let us beware of what
may come to us, lest this shall prove to have been only a jest,
with the serious thing to follow.
Finally, it may be said, "You yourself teach rebellion, for
Fifth y u sa y ^ at evervone w ^ can shall hew and thrust among
<Mti- the rebels, and that, in this case, everyone is both supreme
cism judge and executioner." I answer : My little book was not
written against simple evil-doers, but against rebels. You
must make a very, very great distinction between a rebel
and a thief, or a murderer, or any other kind of evil-doer.
For a murderer, or other evil-doer, lets the head of the gov-
ernment alone, and attacks only the members or their prop-
erty; nay, he fears the ruler. So long as the head remains,
no one ought to attack such a murderer, because the head can
punish him, but everyone ought to await the judgment and
command of the head, to whom God has committed the
sword and the office of punishment. But a rebel attacks the
head himself and interferes with his sword and his office,
and therefore his crime is not to be compared with that of a
murderer. We cannot wait until the head gives commands
and passes judgment, for the head is himself captured and
beaten and cannot give them, but everyone who can must
run, uncalled and unbidden, and as a true member, help to
rescue his head by thrusting, hewing, and killing, and risk
his life and goods for the head's sake.
I must make that clear by a simple comparison. Suppose
I were some lord's servant, and saw his enemy running upon
Concerning the Hard Book Against the Peasants 277
him with a naked sword, and it was in my power to keep him
off, but I stood still and let my lord be shamefully slain. Tell
me, what would God and the world say of me? Would they
not have a right to say that I was an utter rogue and traitor,
and must certainly be in league with the enemy? 1 But if I
were to leap between my lord and his enemy, and risk my
body for my lord, and run his enemy through, would that not
be an honorable and honest deed, and be praised and lauded
before God and the world ? Or, if I myself were to be run
through in doing it, how could I die a more Christian death ?
I would be dying in the true service of God, so far as what
I was doing is concerned, and if I had faith, I would be a
true, holy martyr of God. But if I wanted to excuse myself,
and said that I was keeping quiet until my lord should bid
me defend him, what effect would that excuse have, except to
earn me double blame, and make me worthy of all men's
curses, as one who was jesting in the face of such wicked-
ness? Did not Christ Himself praise this kind of thing in j ohn
the Gospel, and make it right for servants to fight for their 18:36
lords, when He stood before Pilate and said, "If my king-
dom were of this world, then would my servants fight for me,
that I might not be delivered to the Jews ?" There you see
that before God and the world it is right for servants to fight
for their lords; otherwise what would worldly government
be?
See, now ! A rebel is a man who runs upon his head and
lord with naked sword. No one should wait, then, until his
lord bids him prevent it, but the first who can ought to run in
and stab the rascal unbidden, and not worry whether he is
committing murder ; for he has only kept off an arch-mur-
derer, who wanted to murder the whole land. Nay, if he
does not thrust and slay, but lets his lord be run through, he
too is an arch-murderer; for he must then remember that,
because his lord suffers and is down, he is himself, in that
case, lord and judge and executioner. For rebellion is no
jest, and there is no evil deed on earth that compares with it.
1 Literally, "have head and tail with the enemy,"
278 An Open Letter
Other wicked deeds are single acts; rebellion is a Noah's
flood of wickedness.
I am called a clergyman and have the office of the Word,
Rebel- but if I were the servant even of a Turk and saw my lord in
Ii<m danger, I would forget my spiritual office and thrust and hew
as l n g as * na -d a heartbeat left. If I were slain in so doing,
I should go straight to heaven. For rebellion is a crime that
deserves neither court nor mercy, whether it be among
heathen, Jews, Turks, Christians, or any other people; it is
already heard, judged, condemned, and sentenced to death at
anybody's hands. There is nothing to do about it, except to
kill quickly, and give the rebel his deserts. No murderer
does so much evil, and none deserves so much evil. For a
murderer commits a penal offence, and lets the penalty stand;
but a rebel tries to make wickedness free and unpunishable,
and attacks the punishment itself. Moreover, in these times
he gives the Gospel a bad reputation with its enemies, who
blame the Gospel for this rebellion and open their slanderous
mouths wide enough in slandering it, although this does not
excuse them, and they know better. Christ will smite them,
too, in His own time.
See, then, whether I was not right when I said, in my little
book, that we ought to slay the rebels without any mercy.
I did not teach, however, that mercy ought not to be shown
to the captives and those who have surrendered. They accuse
me of having said it, but my book proves the opposite. It
was not my intention, either, to strengthen the raging tyrants,
or to praise their raving. For I hear that some of my knight-
lets 1 are treating the poor people with unmeasured cruelty,
and are very bold and defiant, as though they had won the
victory and were firmly in the saddle. They are not seeking
the punishment and the improvement of the rebellion, but
they are satisfying their furious self-will and cooling a rage,
which they, perhaps, have long nursed, thinking that they
have now got a chance and a cause for it. Especially are
they now setting themselves with complete assurance against
the Gospel ; seeking to restore the endowed places and the
1 Junckerlin.
Concerning the Hard Book Against the Peasants 279
monasteries, and to keep the crown on the pope ; confounding
our cause with that of the rebels. But soon they will reap
what now they are sowing. He that sitteth on high sees
them, and He will come before they expect Him. Their
plans will fail, as they have failed before; this I know,
In the same book I said that these are strange times, when
a man can earn heaven with slaughter and bloodshed. "God
help us. Luther forgot himself that time ! He taught before
that a man must obtain grace and salvation by faith alone,
and not by works, and here he ascribes salvation, not only to
works, but even to the frightful work of bloodshed! The
Rhine is on fire at last !" Dear God, how closely they seek
me ! How they lie in wait for me ! But it is of no use ! I
hope I may be allowed to use the words and expressions, not
only of the common people, but also of the Scriptures. Does 5.3
not Christ say in Matthew v, "Blessed are the poor, for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven," and "Blessed are ye when
ye are persecuted, for great is your reward in heaven" ? In
Matthew xxv, does He not reward works of mercy, etc.? " ff
And yet it remains true that works avail nothing before God,
but only faith avails. How that is, I have told in many of my
writings, and especially in the Sermon on the Un-
righteous Mammon, 1 if there is anyone who is not
satisfied with that, let him keep on being offended as long as
he lives. As for the fact that I made bloodshed such a pre-
cious work, the passage in my book shows plainly that I was
speaking of worldly rulers who are Christians, and who are
doing their duty in a Christian way, especially when they are
moving to battle against the rebel bands. If they are not
doing right in shedding blood and fulfilling the duty of their
office, then Samuel, David, and Samson must have done
wrong when they punished evil-doers, and shed blood. If
that kind of bloodshed is not good and right, then we ought
to let the sword alone, and be "free brethren" and do as *we
like.
I beg earnestly that you, and everyone, will look at my
*Weimar Ed, X, 273 ff.
280 An Open Letter
book fairly, and not run through it so hurriedly. Then you
will see that I was advising only good and pious rulers, as it
was right that a Christian preacher should. I say it for the
third time. I was writing only for rulers who might wish to
deal in a Christian or otherwise honest way with their people,
for the purpose of instructing their consciences concerning
this matter, to the effect that they ought quickly to smite the
bands of rebels, regardless of whether they struck the guilty
or the innocent, and that if they struck the innocent, they were
not to let their consciences trouble them, but were confessing
by the very act that they were bound to do their duty to God.
Afterwards, however, if they won, they were to show grace,
not only to those whom they held innocent, but to the guilty,
too.
But the furious, raving, senseless tyrants, who even after
the battle cannot get their fill of blood, and in all their lives
A wam- ask scarcely a question about Christ, these I did not under-
* to take to instruct. To these bloody dogs it is all one whether
they slay the guilty or the innocent, whether it please God
or the devil. They have the sword, but only that they may
vent their lust and self-will. I leave them to the guidance
of their master, the devil, who is, indeed, leading them. I
have heard that at Muehlhausen one of these big bugs sum-
moned before him the poor wife of Thomas Muenzer, now
a widow and with child, fell on one knee before her, and said,
"Dear lady, let me .... you." 0, a knightly, noble deed,
done to a poor, lone, pregnant little woman ! That is a brave
hero for you ! He is worth three knights, at the very least !
Why should I write for scoundrels and hogs like that? The
Scriptures call such people B e s t i e n, that is, "wild ani-
mals," such as wolves, boars, bears, and lions, and I shall not
make men of them; and yet we must put up with them, when
God plagues us with them. I had two fears. If the peas-
ants became lords, the devil would become abbot; but if these
tyrants became lords, the devil's dam would become abbess.
Therefore I wanted to do two things, quiet the peasants,
and instruct the lords. The peasants were unwilling, and
now they have their reward; the lords, too, will not hear,
Concerning the Hard Book Against the Peasants 281
and they shall have their reward also. Except that it would
have done harm, if they had been killed by the peasants, that
would have been a light punishment for them. 1 Hell-fire,
trembling, and gnashing of teeth in hell will be their reward
eternally, unless they repent.
This, dear sir and friend, is my answer to your letter. I
hope that I have more than satisfied you. If there is anyone
who is not satisfied, let him still be, in God's name, wise and
prudent, righteous and holy ; and let me still be a fool and a
sinner. I wish that they would leave me in peace ; but they
will not win, and what I teach and write will still be true,
even though the whole world burst. If anyone wants to be
peculiar, I, too, shall be peculiar, and we shall see who is
right in the end.
God be with you ! Tell Conrad to make no mistake, and
get in the right bed. a The printer should be careful here-
after not to call you "Chancier."* Amen.
1 E y n fuchsschwantz, see above, p. 272.
a Either a message to a certain Conrad, who was secretary to the Duke of
Mansfeld (so Berlin Ed. VII, 382, n. 2), or an allusion to a popular
song describing the woes of an imaginary Conrad who got in the wrong bed
(so Weimar and Clemen. )
8 Either in the first page of this tract, or elsewhere, the printer had given
Mueller the title of Cantzeler, instead of Cantzler.
AN EXPOSITION OF THE EIGHTY-SECOND
PSALM
1530
INTRODUCTION
The only one of Luther's expository writings included in the original
plan of this edition of Luther's Works was the Exposi-
tion of the Magnificat. 1 It was felt that this field was too
large to be covered with any adequacy, without departing from the
primary purpose o>f the edition, which was to give works of Luther
to English readers in their entirety. The editors have made a second
exception by including- this Exposition of the Eig-hty-
second Psalm.
There are two reasons that have led them to do this. The first
is that this treatise is an admirable illustration of Luther's exeg-etical
method. He was not a scientific exegete in any modern sense. The
establishment of the exact meaning of the text of Scripture was not
for him an end in itself. He was concerned with existing situations
in Church and society, and the improvement of those conditions ; with
existing problems of the spiritual life, and the solution of those prob-
lems. The study o>f the Scriptures was for him a means for the
improvement of the conditions and the solution of the problems. The
value of his expositions lies in the remarkable breadth and amazing
variety of their applications, which often makes them treatises on
things in general, rather than the kind of thing that we have learned
to call commentaries.
The second reason that this Exposition has been included
is that it deals with the problems of government. In Luther's hands
the Psalm becomes U A Mirror for Magistrates." In this mirror, rul-
ers may see at once the ideal and the reality of government, the
possibilities that open before those who- are called upon to govern their
fellowmen, and the woeful failure of the rulers of Luther's generation
to realize those possibilities. In the course of the discussion Luther's
theory of the State, and its relation to the Church comes to clear
expression.* This is especially important because of the fact that the
Exposition was written and published in the year of the Diet
of Augsburg, when the question of the relation of Church and State
was vital to the continuance of the Reformation.
The treatise, like the Catechisms, seems to have owed its
origin to the visitation of the Saxon churches, and the revelations
concerning actual conditions which this visitation made. Luther was
*Vol. Ill, p. 123 ff.
a On the difficulties of the translator with Luther's technical terminology,
see Introduction to the Admonition to Peace (1525), in this
volume, p. 205.
286 Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained
working at it before March 17, 1530. The section on the toleration of
false doctrine was inserted, apparently at the suggestion of Lazarus
Spengler, conveyed to Luther through Veit Dietrich. 1 The whole
work was completed before April 12, 3 and probably before April 13,
the date of Luther's departure from Wittenberg for Coburg, where he
spent the months of the Diet of Augsburg. The first Wittenberg
edition was sold out before June 3rd. The popularity of the treatise
is shown by the fact that before the end of 1531 two different Latin
translations of it had been published.
The work is contained in Weimar Ed. XXXI, 1 189-218; Er-
langen Ed. XXXIX, 224-65; St. Louis Ed V, 696-731, The
translation is made from the Weimar text
Literature in Weimar Ed., p. 185. Cf. KARL Horx,
Luther, 3 pp. 326-89.
CHARLES M. JACOBS.
MOUNT AIRY,
PHILADELPHIA.
1 See Introduction iaWeimar Ed. XXXI 1 , 184.
Ibid.
THE
EIGHTY-SECOND PSALM
TRANSLATED AND EXPLAINED
1530
God standeth in the congregation of God
And is judge among the gods.
How long will ye judge unjustly
And prefer the persons of the godless?
Judge the poor and the orphan
And help the wretched and needy to
j u s t i c e .
Rescue the small and poor man,
Deliver him out of the hand of the godless.
But they know nothing and consider
nothing ,
They go in darkness;
All the foundations of the land must fall.
I said, indeed, Ye are gods
And all together children of the Highest.
But ye shall die like men,
And fall like a prince.
Arise, O God, and judge the land,
For Thou dost inherit among the heathen.
PREFACE
Once upon a time popes, bishops, priests, and monks had
such authority that, with their little letters of excommunica-
tion, they could force and, drive kings and princes wherever
they wished, without resistance or defence. Nay, kings and
princes could not ruffle a hair of any monk or priest, no
matter how insignificant the maggot was. They had to put
288 Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained
The up with it when a rude jackass in the pulpit would vilify a
Tyranny j^g anc [ a p r j nce an d make fun of them as his wanton will
Church suggested. That was called preaching, and no one dared
utter a peep against it. The worldly rulers were completely
subject to these clerical giants and tyrants and these disso-
lute, rude fellows walked all over them- So mighty was the
rule of the single canon, si quis suadente! 1 Besides,
it was not understood or taught what temporal rulership was,
or how great the distinction was between it and spiritual
government. For this reason none of the worldly lords knew
how to revenge himself upon the clergy, except by being too
hostile to them, speaking evil of them, and, when he could,
playing secret tricks on them, or winking at what others did.
Now, however, the Gospel has come to light and it makes
a plain distinction between the temporal and the spiritual
estate, and teaches, besides, that the temporal estate is an
ordinance of God which everyone ought to obey and honor.
^ Therefore they are rejoiced because they are free, and the
Libera- spiritual tyrants have to pull in their pipes, and the tables are
tton of tumetL Now popes, bishops, priests and monks have to fear
an ^ honor the princes and lords and nobles, make them gifts
and presents, keep the fasts and the feasts, and worship at
their feet as though they were their gods. This tickles them
so that they do not know how to abuse this grace and liberty
wantonly enough; and meanwhile they are persecuting the
Gospel, by means of which they have become gods and lords
over the clergy, under the pretenpe of protecting and defend-
ing the spiritual estate. But alas for the protection that the
clergy get at such a price that it hurts body and life; though,
to be sure, it serves them right !
Moreover, in order to show still more thanks to the Gospel,
they will not allow it to rebuke their wickedness and self-will.
They have now discovered a new device, and declare that
whoever rebukes them is seditious and rebels against the
*In the Canon Law ( D ecret II, C. 17, qu. 4, c. 29) it prohibits attacks
on the persons of clergy or monks, on pain of excommunication. Luther
writes, in a letter to Albrecht of Mainz, July 6, 1530 (Weimar XXX*,
405), "See to it that you do not attack a priest, and get thunder and lightning
from the si suadeute.'*
Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained 289
rulers'hip ordained of God, and defames their honor. Thus,
since they are rid of the tyranny of the clergy, and cannot be
rebuked by them, they now want to be rid of the Gospel and
be beyond its rebuke, although it has set them free. Their
ultimate desire is to be able to do whatever they wish, with-
out hindrance or rebuke, without shame or fear, and with
honor and glory, so that they may become that noble, praise-
worthy folk, of whom St. Peter says in II Peter iii, "There 2 Pet
shall come at the last time scoffers, who live acording to their
own self-will, and do what they please."
There were such junkerlets among the Jewish people, too,
as this Eighty-second Psalm shows. They had before them,
the saying of Moses, in Exodus xxii, where he calls the E * d -
overlords and judges "gods/' and says, "If a case cannot be 22:8
decided, both parties are to be brought before the gods, that
is, the judges, etc." They made of this passage a cloak for R^
their shame, and a defence of their iniquity against the ** old
preachers and prophets ; they would not be rebuked by them,
purled themselves up against their rebukes and their preach-
ing, and smote them on the head with this saying : "Will you
rebuke us and teach us ? Do you not know that Moses calls
us gods? You are a rebel; you are speaking against God's
ordinance and preaching insults against our honor. You
must listen to us, learn from us, and let yourself be rebuked
by us. Hold your tongue, or you must burn !" That is just
what these same junkers say, in Psalm xii, "It is for us to Ps> 12:4
speak ; who will be our lord?" And again in Psalm x, "What
shall the righteous do to us?" And again in Psalm iv, "Who Ps - 10:3
is there that will show us anything better?" There are many Pl 4:6
more such passages. It is as if they were saying, "We
endure no master nor rebuker; we are the gods; they must
hear us."
Against these junkers this Psalm is made. It says :
God standeth in the congregation of God Verse i
And is judge among the gods.
He confesses, and does not deny that they are gods. He
will not be seditious or lessen their honor or power, as the
290 Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained
disobedient rebels do, and the mad saints, the heretics and
fanatics. Nevertheless he makes a true distinction between
God's power and theirs. He will let them be gods over men,
eminent but not over God Himself, as if he were to say, "It is true
that ye are gods over all of us, but not over the God of all
of us. For God, who appointed you as gods, surely wills
that He Himself shall be an exception and that His Godhead
shall not be subjected to your godhead. He does not allow
you to be gods, in order that He may not remain God ; but
He wills to remain Supreme God, a judge over all gods."
But Moses calls them gods because all the offices of ruler-
ship, from the least to the highest, are God's ordinance, as St.
Rom ; Paul teaches in Romans xiii; and King Jehoshaphat, in II
2 chron Chronicles, says to his officials, "Consider, and judge rightly,
19:6 "f r the judgment is God's." Now because this is not a
matter of human will or devising, but God Himself appoints
and preserves all rulership, and if He no longer held it up,
it would all fall down, even though all the world held it fast,
therefore, it is rightly called a divine thing, a divine ordi-
nance and such persons are rightly called divine, godlike,
or gods, especially when, beside the institution itself, we have
a word or command of God for it, as among the people of
Israel, where the priests, princes, and kings were appointed
by the oral command and word of God.
From this we see how high and how glorious God will have
rulers held, and that men ought to obey them, as His officers,
and be subject to them with all fear and reverence, as to God
Himself. He who would resist them or be disobedient to
them or despise them, whom God names with His own name
and calls gods, and to whom He attaches His own honor ; he,
I say, who despises, disobeys, or resists them, is thereby
despising, disobeying and resisting the true Supreme God,
who is in them, and speaks and judges through them and calls
their judgment His judgment. What they win by it St. Paul
shows, in Romans xiii, and this is abundantly shown by
experience.
All this is written because it is God's will to establish and
maintain peace among the children of Adam for their own
Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained 291
good; as St. Paul says, in Romans xiii, "It is God's minister Rom.
to you for good." For where there is no rulership, or where 13:4
rulers are not held in honor, there can be no peace. Where
there is no peace, no one can keep his life, or anything else,
in the face of another's outrage, thievery, robbery, violence,
and wickedness ; much less will there be room to teach God's
Word, and to raise children in the fear of God and in disci-
pline. Because, then, God will not have the world desolate
and empty, but has made it for men to live in and till the land
and fill it, as is written in Genesis i ; and because this cannot Gen -
happen where there is no peace; He is compelled, as a Crea- 1:29 **
tor, preserving His own creatures, works, and ordinances, to
institute and preserve rulership, and to commit to it the
sword and the laws, so that He may slay and punish all those
who do not obey it, as men who strive also against God and
His ordinance, and are not worthy to live.
But again, as, on the one hand, He keeps down the disorder
of the rabble and therefore subjects them to the sword and
the laws ; so, on the other hand, He keeps down the rulers,
that they shall not abuse His majesty and power according to
their own self-will, but use them for that peace for which He
has appointed and preserves them. Nevertheless, it is not
His will to allow the rabble to raise their fist against the
rulers or to seize the sword, as if to punish and judge the
rulers. No, they must leave that ! It is not God's will, and
He has not committed this to them. They are not to be
judges and revenge themselves, or resort to outrage and vio-
lence, but God Himself will punish wicked rulers and impose
statutes and laws upon them. He will be judge and master
over them. He will find them out, better than anyone else
can, as indeed, He has done since the beginning of the world.
This is what this first verse says: "God standeth in the
congregation of God, and is judge among the gods." As if to
say: Let no one undertake to judge the gods, to punish ihem, Sn y ec t
or master them, but be quiet, keep the peace, be obedient, and Must Be
suffer. But neither are the gods to be proud and self-willed, Obedicn *
for they are not gods among the people and overlords of the
congregation in such a way that they have this position all
292 Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained
to themselves and can do as they like. Nay, not so ! God
Himself is there also, and He will judge, punish, and master
them, and if they do not obey, they shall not escape. "He
standeth in His congregation/' for the congregation is also
His ; and "He judgeth the gods," for the rulers, too, are His ;
and because both are His, it is right for Him to take the
part of both; and He wills to be respected and feared by
both, so that the congregation may be obedient to the rulers
for God's sake, and the rulers may administer justice and
peace, also for God's sake; thus the things of this life will
go along finely, in the fear of God and obedience to Him.
But if one party or the other will not do its duty, if the
congregation be disobedient and the rulers self-willed, then
both are guilty of death in God's sight, and both are pun-
Lute ished the congregation by the rulers, the rulers by God, who
i:52 can put down the mighty from their seats and tear them up
by the roots, destroying their name and their memory, as the
illustrations show.
Organ- Observe that he calls all communities or organized assem-
^ ed blies 1 "the congregation of God," because they are God's
the own, and He accepts them as His own work, just as, in Jonah
Work i f He calls Nineveh "a city of God." For He has made,
jonah d an( ^ lna ^ es * a ^ communities; He still brings them together,
3:3 feeds them, increases them, blesses and preserves them, gives
them fields and meadows, cattle, water, air, sun and moon,
and everything that they have, nay, body and life, as it is
Gen. written in Genesis i. For what have we, and what has all
i:29 f. ^ wor j c j j that is not got unceasingly from Him? But even
though experience ought to teach us this, He has to say it in
plain words, and openly confess and boast that the commun-
ities are His ; for mad Reason, in its shrewdness, and all the
worldly-wise know not at all that a community is God's
creature and His ordinance, but have no other thought about
it than that it has come into being by accident/ by people
a All Gemeinen odder ordenliche vcrsamlung.
Luther's G e m e i n e means both "congregation" and "community" and lie
shifts continually from the one meaning to the other, as with Obrigkeit,
which means both "institutions of government" and "rulers."
a Ongefehr und plumbsweise.
Eighty- second Psalm Translated and Explained 293
holding together and living side by side in the same way that
murderers and robbers and other wicked bands come together
to disturb the peace and the ordinance of God ; and these are
the devil's congregations. It is only believers that know the
articles about creation 1 from Genesis i, though even their
faith in it is weak, and many of them never think of it or
speak of it. But David knows it very well, when he says in
Psalm xxiii, "The earth is the Lord's and they that dwell PSt
therein ; for He hath founded it upon the seas and built it 24:1 L
upon the waters" ; and his son Solomon says, in Psalm cxxvi,
"Except God keep house and city, the builder and the watch- \ 2Jml
man build and watch in vain." What should the worldly-
wise know of heavenly things, when they do not know these
things, amongst which they live and move?
Since such communities are God's work, which He daily A
creates, supports and increases, so that they can sit at home CoittfoJt
and produce children and educate them: therefore this word
is, in the first place, a great and pleasant comfort to all those
who find themselves situated in such a community. It
assures them that God accepts them as His work and His
creation, cares for them and protects and supports them, as
we can, in fact, see with our own eyes. For who could have
or keep a cow or a heller, if God did not give it and
help and guard it? Therefore, everyone ought to admonish
himself to be thankful for everything that is offered him by
his rulers, and be glad that, in such a community, he is
worthy to eat his bread and live. For this word "congrega-
tion of God" is a precious word, and anyone who is in it
ought to be ten times more glad than if he were enrolled as
a Roman citizen, which was once a great honor on earth.
But Reason does not consider this.
In the second place, it is a terrible and threatening word A
against the wicked, self-willed gods, or rulers, for it tells
them that they are set over, not wood and stone, not swine
and dogs (about which God has made no commandments)
but over the "congregation of God" ; and they ought to fear
*Cf. Luther's explanation of the first Article of the Creed in The Small
Catechism.
294 Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained
lest the wrong that they do be done against God Himself.
For the congregations 1 are not their own, as are the swine and
dogs, which God has given them as their own property ; but
He is, and wills to be, in them, and they are to be called His
congregation. On both sides, then, everything will go well,
in the fear of God and in humility. Subjects will have regard
to God and gladly be obedient for His sake, and rulers will
also have regard to God and do right and keep peace for His
sake.
But especially ought this fear and humility to be in that
congregation which was not only first founded and created
by that word in Genesis i, but which was established and
ordered by a special word of God. Thus the communities of
the people of Israel were confirmed in many ways through
Moses, and chosen before all others, and separated from
them. It is especially of these communities that this Psalm
speaks, and it calls them, above all others, "God's congrega-
tions," just as they are called in all the prophets His heritage,
His possession, His kingdom, His priesthood; though it was
in these very "congregations of God" that the worst and
most ravenous gods were found, and the most self-willed and
proudest rebels that could be upon the earth, as this Psalm
indicates and history testifies.
The same thing is true of our rulers, under the New Testa-
ment. Beside their creation by the word of Genesis i, they
Matt - have been established anew, through Christ, by a special
i Pet WOI "d- For He says, in Matthew xxii, "Give to Caesar what
2:13 is Caesar's"; and in I Peter iii, "Be subject to every ordi-
Rom - nance of man"; and in Romans xiii, "Let every man be
subject to his rulers"; and there are many more passages.
This Psalm, therefore, applies to our rulers, as well as to the
Jews, just as every other Scripture of the Old Testament is
given to us, as well as to the Jews. For this reason, in our
communities, too, this fear and humility, both of gods and
subjects, ought to be all the more in evidence. Nevertheless,
our condition will continue to be that of which this Psalm
1 Or "communities." See above, p. 292.
Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained 295
sings; and it says nothing good about the gods and their
virtues.
Now in order that these proud gods may be deprived of
their defiant boastf ulness, when they think that no one is to
judge them or rebuke them without being called a rebel, a
little peg is driven into them and a club is laid by the dog, 1 f
so that they may be properly rebuked, boldly spoken to, and
hard and sharply threatened, as this Psalm does. For it
says here, "God standeth in His congregation and judgeth
the gods"; that is, He rebukes them. 3 For He keeps the
upper hand over them and the right to judge them, and does
not make them gods in such wise as to abolish His own God-
head and let them do as they please, as if they alone were
gods over God. On the contrary, it is His will that they be
subject to His Word and either listen to it or suffer all mis-
fortune. It is enough that they have rule over all else; but
over God's Word they are not to have it For God's Word
appoints them, and makes them gods, and subjects everything
to them. Therefore, they are not to despise it, for it is their
institutor and appointer ; but they are to be subject to it, and
allow themselves to be judged, rebuked, made, and mastered
by it
Where, then, is God, or how do we become sure that there
is a God Who thus rebukes? Answer: You hear in this
place that "He stands in the congregation." Where His
congregation is, there you will find Him. For there He has
His appointed priests and preachers, to whom He has com-
mitted the duty of teaching, exhorting, rebuking, comfort-
ing, and, in a word, of preaching the Word of God. How it
has been commanded to preach the Word of God* in all the
world and in every place, I cannot here tell, for I think that
everybody sees the churches and pulpits, and all of them rest
on this one foundation, in Matthew xxviii, "Go and preach
to all the nations, and teach them to keep the commandments ****** 28:
I have given you." Would God that only faithful men had
M c., As a threat of punishment
*0r "punishes them" (strafft fie).
Wort Gottcs triben.
296 Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained
this office and administered it faithfully and purely, and
that it were not abused so shamefully and hatefully ! Never-
theless, abuse does not destroy the office; the office is true,
exactly as temporal rule is a true and good office, even though
a knave has it and abuses it.
Observe, however, that a preacher, by whom God rebukes
Andto the gods, is to "stand in the congregation." He is to "stand/*
the that is, he is to be firm and confident, and deal uprightly and
^ Ol od honestly with it; and "in the congregation," that is, openly
and boldly before God and men. By this two sins are pre-
vented. The first is unfaithfulness, There are many bishops
and preachers in the preaching-office, but they do not "stand,"
and serve God faithfully; on the contrary, they lie down,
or otherwise play with their office. These are the lazy and
worthless preachers, who do not tell the princes and lords
their sins. In some cases they do not notice the sins ; they
lie down and snore in their office, and do nothing that per-
tains to it, except, like swine, take up the room where good
preachers should stand; they form the great majority.
Others, however, play the hypocrite and flatter the wicked
gods, and strengthen them in their self-will; just now they
are raging and raving against the Gospel, and are stirring up
their princes and lords to slander and murder. Still others
fear for their skins and are afraid that they must lose life
and goods. All of these do not "stand," and are not faithful
to Christ.
The other sin is called back-biting. The whole world is
full in every corner of both preachers and laymen who bandy
evil words about their princes and lords, and curse them and
call them names, though not boldly, in the open, but in cor-
ners, and in their own companies. But that accomplishes
nothing except to make the evil worse. It serves only to set
a secret fire, by which people are moved to disobedience,
rebellion, breach of the peace, and contempt for their rulers.
If you are in the office, 1 and are not willing to rebuke your
gods openly and publicly, as your office demands* at least
leave off your private back-biting, calling of names, criticiz-
1 i. e., In the office <tf preaching.
Matt
Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained 297
ing, and complaining, or be hanged to you I 1 But if you are
not in office, then leave off all rebuking and criticizing, both
public and private, or the devil is already your abbot and
does not need to become so; for, in Matthew vii, God has
forbidden secret judging, or judging where there is no office.
On the other hand, it is His will that those who are in office
and are called to do it, shall rebuke and judge their gods
boldly and openly.
Therefore, this first verse goes on to say, "He is judge
among the gods." Judge He is, and He rebukes the gods, but
He does it as a judge, to whom that office has been commit-
ted, not plotting like a hypocrite in corners among secret
groups, but "among the gods" themselves. He dares to
speak boldly in their presence. It does not say, "He is a
slanderer or back-biter," but "He is a judge among the
gods." Mark this well! The lords sit in high places, and
everyone sees their sins and faults most of all. And because
men see them most of all, there is no commoner sin than
speaking evil of lords. Everyone loves to do it, for in so
doing he forgets his own unrighteousness. Even though
their lord had every virtue, and they could discover in him Matt
only one vice and small as a mote, while they themselves 7:3-5
were full of vices as large as beams, yet they would see the
mote in high places before they would see the virtues, and
would not see the beams in the depths of all vices. 3
So, then, this first verse teaches that to rebuke rulers is not
seditious, provided it is done in the way here described;
namely, by the office to which God has committed that duty,
and through God's Word, spoken publicly, boldly, and hon-
estly. To rebuke rulers in this way is, on the contrary, a
praiseworthy, noble, and rare virtue, and a particularly great
service of God, as the Psalm here proves. It would be far
more seditious, if a preacher were not to rebuke the sins of
the rulers, for then he makes people angry and sullen, and
strengthens the wickedness of the tyrants and becomes a par-
taker in it, and bears responsibility for it. Thus God might
1 Hab dir kein. gut jar. A colloquialism implying a mild curse.
3 This is an illustration of Luther's hurried style, The "beams" are the
vices, and the "depths" are depths of rank.
298 Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained
be angered and might allow rebellion to come as a penalty.
The other way, when the lords are rebuked as well as the
people, and the people as well as the lords (as the prophets
did), neither can blame anything on the other, and they
have to bear with one another, and be satisfied, and be at
peace with each other.
They are poisonous and dangerous preachers who take the
side of one party alone and call the lords names in order to
tickle the people, and court the peasants like Muenzer, Carl-
stadt, and other fanatics ; or call the peasants names in order
to flatter and please the lords, as our opponents do. The
thing to do is to chop both parties in one bowl and make one
dish out of the two of them. For a preacher is neither a
courtier nor a slave of peasants. He is God's servant and
slave, and his commission is over lords and slaves; as the
Psalm here says, "He judges and rebukes the gods," That
is the meaning of the word Judicet, "judge," viz.
j u d i c i o e t jure. He is to do that which is right and
proper, not with a view to favor or disfavor, but according
to law, that is, according to God's Word, which knows no
distinction or respect of persons.
How long will ye judge unjustly
Verses M A n d prefer the persons of the godless?
These next three verses, nay, the whole Psalm, every
prince should have painted on the wall of his chamber, on
his bed, over his table, and on his garments. For here they
find what lofty, princely, noble virtues their estate can prac-
tice, so that temporal government, next to the preaching-
office, is the highest service of God and the most useful office
on earth. And this ought surely strengthen a lord, and incite
him to conduct his office with joy, and practice these virtues
in it. For how could one praise this rank more highly than
by saying that they are called, and are, gods? And the
works and virtues of their rank are not only princely or
royal, nay, not only angelic, but divine virtues. On the
other hand, they find how ungodly, unprincely, nay, inhuman
and altogether devilish are the, iniquities that they commit,
Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained 299
and how they are the most harmful people on earth, if they
depart from the virtues of their office, and do the opposite.
Then they can rightly be called, not gods, but devils ; and
this they certainly are, even though they sit in the office
of gods and bear the empty name.
Now let us see, one after another, the virtues that they can ni e
practice. The first is that they can secure justice for those Virtues
who fear God and repress those who are godless ; as it says,
"How long will ye judge unjustly and prefer the persons of
the godless?" Who can fully count the number of the rich
virtues and profits that follow from this first virtue For virtue:
if God's Word is protected and supported, so that it can be
freely taught and learned, and if the sects 1 and false teachers
are not given opportunity or defended against the teachers
who fear God, what greater treasure can there be in a land ?
Surely God Himself must dwell there, as in His own temple. T ^ Snp ,
Many kings and princes have founded great and glorious port the
churches, and built temples, but even if a king could build Y** *
a church of pure gold, or of emeralds and rubies only, what
would all these great and glorious things count for, compared
with one true, pious, God-fearing pastor or preacher? He
can help many thousand souls, both in eternal life and in this
life, for by his word he can bring them to God, and make
of them able and apt people, serving and honoring God and
wholesome and profitable for the world. A church or temple
cannot thus benefit a man ; nay, it cannot do any helping at
all, but only stands there and lets itself be helped and
adorned.
But who is this prince? And where are the eyes that can
see this virtue in a lord or prince ? To support or protect a
poor, pious pastor is an act that makes no show and looks
like a small thing; but to build a marble church, give it
golden ornaments, and serve dead stone and wood, that
makes a show that glitters ! That is a virtue worthy of a
king or prince ! Well, let it make its show ! Let it glitter !
Meanwhile my pastor, who does not glitter, is practicing the
virtue that increases God's kingdom, fills heaven with saints,
*Rotten.
300 Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained
plunders hell, robs the devil, wards off death, represses sin,
instructs and comforts every man in the world according to
his station in life, preserves peace and unity, raises fine
young folk, and plants all kinds of virtue in the people ; in a
word, he makes a new world. He builds not a poor, tem-
porary house, but an eternal and beautiful Paradise, in which
God Himself is glad to dwell. A pious prince or lord, who
supports or protects such a pastor, can have a part in all this.
Nay, this whole work, and all the fruits of it are his, as
though he had done it all himself, because without his pro-
tection and support, the pastor could not abide. No moun-
tain of gold or silver in a land can be compared with this
treasure therefore. But blessed must be the eyes that can
know this ; nay, blessed the fists that can do it.
The second virtue of a prince is to help the poor, the
orphans, and the widows to justice, and to further their
Virtue: cause. But, again, who can tell all the virtues that follow
A*. f rom this one? For this virtue includes all the works of
" righteousness; as when a prince or lord or city has good
Justice laws and customs, when everything is regulated in an orderly
way, and the order is kept by people in all ranks, occupations,
trades, businesses, services, and works, so that it is not said
populus sine lege, "The people are without laws."
For where there are no laws, the poor, the widows, and the
orphans are oppressed. Then there is no peasant so low
that he cannot practice extortion; and that holds equally trua
with buying, selling, inheriting, lending, paying, borrowing,
and the like. It is only a question who can get the better
of another, 1 rob him, steal from him, and cheat him; and that
happens most of all to the poor, the widows, and the orphans.
Now who can count the alms that such a lord is giving with-
out ceasing? He supports not only the pastor, spoken of
above, but all the subjects that he has, and he may well be
called the father of them all, as in ancient times the heathen
called such good princes "Fathers" and "saviors of their
country." 3
1 Wer den andern kan uber das feil werffen.
3 P a t e r patriae and servatores patriae.
Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained 301
See, now, what a hospital 1 such a prince can build! He
needs neither stone, nor wood, nor builders ; and he need give
it neither endowment nor income. To endow hospitals and Than
help poor people is, indeed, a precious good work in itself.
But when such a hospital becomes so great that a whole
land, and especially the really poor people of that land, enjoy
it, then it is a general, true, princely, nay, a heavenly and
divine hospital. For the first kind of hospital only a few
enjoy, and sometimes they are false knaves masquerading
as beggars ; but the second kind of hospital comes to the aid
only of the really poor, widows, orphans, travellers, and
other forlorn folk; and besides, it preserves for everyone
rich or poor, his living and his goods, so that he does not
have to become a beggar or a poor man; for if the law were
not kept, no one could keep anything from another, and all
would have to become beggars together, and be ruined and
destroyed. However, many there are who are not beggars
and do not become beggars, that is the number that their
overlord is providing for in this hospital. For so to help a
man that he does not need to become a beggar is just as
much of a good work and a virtue, and an alms, as to give
to a man, and help a man, who has already become a beggar.
Lo, who is there that sees or regards this virtue in this
estate of the gods ? 3 Would Reason seek it there ? It does
not make a glittering show, and therefore it counts for noth-
ing, But if a prince or princess were to go to a hospital
sometime, and there wait on the poor, and wash their feet
as we read that St. Elizabeth* did, and as some great folk in
foreign lands still do, that would be a great thing! That
glitters! It opens peoples' eyes and makes them a greater
reputation than all the virtues could ! And it is true ! We
have to praise it, and ought to praise it, as a great and beau-
tiful, though human, act of virtue. But what is it, compared
with the divine act of virtue that a prince performs when he
1 The hospital of Luther's time was "both hospital and alms-house.
2 i e., The rulers.
8 St. Elizabeth' of Hungary and Thuringia, d. 1231. It was said of her that,
when she was Landgravine of Thuringia, she built a hospital of twenty-eight
beds near the Wartburg, and attended the inmates daily. See Cath.
Encycl. V, 389 f.
302 Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained
continually does this greater service to all who are poor, or
must otherwise become poor? No one praises this, for no
one knows it or considers it. Therefore even the heathen
say 1 that righteousness is so fair a virtue that neither sun
nor moon nor morning star can be so fair.
In a word, after the Gospel, or spiritual office, there is on
earth no better jewel, no greater treasure, no richer alms, no
fairer endowment, no finer possession that a ruler who makes
and preserves just laws. Such men are rightly called gods,
These are the virtues, the profit, the fruits and the good
works that God has appointed to this rank in life. It is not
for nothing that He has called them gods, and it is not His
will that it shall be a lazy, empty, idle estate, in which men
seek only honor, power, luxury, selfish profit, and self-will;
but He would have them full of great, innumerable, unspeak-
able good works, so that they may be partakers of His divine
majesty, and help Him to do divine and superhuman works.
The third virtue is that they protect and guard against
violence and force, and this is called peacemaking. Thus
the emperors themselves have divided their duties into two
P arts > wnen tne 7 Sa 7 ^at an emperor or prince should be
equipped with laws and arms. For this reason they are
turn of depicted on their seals with a book in one hand and a sword
su jwts j^ t ^ e other, as a sign that they administer law and peace.
Law is wisdom, and should be the first of the two ; for gov-
ernment without wisdom does not last. They wear golden
crowns, too, so that it may be known that they are appointed
by God to be gods, and have not come into office of their own
accord, but are to be His assistants.
Now who can recount all the benefits that come from this
third virtue? One would first have to tell what the benefits
^ P eace are > an ^ w hak the harm that absence of peace does.
Peace But who on earth is so eloquent and so wise that he would
undertake to recount the whole of both these things? For
all the good that peace can do, God does for us through
these gods, and all the harm that lack of peace can do God
1 ARISTOTLE, Nicomachean Ethics v, 3 (cf. Weimar Ed.
1. a, p. 201, a 4.)
Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained 303
keeps from us by means of these gods. Now it is from peace
that we have our bodies and lives, wives and children, houses
and homes, nay, all our members hands, feet, eyes and all
our health and liberty, and within these walls of peace we sit
secure. "Where peace is, there is half a heaven." 1 On the
other hand, though you had all the money and wealth of the
Turk, and were not at peace, all your wealth would do you
so little good, that you could not have a happy bite of bread
or a quiet drink of water. If things went well, there would
be care, fear, danger all around ; if things were worse, there
would be only blood and fire and robbery and all calamity.
Thus lack of peace may be counted half a hell, or hell's pre-
lude and beginning.
But peace can help you, so that a bit of dry bread tastes
like sugar and a drink of water like Malvoisie. 3 But what kind
of fool am I to try to tell the benefits of peace and the
injuries of lack of peace. More easily could I count the
sand on the seashore or the leaves and grass-blades in the
woods. Christ Himself, in Matthew v, compares peace to
heaven, and says, "The peaceful shall be called children of
God" ; but God's children do not belong in the world, and
just as little does peace belong there. Lo, all these virtues be,
in very heaps, in this estate, but men do not see them, for
they make no show. Because of the goodness and the num-
ber of them they cannot make a show. But the empty,
worthless, useless works, these make a show ! These are held
in reputation!
I must remember here my monks and priests, who have
the reputation and the name of carrying heaven on their TI
shoulders in their acts of worship, though in reality they are Monk8
the great whale, Cuntz Hildebrand* which carries the world Uselefl8
on its tail, as the peasants say. What are all of these, com-
pared with one man who lives in this divine office?* They
*A proverb, going back to Walther von der Vogelweide. See Weimar
Ed. 1. c., p. 202, n. 3.
The highly prized sweet wine of Spain, Shakespeare's Malmsey.
8 C u n t z HHdebrand, a corruption of conzelebrant, which
was at once a technical name for one who assisted in the celebration of the
Mass, and the popular name for the legendary fish which carried the world.
M. t. t The office of a ruler.
Vol. IV.-20
304 Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained
are tame dogs that lie on pillows and whistle with their hind-
ends. But, not to insult them, I think that they are about
as useful in the world as the rust on the iron, for they are
just as much good to the world, or to this divine office, as
the rust on his tools is to a carpenter. Nay, I shall name
the very best of them, who have been hermits, like Hilarion 3
and Jerome, 2 and the rest, and who have their great reputa-
tion because of the holy hermit life they led. If wishing
could do it, I would rather be a pious secretary or tax col-
lector for one of these "gods" than twice an Hilarion or a
Jerome among the angels. Even though my little pen or
miserable penny would make less show in the world's eyes
than their gray beards and wrinkled skin, I should not worry
about that, if only I were a partaker of all those divine
virtues of rulership, of which I have spoken.
See, now, what an imperial, nay, what a heavenly strong-
A hold such a prince can build for the protection of his sub-
strong, jects ! It is indeed a splendid and a needful thing to build
hold of s t r ong cities and castles against one's enemies ; but that is
nothing when compared with the work of a prince who
builds a stronghold of peace, that is, who loves peace and
administers it. Even the Romans, the greatest warriors on
earth, had a saying that to make war without necessity was to
go fishing with a golden net ; if it was lost, the fishing could
not pay for it; if it caught anything, the cost was too much
greater than the profit.* One must not begin a war, or work
for it; it comes unbidden, all too soon. One must keep
peace as long as ever one can, even though one must buy it
with all the money that would be spent on the war, or won
by the war. Victory never makes up for what is lost by war.
Sum- These, then, are the three chief virtues of the gods,
mary touched on in these three verses. Any one of them can fill
the world with blessing. The first verse demands the first
Verse 2 virtue, viz., that the gods, that is, the princes and lords, shall
honor God's Word above all things and shall further the
teaching of it. It says, "How long will ye judge unjustly
1 Hilarion of Gaza, d. 371 A. D. St Jerome, d. 420 A. D.
8 Suetonius, Oct. 23. Luther probably got the saying from Erasmus*
Adages.
Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained 305
and prefer the persons of the godless ?" The godless and the
false teachers always have great reputation in the eyes of
Reason and of the world. They know, too, how to make a
fine appearance, before both lords and people, and thus
strengthen and spread their poisonous errors. For as St.
Paul says, in Galatians vi, "Their confidence and boast is Ga i.
not in God; therefore they must seek men to be their confi- 6;is
dence and boast." This is called, here in this verse, "prefer-
ring persons," or "regarding persons," when men choose
their doctrine, not from love of truth, but from the pleasure
that they take in persons, and this sin St. Tude, in his J ude 16
Epistle, blames in the godless.
The second verse teaches the second virtue. They are to Verse 3
make and administer just laws, so that the poor, the wretched,
the widows, the orphans are not oppressed, but have their
rights and can keep them. It says, "Judge the poor and
orphaned, and help the wretched and needy to justice." By
saying that "they are to help them to justice," it gives us to
understand that there are judges and courts, but that things
go so by favor or friendship, out of envy or revenge, that
often he is put in the right who is really in the wrong.
The third verse teaches the third virtue. They are to Verse4
protect against force and harm, and prevent violence, punish
the knaves, and wield the sword upon the wicked, so that
peace may be kept in the land. It says, "Rescue the small
and the poor, deliver them out of the hand of the godless."
In the preceding verse, it speaks of "justice," in this verse
of "the hand" to show that there it was speaking of wrong,
and here of violence. For these two, wrong and force, go
together in the world. We say, "He does me violence and
wrong." Wrong is done by the mind, 1 or with the mouth;
violence with the fist and with crime. 3 A' prince and lord
should suppress both.
These three verses, then, include all the princely virtues
J D tirch s urteil.
*Mit f revel. Luther's distinction between f revel and gewalt
is hard to keep in translation, Gewalt, when used in an evil sense, as
here, is equivalent to f revel, which means "wickedness in violent opera-
tion," therefore, "crime."
306 Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained
that can be called virtutes h e r o i c a s, or "knightly
virtues," such as are ascribed to and praised in Hercules,
Hector, Achilles, and other great heroes and lords, who
fought great battles, slew many enemies, and honorably
proved their manhood and prowess in combat. We have
nothing against that! But open my eyes and show me one
of these gods who has dared to suppress wrong and violence,
(I will say nothing about the first virtue, which concerns
God's Word!), to resist knaves and rascals, to protect and
preserve the good and the poor, and to maintain order and
peace in the land. Such a man smites, not Hector or
Achilles, but greater and more monstrous giants, namely all
the devils, with all their wickedness. Dear friend, that takes
a heart with the strength of nine hearts, and fidelity that
goes beyond all fidelity.
To finish with these three verses : Such a man should bear
with honor the three divine offices and names ; therefore he
should be called a savior, father, deliverer. For by the first
virtue, the furtherance of the Word of God, he helps many
to blessedness, so that they may be redeemed from sin and
death, and attain salvation. By the second virtue, the admin-
istration of just laws, he supports all his subjects, as a father
supports his children; for, as has been said, 1 if it were not
for law, no one could keep anything from another. By the
third virtue, the suppression of violence and the punishment
of the wicked, he protects the poor, and preserves peace; thus
he is a true rescuer, or knight/ and justly wears the golden
spurs. For I believe that R i 1 1 e r comes from r e 1 1 e n
and that the word R e 1 1 e r has become R i 1 1 e r, a true
and splendid name for the princes and lords.
For we find that our old Germans gave their princes and
lords unusually fine names. Thus in Saxon Ludewig means
praesidium, arx populi. "Wig" is a stronghold,
or fort, in which one can take refuge and to which one can
retreat, in case of need. Therefore a prince should be a
Ludewig, that is, a defence and refuge for the people.
1 Above, p. 301.
a Retter oddet Ritter.
Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained 307
Heger, again, indicates that a prince should cherish, 1 satisfy,
protect, and defend his land and his people. Herman, which
the Latins have corrupted into Ariminius, means "a man of
the army," 3 dux belli, one who is strong in war and
battle, who can rescue and lead his own people, and risk his
life in doing it, In the same way, they called their overlords
Retter or Ritter, from retten, because they
"rescued" their people from distress. Thus by the name they
reminded them of their office, their rank, and the virtues that
go with them. Beyond doubt, they were moved to give the
rulers these and like names, because of the works and the
virtues that they saw and observed in their princes.
These are the virtues that they ought to have and to prac-
tice. But how do things actually go ? The very opposite !
Among the gods three devilish vices are working against
these divine virtues. The world is perverse and perverts all
of God's gifts and blessings. That is what it does with these
divine offices too. For it is the princes and lords, who ought
to be advancing God's Word, who do the most to suppress,
forbid, and persecute it. Instead, they advance false and
injurious teachers, as we read that the kings of Israel and
Judah did. King Ahab and Jezebel, his queen, supported
about eight hundred priests of Baal, and drove out all God's
prophets, so that only Elijah was left, and he could not stay
in the land. The same thing has happened before, and is
happening now. The world, full of monks and priests, can
be advanced, and princes and lords can be exalted, but a John
Huss* or a Leonard Reiser* cannot be tolerated. Thus this
verse is mightily fulfilled. They "judge unjustly/' that is,
they misuse and pervert their office; and "prefer the persons
of the godless," that is, they advance the godless and hinder
the godly.
Who can tell all the cruel harm and injury that such a
prince or lord does ? He drives so many souls into hell, and
robs so many of eternal blessedness, that he might well be
called, not "a god," but a devil ; for he does not help God
^Hegen. a Heer man.
8 The Bohemian reformer, executed 1415.
*A Lutheran preacher, executed Aug. 16, 1527,
308 Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained
build a heaven or a paradise, but helps Beelzebub build hell,
and fill it up. How small are the sins of an ordinary man or
woman, compared with the sins of such a lord ! What evil
can a thief or murderer or adulterer do, compared with that
which such a lord does ? In this case the saying is certainly
true, "The big thieves hang the little ones, and the big mur-
derers have the little murderers killed." They say, "A wise
man commits no little acts of folly." So a great man is guilty
of no little vices ; just as, on the other hand, he can perform
no little acts of wisdom or virtue, since he is placed in a posi-
tion where all the things he does must be great, whether they
be good or bad Therefore, as there is no greater jewel in
the world than a God-fearing lord, so there is no more
hurtful plague in the world than a godless lord.
So it is, also, with the second virtue, the administration of
law, and the helping of the poor and the orphaned, as is
shown by daily experience and common complaint. Espe-
cially in Germany things go in such a way that one prince
hinders another, one noble another, one city another. Each
of them hinders the rest, so that even though part of them
wanted to be upright, they cannot, because of the others, and
have to allow wrong to be done. Thus it comes that the
spirit of defiance and self-will rules among the sons of men,
as though Germany were populus sine lege, "a
people without law," and there is almost no distinction among
the ranks and offices. A prince is emperor; he is likewise
merchant and trader. Similarly count is prince, noble is
count, burgher is noble, peasant is burgher, servant is lord,
maid is mistress, pupil is master. Everyone is what he
wants to be, does as he likes, and conducts himself as he
pleases. How much good and right this brings to the com-
mon people is easy to discover. Who can recount, or
adequately describe, all of these evils?
It is exactly so with the third virtue also, the succoring of
the poor. There is neither punishment nor discipline, neither
fear nor timidity. Self-will of every kind has reached a
point, among both nobles and peasants, that when one speaks
against it, they become so much the worse and do all the
Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained 309
more, just for spite; for they see and know how things go,
and that they go unpunished. Certainly now is the time of
which the prophet Amos says, "It is an evil time, when even 6 ^
a wise man must keep silent." For if anyone speaks against
it, they act as though he were merely showing them a way to
make things worse. But how could it be worse, when neither
silence nor speech helps ? If we are silent, they become worse
day by day ; if we speak, they become still worse. Then the
poor and wretched must suffer, and be unsuccored. This is
all the fault of the princes and lords, who have let these
things go so far that they cannot prevent them, even though
they might wish to do so. But one will come who will put
a stop to the tickling of our self-will, and scratch its itch right
well It has gone too far; we are doing too much; the bag
must tear, and the string must break. God help His own!
Amen.
A question arises, in connection with these three verses. ghajl
Since the gods, or rulers, beside their other virtues, are to
advance God's Word and its preachers, are they also to put Put
down opposing doctrines, or heresies, since no one can be
forced to believe ? The answer to this question is as follows :
First. Some heretics are seditious, and teach openly that
no rulers are to be tolerated ; that no Christian may occupy ^ ^
a position of rulership, that no one ought to have property Teach
of his own, but run away from wife and child and leave Sedition
house and home, or that all property shall be held in com-
mon. 1 These teachers are immediately, and without doubt,
to be punished by the rulers, as men who are resisting tern- Ram>
poral law and government (Romans xiii). They are not i3:if.
heretics only, but rebels, who are attacking the rulers and
their government, just as a thief attacks another's goods, a
murderer another's body, an adulterer another's wife; and
this is not to be tolerated.
Second. If some were to teach doctrines contradicting an
article of faith, clearly grounded in Scripture and believed Articles
, __ of Frith
1 These ideas were spread chiefly by the Anabaptist teachers, especially by the
followers of Thomas Muenzer. They played a part in the Peasant Revolt of
1525. See present volume, pp. 211 flf.
310 Eighty- second Psalm Translated and Explained
throughout the world by the whole Church, 1 such as the
articles that we teach children in the Creed, as, for example,
if anyone would teach that Christ is not God, but a mere
man, and like other prophets, as the Turks and the Anabap-
tists hold, such teachers should not be tolerated, but pun-
ished as blasphemers. For they are not mere heretics, but
open blasphemers, and rulers are in duty bound to punish
blasphemers, as they do those who curse, swear, revile, abuse,
defame and slander. Such teachers, with their blasphemy,
are defaming the name of God, and robbing their neighbor
of his honor in the eyes of the world. In like manner, the
rulers should also punish, or certainly not tolerate,' those
who teach that Christ did not die for our sins, but that every-
one shall make his own satisfaction for them; for that, too, is
blasphemy against the Gospel and against the article that we
all pray in the Creed, "I believe in the forgiveness of sins,"
and "In Jesus Christ dead, risen, etc." They should be treated
in the same way who teach that the resurrection of the dead
and the life everlasting are nothing, and that there is no hell,
and the like things ; as did the Sadducees and the Epicureans,
of whom there are now coming to be many among the great
wiseacres.
By this procedure no one is compelled to believe, for he
can still believe what he will; but he is forbidden to teach
and blaspheme. For, by so doing, he would take from God
and the Christians their doctrine and word, and he would do
them this injury under their own protection and by means of
the things that all have in common. Let him go to some
place where there are no Christians ; for as I have often said,
he who makes a living from the burghers ought to keep the
law of the burgh, and not defame and revile it, or else he
ought to get out. We are told that the holy fathers in the
Council of Nicsea, when they heard the doctrine of the
Arians read, all hissed unanimously, and would not listen or
permit any argument or defence, but condemned them out of
hand, without any disputation, as blasphemers.* Moses, in
* Chris ten he it.
3 Luther repeats this statement in his treatiste T he Councils and the
Church (1539). His sources seem to have heen Cassidorus* and Rufinus'
Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained 311
his Law, commands that such blasphemers and, indeed, all Lev.
false teachers, are to be stoned. So, in this case, there ought 24:16
not to be much disputing, but such open blasphemers should
be condemned without a hearing and without defence, as
Paul commands in Titus i, "A heretic is to be avoided and Tit
let go, after he has been admonished once or twice"; and he 3:1
forbids Timothy to wrangle and dispute, since this has no i Tim.
effect, except to pervert those who hear. For these common 6:2
articles of the whole Church 1 have had hearings enough;
they have been proved and decreed by the Scriptures and by
the confession of the whole Church, confirmed by many mir-
acles, sealed by the blood of many holy martyrs, and are
testified to and defended in the books of all the doctors. They
need no more discussion and clever interpreting.
Third. If it happen that in a parish, a city, or a principality,
the papists and the Lutherans (as they are called) are crying 3. Pa-
out upon one another because of certain matters of belief, piste ""*
and preaching against one another, and both parties will have ^
it that the Scriptures are on their side, I would not willingly
tolerate such a division. My Lutherans ought to be willing
to abdicate and be silent, if they observed that they were not
gladly heard, as Christ teaches, in Matthew x. They ought Matt -
to have themselves compelled to preach, as I do. For I
leave off readily, if people do not want to hear me, and all
my preaching and writing has been done under force and
compulsion. But if neither party is willing to yield or be
silent, or if neither can do so because of official position, then
let the rulers take a hand. Let them hear the case, and com-
mand that party to keep silence which does not agree with
the Scriptures. Thus the great emperor Constantine did,
when he caused Athanasius and Arius to be heard and their
case judged by his procurator, Probus. 3 It is not a good
thing that contradictory preaching should go out among the
people of the same parish. For from this arise divisions,
translation of Eusebitts. Cf. SCHAEFER Luther als Kirchenhistor-
iker,p. 295.
>Christenheit.
a Luther's source for this disputation was VIGIWUS OF THAPSUS' Contra
Arianos dialog us (MiGNE LXII, 155 flf.) Cf. SCHAIFER Luthet
als Kirchenhistoriker, p. 281,
312 Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained
disorders, hatreds and envyings which extend to temporal
affairs also.
Fourth. If it happen that some are crying out upon one
another because of matters concerning which both sides con-
f ess that the Scriptures are not at issue, but only ancient cus-
tom an( j ma n-made law, (I mean such questions as tonsures,
holy water, the blessing of herbs, and the like unnecessary
things, which are confirmed neither with miracles nor with
the blood of martyrs), then these wranglings are by no
means to be tolerated in the pulpit, but both parties are to be
ordered to keep peace.
For what the Scriptures do not contain, the preachers
ought not wrangle about in the presence of the people.
Rather ought they deal always with the Scriptures, for love
and peace are far more important than all ceremonies. Thus
COL St. Paul says that peace is to be preferred to all else, and it
3:14 is unchristian to let peace and unity yield to ceremonies. If
that command does not help, then he who, without Scripture,
insists on ceremonies as necessary to salvation, and who
would bind men's consciences, should be ordered to keep
silence.
What I say about public preaching, I say even more
emphatically about private preaching and secret ceremonies. 3
These are not to be tolerated at all. For the rest, anyone
may read what he likes and believe what he likes. If he
will not hear God, let him hear the devil. But the things
that are sure articles of Scripture are to be both publicly
preached and read and taught to the common people at home,
All of this compels no one to believe, but it gives the com-
munity peace from the hot-heads, and puts a stop to the
knavery of the fellows who preach in corners, who sneak,
uncalled and unsent, into peoples' houses, and emit then
poison there, before pastors or rulers find them out. These
John are the thieves and murderers, of whom Christ speaks it
io;8 John x They enter another's parish and seize another's
^ . Thi
reference is to the secret, or semi-secret, propaganda of the sectaries, many o
whom were revolutionaries, and all of whom were suspected of teaching reVc
luticmary doctrine.
Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained 313
office, which is not committtd to them, but forbidden them.
It is the duty of a citizen, if such a sneak conies to him, No
before he listens to him or lets him speak, to report the
matter to the ruler or to the pastor whose parishioner he is. without
If he does not do this, he should know that he is breaking a CaU
his oath 1 and disobeying his ruler, and that he is despising his
pastor (whom he ought to honor), and thus acting against
God, and that he is himself guilty and just as much of a thief
and rascal as the sneak himself. The fiftieth Psalm says p s . so:
of these teachers in corners, "God spake to the godless, Why 15 " 20
declarest thou my laws, and takest my covenant in thy
mouth, seeing thou hatest instruction and castest my word
behind thee? If thou seest a thief (that is, a thief of souls,
John x), thou runnest with him, and art partaker with
adulterers (that is, false believers and heretics). Thou
makest thy mouth speak evil, and thy tongue dealeth in false-
hood. Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother, and
slanderest thy mother's son."
If Muenzer and Carlstadt and their comrades had not been
allowed to sneak and creep into other men's houses and par-
ishes, whither they had neither call nor command to go, that
whole great calamity 3 would not have happened. To be sure,
the apostles did, at first, go into other men's houses and
preach there; but they had a command, and were ordained
and called and sent to preach the Gospel in all places; as
Christ said, "Go into all the world and preach to all crea- Mark
tures." Since then, however, no one has had this general i6:is
apostolic command, but every bishop or pastor has had his
definite diocese or parish, and for this reason St. Peter, in I i pet
Peter v, calls them Cleros, that is, "parts," indicating S:3
that to each of them a part of the people has been com-
mitted (as Paul writes to Titus also), and that no one else, Tit.
and no stranger, shall undertake to instruct his parishioners, 1:S
either publicly or privately, without his knowledge and con-
sent. On peril of body and soul, no one is to listen to such a
man, but report him to his pastor or his ruler.
* i. c,, Of allegiance. * The Peasants' Revolt,
314 Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained
This rule should be so kept that no preacher, however
pious or upright, should take it upon himself either to preach
to the people of a papistical or heretical pastor, or to teach
them privately, without the knowledge and consent of that
pastor; for he has no command to do this, and what is not
commanded should be left undone. If we would perform
the duties that are commanded, we have enough to do. It
does not help their case to say that all Christians are priests.
It is true that all Christians are priests, but all are not pas-
tors. For to be a pastor, one must not only be a Christian
and a priest, but must have an office and a field of work 1
committed to him. This call and command make pastors and
preachers. A burgher or layman may be a learned man, but
this does not make him a Doctor, and entitle him to teach
publicly in the schools, or to assume the teaching-office, unless
he is called to it.
I have had to say these things about the sneaks and false
preachers, of whom there are now all too many, in order
to warn both pastors and rulers that they shall exhort and
command their people to be on their guard against these
vagabonds and knaves, and to avoid them as sure emissaries
of the devil, unless they bring good evidence that they are
called and commanded by God to do this work in that special
place. Otherwise no one should let them in or listen to them,
even though they were to preach the pure Gospel, nay, even
though they were angels from heaven, and all Gabriels, at
that. For it is God's will that nothing be done as a result
of one's own choice or decision, but everything as a conse-
quence of a command or a call. That is especially true of
2 Pet. preaching, as St. Peter says, in II Peter i, "Ye should know
1:20 f * this first, No prophecy was brought out by the will of man,
but the holy men of God spoke, driven by the Holy Ghost."
Luke 4:4i Therefore Christ, too, would not let the devils speak, when
they cried out that He was the Son of God and told the truth,
for He did not want to permit such an example of preaching
without a call. Let everyone, then, remember this: If he
will preach or teach, let him prove the call or command which
Kirchspiel,
Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained 315
drives and compels him to it, or else be silent; if he will not
do this, then let the rulers hand the knave over to the right
master, Master Hans. 1 That will be what he deserves, for
he certainly intends to start a rebellion, or worse, among the
people.
But perhaps you will say to me, "Why do you, by your
books, teach throughout the world, when you are only Objc-
preacher in Wittenberg?" I answer : I have never wanted to ^^ p 1 *
do it, and do not want to do it now. I was forced and driven Himself
into this position in the first place, when I had to become a Does lt
Doctor of Holy Scripture against my will. 2 Then, as a Doc-
tor in a general free university, I began, at the command of
pope and emperor, 3 to do what such a doctor is sworn to do,
expounding the Scriptures for all the world, and teaching
everybody. Once in this position, I have had to stay in it,
and cannot give it up or leave it, even yet, with a good con-
science, even though both pope and emperor were to put me
under the ban for not doing so. For what I began as a Doc-
tor, made and called at their command, I must truly confess
to the end of my life, and I cannot keep silent or cease to
teach, though I would like to do so, and am weary and
unhappy at the great and unendurable ingratitude of the
people. And even if I were not a Doctor, I am, neverthe-
less, a regularly called preacher, and may teach my own
people with writings. If others have desired these writings
of mine and have asked for them, it is my duty to accede to
their request. For I have never pushed myself in, or desired
or asked that anyone should read these writings, but have
acted just like other pious pastors and preachers, who write
books, and neither prevent nor drive people to the reading of
them, and thus teach throughout the world. They do not
run and sneak like these worthless, uncalled knaves, into the
1 i. e. The jailer or executioner.
a Luther took his degree of Doctor of Theology at the express *co<ffiinand of
the Vicar of the Augustinian Order, John Staupitz. See SCHEEL, L tit her,
II (1917), 309 ff., and his own letter to the Faculty at Erfurt (Enders,
I, 22 ff.).
'Implied in the charter granted by the pope and the emperor to the univer-
sity.
316 Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained
offices of others without the knowledge and consent of the
pastors, but they have a definite office and position, by which
they are driven and compelled.
Someone, however, may enter the further objection, "We
ought not to punish these blasphemers or prevent them,
because we tolerate the Jews, who blaspheme the Lord Christ
and His mother, with all the saints and all Christans, both in
their teaching and their speaking/' Answer: They have
their punishment for this, in that they are outside the Church
and cannot hold any public office; and even as it is, they are
not allowed to utter this blasphemy publicly. Much less are
they permitted to attempt this in the public position of
preachers or by preaching in corners, as do these poisonous
sneaks, who are not willing to cast the poison of their blas-
phemy upon any except those who are baptized and are
called Christians. Moreover they are not willing to be con-
sidered useless by the world, like the Jews, but want to be
celebrated and honored as the greatest people of all But if
they were to go, or to stay, where there are no Christians,
and where, like the Jews, they would be heard by no one, then
we let them blaspheme to the stones and trees in some forest,
or possibly in the depths of the sea, or in a hot oven.
Perhaps someone may make me another clever answer and
s. LU- say that, with this kind of teaching, I am strengthening the
th * r Is case of the tyrants who persecute the Gospel, and opening
door and window for them. Since they consider our Gospel
heresy and blasphemy, they will now preen themselves sure
enough, and pretend that conscience and duty compel them
to punish us as blasphemers. Answer: What do I care? If
we were to hold back necessary instruction because of the
tyrants, we would long since have had to give up the Gospel
altogether. If they do right, they will find it out, and I leave
them to worry about it. When they knowingly use their
power over worldly things, in the most self-willed manner,
for the injury of others, what wonder that they do us wrong?
Like blind men, they cannot see our doctrine, and like mad-
men, they cannot hear it. It was thus that the kings of
Israel killed the true prophets. Nevertheless, we must not
Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained 317
abolish or hide the commandment to stone false prophets; 1
but pious rulers will punish no man without first seeing,
hearing, learning, and becoming certain that he is a blas-
phemer. But enough of this ! Let us return to the Psalm:
But they know nothing and consider Vetse 5
nothing, they go in darkness;
All the foundations of the land shall
fall.
This verse is a lamentation. It says that the gods have
left their duties and their virtues, and are practicing the JjJjJ^
opposite vices, as has been said. But they will not have done faJi of
this with impunity. He will cast them down and they will Rnleri1
have a real fall, though they think themselves secure and do
not believe it until they experience it. Nay, they scoff at it,
when it is said of them, "The foundations shall fall." They
feel that they sit fast, and have power, and, as the text says,
they are called "foundations of the land," that is, rocks and
stones, on which the land and the government stand and rest.
For just as, in His Kingdom, Christ is the cornerstone,
rock, or foundation, on which the Church is built, or stands,
so every prince or lord is the cornerstone, rock, or founda-
tion of his land, or people. This manner of speaking, in
which kings and princes are called rocks and cornerstones, is
common in Scripture, as when Isaiah calls the king of Egypt
"a rock of the people/' etc,
With this saying, then, He strikes a blow at their confi-
dence, and says, with a great threat, "Even though you are
so firmly planted, and are actually rocks and foundations in
the land, I will cast you and dash you down, so that you shall
fall and go to pieces. If you compare this saying with the
histories, you discover how frequently God overthrows kings
and lords, throws them, hurls them, wipes them out, and
treats them relentlessly, in the fulfillment of this verse, which
they will not believe. Read the books of Kings and see how
He wipes out Kings Jeroboam, Ahab, Jehoram, Ahaziah; and
among the heathen, the Emperors Julius, Nero, Domitian,
* See above, p. 310,
318 Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained
etc. Our own times, too, give us illustrations in plenty, if
we consider or regard them. But they forget all this, and pay
no attention to it, and this verse must seem to them a lie,
until they find out by experience how certainly true it is.
They earn this overthrow, it says, because they do not take
Reasons: heed, do not consider, and walk in darkness. These are the
i. They t j iree y - ces t j iat ] lave k een motioned. 1 The first is that they
do not accept the duty of advancing the Word of God. So
long as they have what they want, they do not care what
becomes of God and His Word - If He wants to be a God '
and advance His own Word, let Him do it Himself ; they
have many other things to do beside performing this duty.
Moreover, they take so little heed to themselves that they are
loth to hear and learn the Word of God, in order to know
what He is. And, what is still worse, they persecute the
Word of God, condemn it unheard, and take the corrupting
of souls and the killing and murdering of true preachers, as
lightly as though it were a game or a joke to destroy people
so pitiably in body and soul. And then they will have it
that they have done God service !
2 Nw The second vice is that they do not take heed to their
p*>tect worldly government and do not provide the poor and
the Poor wre tched with law and protection. In this they are not only
heedless and negligent, but they vex their subjects with force
and wrong, or wink at it, when others do it. And yet no one
must say that this is wrong! Thus they become ripe for
punishment, and complete their wickedness, and fill up the
register of their sins.
The third vice is that "they walk in darkness," and in this
i U r^ od ^ ess state > ^ ve on ^ * or themselves, as though they had got
the rulership in order to seek and pursue only their own profit
and honor, their own pleasure and selfish desires, their own
pride and pomp, and owed no one either service or help. That
is an altogether worldly and dark life, for they know not
what they do, or ought to do, but go about like blind men,
who guide themselves by feeling and tapping. They do what
they feel like and want to do, and do not see, beyond these
1 Above, p. 307 f.
Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained 319
things, those which their office requires. Therefore they
must fall and perish, as they deserve.
The human heart should be terrified when it hears the
judgment and decree passed in heaven upon these tyrants.
For this verse clearly shows that before God and the angels
they have the honor to be considered despisers and perse-
cutors of God's Word, violent and vicious rulers, and blind
men, who walk in darkness and are to be cast down. Heaven
is already ringing with this verdict, and, thanks to this verse,
the earth also shall be full of it. But they have armed them-
selves against it with a strong, thick unbelief that gives them
a heart of stone and a head of iron, so that they pay no atten-
tion to this utterance, and await their condemnation defiantly
and proudly. Ah, well ! Let them go on to the devil, since
they will not have it otherwise !
I have said, Ye are gods
And all of you children of the highest.
There it stands ! They are, and are called, gods. They are
proud of it, and pride themselves confidently on their power. The
He confesses that they are gods and have power; and that is
true. But it is shameful that they do not recognize from
whom they have it, and use it as though they had it from
themselves, and could do with it what they will, serving with
it neither God nor man, and wanting to be free gods, without
any god and over every god. Here He has a word to say in
this wickedness, and says, "Ye know well that ye are gods
and have power; that ye have learned and grasped very
quickly. But when will ye learn from whom ye have it?
What becomes of Me? What becomes of My command-
ments, which I have given you ? It is not your command, but
I, I, I have said that ye are gods. It is My com-
mand and My word that makes and ordains you gods, and
keeps you gods, and it is not your word or wisdom or might.
Ye are gods made by My word, as all creatures are made,
and ye are not self-made gods or born gods, as I am. If I
had not commanded it, no one of you would have been a god.
Mine are all power, rulership, property, honor, lands and
Vol. IV. 21
320 Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained
peoples, and all that belongs to them, I have given them to
you; ye have not acquired them or won them. But what
fine thanks do ye give Me for them? Ye reject Me and My
Word, and hold Me for no God at all."
"What F say they, f T>o we not recognize that we have this
from Thee, and hold Thee for our God ! That be far from
us ! If Thou knowest it not otherwise, look only at our titles
in which we publicly boast and confess it, We, N, by
God's grace King of N 3 ; 'We, N, by God's grace Duke of
N' ; 'We, N, by God's grace, Prince of N'; etc. There Thou
hearest that we confess our rulership to be received from
God's grace. What wilt Thou more than this ?"
It is true ! The words ale right and good ! But do you
IM. know of a people of whom the prophet says, "This people
29:13 honoreth Me with the mouth, but their heart is far from
Matt Me?" Christ, too, says, in Matthew vii, "They will not all
7:21 come into the kingdom of heaven who say to me Lord, Lord;
i Cor. but he that doeth the will of my Father"; and Paul in I
4:20 Corinthians iii, "The kingdom of God is not in words, but
in deeds."
What good does it do that with your words you boast and
confess that you are lords by God's grace, when your heart
and your whole life show that you would like to have no
God, and be a free lord, with all might to act against God's
commandments, according to your own self-will? For he
who does not heed and keep God's Word, sets God Himself
at naught, since he who would honor God and have God,
must have Him in and through His Word, otherwise it is
impossible to get Him, have Him, or know Him. Since,
then, the gods neither heed nor have God's Word and com-
mandment, they have no God ; and if they have no God, they
must have become gods by themselves, and this verse must
be a lie and a falsehood, when it says, "I have said,
Ye are gods." See, then, how many are the princes and
lords who bear the title, "By God's grace," with a true heart
and truthful lips! The majority bear it as a testimony
against themselves, as a false and shameful lie about God, by
which they blaspheme and dishonor His holy name, wearing
Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained 321
it as a cloak for their tyranny and wickedness. Of this
much could be said.
One might wonder why He calls such wicked people,
whom he rebukes so harshly, "children of God/' or "of the
Highest," since it is the holy and believing people who are
called children of God in Scripture. Answer: It is just as
great a wonder that He calls these wicked people by His own
name, gods; indeed, calling them gods is even more than
calling them children. But it is all in the word, "I have
said." As we have often said, the Word of God hallows and
deifies everything to which it is applied. Therefore those
estates that are appointed in God's Word are all holy, divine
estates, even though the persons in them are not holy. Thus
father, mother, son, daughter, master, mistress, servant, maid,
preacher, pastor, etc., all these are holy and divine positions
in life, even though the persons in those positions may be
knaves and rascals. So, because He here founds and orders
the office of rulership, the rulers are rightly called "gods"
and "children of God," for the sake of the divine office and
divine Word; and yet they are wicked knaves, as He here
calls them.
Therefore ye shall die like men, Verse 7
And fall like one of the princes.
Because they are not willing to honor God with their god-
head, as He commands, but act as though they had nothing ^^
from God, and everything from themselves, He here threat- ment of
ens that He will punish them, and punish them in such a way the
that they will lose their godhead, He will depose them and Bul * !M
take away their godhead, so that they die and go to destruc-
tion, not as "gods" or "children of God," but as men, so that,
both in life and death, they may be like men who are without
God's Word, and are lost. For God's Word makes a dis-
tinction among the children of Adam. Those who have
God's Word are not merely men, but holy men, God's chil-
dren, Christians, etc. ; but those who are without God's Word
are merely men, that is, in sin, eternally imprisoned in death,
under the power of the devil, and are altogether without
322 Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained
God. Therefore, when the Scriptures call anyone "man,"
they are giving him a bad name; and when they say that
the wicked gods shall "die like men," it is a terrible, horrible
threat, for it means that they shall be lost eternally.
So it is, also, with the phrase, "They shall fall like one of
the princes." Here He does not call them "gods," or "chil-
dren of God," but changes the name, and calls them simply
"princes." As if to say; A prince who is without God and
His Word, is also assuredly lost, and when he falls and
passes away, he loses his godhead, that is God's appointment,
and passes away as tyrants are wont to pass. They do not
believe this terrible threat and condemnation, however, but
must be made to experience it. All history is full of illustra-
tions of this.
Verse s Arise, God, and judge the land ;
For thou dost inherit amongthe heathen.
Worldly government will make no progress. The people
The are too wicked, and the lords dishonor God's name and Word
Khied<Mft continually, by the shameful abuse of their godhead. There-
fore he prays for another government and kingdom, in which
things will be better, where God's name will be honored, His
Word kept, and He Himself be served; that is the kingdom
of Christ. Therefore he says, "0 God, come and be the
Judge upon earth. Be Thyself King and Lord. The gods
have a lost cause. For to Thee belongs the kingdom among
all the heathen in the whole world, as is promised in the
Scriptures."
This is the kingdom of Jesus Christ : this is the true God,
who has come and is judging; that is to say, He is Lord in
all the world, for no empire has spread so far among the
heathen as has the kingdom of Christ, and this verse can not
be understood as meaning any other than Christ. This God is
a god by nature, 1 to whom it is not said, "I have said
that Thou are God"; but, "Arise, God and judge the
earth." For Christ practices aright the three divine virtues
mentioned above. He advances God's Word and the preach-
*Ein naturlicher Gott.
Eighty-second Psalm Translated and Explained 323
ers of it ; He makes and keeps law for the poor ; He protects
and rescues the miserable. Among the people of Christ 1 the
service of God is justice, peace, righteousness, life, salvation,
etc. Of this kingdom of Christ the Gospels, and the
Epistles of the apostles, preach and testify so fully that there
is no need to speak further of them here.
Thus we see that, over and above righteousness, wisdom,
and power of this world, there is need for another kingdom,
in which there is another righteousness, wisdom, and power.
For the righteousness of this world has an end, but the
righteousness of Christ and those who are in His Kingdom
abide forever. To this may He help us and keep us, Who
is our King, our dear Lord and God, Jesus Christ. May He,
with the Father and the Holy Ghost in one essential 2 and
eternal Godhead, be praised and blessed forever. Amen.
*In der C hr 1st enh ei t. 3 Natttrlich er .
AN EXHORTATION TO THE CLERGY
ASSEMBLED
AT THE DIET AT AUGSBURG
1530
INTRODUCTION
The Exhortation to the Clergy Assembled at the
Diet at Augsburg was Luther's first work at Feste Coburg.
On April 15, 1530, the Elector of Saxony arrived at Coburg, with
his retinue, on his way to the Diet of Augsburg. One of the major
purposes of this diet, as announced by the emperor, was to reconcile
religious differences and bring Germany to religious unity. 1 With this
end in view he had called upon the "estates" to be ready to express
their views on the religious questions then dividing the empire. The
Elector of Saxony, therefore, took with him as advisers the leaders
of religious thought in his dominions, Luther, Melanchthon, Spalatin,
Justus Jonas and Agricola. They had already discussed a confession
of faith that might be presented at the diet and had agreed upon a
part, at least, of its contents, though its final form had not been
determined and the Augsburg Confession was not finished until
immediately before its presentation, on June 25th.
The Elector's party remained at Coburg for a week, and then
moved on toward Augsburg, leaving Luther behind. He was under
the ban of the empire, and it was not safe to take him farther. On
April 23, he took up his residence at the castle Feste Coburg where
he remained while the diet was in session. During this period of
enforced retirement, he had leisure for writing.
He began work on the Exhortation as soon as he was
settled in the castle. On April 29 he wrote to Melanchthon 3 that
the work was growing under his hands. On May 12 he sent the
manuscript to Wittenberg to be printed. 3 Before the end of the
month it was off the press, and before June 7 it was on sale in
Augsburg, where one book-seller disposed of five hundred copies in
a few days ;* "everybody is reading it," wrote Justus Jonas to Luther,
on June 12. B Cardinal Campeggio ordered it translated into Latin,"
though we do not know whether the work was ever done. The man
who had been commissioned to make the translation wrote to a
friend, June 21, "It is a summary of all Lutheranism. If you would
know the whole Luther, you would better buy it/ n
This treatise may be regarded as Luther's own Augsburg Con-
fession, Not only was it written at the same time as the Confession,
1 FomsTEMANN, Urkundcnbucli z u der Geschichte dcs
Reichstags zu Augsburg (1833), I, 3 f.
a ENDERS, VII, 313
*ibid. 332.
Mbid. 379.
ibid. 376.
Weiinar Ed. XXX, a 238.
'ibid.
(327)
328 Introduction
but it deals with many of the subjects which the Confession treats,
especially in that section which deals with abuses in the Church.
It reveals Luther's mind on those subjects far more plainly than
does the work of the more diplomatic and careful Melanchthon. The
material is quite evidently suggested by the Torgau Articles, 1 which
had been agreed upon as a basis of a confession, of faith by Luther,
Melanchthon, and others at a conference held at Torgau, March 20, a
The latter part of the work is based on notes that Luther apparently
made in connection with the conference at Torgau.*
The text of the Exhortation is found in Weimar Ed. XXX, a
268 ff.; Erlangen Ed. 1 , XXIV, 330 ff., Erlangen Ed. a ,
XXIV, 358 ff.; St. Louis Ed.; CLEMEN, IV, 104 ff,; Berlin
Ed,, III, 347 f f . The translation is made from the text of Clemen.
CHARLES M. JACOBS.
MOUNT AIRY,
PHILADELPHIA.
1 Translated in JACOBS, Book of Concord, II, 75 ff.
a Cf . SMITH & JACOBS, Luther's Correspondence, II, 322 ff.
8 Given by FORSTEMAKN, op. c i t , pp. 68 ff. Cf . Weimar Ed.,
XXX a , 246 ff; translated in part by JACOBS, op. cit f pp. 95 ff.
AN EXHORTATION TO THE CLERGY
ASSEMBLED
AT THE DIET AT AUGSBURG
1530
TO ALL THE CLERGY ASSEMBLED AT
AUGSBURG AT THE DIET IN THE YEAR 1530:
EXHORTATION OF MARTIN LUTHER
Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ.
It is not fitting, dear sirs, that I should appear in person
at this diet; and even though I had to appear, or were to
do so, it would serve no useful purpose, for it would make
no difference amid all the splendor and bustle. Neverthe-
less, beside my spiritual presence (which I will prove with
all my heart and with God's help, through my diligent and
earnest prayers and supplications to my God) I have under-
taken to be among you with this mute and feeble written
message.
The reason is that my conscience drives me to pray,
beseech and exhort each and all of you, in the kindliest way
and from the heart, that you will not pass this diet by or for
use it to vain purposes. For God, through our most
gracious Emperor Charles, is giving you grace, chance, time,
and cause to accomplish much that is great and good by
means of this diet, if only you have the will to do so. He
is speaking now as Paul speaks in II Corinthians VI, "I 2 Cor.
exhort you that ye receive not the gift of God in vain." For 6:1
(329)
330 Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg
He says, "I have heard thee in an accepted time, and helped
thee on the day of salvation." "Behold now is an accepted
time and a day of salvation," especially for you. And we
see and hear how the hearts of all men are set upon this
diet, and expect, with high hope, that good will come out
of it.
If, however, this diet shall break up without result (which
may God graciously forbid!) and nothing worth while be
accomplished, after all the world has for a long while been
fed with false hopes and put off by diets and councils, and
that hope has all been false and vain, it is to be feared that
despair will be bred, and everyone will become overtired of
false hopes and delays, and the long, fruitless waiting will
produce impatience and make bad blood. For things cannot
longer stay as they now are, especially with you and your
class 1 ; you know and feel that better than I can tell you.
I am therefore doing what now I do, for your own good
and for the sake of peace and unity.
Certain ones, perhaps, will look with evil eyes on my
presumption, and say, "Who needs you? Who ever asked
for your exhortation or your writing? There are many
learned and pious people here who can give better advice
in this matter than a fool like you." Ah, well! I shall
willingly believe this. God help that it may all be true!
I am quite willing that my presumption shall be criticized
and condemned. But it is also true that one cannot do too
much of a good thing, and a fool has often given better
counsel than many wise men, 2 while the greatest wrongs on
earth have usually been done by wise people, especially when
they relied on their own wisdom and did not act in the fear
of God, and did not pray with humble hearts for divine
help and grace.
All the histories are full of illustrations of this, both in
the Scriptures and out of them ; but even though there were
no other illustration of it, we could find a good one in your-
*i. e. The clergy.
a Cf . Vol. II, p. 62.
Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg 331
selves. For ten years 1 now you have tried your wisdom on
this matter, with so many diets, with so many proposals,
with so many wiles and tricks, with so much holding out o
false hopes, nay, even with force and wrath, with murder
and punishment, so that I have seen in you a cause for
wonder and woe; and yet the matter has never gone the
way you wanted it. That is the whole thing ! Wisdom has
wanted to control such high and great matters by itself,
without fear of God and humble prayer, and has come to
shame in its presumption ; and if you do not come to fear
God and to humble yourselves before Him, so that you
cease from threatening and vengefulness and ask God
earnestly for help and counsel, you shall still accomplish
nothing, though you were as wise as King Solomon; for
there stands the Scripture, I Peter v, "God resisteth the i Pet,
proud, but to the humble He giveth His grace," 5:S
We, for our part, pray with diligence; we also know
the right way to pray for God's grace, and we are certain,
too, that our prayer is acceptable and is heard. This, I fear,
only few of your party can do. Moreover, we have now
begun to pray earnestly for you, that God Almighty may
for once enlighten your hearts and move them to fear His
Word and to walk humbly with Him. Such prayer is ac-
cepted for us that we know ; but may God grant that you
do not set yourselves stubbornly against it, so that our prayer
must return again into our bosom, because it has been lost
and despised among you ! For we see that the devil is try-
ing to bring on the Turks/ and is stirring up one disturb-
ance after another, and would like to smash everything. If,
then, you were still to be hard of heart and continue to be
as stubborn as heretofore, that would be too much and
altogether intolerable.
To begin with, then, you need not take any action be-
cause of me, or the likes of me. The true Helper and
Counselor has brought us and our cause so far, and has ans D<>
Not
1 Since the Diet of Worms in 1521. t t Nedi
9 One of the announced purposes of the diet was to make provision, for the the Diet
removal of "the grievous burden and invason of the Turks." FORSTERMANN,
I, 3; KIDD, Documents, p. 258.
332 Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg
put it where it is to stay and where we want to leave it,
so that for ourselves we need no diet, no counsel, no settling
of the matter; and we would not have these things come
from you, because we know that you can do no better than
we; nay, not so well as we. For whether we come under
Turks or Tartars, under pope or devil, our cause is secure;
so that we know how to believe and live, how to suffer and
pray, how to get well and to die, where we are to look for
and get and find everything, and where we are at last to
abide, according to the word of St. Paul in Romans viii,
These things God has given us in rich measure through
Jesus Christ our Lord, and they have already been pro-
claimed and confirmed by the blood and anguish of many
Phil. godly people, who have been put to death by your party.
3 " 16 Not that we are perfect, or that we have yet attained all
things! But we have the right "rule," as St. Paul calls
it, the right way, the right beginning; nay, so far as doc-
trine is concerned, we have no lack at all, no matter how
it is with life.
But we have compassion upon you and the poor people
under you, who are altogether uninstructed, or at least
uncertain; and we would gladly help you, by means of our
prayers and exhortations, as best we might. For I greatly
fear that you have forgotten your office and the humility
which you owe to God, and are going to draw the reins
too tight, and ride the willing horse too hard, so that an-
other revolt will occur and both we and you will come to
Pea*, iP"^ an d distress, as happened the other time. 1 For with-
ants' out doubt you remember how, before the revolt, the diet
War had been called to meet at Spires with such glorious and
comforting hopes that all the world looked forward to it
eagerly, and heartily awaited the good that would come
out of it. But your counsels were full of wisdom and man-
aged to have that diet called off without result and shame-
fully. 3 The rod -that is Muenzer and the revolt came
*In the Peasants' Revolt of 1525. See above, pp. 205 ff,
|( The Diet of Nuremberg, in 1524, not only determined that a Council of
Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg 333
quickly, and gave you a blow from which you have not yet
recovered; and sad to say, we have been hurt by it even
more than you. That is what comes of doing everything
with force and according to your own notions.
At Worms, too, our dear Emperor Charles, that noble
youth, had to do what you wanted, and condemn me and all
my teachings, 1 parts of which you yourselves had before
then secretly accepted and made use of. Even now your
preachers would have no sermons, were it not for Luther's
books. For they are now leaving their sermon-books under
the bench, together with the things that used to be all the
rage in the pulpit, and are beginning to preach about faith
and good works and subjects of that kind, about which
nothing used to be heard or known. At that time, also, you
extorted from him a decree for the slaying of Lutherans
so horrible that you yourselves could not keep it or tolerate
it, and it had to be changed at the diet at Nuremberg; in-
deed, some of the princes had of their own accord to forbid
the edict so that they might not place themselves and their
lands and peoples in danger. 1
I am reciting these things not to scoff at you or mock
you, for I am already amply revenged upon you; but in
order that I may earnestly beg you and faithfully admonish
you to learn from your own experience and misfortune to
give up henceforth your swaggering and threatening, your
force and boasting, and to deal with God in fear and
humility, and laying aside your presumption, to seek His
help and grace with earnest prayer. This is certain, if
you keep on with your swaggering and boasting, you will
find that Muenzer's spirit still lives and is, I fear, mightier
and more dangerous than you can now believe or conceive.
It is more your affair than ours, though he is more hostile
the Church should be held, but called for a meeting at Spires, in the fall of
the same year, to arrange for such a council. This meeting was not held.
*The Edict of Worms (1521) placed Luther under the ban of the Empire and
forbade the dissemination of his doctrines. Text in WREDE, Deutsche
Reichatagsakten, I, 640 ff. ; KIDD, Documents of the Con-
tinental Reformation, No. 45.
*The Diet of Nuremberg demanded a General Council of the Church, and
declared the enforcement of the Edict of Worms impossible. WEDB> op. c i t .
Ill, 385 ff, and SMITH AND JACOBS, Luther's Correspondence
II, 169 ff.
334 Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg
to us than to you, but God be thanked eternally! we have
a defence against him. Would God that you had the same
defence ! It is the pure Word and honest prayer.
You know, too, the strong and firm stand that we have
taken against all the fanatics. If I wanted to boast, I
might also say that we had been your protectors and that
it was our doing that you have remained what you still are.
If it had not been for us, your scholars would, I fear
have been too weak for the case, and the fanatics and rebels
would have taught you something that you did not know.
Therefore they hate us more than they hate you, and blame
us when they have to creep to the cross and recant. We
have to put up with that and learn by experience that the
proverb is true, "If you help a man down from the gal-
lows, he tries to put you on it." The rebellious knaves
would not have known the first thing about attacking the
pope; but now that, by our help, they have got free and
John eat our bread, they lift up their heel against us, as Christ
i3:i8 sa y S O f j u d aSj the betrayer.
But some will say here, "Yes, it is all your fault ; you
began it, and these are the fruits of your teaching." Ah,
well ! I must suffer that, knowing full well that I am ac-
cused of it; but, on the other hand, I know many godly
people among you who know that it is not true. The work
is there in broad daylight, and it is my strong witness. The
fanatics have always despised and persecuted my doctrine
more than yours, and I have had to set myself against them
more strongly and defend myself more harshly than I ever
did against the pope. How then, can it have come out of
my teaching? Or why did not this disturbance arise among
my followers, where I was preaching and teaching every
day, and where the first and worst evil should have hap-
pened, if this kind of dissension was to come out of my
doctrine?
Have you forgotten that at Worms the German nobility
laid before his Imperial Majesty some hundred and four
statements in which they made complaints against the
Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg 335
clergy/ and boldly declared that if his Imperial Majesty
did not abolish the things complained of, they would do it
themselves, because they could no longer endure them? If
that had been started (as the rebels afterwards did start it),
and a single preacher had arisen to advise that it be done,
where would you clergy be now? In hell. 3 And yet my
teaching was then in full course, and had given rise to no
revolt and was not tending that way, but was teaching the
people to keep the peace and obey their rulers. Had it not
been for that, the complaints of the clergy would surely have
started a pretty game. But now it must be my teaching
that has done it. This is the thanks I deserve! To be
sure, I desire no other, for so it went with all the prophets
and apostles, and with Christ Himself.
In the second place, have you also forgotten how at the
first my teaching was so welcome to almost all of you? Doctrine
Were not all the bishops glad to see that the tyranny of \
the pope, who was going too hard after the endowed
positions, was checked a little? They could look on and
listen and sit quiet and wait for the opportunity to get all
of their episcopal jurisdiction back again. A fine teacher
was this Luther, who attacked indulgences so honestly ! For
in those days the bishops and pastors had to put up with it
when a monk or a rascal from outside came into their chap-
ters and their parishes and drove a scandalous trade with
letters of indulgence, and no one dared to peep. There
was no doctor or professor in all the universities or mon-
asteries who could have known how to oppose this miser-
able business, or have dared to do it. Luther was "dear
son" ; he cleansed the chapters and parishes of this huckster-
ing and held the bishops* stirrups to help them back into
the saddle and threw a stumbling block in the pope's road;
why did you not call that revolt ?
Afterwards, when I attacked the monastic life and the
monks became fewer, I heard neither bishop or pastor
1 The Gravamina of the Germ* an Nation, see W&EDE,
Deutsche Reichstagsakten, I 661 ff. .
a I n bus correptam. For this translation see Weimar E a .
XXX,' p. 714.
Vol. IV. 22
336 Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg
weeping aver it, and I know that no greater service has
ever been done the bishops and pastors than ridding them
of the monks. Indeed I fear that there will be no one now
at Augsburg to take the part of the monks and ask that
they be restored to their old place. Nay, the bishops will
not allow these bed-bugs and lice to be put back in their
fur. They are glad that their fur is so clean rid of them,
though, to tell the truth, the monks had to rule the Church
tinder the pope, for the bishops did nothing except bear the
titles of nobility. I destroyed the monks, not with revolu-
tion, but with my teaching, and the bishops were glad ; they
could not have done it with the force of all the kings and
the learning of all the universities ; why, then, did they not
consider that revolutionary? 0, they are too glad that the
monks are down and that the pope has almost lost a hand
thereby; and yet they give no thanks to Luther, this part
of whose doctrine they use so gloriously.
Because I am now discussing the fact that people have
forgotten what the world was like before my teaching
began, and are not now willing to admit that anyone did
anything wrong, I must bring out again the old pretences
and picture to the clergy their forgotten virtue, so that they
may see or recollect what the world would be like if our
Gospel had not come. We, too, may see, to our comfort,
what great and glorious fruit the Word of God has pro-
duced. We shall begin at the point where my doctrine
began, that is, with the indulgences.
CONCERNING INDULGENCES*
K our Gospel had done nothing else than release men's
consciences from the shameful abomination and idolatry of
the indulgences, that alone would be enough to show that
it was the Word and power of God. For the whole world
must admit that no human wisdom could have done this,
since no bishop, no chapter, no monastery, no doctor, no
university, not I myself, in short, no human reason, under-
* Cf. Vol. I, pp. 1 ff.
Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg 337
stood or knew this abomination; still less did any know-
how to check it or attack it ; everyone had to approve it and
let it pass as good and wholesome doctrine; and the dear
bishops and the pope got money out of it, and let it go on
richly.
1. They sold the indulgence as the divine grace which
forgives sin, and thereby Christ's blood and death were
denied and blasphemed, together with the Holy Ghost and
the Gospel,
2. They falsely sold souls out of purgatory by it; it was
an insult to God's majesty, but it brought in a lot of money.
3. They made of the pope a god in heaven, with power
to command the angels to carry to heaven the souls of
pilgrims who died on the way to Rome.
4. The Gospel, which is the only true indulgence, had
to be silent in the churches in the presence of the indulgence.
5. The whole world was cheated and skinned out of
immeasurable amounts of money, with the most shameless
avarice and lies, on the pretext of war against the Turks.
6. They gave up earlier indulgence-letters for the
sake of new ones, and abrogated the old indulgence in the
churches for the new one's sake, and played with the Golden
Year/ according as they wanted money. O yes, for war
against the Turks !
7. But the pretence of the Golden Year is pure fiction
and a baseless lie ; to corrupt the faith of Christ and Christ's
daily Golden Year; but countless thousands of souls have
been misled by it and the people shamefully deceived into
pilgriming to Rome and cheated out of their money, having
their pains and their expense for nothing.
8. In the indulgence they sold the good works of the
whole Church and also, as a special thing, the absolution
which the Gospel forever gives to the whole world free of
charge; thus souls were seduced from the Gospel and from
Christ to the works of men.
9. They praised the indulgence above all works of love.
* The Jubilee-year, in which special indulgences were granted.
338 Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg
10. They made the merits of the saints, beyond what
they needed for themselves, the indulgence-treasure, as
though Christ's passion were not sufficient for the forgive-
ness of all sins ; this, too, corrupts faith in Christ.
11. At last they so exalted the indulgence as to teach
that if one had even committed a sin of lust with the Mother
of God, it would be forgiven him through the indulgence.
12. They taught that when the penny rang in the money-
box, the soul rose to heaven.
13. One had no need of penitence and regret in order to
get the indulgence; it was enough that one invested his
money.
14. St. Peter could not give a grace that was greater
than the indulgence.
15. What has now become of the immeasurable money,
treasure, and wealth that was so long stolen and so shame-
fully acquired by means of the indulgence?
In a word, who can tell all the abominations that the
indulgence, as a true and mighty idol, has caused in all the
chapters, cloisters, churches, chapels, hermitages, altars, pic-
tures, tables, nay, in almost all the houses and chambers,
so long as there was money in them? One would have to
read again the books that were written against them ten
years ago or so. Now speak up, dear sirs! For this un-
speakable thievery and robbery of money, and for this
inconceivable number of deceived hearts and consciences,
and for this terrible and abominable lie, this blasphemy of
Christ's Passion, of the Gospel, of grace, nay, of God Him-
self, which have been committed by indulgences, all of you
clergy are together to blame; not only you who have got
money by them, but also you who were silent about it and
looked on willingly at this raging of the devil. You talk
of rebellion, of confiscation of monasteries, of the Turks!
What are all these things together compared to you in-
dulgence-vendors, when one thinks about it? It was a real
Turkish army against the true Christian faith,
But which of you has ever once repented for this terrible
Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg 339
abomination, or even sighed over it, or had a wet eye? And
now, like hardened, unrepentant sinners, you will have it
that you never did anything wrong; therefore you come
together in Augsburg and want to persaude us that the
Holy Ghost is with you and will accomplish great things
through you, though all your life long you have done the
Church nothing but harm, and that afterwards He will lead
you straight to heaven with all these unrepented abomina-
tions nay, with the abominations that you have defended
as though He must rejoice that you have served your
god Belly so gloriously and laid waste God's Church so
pitifully. This is why you have no good luck; and you
will have none until you repent and amend your ways.
Well, that is one of the pretences! That is the way
things went in this matter before my teaching came. That
it is no longer so, is the fault of my rebellious Gospel.
It is right that the indulgences should be followed by
that other bargain-trade called confessionalia.
CONCERNING CONFESSIONALS*
These were the butter-letters, in which the pope sold
liberty to eat butter, cheese, milk and eggs, to hear mass at
home, to marry within the forbidden degrees, and to choose
a father-confessor, to be released from penalty and guilt
as often as one desires in life and in the article of death, and
the like. Dear, was not this a vicious bargain-trade through-
out the world, all invented for the sake of money? As if
God had not before given all such things as these freely to
all the world through the Gospel ; or as if God had forbidden
these things, and they were the giants who could sell God's
commandments for money! The Gospel must be nothing,
and God must be their merchandise! This skinning, trading
and blaspheming, too, has been overthrown by the rebellious
Gospel, but now it is all forgotten and there is no bishop
or cleric who is sorry, or who needs forgiveness for it before
God. Here was another thing that no bishop or doctor
* Cf. Vol. I, pp. 22, 27, 33 n 1, Vol. II, pp, 98, 128.
340 Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg
attacked, but all kept silence and consented to it. Well, we
shall see whether God will let Himself be aped, as they
think to do.
CONCERNING CONFESSION
Your books are still extant in which you have set down
your teaching about confession, which I count one of the
greatest plagues on earth, whereby you have confused the
conscience of the whole world, cast so many souls into
despair, and weakened and deadened all men's faith in
Christ. For you have told us nothing of the comfort of the
absolution, which is the main thing and the best thing in
confession and which strengthens faith and confidence in
Christ ; but you have made a work of it, extorted it by force
from unwilling hearts in order to strengthen your tyranny ;
then you have made them worry and torture and scourge
themselves by the relation of all their sins, that is, you have
disturbed forever the rest and peace of their hearts by laying
upon them an impossible task. 1 When will you bring all
these souls back again and make up for the deadly, baseless
injury you have done them? This kind of confession, too,
my Gospel has set to rights, and has given new strength to
weak consciences. No bishop, doctor, or university knew
anything about this ; and even now they have neither sorrow
nor pity for this misery.
CONCERNING PENANCE
This is the dregs! It is a very hell! If all the other
abominations were forgiven, this one could never be forgiven
you. This has filled hell; it has injured Christ's kingdom
more cruelly than the Turk or the whole world could ever
do. You taught us that by our works we ought to make
satisfaction for sin, even for sin against God; and that
was called repenting of sin! You never laid so much im-
portance on contrition and confession, though you made
works of them, too. What is it to say, "You must render
J Cf, Vol. I, pp. 81 ff.; Vol. II, pp. 2 and 7 &
Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg 341
satisfaction for your sins," except to say, "You must deny
Christ, renounce your baptism, blaspheme the Gospel, call
God a liar, disbelieve the forgiveness of sins, trample Christ's
blood and death under foot, dishonor the Holy Ghost, and
go to heaven with these virtues by your own efforts"?
Where are there tongues and voices with which to say
enough about this?
How does this faith differ from the faith of Turks and
heathen and Jews? All of them, too, would make satis-
faction by their works. But how can a soul do anything
else than despair if it has no other confidence against sin
than its own works? You cannot deny this charge; your
books are extant in which nothing is taught concerning
faith in the treatment of either penitence or confession, but
all the teaching is about our own works. And yet there is
neither bishop nor cleric to shed a tear over this horrible,
hellish blasphemy of Christ. They are pure and safe.
They call us rebels and slay the married priests, 1 contrary to
their own law. They are offended because the Lutherans
do not make a pretence of fasting, as they do, and do not Matt.
wear tonsures. They defy the eternal God with their in- 6:1<
human wickedness.
Out of this abomination have come (nay, they had to
come; there was no way to prevent it!) all the other
abominations, namely, the self-righteousness of so many
of the monasteries and chapters, with their services of wor-
ship, their sacrifices, masses, purgatory, vigils, brotherhoods,
pilgrimages, indulgences, fasts, worship of saints, relics,
evil spirits, and the whole parade of the hellish procession.
What else is possible? If conscience is to stand and build
on its own works, it stands on sand, which slips and slides
*In 1527, George Winkler, a pastor m Halle, was tried by an ecclesiastical
court at Aschaffenburg, charged with administering the Sacrament in both kinds.
It was known at the trial that he was not only guilty of this offence, but had
also taken a wife. He was released by the archbishop of Mainz, but on the
way home was set upon and murdered. Circumstances pointed to the arch-
bishop as the instigator of the deed, Luther wrote a letter of sympathy T o t h c
Christians of Halle (Weimar Ed. XXIII, 402 ff.)
a Die gantze Procession des hellischen creutz gangs,
a reference to the processions that were customary in Easter week. Cf.
Weimar Ed.* XXX, a 261, n, 43.
342 Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg
continually. It must be looking for works, one after an-
other, and the longer it seeks, the more works it must seek.
At last they put cowls on the dead so that the dead might
go to heaven. Dear Lord God ! What were poor consciences
to do? They had to build on works; therefore they had to
seek them so wretchedly and snatch whatever they could
find, and fall into this deep folly.
Good By these shameful doctrines, too, all the real good works,
wrks wych God h as established and ordered, were despised and
brought to naught. Such are the works of rulers, subjects,
fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, servants, maids. These
were not called good works, and no account was taken of
them in repentance. They were known as "a worldly life,"
"a perilous state," "lost works." Thus this doctrine trod
under foot both the Christian and the worldly life, and
gave neither God nor Caesar his due. Instead it invented
a new and peculiar life, which is neither Christian nor
worldly; indeed they do not know themselves what it is,
because they have no word of God for it, but as Moses says,
29:26 they serve gods whom they know not. This was no wonder.
For at that time no one knew how to preach the Gospel
otherwise than to teach out of it examples of good works, and
no one of us ever heard a Gospel that aimed to give com-
fort to the conscience and to lead to faith and trust in
Christ. That is how it ought to be preached, and, praise
God ! it is now preached that way again. Thus the world
was in the Gospel, and yet it was without the Gospel.
They ought to have made a wise distinction between two
kinds of satisfaction for sin, namely, that for sins against
men, which can be, and that for sins against God, which
cannot be made, as Christ shows in Matthew vii and xviii.
The holy fathers made use of it and caused Christians who
had sinned to render satisfaction before the Church and their
brethren. This is apparent from the words with which
they imposed two or three or seven years of penance. 1 Thus
Christ and His satisfaction would have remained in heaven.
1 A reference to the penitential canons,
Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg 343
But in that way the services in the chapters and monasteries
would not have come up, likewise the indulgences of which
I spoke above, and the great god Belly would not have got
so much. Therefore they had to confuse the two kinds of
satisfaction 1 , and at last make satisfaction avail before God
only. To be sure, this error attacked the Church from the
beginning, and through great men, at that, such as Origen
and Jerome and Gregory; but it never reached the govern-
ment of the Church, nay, the very throne of God, as it has
done under the pope. For this is the oldest of errors and
goes back to the beginning of the world ; it will also remain
the newest, clear down to the world's end. We will now
tell of some of the things that have come in later,
CONCERNING THE SALE OF MASSES, OR PRIVATE MASSES
You yourselves know, dear sirs, what a scandalous huck-
stering you have made of the Sacrament. That is the
handiwork of all of you, because every day, throughout the
world, you have bought and sold so many thousand masses
for money, one for a groschen, one for eight pence, one for
six pence, etc. You can neither excuse yourselves for this
nor lie out of it. For though you have not called this a
regular trade, it has been, in fact, nothing else than a trade.
It has been done for money; no money, no masses! This
sin alone is so horrible that it would be no wonder if God
had let the whole world become Turks because of it, or
had allowed the world to sink into the abyss; one. of the
things I marvel at is that God has suffered it so long. His
patience has been inconceivable, though His wrath has not
been absent. You did it, and it was your practice, before
our Gospel came. You cannot put on airs; it is so plain
that you yourselves shuddered at it; and yet you let it go
on, and would not have it called an innovation.
Now your scholars want to be so fine that they bring The
out the ancient canons and the sayings of the Fathers to Ori rina
prove that they called the mass a sacrifice. Shine yourself **
1 1, e, The satisfaction for sins against men and for sins against God.
344 Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg
up, pussy; you need to! You quote lengthy canons and
sayings, but what good does that do? We are talking of
private masses, 1 and the canons speak of common masses,
or communicants' masses, and they lay great importance to
the communing. This the private masses do not do. They
compare with the common, or communicants 7 masses, as a
priest's secret mistress compares with a pious, honest,
acknowledged wife. That shows what these great scholars
know about quoting the canons. But they do even better
than that ! The ancient canons distinguish between the sac-
rifice and the communion, but they scramble the two to-
gether. For in the early days of the Church, when mass
was held, it was after the fashion of the old law, the Chris-
tians brought to the altar all kinds of first-fruits, milk,
**- t honey, apples, pears, etc. The priest then offered this, as
is! 20 Moses commanded the Jews; therefore the service was
)eut. known for a long while as a sacrifice. This was followed
26:24 ky ^ commtm i onj or sacrament. They did not call that
sacrifice, but communion. But our private masses make a
sacrifice out of the sacrament, and let the communion go.
Right here, dear sirs, I must talk with you who cry out
that no innovations ought to be allowed. Tell me, is not
the private mass a shameful innovation? Why did they
allow it to be introduced, and why do they now defend it?
Nay, if no innovations had been allowed, how much would
we now find among you that was found in the ancient
canons and the Fathers? Why, I could almost get it in a
nutshell, while your innovations have filled the world. I
will say even more. What was your church-life before our
Gospel came but daily innovations? They broke in, one
after another ; nay, they poured in like a cloud-burst. One
set up St. Anne, another St. Christopher, another St.
George, another St. Barbara, another St. Bastian, another
glints St Catherine, another the Fourteen; 3 and who can tell the
whole story of these new kinds of saint-worship? Are not
'Winkelmessen, i. e. masses said for the benefit of individuals^
usually for the souls of mdivduals who have died.
1 Saints who offered protection against special dangers. See Vol. 1, pp.
i of ff
Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg 345
these innovations ? Where were the bishops then, and the
people who cry out that there must be no innovations?
Nay, more ! One set up the rosary, another the crown of
Mary; one the Psalter of Mary, 1 another the pater-noster-
stones 2 on the church-doors, another the prayers to St.
Bridget; 8 one this prayer another that prayer; it was all
without number or measure, and there were whole books
full of it. Where was there a bishop or doctor who would
even look cross-eyed at these innovations ?
It was the same way with the pilgrimages. Every day
there was some new place of pilgrimage, our Lady at
Grimmathal, at Eicha, at Birnbaum, at Regensburg, and so
many other "our Ladies." 4 There was scarcely a chapel
or an altar but there was a pilgrimage to it, and the people
ran to them like crazy, neglecting their work and their
obedience, so that it was plainly a delusion of the devil;
but the bishops and the monasteries and the universities
kept silence. If our Gospel had not come there would soon
have been no place left to which pilgrims could go. 6 And
was not that a particularly masterly deception with our
Lord's coat at Trier,* which was afterwards exposed as a
shameful lie? What have all the Lutheran innovations done
when compared with this one rascally deception alone?
Here again there was no one who cried out against the
1 The "crown of Mary" and the "Psalter of Mary" were forms of the rosary.
The common, or lesser, rosary consisted of five times ten Ave Marias, with.
one Pater Koster after each group of ten Ave Marias. The "crown of Mary"
was sixty-three Ave Marias in six groups, each followed by a Pater Noster.
The number sixty-three was presumed to be the number of the years of the
Virgin's life. Another tradition gave her age as seventy-three, and a "crown'*
of severity-three Ave Marias, with seven Pater Nosters,. was also in use. The
"Psalter of Mary," or greater rosary> consisted of fifteen times ten Ave
Marias, with a Pater Noster after each group of ten. See Weimar Ed.
XXX, 3 296, notes 1 and 2; Berlin Ed., Ill, 363, notes; Realencyk,
XVII, 146 f.; Cath. Encycl. IV, 540; XIII, 184 ff.
3 The large beads of the rosary. These beads were sometimes hung on the
church-doors, and worshippers who said the prayers as they entered the church
received special Indulgences.
8 The fifteen prayers to St. Bridget were especially popular in the Reforma-
tion-time.
4 On the shrines at Grimmenthal and Regensburg, see Vol. II, p. 130. Eicha
and Bienbaum were in the neighborhood of Leipzig. Cf. Weimar Ed.
XXX, a 296, n. 5,
* Because every church would have been a place of pilgrimage.
The Holy Coat of Trier, alleged to be the seamless garment of Christ,
eocpoaaj fo adoration in. 1513, Sw Vol. II, p. 130,
346 Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg
novelty or exposed it ; but Luther, who exposes and rebukes
these new things, is an innovator !
Again, how are the indulgences multiplied every day?
HOW many new brotherhoods 1 do the priests and monks set
up, through all the guilds, in the names of all the saints?
Every day they sold letters of brotherhood and gave their
good works and holy lives in exchange for money. They
sold vigils, anniversary masses, masses for the dead, with
ceremonies around the bier. 3 Some invented the golden
masses, 8 others the "five-masses," 4 still others masses of this
kind and that, till they could not be counted. Nothing is
found about these masses in the ancient Fathers. I shall
say nothing about the relics. God help us, how one new
one followed another ! Among them were gross and palpable
lies about the Holy Cross, about many whole bodies of one
and the same saint, about many fingers of a single saint.
It went so far as that they revered even the drawers of St.
Francis, 6 and some woman's hair as the hair of St. Catherine.
In a word, it was without end or measure, so that you
yourselves made a jest of it; and yet it went along un-
rebuked, and no bishop saw in it anything new.
Preach. If I were to come to the pulpits, then things would really
*"* be beyond all bounds. Every day the monks were preaching
their new visions and dreams and ideas, new miracles and
illustrations, and that without measure. There was scarcely
a monk who had been a preacher for two or three years
who did not make a new sermon-book that was to rule the
pulpit for a while. The world was full of these books, and
there was nothing in them about Christ and faith, but they
were all about our own works and merits and devotion, with
many false and shameful examples of these things. Even
1 Societies for the doing of good works. The good works of all the members
were placed to the credit of each. See Vol. II, pp. 26-31.
a Masses for the dead at which a bier was placed in the church and a pro-
cession made around it.
8 The "golden mass" was the mass of Golden Sunday, the first Sunday after
Pentecost; sometimes the Saturday mass of the week following the festival of
St. Michael and All Angels. They were special masses for the dead.
* The five masses said on Christmas Day.
*St Francis* drawers were in the great collection of the Elector Frederick
at Wittenberg, See Weimar Ed, XXX, 3 265, n. 91.
Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg 347
when they did their best in this, it was to call upon the saints,
not forgetting their own order, -until at last they pictured
to all the world that holy and noble woman, the Virgin Mary, Mary
as the mediator for poor sinners, even with her Son, Christ
Himself. For we all know, and I was as deep in it as all
the rest, that we had taught that Mary was to be held in
Christ's place; we held Christ to be our angry judge and
Mary to be our throne of grace, in whom must be all our
confidence and refuge, if we were not to despair. Was that
not a horrible novelty? Where were the bishops who
rebuked these new blasphemers and betrayers of Christ,
who took Christ's office from Him and gave it to Mary,
who taught us to flee from Christ and fear Him as though
He were master of a whipping-post, and place in someone
else the confidence which we owe Him as our true service
of God? Sheer idolatry is what we learned from these
betrayers !
The doctors in the universities helped it along. They had
nothing else to do except invent new opiniones, one
after another, and no one could get a doctor's degree with
special honors, unless he had brought out something new. 08T
Their best work, however, was in despising the Holy Scrip-
tures and letting them lie under the bench! 1 "Bible, Bible?"
said they. "The Bible is a heretics' book ! You must read
the doctors ! There you find what is what !" I know that
I am not lying about this, for I grew up among them and
have heard and seen all this from them. Scotus says* that
the article, "He descended into hell" cannot be proved from
the Scriptures. Occam, my dear master, writes that it can-
not be proved from the Scriptures that man needs the grace
of God in order to do a good work. These are the best of
them; what are we to expect from the rest. Thomas
Aquinas ("teacher of teachers/' the Dominicans call him !)
goes them all one better, for he says that to become a monk
is as good as to be baptized. This is the way to honor the
1 Cf. Vol. I, p. 7. ,
Duns Scotus (d. 1308). On this document see SEEBURG, Theologie
d. D. S., p. 119.
348 Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg
blood and the death of Christ ! But this is not an innova-
tion ! And besides, the pope and all the bishops have made
him a saint!
In a word, the condition of the preaching and the teaching
was sad and pitiful; but the bishops were all silent; they
saw no innovations, though now they can see a new gnat
in the sun. Everything was so upside down with discordant
doctrines and strange new opinions that no one knew any
more what was certain or uncertain, what it was to be a
Christian or an un-Christian. The old doctrine of the
faith of Christ, of love, of prayer, of the Cross, of comfort
in affliction was overthrown ; nay, in all the world there was
not a doctor who knew the whole catechism that is, the
Lord's Prayer, the Ten Commandments and the Creed to
say nothing of understanding and teaching it, as praise
God! it is now taught, and learned even by the young chil-
dren. In proof of this, I call to witness all the books of
both the theologians and the jurists. If you can rightly
learn from them one part of the catechism, I shall let myself
be hooked on the wheel and let the flesh be picked from my
bones. And yet in all this there can have been no innova-
tions! But this 1 must be an innovation!
"Nay," say you, "these things are now accepted and in
daily use; but your teaching is altogether new." Tell me,
then, dear friend, how old is that idol, St. Anne? How
old is the rosary, or the crown of Mary? How old are
the bare-foot friars' pater-noster-stones on the doors and
the gates and in every corner? How old is the pilgrimage
to Grimmathal, to Regensburg, to the coat at Trier, and
all the rest? Were they not new ten, twenty, forty years
ago? But who was opposed to innovations then? Let my
Gospel go that long and it too will become old. "Well,
your new Gospel may be right, but it has about it a peculiar
novelty, which cannot be endured." What is that? The
canons of Magdeburg say it works harm to purse and
kitchen. "There's sense in that, said the servant."* That
1 i. e, Luther's teaching * A proverb.
Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg 349
would at least be good German; we could understand it;
I wish I had known it before ! Why have we been wasting
so many words? Well, then, let us resolve here, in privy
council, that "new doctrine" is that which hurts purse and
kitchen, and "old doctrine" is that which fills purse and
kitchen. Write that down and seal it; we shall send it to
the diet at Augsburg and hear what the lords have to say
to it!
God knows I do not say this to your dishonor; your
destruction would help me not at all ; I would rather things
were better with you. But you yourselves may well con-
sider, that if you forget these abominations, and preen your-
selves into the bargain, there will be people who do not
forget, and will perhaps deal with them foully enough. For
such a shameless procedure cannot be endured, that you
should give the name of innovation to whatever you please,
and that whatever you choose not to call innovation cannot
be such. You are suppressing the truth and doing so against
your own consciences. This would bring us back to the
beginning of the whole matter, and we would be harsher
with you than before. It is a terrible thing when one un- Deffrnd .
dertakes to conceal such a wretched state of affairs, and in*
justify it, and slander and persecute others. That will be
a sign of a hardened and unrepentant heart, and will show
that you must soon go to destruction, for no other sin insults
and angers God more than denying, adorning, and concealing
open wickedness. This was the sin of Cain and of Saul.
Not so, dear sirs ! Do not so ! Some of you do honor God !
Confess that in these matters you have done wrong. Humble
yourselves, and He will exalt you ; pray, and He will forgive
you ; amend your ways, and He will help you.
But if you will not humble yourselves, but prefer to bury
these matters in silence, and leave them unrepented and un-
punished, and rather persecute the poor Lutherans because
of them, and take it in mind to suppress them, well, we shall
watch you. If a plague comes upon you (and it cannot
but come), remember that you had warning enough; you
350 Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg
will not be the first to boast yourselves above God ; this I
know for sure. My mind toward you is kindly and true ; I
would that I might move some of you, because I hope that
there may still be a Lot or two in your Sodom. The rest,
who remain unrepentant, will not only not acknowledge these
abominations, by which they have deserved death more than
a thousandfold, but they will, because of them, kill, drown,
hang, and burn the innocent ones who will not praise this
vice and shame; as, indeed, they are now doing.
But too many things are coming to my mind! I shall
return to the private masses, and spare the abominations
which I am now thinking about until I see how you amend
your ways, or how you adorn and excuse yourselves, at this
diet; then we shall come with your right color, and bid
you Proficiat, 1 if God will.
Let this be enough, for the present, about the traffic in
paid masses! But even when they are not sold, but are
said, at their best, for God's sake, nevertheless you teach
he Mass an( ^ hold t ' iern as a sacr ^ ce a ^d a work whereby one serves
God and makes satisfaction for sin, both for ourselves and
for others, whether living or dead, and especially for the
dead, as we all know that the mass has almost to fight for
the dead against purgatory. The suffragan bishop who
made me a priest and put the cup in my hand said these
very words, "Receive power to sacrifice for the living and
the dead." 3 That the earth did not swallow us both was
wrong, and was due to God's too great patience. The living
had this benefit from it, they believed that he who witnessed
one mass a day was safe and sound and blessed. This was
the best and commonest use of the mass ; you cannot deny
it. Ask the merchants about it and those who have to
make journeys, and the pious burghers of the cities, at
least at the Rorate Mass. 8
1 Equivalent to "drink your health."
*Ac c ip e potestatem sacrificandi pro vivis et mortttis.
The mass of the Advent Sundays, when the antiphon was sung Rorate
coeli ("Drop down ye heavens"). This antiphon is retained in American
Lutheran Churches as part of the Introit for the Fourth Sunday in Advent
Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg 351
Is not this a horrible innovation? Do not your ancient
Apostolic Canons say, "No one shall be present at mass who
does not desire to communicate or receive the Sacrament" ?
Did not Christ institute it in order that it might be re-
ceived, and that He might be remembered, and that faith
in Him might be strengthened, when He said, "This do in
remembrance of me?" But you keep silent about this re-
membrance, allow people neither to remember Him nor
receive the Sacrament and do not teach or exhort men to
faith, according to Christ's institution ; but you are satisfied
to let the bystanders see the mass which you meanwhile
are secretly offering. Thus you allow the poor onlookers
to keep in their hearts the lie and the false confidence that
by their onlooking they have done a good work, though they
have had none of the blessing of the Sacrament, either WM*
physical or spiritual, as Christ willed it and His apostles
after Him. I say it again ! You complain that the endow-
ments and the monastic property are being taken away;
because of this abomination and vicious abuse of the mass,
they ought to do to the endowments and the monasteries
what Josiah, king of Juda, did to the altar at Bethel, not
leave one stone upon another. That would be fair and
just, if you were not to amend your ways in this respect
You cry out, "What good has come out of Luther's new
doctrine?" I must ask you a question in reply, "What good
is left among you ?" You have left not one thing incorrupt.
The mass, our peculiar and highest treasure, you have put
to shame with countless abominations and idolatries, as I
have said ; and you have trampled its right Christian usage
under foot, disturbed faith, and silenced the Word. Bap-
tism has remained for the children, though it has been used
clumsily and carelessly enough; but as soon as the child
has grown up and come to the use of reason, you have
straightway killed him, worse than the Turk does, and have
taken his baptism away again with your miserable doctrine
of penance and works whereby he learns to despise his bap-
tism, as now lost by sin and become of no value, and hence-
V6L IV.-23
352 Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg
forth to seek salvation by his own works. As though bap-
tism were a temporary human work, as the Anabaptists
teach, and not an everlasting covenant of God! Tell me
here, what good have you left? I shall not ask what good
would have come if we had been unable to maintain, in spite
of you, our baptism, Sacrament, Gospel, faith, and Christ;
for you have taught nothing that was right, but all your
teaching has been against baptism, the Sacrament, and
repentance. That is plain as day.
Those who live among the Turks have this advantage,
that if a man is baptized he is not taught doctrines that are
against his baptism, though the evil Turkish life and example
is perilous and offensive. And even though there were
teaching against baptism, it would be easy to resist, because
the Turk is not a Christian and is held in contempt among
Christians, along with his doctrine. But among you, not
only are life and example dangerous, but you teach against
baptism and storm against it with words and works, and do
this under the name of Christ, as the dear fathers of souls,
and the friends of baptism. That cuts like a sharp razor, as
PS. 52:2 the Psalm says, and St. Peter, too, laments over you in II
2 Pet Peter 2, "They utter swelling words though there is nothing
2:18 back of them, and entice by lasciviousness to fleshly lust
those who had just escaped, and now must walk in error,
etc."
The good that has come out of my doctrine is that all this
abomination and blasphemy of yours has been brought to
light and condemned; and this is a great good and more
than enough, though more good comes out of it every day,
as will appear later. Among you, however, all good is cor-
rupted and none has remained.
ON THE BAN
You know, to begin with, that it is a great robbery and
the outrage that you have snatched for yourselves the great
Snia11 ban, called Excommunicatio major, which prop-
erly belongs to the secular authorities. It has gone so far
Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg 353
that popes have undertaken to depose emperors, kings, and
princes, and make themselves temporal emperors. Let me
tell you, dear sirs, that this is not right ! Your ban should
be called the small ban, 1 which shuts the doors, not of earth,
but of heaven, and separates from the Church and from the
Sacrament, as Christ says in Matthew xviii, "Hold him as Matt
a heathen, etc./' and St. Paul in I Corinthians v, "What 18:17
have I to do with them that are without?" If other matters
are to be amended, this too must be amended, for God is Is *- $i:8
not pleased with any sacrifice or service that comes from
robbery, as Isaiah says.
The use of the ban is another thing. It should be for the
punishment of public offences, such as robbery, adultery,
fornication, murder, hate, usury, drunkenness, also heresy,
blasphemy and the like, for our Lord Christ teaches in
Matthew xviii, that the ban shall be put upon those who will Matt.
not hear the Church, or congregation. Thus the Church 18:17
teaches in harmony with God's Word.
Now tell me, what is good and ancient about the ban that The
has remained among you? What new and mischievous AbMe
abuses have not arisen around it? I shall not bring in the Baa
fact that you have banned, cursed, damned, and slain in-
nocent and pious people as heretics. The ban is used for
nothing else than to collect taxes and debts and cause great
misery to poor people. 2 For the arbitrary power that the
knaves, officials, and commissaries have exercised in this
matter is already known to you in part ; and if you do noth-
ing about it at this diet we shall hereafter put out a calendar
of these virtues which will convince you that we have un-
derstood your abuse of the ban and will make it plain to the
whole world.
But in the place where the ban should rightly have its
power and use, it has been a mere indulgence and a very
benediction, and has lost its cutting-edge. The place I mean
is among the bishops and canons, nay, among the popes and
1 For earlier utterances of Luther on the ban, see Vol. I, pp. 37 f.
"This charge is made in the Gravamina of 1521. See above, p. 1, n,. 1.
354 Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg
the cardinals themselves. On this point, I would like to
hear a doctor of canon law who would show me how often,
according to the canons and the spiritual law, the pope,
cardinals, bishops, priests, endowed livings and monasteries
have been put under the ban and cursed because of simony
and other vices. Who holds them excommunicate? The
declaration is in their hand and runs as follows, "He is
under the ban whom we will to be under the ban; whom we
will not have under the ban, he is not under the ban." Go
on, dear sirs ; if your will is to be law, the Church can get
rid of such bishops and popes !
Are the i w } s h I knew what we are to take you for anyhow. You
do not want to be Christians, for you will not endure
Christ's word and ordinance; and you do not want to be
papists, for you keep the canons and the spiritual law even
less ; though, to be sure, they are much harder to keep than
the Gospel. But is it not a strange piece of news that
papists will not be papists, and yet will give themselves out
to be papists; will hold the goods of the Church and the
rule over it, but only for their own sweet will, not for the
good of the churches? These things do not fit together.
Well, then, keep on being Epicurean and Turkish, for that
is certainly what you are! But just because the goods of
the monasteries and the endowments are being seized, I
must have a private and friendly talk with you.
The Con- It Is a fact, and it does not please me either, that these
elation goods are seized and scattered. The Unlutherans are doing
church most ft> an d e t more f ^e profits than those who are
P*OP- accused of being Lutherans, as can easily be proved. I
erty am especially ill-pleased when knaves get' hold of them, of
whom I know that they have not earned it; for my con-
science does not trouble me when those who work and
render honest service get some of them. But there is one
question that I would like to have answered, because there
are plainly two kinds of endowment thieves and monastery-
robbers, those, namely, who are outside and those who
are inside, and I would like to be told who are the worse
Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg 355
of the two. Those on the outside are the wicked and un-
worthy of whom I spoke; those on the inside are the bishops,
the canons, and the monks themselves, who sit in the houses.
They misuse the property for all kinds of vice and un-
chastity, and shamelessly overstep the bounds of their order,
and send great sums to Rome to knaves that are still greater.
Thus they plunder the endowed places shamefully !
Think you not that if the emperors, kings, and princes, church
who have endowed these monasteries and bishoprics, had ^j* p " DI
wanted to found brothels, or churches for the Romans to verted
rob, they would have had sense enough to act differently and
not hand over their money and property to harlots and
knaves, or to Roman thieves and robbers? Because, then,
such fellows sit in the endowed houses and monasteries, and
their property is used by people whom the founders neither
intended nor willed, and these fellows, therefore, hold it
contrary to the will of the founders, consume it in vicious
ways, and employ it shamefully, and are, on this account,
under the ban and accursed as ir regular es, 1 since
all these things are true, tell me, who are the greatest en-
dowment-robbers and church-thieves? You will see the
pope sitting in the highest place among them, with cardinals,
bishops, canons, abbots, and monks; for they do none of
that for which their positions were founded, but exactly
the opposite, as though they were crazy; nevertheless, they
take the property and use it as they please. Ah, good friend,
if you can see the splinter in another's eye and cry out
about the theft of spiritual goods, you must be shown the Matt.
beam in your own eye, which you do not want to see. If
you can say the one, you must also hear the other, so that
you may know that other people, too, have eyes, and feel
and smell and hear.
You allege that what is yours should not be taken from ^
you. Of course, what is yours should not be taken. Never- f n ii y
theless, I would play your canon law with you. The canon Held
law condemns, bans, curses, and deposes you, and says, "It
1 Those who are debarred from spiritual offices "because of violations of law.
356 Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg
is not yours." It is called Deponatur. 1 For you do
not keep the rule and law of the foundation, and you have
deposed yourself thereby. Thus according to your own law,
you lost your property long ago, and have so far held it
unlawfully like damned robbers. If one were to decline
and conjugate the word deponatur through all its per-
sons, where would pope, cardinals, bishops, and canons be?
It would surely become an impersonal verb; no person
would be left. But if you think it proper that people have
patience with you for not keeping your own law, then you
should also think it proper to have patience with those who
take property from you, as unrepentant simonists and out-
lawed robbers, or forbid you to succeed to it, because you
do not keep your own law ; that is Deponatur. May
your request be granted, then, that what is yours be left to
you, that is, your harlotry and knavery ; but that what is not
yours, that is, the taxes and the goods, be not left to you,
but be taken from you, as from robbers and thieves !
I do not wish this to be a defence for anyone. Let every-
one see to it for himself for what service or purpose he
needs the property. But against the complainants I make
a distinction in the use of spiritual goods. I say that if the
goods of the foundations and monasteries are to be knavishly
stolen and sent to Rome and shamefully consumed out there
with harlots and knaves, and the intention of the founders
is to be defeated, I would far rather that the emperors,
kings, princes and lords kept them and put them to better
use. For it is sure that the founders entrusted them to
pious, chaste, Christian persons, not men who stood and
bellowed, or who went a-falconing, but to men who studied
and read and prayed, so that learned men could be chosen
from among them to be bishops, pastors, preachers, school-
teachers, chancellors, secretaries, etc. ; and this was the case
long ago, at the beginning. Now, however, they neglect
and despise these works and duties ; nay, they mock at them
and persecute them, and are under the ban many times over ;
M,e "Deposed."
Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg 357
therefore I should not weep if they were to lose the profit
and the income. There is a saying, Beneficium
propter officium, but not beneficium prop-
ter maleficiu m. 1 Your own canon law teaches that,
and punishes it most cruelly with the ban, and calls it
simony.
Tell me, now, what pope, bishop, foundation or monastery
has ever known sorrow or repentance because it has allowed
the o f f i c i a to go down, or has ever seriously considered
how they might be restored again ? Nevertheless they have
used the beneficia and lived on them. Thus they are
two-fold church-thieves and double monastery-robbers; for
they have not only possessed the goods that were given for
a different kind of people from themselves, but they have
also stolen and robbed from the whole Church and pre-
vented it from having pious, learned, Christian bishops,
pastors, preachers and like necessary persons, whom the
Church cannot do without, and whom it was their duty to
give it, according to the intention of the founders. Dear;
friend, the founders did not intend the o f f i c i a to be the
weaving of a long cloak, an alb, and a tonsure, or the put-
ting on of chasubles and consecrated clothes. Sticks and
stones can wear these things ! Their will was to train people
for the comfort and welfare of the Church.
If, then, you would make such a great disturbance about
the restoration of the endowments and the monasteries, the
proper answer to you is: Dear sirs, first make good your
double robbery of persons and of property. You have
robbed the Church of the persons; you have stolen the
property from the foundations. Give these back, so that the
o f f i c i a may go on again, and then you may rightly acquire
the beneficia. Such persons are more important to
the Church than all the property and all the glory of all the
clergy. If not, it will be bad accounting for you <to give
account of the expenditures only, and merely estimate the
income. You must be told to keep your books differently
1 "A Cimrch position exists for the sake of the duty; not to be an occasion
for wrong-doing."
358 Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg
and look better to your work. You have received the prop-
erty of the lords in order to support and train persons.
Where are these persons ? Give an account of them ! Nay,
it is you who have let the boys' schools go down, so that
the whole Church everywhere is, through you, corrupted
to the very bottom, for no other purpose than that your
Epicurean belly may be well off.
I have said this so that it may be seen what the condemners
of motes gain by stirring up filth. Therefore remember God,
and ask Him to help you accomplish some good at this diet.
These matters are great and weighty, and unfortunately they
are so deep rooted that human power and wit can do nothing
with them. The ban is necessary, but Lord God ! it must
Matt not strain out gnats and swallow camels, or nothing will
23:24 come of it,
The subjects of penance, mass, baptism, faith, and works
are, I fear, too high for you. Therefore I have small hope
that you will reach pure decisions about them, for even your
scholars have no understanding of them, and these things
must be maintained and practiced only through Christ Him-
self and His Holy Spirit, without human aid. Then, too,
Acts i5: exce Pt f r tht fi rst f them, only one or two of the Councils
4 ff - have dealt with them. Therefore I shall confine my further
petitions, supplications, and exhortations to the subjects
about which we do not need the special illumination of the
Holy Spirit, but which all Christians can comprehend and
be sure of, and which can almost be known by the reason.
And first :
ON Two KINDS IN THE SACRAMENT
Tha one On this point, you well know that the one kind is an
Kind an offensive innovation, contrary to the clear, plain words of
Christ and against the long, ancient usage of the whole
Church. All this has been mightily demonstrated to you 1
by much Scripture; nevertheless, you great enemies of all
*Cf, Vol. I, pp. 121 f., Vol. II, pp. 18 f.; 178487; 414 f.
Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg 359
innovation have not only accepted and maintained this
blasphemous innovation, but have defended it arbitrarily
with cruel ragings and persecutions, whereby you have
tempted God to the uttermost, and blasphemed and con-
demned His Word. God grant that you may repent it, and
submit your idea to His Word ! You could not support it
with any Scripture ; and if you maintain it with outrage and
force against the Scriptures, no good will come out of it in
the end. It does not help you to allege that we are to do
nothing new and alter nothing; for you have heard that this
thing is new, and that it is you who, without ceasing, have
brought innovation and alteration into the Church. What is
altered according to God's Word is no innovation, for all
customs must give way to the Word of God; so your own
law says. God and His Word are older than you are ; they
will also be younger and newer than you and we, for they
are eternal. Therefore the Word must alter and rule both
old and new, and not be altered or ruled either by new or
old.
You allege that without the consent of the Church, noth- ^^ i,
ing should be changed and nothing introduced. Who, then, the
is the Church ? Are you ? Then show your seals and creden- churcl1
tials; or prove it, without them, in some other way, by
means of your deeds and your fruits. Why are not we too
the Church? We are baptized as well as you; and we teach,
preach, have the sacraments, believe, pray, love, hope, and
suffer more than you. Or are you the Church because you
bring in innovations, and in so doing, change, blaspheme,
persecute, and slay God's Word and, as church-robbers, hold
possession of the foundations and monasteries? Yes, you
are the Church, the devil's church ! She is a liar against
God's Word and a murderess, because she sees that her
god, the devil, is a liar and a murderer. The true Church
must be the one that holds to God's Word and suffers for*
it, as, praise God ! we do, and murders no one and leads no
one away from God's Word. You ought not, therefore, say
to us so much "Church, Church, Church." You ought rather
360 Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg
make us certain that you are the Church; that is the im-
Matt portant thing. The devil, too, can say, "I am God ; worship
me." The wolf can say, "I am the shepherd." We know
very well that we must listen to the Church; but we ask,
join Who and where is it?
10:1 God help you to a reformation on this point! If you do
not reform, we shall continue, by God's grace, to do as we
have done heretofore. Nay, I shall go further, and say, If
God wills that at this diet you make some concessions, we
shall not accept them from you with the thought that by
your concessions things that were wrong before are now
made right. No, we count you far too small for us to think
that it is in your arbitrary power to say when and how long
God is truthful or a liar, and when and how long His Word
is right or wrong. That would be too much ! It would be
putting you, with the pride of Antichrist, above God and His
Word, and taking back all that we have taught and done.
On the contrary, we want to have this forced from you by
God's Word, and have you blasphemers, persecutors and
murderers compelled to it, so that you humble yourselves
before God, confess your sins, your murders, and your
blasphemy against God's Word, and reform, as men who
have hitherto done wrong, persecuted God's Word, and shed
innocent blood. We want this sin and wickedness of yours
to be unconcealed, and are not willing to consent to it by
keeping quiet and covering things up, thus making ourselves
partakers in these abominations. We are willing to stake
everything on this, and fight this out with you on the basis
of God's Word, which you persecute. For, as I said at the
beginning, 1 we do not need your diet and your resolutions.
We stand where we do stand, without your help ; nay, we
stand there against your raging and raving. But for your
own sakes, and for the poor people's sakes, we are doing
what we do, on the chance that we may help you, or some
of you, and that we may give the people good advice, to the
honor of God and the welfare of Christendom.
1 See abwe, pp. 331, 332.
Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg 361
ON THE UNMARRIED STATE
Coelibatus, that is the unmarried state, or prohibited Ceiaay
marriage, is another of your papal innovations contrary to an In :
the eternal Word of God and to the ancient blessed usage nofratlo)n
of the Church; contrary also to God's creation. But in it is
fulfilled the prophecy of Daniel xii, where he says of your D an .
king, 1 "Neither shall he regard an,y god, nor the desire of 11:37 '
women." It must be a great sin not to love women, for the
prophet indicates here that it is a peculiar abomination of
Antichrist, and puts it next after the denial of God, The
old translation has, 3 Erit in concupiscentiis
foeminarum, "He shall be in desire of women" ; but
that would not be an antichristian "virtue" ; it would have
to be Erit in concupiscentiis masculorum, 8
though that is what he means when he says Affectum
erga mulieres non curabit/ which is the correct
text.
Now, dear sirs, if you would be pious and do a good deed,
compel yourselves to repentance for all the miserable and
unspeakable wretchedness of all kinds of vice throughout
the world which has grown out of this accursed papal in-
novation. It hangs about the necks of all of you, and it will
stay there, unless you do something about it, and remove it.
You have heard that to despise the love of women, that is,
to forbid marriage, is an abomination and plague of Anti-
christ, for God made woman to be held in honor, and to be
the helper of man. Therefore He would have this love un-
f orbidden and undespised. It is the flesh and the devil that
teach us to use women only for dishonor by putting one
after another of them to shame, as your new, highly praised,
unmarried (I had almost said dishonorable)* state has done
and still does. 6 That is not loving women, but loving tm-
1 i. e. Antichrist.
H e. The Vulgate.
3 "He shall practice lust with men."
4 "He shall not care for deaire toward women."
*Eheloser r ich haette schiet gesagt ehrloser, Stand.
' "In former times the canons set themselves hard against the pope in this
matter, especially the canons of Mainz, so teat the canons of Erfurt would
almost have slaw their archbishop," Chron. Germaaiae. (This is
362 Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg
chastity, and loving shame done to women, and holding
them not as women, but as harlots, whom no one can thence-
forth love or honor. But it is God's will that they be re-
garded as women, and that this be done gladly and with love ;
that is to say, we are to have them in marriage, and dwell
with them in marital love. That pleases God, but it takes
knowledge and grace.
Celibacy Or do you know that the sixth commandment says, "Thou
Carifcrary shalt not break the marriage vow?" 1 This commandment,
Com- like all the rest, makes no distinction of persons, spiritual
or temporal, priests or laymen. They are not to break the
marriage vow, that is, not to touch another's wife. But it is
certain that the commandment, in forbidding everyone an-
other's wife, permits everyone a wife of his own; nay, in
order that no one may touch another's wife, it compels him
to have his own wife. If it were true, as the dear canons
wickedly declare, that a pastor cannot serve God if he has
a wife of his own, then this sixth commandment would have
to be entirely abolished and would not apply generally to per-
sons of all kinds, and permit them to have their own wives.
Right here I would like to speak of other commandments
also. For example, "Thou shalt have no money or property
of thine own, otherwise thou canst not serve God." And
yet the seventh commandment, "Thou shalt not steal," allows
one to have one's own money and property, and only forbids
one to have another's property ; nay, in order that one may
not steal, it commands that one have one's own property.
Therefore I do not yet know whether there is more danger
of sin from one's own money or one's own wife. Avarice,
Mammon, and Company are indeed mighty! It is a great
knavery of the canon law that it declares that God cannot
be served if one has one's own wife, and that He can be well
served if one has one's own Mammon, money, property,
Luther's own marginal note to this passage. The reference is to Lambert of
Hersf eld's Chronicle. The occurrence was in 1075, when Gregory VII
was attempting to enforce celibacy on the Church. See Monumenta Germ.
Script V, 218. Erfurt was in the archdiocese of Mainz.)
*Du sollst nicht ehebrechen. The accepted English rendering,
"Thou shalt not commit adultery," deprives Luther's argument of its point.
Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg 363
castles, and cities. The opposite is true! It is better to
serve God having a wife, than having property, though
neither is a hindrance to a Christian. For a wife one
already has, and the worry of how to get her is over, and
she can take care of herself ; but of money one can never
get enough, and one worries incessantly how to increase it
and keep it. It is this worry and love 1 that are the real
hindrances to the service of God, and such worry a wife can
well take from a pastor by doing the worrying herself and
letting him serve God entirely.
Again, one might easily play the fool with the fifth com- A cause
mandment and say, "Thou canst not have weapons, guns, * Sitt
and other arms and serve God at the same time, for thou
mightest kill, do injury, or be hindered thereby." And yet
the fifth commandment only forbids killing, but permits
weapons and arms; nay, in order that murder may be pre-
vented, it commands to have weapons and arms. Why have
our marriageless saints both their own money and their own
arms, and do their farming and their fighting with a clear
conscience? Does not that hinder them in the service of
God? No, but a little wife must hinder them! It was a
dolt that made this canon and a dolt that made the other.
Nevertheless he has blinded the whole world, even the great
scholars !
The devil, however, wanted so to fix things, by means of
this canon, that his celibates should have no wives of their
own, but should have instead the wives, daughters, and
maids of everybody else, and Sodom into the bargain. This
would not have been the case had they been married. It was
also his will that instead of having their own property, which
is hard to acquire, they should swallow up the property
of all the world and consume it in idleness, which would not
happen if they had to seek and acquire property for them-
selves. In like manner they have forbidden weapons, so
that they might lay hands on the swords of all the kings
and do with them what they would; this too would not be
He. Of money.
364 Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg
the case, if they had their own swords. It is a wonder of
wonders that these three things, all sorts of free un-
chastity, all sorts of avarice and splendor, all sorts of
weapons and war, do not prevent these unmarried saints
from serving God, and yet one pious wife prevents them !
If everything were to fail, and pope, bishops, canons, and
even the people were to remain in their unmarried knavish
state, since even the heathen poet admits that pimps and
procurers take wives unwillingly, I hope, nevertheless, that
you will have pity on the the poor parish priests and pastors,
and allow them to marry; and that you will not be such
shameful, murderous, crazy canonists and jurists as you have
been in the past. For your canons decree that a married
priest is to be suspended, that is, put out of office; and
you, with your dull asses and Bacchantes, have interpreted
that to mean that they are to be hanged, drowned, run
through, murdered, and hunted. 1 So utterly bloodthirsty
and murderous are you bloodhounds that you are not
ashamed to rage as you will even against and beyond your
own law. If you will not have pity, and I fear that so
much innocent blood, so many horrible sins and such
enormous wickedness hang on your necks and press so hard
upon you that God will hardly give you grace to do other-
wise than you are doing, except to bring your own destruc-
tion upon you, as St. Peter says in his second Epistle,
2 pet. we u G 0( f s w iu 3^11 k e d one) nevertheless, and not your
2:19
pleasure.
For the monks I know not what to ask. It is well known
Th that you wish them all to the devil, whether they take wives
or no t And not without reason, for two roosters on the
same dunghill cannot endure one another. They want to
have the life that you have and that you would like to have
all to yourselves; and that you cannot suffer. Therefore
let them go, the rascals ! They must not lead the lives of
bishops or canons ; that befits only the Church and the ser-
vants of God; and that means you. God Almighty will do
1 C. Above, p. 140,
Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg 365
more and better than you intend, and than we expect of
you, Amen I Else, I fear, the devil will be abbot and his
dam will be abbess. And yet, I have one hope and comfort ;
you cannot live here forever, and we must always be train- ,
ing up new parish priests and pastors, and, God willing ! the
young fellows, who are coming on, will not allow themselves
to be tied up with your crazy, wicked vows and obligations
to the unhonored state 1 and other abominations. But if the
parish clergy become corrupt and the people are without
the Word, and if the monks go down, you will see how long
bishops and canons, foundations and monasteries will remain.
There must be pastors, even if there are no bishops, canons,
or monks.
Christendom was maintained for many hundred years The
without these endowment-bishops and canons, and it can UseH
Icssn^ss
henceforth be maintained without them. At the Last Judg- of the
ment no Christian soul will be able to boast or testify that
in all these centuries a single one of them had ever heard
or learned from his endowment-bishop the Lord's Prayer,
the Ten Commandments, the Creed, or one of the Gospels,
or ever had or enjoyed from him a single episcopal duty
or work. "We ourselves lived, before Luther, as though we
had no bishops, and so we must continue to live." I know
for sure that the whole world must say that, before Luther's
doctrine, they received no more from their bishops than they
do now, and receive no less now than they received before,
except that they suffer from extortion and assessment. They
cannot feel or notice whether they used to have bishops, or
have none now; so little experience have they had of
episcopal offices and duties! This is called watching"
diligently over souls ; and this is the way they want to watch
over them again !
"Nay," say they, "we consecrate and ordain others to do
these things in our stead." Even this they do not do ; it is
the suffragan who does it, and he has nothing of the bishop
about him, for he only ordains to the sacrificing of the mass,
1 E h r 1 o a a pun on e h c 1 o s , "unmarried."
366 Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg
makes no inquiry at all about how and what is to be preached
and what the people need to learn; therefore he is satisfied
when the priests can hardly read a requiem, smears them
quickly with his chrism and lets them pass on. When these
men are preachers, it is God who makes them so, and by
them He maintains His Church; it would long since have
perished a hundred thousand times if it had depended on
the bishops and suffragans. As for the evil state in which
it has been and still is, whose fault is it, except that of
the bishops, who sit in the apostles' seat and in the episcopal
office, and do none of the things they ought to do, and let
everything go to ruin? And yet they cry out that they
should be allowed to have the ruling place they used to have,
because they seek the salvation of souls. It was a fine gov-
ernment and they seek the salvation of souls ! Yes, it was
the devil on their heads (for he rides them) and the mis-
fortune of all of us around our necks, as we found out
before ! It is a question of princely m e u m and t u u m ;
the bishop's office will still rest with the pastors and
preachers.
They allege further, "We let people study in the univer-
sities; they learn to preach ably, and then we have them
ordained by the suffragan." That is true and unfortunate !
You let them study ; so do the Turks and the Jews ! But
what help do they give them, and what help do you give
them out of your mammon of endowments? And yet this
is your serious duty! Nay, it grieves you that there are
universities; you smell a poisonous breath in them. You
are rid of the monks or have them in hand; that fruit of
the Gospel you have accepted gladly. You would like to be rid
of the theologians and scholars too; they are still in your
way! If they were out of the way you would be completely
the masters of the parish clergy. Then you could mount
again above kings and princes; nay you could command the
pope himself, who cannot do without you, and you bishops
would be the only gods and lords on earth. That is what
you are after, dear sirs ! Is it not true that the secret con-
Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg 367
ference of Mainz/ where I could not be present, took a step
in this direction? Then we would have a world full of
jackasses, and the Church would have no Word and no pas-
toral office. Yes, you would let them study; but the livings
of the chapters, which have been incorporated with the
universities, no one gets unless he has first studied by other
people's help; and if he is to get them, he must first buy
them, and pay for them with a sum of money; and when he
has paid for them, is bound to howl and b 1 a 1 1 in the chap-
ter, so that his studies and his knowledge bring no benefit to
the office of preacher or teacher. That is the way you help
the Church !
Granting", however, that you ordain others in your place
(which you do not do), who are to preach and be bishops
in your stead, you must remember that I am now speaking
of bishops and not of men who make appointments. A
peasant, or village judge, a town, a prince, can also appoint
a preacher, but that does not make any of them a bishop.
A bishop is one who is himself to feed God's people. For
there is Paul's instruction to bishops in the Book of Acts, Acta
"Take heed to yourselves and to the whole flock, among 20:23
whom the Holy Ghost has made you bishops, to feed the -j^
community of God, which He has won with His own blood." Duties
If you were bishops, as your name and place require you to
be, your hair would stand on end at this saying, and you
would be as sorry to be bishops as I am to be a preacher
and doctor; for you would be little better off than I and men
like me. St. Paul also says, "A bishop shall be d i d a c - i rn.
t i c u s , " that is, "apt to teach," "persistent in teaching." ^
He does not mean prince-bishops or castle-bishops, but l *\ 7 9
bishops of the Church, who do the work that, praise God ! 2 Tim.
many of His pastors do, even though they do not wear 4:2
mitres, which blockheads and "Nicholas-bishops" 3 can also
wear. For that you, as bishops, should supervise what is
* Cf. Luther's work Wider den . . . . Rathschlag der Mainz-
ischen Pfafferei (1526). Weimar Ed. XIX 260 ff.
* St. Nicholas went from house to house in the garb of a bishop, giving pres-
ent* to good children. He is the ancestor of the modern Santa Clans.
Vol. IV.-24
368 Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg
rightly taught, and do not know yourselves what it is, that
is laughable ! No, sad to say, it is not laughable ! We have
had experience of the good th^t your oversight does, as the
subjects above treated show!
Of all this, dear sirs, I have had to remind you and exhort
you, because I see that you do not fear God, and seek neither
contrition nor repentance for your horribly perverted life,
and have not even qualms of conscience over it; for by this
God is angered to the uttermost. For since we poor
Lutherans have taken wives, you venture to think that you
have at last one thing about us to take hold of, because you
could find nothing else. You have thought that you would
use it, and scourge us with it and press us with it, so that
all your shameful, unchaste harlotry, all your robbing of
monasteries and stealing of endowments, the whole un-
savory mess of your abominations and perverted, unbishop-
like abuses, shame, vice, injury and corruption of the
Church, all this would be concealed, covered up, lost in
silence, and come to be praised as fair and fine. Thence-
forth you might claim for yourselves, all authority, even
over the apostles themselves, because you were pure and
innocent people, who never muddied the water. A good trip
to you, dear sirs ! But see that you make no mistakes. Do
not say, "Hurrah!" You are not yet over the hill! You
have seen how you can dress yourselves up, but you have
not yet seen how we can strip the pretty bag off from you,
and paint you in such colors that you mmst spit at your very
selves. Do not boast and strut ; your case is not as good as
you think !
Even though you can load us with wives, whom we yet
acknowledge before God with a good conscience, and also
before the world, as our married wives, and not as our
harlots, you will never believe in how masterly a fashion we
will polish up your mistresses and stolen wives, whom you
and we both know that you have with no good conscience,
and whom you do not acknowledge before the world except
as your harlots. Thus you must call yourselves and be
Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg 369
judged as whore-master, before both God and the world.
Besides we will paint you Roman Sodom, Italian marriage,
Venetian and Turkish brides, and Florentine bridegroom 1 in
such wise that you shall see and grasp that our marriage
has had sweet revenge on your honorless chastity. And
though some of you, perhaps, may not be guilty of all these
things, we shall not ask about this. The protector, defender,
fellow, and comrade will be on the same footing with those
who are themselves guilty, for the reason that they do not
rebuke, ban, and avoid these sins (as the Gospel and your
own law teach), but help these evildoers, aid them, and join
them in raging against us, and by this help, make them- Rom.
selves partakers of all these abominations, and are therefore
no better than the guilty.
Never a heathen, never a Turk, never a pope, never an
emperor, never a man on earth, has made or enforced a
law that anyone should be put to death for marrying Thus
it is a new and unheard-of thing begun by you bishops, who,
in your chapters, are the greatest endowment-robbers,
whore-masters, and hunters of harlots on earth. And you
do it not in order to maintain chastity, but because others
will not practice harlotry and unchastity as you do ; for you
allow it to go unrebuked. And no one can believe that
you mean well by chastity with this penalty, since there are
no greater enemies of chastity anywhere than you are, for
you persecute it most shamelessly and incessantly in your
own persons with all unchastity.
To be sure, this is a very small thing compared with the
great common abomination, viz., that you are the kind of
bishops described above, and in time, if you do not improve
shall be painted in other colors. For if we are to have god-
less harlot-masters and enemies of God for bishops, we shall
honestly show them in what church they belong; this you
will certainly discover. For as long as you are unwilling
to let our marriage alone, you shall have little honor or joy
^ope Clemeat VII (1523-24), a member of the Florentine house of Medici.
Venice and Florence were proverbial for unchastity.
370 Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg
from your harlotry and antichristian bishopry. If I die
because of it, there are others who can do it better ! In a
word, you and we know that you live without God's Word,
but we have God's Word. Therefore our supreme request
and humble petition is that you will give God the honor,
confess your sin, repent, and reform. If not, take this from
me, -if I live, I shall be your plague; if I die, I shall be your
Hosea death. For God has set me on you; I must be, as Hosea
13:7 f. sa y Sj a b ear an( j a u on i n t h e roa d O f Assur; you shall have
no rest from my name, until you amend your ways or are
destroyed !
Therefore we give you your choice. First, since you
cannot and will not perform your episcopal duties, since
y u an< ^ a ^ y ur sc ^' ars ver %> verily, are unable to preach
and be the comforters and judges of consciences ; then leave
us your office, which it is your duty to exercise; let us be
free to teach the Gospel, and let us serve the poor people,
who wish to be godly. Do not persecute and prevent those
who do what you cannot do (though it is your duty), and
which others are willing to do for you.
In the second place, We shall make no other
request of you, 1 nor will we take any pay from you; but if
God supports us otherwise, we will do the work, so that
you may be spared both work and pay, trouble and expense.
Not that we are so anxious to preach ! Speaking for my-
self, indeed, I can say that there is no message I would hear
more gladly than that of my own deposition from the preach-
ing-office. I am so tired of it; partly because of the in-
gratitude of the people, but much more because of the
intolerable hardships which the devil and the world lay upon
me ! But though the poor souls do not want my preaching,
there is a man who says "No** to my withdrawal His
name is Jesus Christ, and it is right for me to follow Him,
for He has earned my service. All of you know (praise
God!) that the Lutheran preachers are godly men and do
you no harm, but are more useful to you than all your and
1 Than that made above.
Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg 371
the pope's scholars. You have never had more pious
heretics, nor will you ever get them; pray God that they may
be spared to you !
In the third place, We will let you remain what
you are, and teach, as you have done in the past, that
you are to be allowed to be princes and lords, for the sake
of peace, and are to be permitted to keep your property.
The Hussites and Wiclifites did not do this, and none of the
fanatics or revolutionaries are willing to do it now. Thus
you see that in us you have not enemies, but friends, nay,
even protectors. For how does it hurt us if you are lords
and princes ? If you are not willing to do what is right for
your class and position, well and good! It is not we, but
you who must give account. Only keep the peace, and do
not persecute us! We ask nothing more, and never have
asked anything more, than that the Gospel shall be free.
You could help us and we could help you to peace. If you
do it not, then we carry off the honor, and you lose both,
peace and honor.
In the fourth place, You could set up again the
episcopal power, in so far as you left us free to preach the
Gospel. For my own part, I shall be ready with help and
counsel, so that you may have something of episcopal rank.
You would have two parts of the episcopal office; the one,
that in your stead we and the preachers would teach the
Gospel ; the other, that with your episcopal power, you would
help in the administration of it. Your persons, your life,
and your princely ways we would leave to your own con-
science and to God's judgment. Heretofore we never have
taken your episcopal authority from you; you yourselves
have let it fall. For when you could not maintain with it
the indulgences and other intolerable abuses, you let it go
altogether, and were not willing to protect our Gospel, or
even to tolerate it, but turned this authority against us and
against the Gospel. Then it had to strike itself a blow that
dulled its edge ; for God did not ordain it against His Word,
but for His
372 Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg
More than this 1 we cannot offer you, except the daily
prayer, the good will, and the service which it is our duty
to offer all our enemies. Our offer is this, we will perform
the duties of your office; we will support ourselves, without
cost to you ; we will help you to remain what you are and
advise that you have authority to see that things go right.
What more should we do ? We are carrying a heavy load ;
we have burdened ourselves with you and the revolutionists
and all the world, yes, and all the devils ; and nobody helps
us. If you, too, will not help, but keep on pressing us
down, beware lest you break our backs in two, and try our
patience too far. If you are going to suppress the pious
heretics who are carrying you along, see what becomes of
you. The game is no longer in our hands, as it was before,
but the devil has got it away from us ; we can help you no
more, if you do not help yourselves also, and have regard
not to yourselves, but to the multitude of common people
and to peace. It is high time that you do this, and we too
will do our best. If there be among you one pious heart,
it can well gather from this whole tract that I am telling
the truth, and must tell it, and sincerely mean it well for
you and for everyone. More than this I cannot do; your
cause is too utterly bad.
But someone may think it a laughable proposal that the
bishops shall rule the Church, because it is well known that
they cannot and will not learn, and St. Paul says that one
i Tim. who rules his own house badly will never rule the Church
3:5 well, and it is plain to be seen how the bishops preside over
their chapters and maintain discipline by allowing them to
be impunita lupinaria et latrocinia. 3 My
answer is this. I know only to well that it is true; but in
order that these wicked people may see that we seek peace
and that there is no fault in us, I can suffer it that they
provide the parishes and preaching-position with spiritual
persons, and thus help to administer the Gospel. I would
rather that the fault should be theirs than ours, and before
1 L e. The four things specified above.
3 "Peas of unpunished vice and robbery."
Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg 373
now God has ruled and done good by means of rascals, and
He must think that it is now the time when Herod is selling
the priestly office in Jerusalem, and the Romans are doing
likewise ; nevertheless worship remains, and the Word. But
if they wish to quench the Gospel or even to remain un-
repentant, let them do it at their own risk; we shall preach
what we will. If they are eager for misfortune, God will
soon raise up another Muenzer, who will overthrow them
entirely. If they will not be bishops in God's name, let
them be bath-house keepers 1 in the devil's name ; we are not
to blame, nor are we the cause of it. The Lutherans remain
masters, because Christ is with them and they remain with
Christ, though hell, world, devil, princes, and all should go
crazy.
To discuss more points now would take too long. God
help you at the diet to act in such wise that it may not
be necessary for us to go over everything again from the
beginning; that is not good for you and we prefer to be
spared the trouble. And yet, in order that you may not
think that what I am saying is a mere threat, I should here
set down the subjects that should be discussed by both sides.
The Subjects with which it is necessary
to deal in the true Christian Church, and
which we discuss.
What is the Law.
What is the Gospel.
What is sin.
What is grace.
What is the gift of the Spirit.
What is true repentance.
1 The bath-house keeper was also the barter and Wood-letter of the time.
374 Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg
How true confession is made.
What is faith.
What is forgiveness of sins.
What is Christian liberty.
What is free will.
What is love.
What is the Cross.
What is hope.
What is Baptism.
What is the Mass.
What is the Church.
What are the Keys.
What is a bishop.
What is a deacon.
What is the preaching-office.
The true catechism, that is, the Ten Commandments, the
Lord's Prayer, the Creed.
True prayer.
The Litany.
The reading and interpretation of the Scriptures.
What are good works.
The instruction of married folk, children, man-servants
and maid-servants.
Honoring the government
Children's schools.
Visitation of the sick.
The care of the poor and of hospitals.
The treatment of the dying.
These subjects no bishop has ever dealt with, and they
have never been thoroughly understood or taught by your
party, and in part have faded out. You cannot deny this;
we were raised in your schools, and your books, which bear
witness to it, are still extant; and all the world is witness
that these things were never preached before. Now it is
certain that everything depends on these things, and that the
Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg 375
Christian Church is cared for by means of them, and needs
none of your unnecessary additions at all.
In this connection I will not speak of the German hymns,
the blessing of the bride, 1 and many good and wholesome
books. What great abominations have been put down by
them, and rooted out from among us, I shall not her e^ relate;
enough has been said to show how many things we would
have to speak about, if we wanted to take the time and
the space.
The things that have been use and cus-
tom in the pretended Church.
1. Indulgences.
2. The sacrifice of the mass and the innumerable ways
of doing it.
3. The abuse of the ban.
4. Purgatory.
5. Ghosts.
6. Innumerable pilgrimages.
7. Vigils.
8. Masses for the dead.
9. Anniversary masses for the dead.
10. The masses of the four weeks, 3
11. Soul-baths.*
12. The worship of saints, some of whom were never
born.
13. Saints* days without measure.
14. Mary, made a common idol, with innumerable ser-
vices, celebrations, fasts, hymns, and antiphons.
15. Butter-letters. 4
1 Probably a reference to Luther's own formula of marriage, the Trati
b ti c h 1 e i n . See a. later Vol.
* Masses said for four weeks after the death of the supposed beneficiary*
Endowment of free baths as a good work.
* Trivial dispensations, such as permission to cat butter in Lent.
376 Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg
16. Innumerable relics, with lies.
17. Innumerable brotherhoods.
18. The celibate life.
19. Dedications of churches.
20. Dedications of altars.
21. Dedications of images with indulgences.
22. Baptism of bells, with two hundred god-fathers
on one rope.
23. Distinctions of foods; -^
24. Distinctions of days ; I regarded as necessary.
25. Distinctions of dress; j
26. The compulsory seven, or "canonical hours."
27. The Sunday-procession, which is a play.
28. Extreme Unction for death, not for recovery. 1
29. The sacrament of marriage.
30. The sacrament of priesthood.
31. The sacrament of confirmation.
32. Acolytes -\
33. Tonsurists / Consecration of these not to duties
34. Lectors r but to liberty. 3
35. Subdeacons J
36. Prayers to Brigitta. 8
37. Other prayers of the same kind, and all sorts of
prayer-books, full of blasphemous and shameful dishonor-
ings of God.
38. Tonsures -\ All of these more than is need-
39. Chasubles / ful and only as special services
40. Albs r of God. This is contrary to
41. Choir-vestments J faith.
*Cf. Vol. II, pp. 284 ff.
a Acolytes and lectors belong to the lower orders of clergy. All of the lower
orders are included in one ordination, known as "the first tonsure." It ad-
mitted to the liberties of the clergy,, but did not impose definite duties.
8 The fifteen prayers to St. Bridget. See above, p. 345.
Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg 377
42.
Cowls.
43.
Churches.
44.
45.
Chapels.
Altars.
46.
Altar-cloths.
47.
48.
Lights.
Candle-sticks.
49.
50.
Images.
Tables.
51.
52.
53.
54.
55.
Crucifixes.
Candle-sticks.
Banners.
Censers.
Fonts.
All of these beyond what
is needful and as special
services to God. This is
contrary to faith.
56.
Monstrances.
57.
58.
Pyxes.
Chalices.
59.
60.
Organs.
Bells.
61.
62.
63.
Holy water.
Holy salt. 1
Incense.
64.
And all kinds of food.
In
Lent:
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.
Ash Wednesday.
Hunger-cloths. 3
Veiling of images.
Keeping fasts (except the priests).
Litany of the Saints.
Hymns to Mary in the evenings.'
The torture of confession.*
72.
Penance and satisfaction.
1 Used in baptism.
'The purple, or violet, altar-cloths used in the fast-seasons, Advent and Lent
8 Customary especially in the month of May.
*The plenary confession, demanded once a year, usually before the Easter-
communion.
378 Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg
73. Long preces.
74. The palm-ass. 1
75. Palm-shooting/
76. Palm-swallowing. 8
77. Palm-crosses/
78. Compulsory confession.
79. Compulsory communion.
80. Kissing and adoring the cross. 8
81. Burying the cross.
82. Half-mass on Quiet Friday.
83. Singing psalms at the grave.
84. Dark-mass.
85. Rattles instead of bells.
86. Passion-sermons of eight hours.
87. Consecrating the fire.*
88. Easter-candles.
89. Taking the cross out of the grave and carrying it,
playing.
90. The consecrating of cakes on Easter Day.
91. The procession of St. Mark's day* "1 Both good for
92. Cross-weeks. 8 J all unchastity.
93. Ascension at Nones.*
94. The Holy Ghost on Pentecost."
95. Corpus Christi processions."
1 The dummy on which a figure, representing Christ, was mounted, or dramatic
presentations of the Entry into Jerusalem.
a The throwing of grreen twigs, representing palms, after the
8 Swallowing bits of the consecrated palms distributed on Palm Sunday; re-
garded as a preventive of throat-affections.
4 The bits of consecrated palm, fastened together in the form of a croe.% were
used by the German peasants for blessing the fields.
5 The customs referred to In Nos. 80*86 belonged to the observance of Holy
Week, and especially of Good Friday.
* Nos. 87-89 were customs of the Saturday before Easter*
T The great procession of the year (April 25th).
*The cross-week is the week after Rogate Sunday, observed with proccwlooui
and prayers for the crops.
* The hour of nones (3 P, M.) was said to be the time of the Atcension* ind
the chief service of Ascension Day was held at that hour.
10 The dramatic representation of the Pentecost miracle.
"In the week after Trinity Sunday.
Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg 379
96. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin. 1
97. Church-dedications.
98. Festivals of patron saints.
99. Community-weeks. 3
100. St. Burkart's day. 8
101. Ember days.
102. All Saints' Day.
103. All Souls' Day.
104. St. Martin's goose/
105. Advent, more in honor of Mary than of Christ.
106. The Rorate-mass.*
107. The Conception of the Blessed Virgin.'
108. The three Christmas-masses.
109. The a p p a r u i t and music/
110. The blessing of oats on St. Stephen's day.
11 L St. John's draught.*
112. Candlemas and wax-sale.*
113. St Agatha's lights."
114. St. Blasius' lights."
I shall stop here, for who can count up everything in a
short space? But if they do not want to have peace, either
I or another can keep on counting, so that the dear bishops
and canons may not think that the monks are the only sin-
ners, and they are the pure kitten. Not so ! For this time
I have wished to point out nothing more than the things
that are common usage In the parish churches, though these
* Celebrated Attgmt 15th*
*The week fUwto: the Sunday after St Michael's Day, The masses of
th&t week were usually for the dead.
* October Hth,
4 It wan ctomnnr for the clenry to receive presents of geese on St. MJartln'a
Day (November iHh).
*See above, p* 3SO*
March 25th.
T A r> p a r ti 1 1 ("He appeared**) occurred repeatedly in the Easter liturgies.
Wine coB&ecrated on n John's Day (December 27th).
* Candlemas (February 2d) the day for the consecration of the candles for
we throughout th year* In cQnte^uence there was ft lively market for candles
on that day,
W 0a St. Agtthfc's Bay It wm eutomary to bum candles on which prayers
to the saint had been {nucdbetL
^Candle* ixucribed with prayers to St BlasJus were believed to ward ott
affections of the throat
380 Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg
are the smallest part of your government and have been
despised beyond all measure, and you have trodden them
under foot. If, however, I were to take up the chapter
churches, cathedrals, official houses, monasteries and preach-
ing places, and then come to the mendicants, the sta-
tionaries, 1 and finally the sophists in the universities : God
help us! I do not wonder that you forget these abysmal
abominations and now seek to adorn yourselves ! Did not I
myself forget (by the dear God!), and did not I think that
you were in the place where I see you to be? Be silent
now, for God's sake, and reform, or things will go hard
with you !
To be sure, it is a fact that among the things above men-
tioned there are some which are not to be rejected, and some
to D that have fallen out, which I did not want to fall, but which
with the can easi jy come ] 3ac | Ci The best thing of all is that the fine
Latin songs de tempore a have been kept, though they
have been almost drowned out by the new sacred songs and
count for almost nothing.
To speak my mind briefly, this is the sum of what I
think. If these things had been kept as play for the youth
and for young pupils, so that they would have had a
childish game of Christian doctrine and life, in the same
way that we must give children dolls and hobby-horses and
other toys ; and if the custom had been allowed to stay at
that, as we teach the children to fast for the sake of the
Christ-child and of St. Nicholas, so that they may give them
presents on their nights 8 (for it was thus, as we can see,
that our ancestors meant it to be) ; if it were to be left at
that, the palm-ass, the ascension and many things of the kind
could be tolerated, for then they would not lead anyone's
conscience astray. But for us old fools to go about in
mitres and clerical finery, and take it seriously,- so
seriously, indeed, that it becomes an article of faith, so
that whoever does not adore this child's-play must have
1 Itinerant venders of relics: see Vol. II, p. 13S, xu 2,
3 1 e, For the seasons of the Church Year.
8 i. e. On Christmas Eve and St. Nicholas* Eve (December 5th),
Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg 381
committed a sin and have his conscience tortured by it,
that is the very devil !
It follows, then, that all the things above mentioned, how-
ever childish and laughable they may be, do nevertheless
fight against and corrupt the Christian faith and the really
necessary things, which have also been mentioned above, as
though there were no help for one who did not keep them.
For, sad to say, it has been our experience heretofore this
childs' and fools' play has been practiced more, and more
seriously, than the things that are really important. This,
then, is our opinion : If, for the sake of the young, we can
help to retain these childish games which are tolerable,
without injury to the really serious and important things, we
shall gladly do it. But that we should hold them for articles
of faith and even play the fool in bishops' hats, nothing
will come of that, no matter who is angry or who laughs!
I have spoken these things to you this time as a kindly
and faithful admonition, and I ask with all diligence that
you will join us in calling upon God that He may grant
you grace and wisdom so to do and to act in these matters
that it may be for His honor and the salvation of us all ; and
also that He may prevent you from self-adornment, and
from excusing, defending, or forcibly continuing your
former misconduct. For what good is done by making more
bad blood among the people ? Men's hearts are already too
deeply embittered, and not without good cause. It is neces-
sary to sweeten and soften and quiet them with humble con-
fession and open reformation, and not to irritate them
further* You know that, even if there were no Gospel, your
order is so fallen and corrupt, even when judged by your
own laws, that it cannot be endured if you try to brazen
things through*
You know, too, that Pope Hadrian himself confessed,
through his legate at Nuremberg,* that the Roman See was
the source of much evil, and offered to reform it- Why,
*At the Diet of Nuremberg, 1323. The statements referred to are found in
ANO JACO% Luther'a Correspondence, II, pp, 141 tt.
382 Exhortation to the Clergy at Augsburg
then, should you be ashamed to confess the same thing,
and obstinately persist in your pride, and grant nothing and
yield nothing, but carry things off with force, caring nothing
whether the result is better or worse? For you know, or
Rom. ought to know, that Christian rule or authority has been
2 cor. ' ordained by God to make things better, not to corrupt them,
isao as Paul says, and is not to be a tyranny, but a service. If
you were to admit this, we could help to raise you in the
opinion of the people. For I maintain that you cannot do
without the Lutherans, those godly heretics, and least of
all can you do without their prayers, if you are going to
accomplish any permanent results. But if you are going to
force your way through this business stiffly and stubbornly
(which may God forbid!), then, together with all who
believe with me, I hereby call God and all the world to
witness that it is no fault of ours if you are dashed to pieces,
when your pride fails you. Your blood be on your own
head ! We are and will be guiltless of your blood and your
condemnation; for we pointed out to you your offences,
admonished you faithfully to repent, sincerely implored you,
and made you every offer that could serve the cause of
peace, seeking and desiring nothing else than that sole sup-
port and comfort of our souls, the free and pure Gospel
Thus we can boast with a good conscience that the fault has
not been ours.
But may the God of peace and consolation give you His
Spirit, to guide you and lead you to all truth, through our
Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be praise and thanks for all
His unspeakable grace and gifts for ever and ever. Amen*
INDEX
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
VoL 1V.-45
INDEX
ABRAHAM, 39
Absolution, 340
Abuses (rites and ceremonies), 375ff
Acts of God, 63
Agricola, 327
Alms, see Giving
Anabaptists, 352
Annas, 37
Antichrist, SO, 77
Apollos, 80
Apostolic Canons, 351
Aquinas, 347
Aristotle, 127, 173
Arius (Arians), 310, 311
Athanasius, 311
Augsburg Confession, 327
Augsburg, Diet at, 327
major purpose of, 327
opportunity of clergy at, 329f
"The Invasion of the Turks," 331
subjects necessary to be discussed, 373f
customary uses in the pretended church, 375
Augustine, St., 39
Augustinians, 181
Authorities,
administration of, punishment by, 41
in connection with Church begging, etc., 49
related to price-fixing, 16
Avarice, 10, 14, 25, 26, 37, 53, 58, 166
BACCHANTRN, 140
Back-biting, 296
Ban, 98, 352f
the great ban, 352f
the small ban, 353
correct use of, 353
abuse of, 353
Baptism, 79, 351 f
Barefoot Friars, sec Franciscans
Begging, 44, 97
abolition of, 49
practiced by spiritual estate, 44
Benedictines, 93
Benefices, 357
Bequests, see Monastic Foundations
385
386 Index
Bishops,
appointment and confirmation of, 83
arrogated powers in judging doctrines, 76
attitude toward universities, 366
duties of, 367
endowed episcopacy unnecessary, 365
episcopal authority turned against Gospel, 371
four proposals of Luther to, 370
have power to teach, 77
Nicholas-bishops, 367
on consent of to call of preachers, 82
really temporal lords, 96
suffragan, 365 f
unchastity of, 368f
Blasphemy (Blasphemers), 249, 310
Books, 126, 128, 129
Borrowed money, see Capital
Borrowing, 23, 32
high living forces, 24
Boye, Nicolas, 191
Brenz, 208
Bugenhagen, 208
Business,
uncertainty of, 34
Buyer,
poor imposed upon, 14
Buying and_ Selling, 24
Buying of Income, 56fF
a cloak for avarice, 59
a new and slippery Invention, 56
as related to conscience, 57
bad effects, 57
buyer must take the risk, 63
collateral must be specified, 61 f
dealers in, 61
should be abolished, 58
violates natural and Christian law, 57
CALL,
of congregation, 80, 81
on call of Christian to preach, 80f
pastor's, 313
Campeggio, Cardinal, 327
Canon law, 39, 58, 76, 149, 154, 288, 355, 362
Canonization of saint, 50
Capital,
borrowed, 32
Cardinal of Ostia, 83
Carlstadt, 298, 313
Carthusians, 172
Cash money, 24
Caslmlr, Margrave, 268
Catechism, 348
Catholicon, 127
Index 387
Cato, 35
Caveat emptor^ 63
Celestines, 93
Celibacy, 361ff
Ceremonies, 312
Charles, Emperor, 329, 333
Cheating, 32
Children,
commended to us by Christ. 125
entrusted to their elders, 109, 144f
neglect of, 109
sons trained for the legal profession, 162
the wrong in keeping from the ministry, 151
to be given to the ministry, 144
turned from ministry, 176
Christ,
commandment, 42, 45, 50, 51, 53
example, 37f
gospel and preaching office related to, 176
kingdom of, 322
law of, 229f
power conferred upon all men, 76
satisfaction of, 342
Christendom, bishops not necessary to maintain, 365
Christian,
a martyr here, 241
a rare bird, 231
all priests, but not all pastors, 314
anointed by God to priesthood, 79
does not fight, 233
duty of, 80
law of, 229f
life, 184
on call of, to preach, 80 f
resists sin, 272fT
the and borrowing, 23
true rare, 21
vast difference between, and world, 78
where found, 22
"Christian Association," 208, 225, 229, 230
Christian Congregation,
called the Deacons, 83
cannot be without the Word, 79
must have teachers and ministers, 79
right, power, duty, 79
right to call, 80f 82
what it is, 75
Church,
customary uses in the pretended, 375
endowments, 64, 66
property confiscated, 354
held unlawfully, 355f
misused, 355
tyranny of, 2871
who is the, 359
388 Index
Cistercians, 93
City,
greatest -welfare of a, 111
Clement VII, 369 note
Clergy
are the- Christians, 354
complaints laid against at Worms, 334
conceal the truth, 349
defend error, 349
misuse church property, 354f
Preaching of, 346
the and the ban, 353 f
welcomed L's teaching against papal power, 331
Cleros, 313
Coburg, 327
Commandments,
second, 225, 235
fifth, 145, 363
seventh, 362
Common Chest, 92ff
evils abolished by, 97f
providing funds for, 94flf
uses of funds of, 95
Common Law, 16, 53
Common People,
indifferent to education of children, 142
pars imony, 1 77
their ingratitude, 175f
Communities, 292f
Companies, see Trade Guilds
Confession, 340
C'onfessionalia^ 339
Congregation of God, 292, 293, 294
Congregational government, 74, 81 ff
Conscience,
judge of actions, 12
ruling of, 76
should govern selling, 14
Constantine, 311
Conveying, 56
Cornering the supply, 26, 30
Costs,
related to trade, 16
Council men,
and education of youth, 121 f, 125
capable and incapable, 112
duty of, HOf
Councils, 76f
KTicsea, 310
Cuntz Hildebrand, 303
Customs, 375flf
Cut-throat methods, 29f
Index 389
DANCING, 16
David, 39
De civitatc dei (Augustine's), 157
Deacons, called by the congregation, 83
Dealing in futures, 29
Decree,
observed only when tested and found good 78
Deponatur, 356
Despair, cause of, 44
Devil, 105, 113, 139, 263
Diet of Nuremberg, 9
Dispensations, see Confessionalia
Doctrine,
judging of, 76
observed only when tested and found good, 77
the false, 185
the true, 185
Dominicans (Jacobins, preaching friars), 189, 193, 196, 198
Dormi secure, 127
Drinking, 16
Duns Scotus, 347
ECCLESIASTES, BOOK OF, 20
Education,
at Rome, 111
compulsory, 177
Devil opposed to, 105
for others beside ministry, 153
for the priesthood, 127f
free provided, 137
God's command in connection with, 108
government support for, 106
honor and wealth follow, 165f
in schools vs,~- in the home, 122
indifference to, 142
languages in, 154
libraries in connection with, 126
methods, 122f
neglect of, 105
neglect to provide a sin, 109
of men and women needed for good temporal conditions, 121
profit and loss in, 142
spiritual profit in, 142
temporal profit and loss in, 1S8
wrong attitude toward of children, 104
Elders,
responsibility of to children's education, 108f
England, 13, 30
English merchants, trade guild of, 30
Each, John, 181f f 185
Eternal goods, 43
Excessive interest charges, 65
Excommunication, Letters of, 287, see also Ban
Extortion, submitting to, 21, 37
Extreme want, 49
390 Index
FAITH, What true does, 20
False teachers (prophets), 221, 222, 225, 229, 230, 231, 234, 236,
240, 241
Fanatics, 334
Fasting, 341
Ferdinand of Austria, 208
Feudal customs, 241 ff, cf . 214ff
Florista, 127
Force, rule according to, 22f
world must be ruled by, 28
Forgive and forget, 46
Foundations, -ecclesiastical, not Christian, 76
Franciscans (Minorites), 196, 199
Frankfurt Fair, 13
Fraud, 31
Frederick of Saxony, 207, 208, 327
Frundsberg, George von, 169
GAMBLING, 58
George the Bookseller, 185
Germans, 13, 16, 112, 129, 275
Germany, 13, 174f, 177
Giving, freely to needy, 21
away goods, 43, 56
"for God's B sake," 46f
gospel distinction between lending and, 22
in extreme want, 49
refusal to give to enemies, 45
three practices opposed to giving away goods, 45
to the poor and needy, 47
to those who do not need, 45
God,
almighty and terrible, 226
provision in temporal matters, 43
the enemy of presumption, 20
the service of, 66
Who is, 295
His gifts, 13
justice, 33
kingdom, 265
laws, 69
Name, 225
works, 20
wrath, 262, 266
Gods, see Rulers
Golden Rule,
applied to business, 10
in connection with giving, 50
in connection with temporal goods, 54
Golden Year, 337
Good Works, 150, 342, 351
Gospel, The, 37, 39, 115, 157, 176, 229f, 288, 337, 339, 342
preaching qf, the certain mark of Christian Congregation, 75
rule according to, 22
Index 391
the languages, the means of spreading, 113
Government,
cont.nuance ofdependent on maintenance of law 160
divine origin of, 290
highest and most useful office next to preaching 298
in hands of common people, 172
interest in trade, 35
paternal aspect of, 27
purpose, 291
temporal why needed, 22, 23
the ministry an aid to, 148
to be feared, 261
Gracdsta, 127
Gravamina, the, 334, 335 note, 353
Greed, see Avarice
Greek, see Languages
Gregory, 343
Grey Monks, see Franciscans
Gruner, Johann, 73
Gymnasium, see School
HADRIAN, Pope, 381
Hebrew, see Languages
Heger, 307
Heltcr, 16
Henry of Zutphen, 181, 185, 187ff
a fruit of his martyrdom, 186
arrives at Dithmarschen, 192
biography, ISlfl
called to Dithmarschen, 191
denounced for heresy, 188f
his arrest, 198
his condemnation, 199
his martyrdom, 200
his summary rejected, 190
plot against, 197
preaches at Dithmarschen, 194f
Heresies (Heretics), 309
Herman, 307
High living, 45
Holy See, 48f
Holy Spirit, 113, US
Honest living, an, 16
Hospital, 301
Hubmaier, Balthasar, 206, 207
Human nature, 19
Human teaching, 76
Huss, John, 307
INDULGENCES, 47, SO, 335-339, 346
Inheriting, 56
Innovations, 344
Interest on investment, 59
amounts of, 65, 68
392 Index
interest of loss, 60ff
interest of profits, 59if
Investment, see, Buying of income
of church money, 65
Irregulares, 355
JEROME, 343
Jonas, Justus, 327
Joseph's Monopoly, 27
Jurisdiction, ecclesiastical, 40
Jurists, 161, 167, 173
Justice, 299-301
Justinian, Emperor, 166
KARLSTADT, 73
Keiser, Leonard, 307
Kind, Heinrich, 73
Kinderbishofe, 85 note
Kingdoms, the Two, 265
Kotteritzsch, Sebastian von, 73
LABOR,
related to price-fixing, 17
related to trade, 16
Labor and Wage, 15, 16
Labyrinthus, 127
Languages,
classical, 112ff
knowledge of required for correct interpretation of Scriptures,
116
pastors must know Latin, 154
spread by means of Roman Empire, 113
vehicle of the Scriptures, 114
Last Judgment, 45, 48
Latin, see Languages
Law,
against peasants, 226f
necessary to peace and order, 229
protection of country, 167
rule according to, 22f
suits, 41
to control trade, 35
Legal officials, 39
Leibfall, 224
Leisnig (Saxony), 73, 92
Lending, 21, 32, 56
first duty in connection with, 24
gospel distinction between lending and giving, 21, 24
limit of Christian, 23
objections to lending without charge, 54
three laws for, 53
without charge, 51 f
Liberal arts, 111, 112, 173
Libraries, 126, 128
claaftet of books in an ideal, 128
Index 393
Life, heavenly, 42
Link, 181
"Living off the street," 29
Loan, 22
what may be loaned, 23
LocatCH, 140
Lord's Prayer, the, 17, 20, 235
Lords, see Princes
Ludewig, 306
Luther,
absent from Diet at Augsburg, 327, 329f
accused of causing the peasant rebellion, his defence, 334
accused of strengthening the tyrants his answer, 316
and the peasants, 200ff, 218ff
attack on monastic life, 335
condemned at Worms, 333
denies responsibility for peasants* rebellion, 222
justifies his many and varied activities, 315
himself and work attacked, 259
his cause, God's work, 103
his divine commission, 104
his "Gospel," 336f, 339f, 343, 348f
his sermons used by opposing priests, 333
not a rebel against pope and emperor, 232
on the "spirituals," 93
sang for bread, 172
school-days, 172
stand against the fanatics, 334
teachings welcomed, 335
the good results from his doctrine, 352
under the ban, 103
use of the term "finance/' 32, note
view on "supply and demand/' 14
views on economic questions, 10
visit to Lcisnig, 73
Luther's Hymns,
Bin neucs Lied wir hcben an, 182
Luther's Writings,
Asscrtio omnium articulorum, 160 note
Eight Wittenberg Sermons, 206
Faithful Exhortation, 207
On Temporal Government, 207
On the Temporal Authorities, 23
Open Letter to the Christian Nobility, 89
Predifft, doss man Kinder sur $ chute halt en soil, 101
Sermon on the Unrighteous Mammon, 279
To the German Nobility, 223
Treatise on Christian Liberty, 78
Treatise on the Blessed Sacrament and on Brotherhoods, 89
Vom Anbtitcn de$ Sakraments, 119
Von Qrdwtng Gottesdientfs in der Gemeine, 73
Wider den , . . . RathscMog der Mainsischen Pfaffarei, 367
Wider die Mmmlescken Prophetcn, 119
Lutherans, 311, 322, 332
394 Index
MAGISTRATES (see also CouncIImen)
Man,
powers conferred on, by Christ, 77
Margaret of Savoy, 181, 190
Marriage, duty, 17
Martyrs, Evangelical, 185
true doctrine certified by their blood, 185
Mary,
the crown of, 345, 348
the psalter of, 345
worship of, 196
Mass, 343f, 350f
for the dead, 346
Golden Mass, 346
not a "good work," 351
our highest treasure, 351
private masses (Winkelmessen), 343f
sacrifice of the, 350
sacrifice and communion, 344
sale of, 343
the ancient, 343 f
the Rorate, 350
Maxim, see Proverbs
Maximilian, Emperor, 170
Melanchthon, 208, 327
Merchants, see also Trade Guilds
a true Christian merchant, 24
chief rule of, 14
judgment of dishonest, 35
on selling by, 15
profit, 15, 16
Scriptural admonitions not practiced by, 21
what chief rule should be, 15
Mercy, 262f, 266f
Ministers,
on call of, 79
privations of, 157
scarcity of men to become, 156
support of, 155
Ministry,
blessing of, 148
does great works for the world, 148
instituted by God, 142
responsibility for decline of, and preservation of, 145
sons to be given to the, 144
the ministry and temporal affairs, 148
the profit of the, 146
the service of God, 149
true spiritual estate, 143
Miracles, 146f
Monasteries, 94ff, 105
three ways of using possessions of, 94f3E
provide sufficient funds for fhose^ leaving, 94
applied to support of remaining inmates, 94
Index 395
all remaining to be devoted to common fund, 95
in cities to be used for schools and dwellings, 97
Monastic Foundations, 94ff, 147, 156
Monastic houses,
decline of, 143
not Christian congregations, 76
Monastic life, 335 f
Monkery, on, 93
fallen from original foundation, 143
how to get rid of it, 94
Monks, useless, 303f, 364
Monopolies, see Cornering the supply
Moratorium, see Quinquerncll, 31
Mueller, Caspar, 259
Muenzer, Thomas, 206, 207, 248, 298, 313, 332f
NAMES, MEANING OF, 306f
Heger, 307
Herman, 307
Ludewig, 306
Hitter, Retter, 306f
New Testament, 114, 115
Nobility, 169
Nobles, the, and the merchants, 33
Non- Christians, 23
Nuremberg, 136f
Diet of, 149, 332 note, 333, 381
OCCAM, 347
Officials, Government, 161, 166
Old Testament, 114
the Library of the, 126
worthies, 154, 157
Opmiones, of the doctors, 347
Ordinance of a Common Chest, The Leisnig, 89
Organized Society, see Communittes
Ori&en, 343
Osiander, 208
PALLIUM, 50
Parents (see also Elders)
duties of, 144, 162
duty owed to God, 164
duty owed to state, I62f
neglect of and reason for, 109, 151
selfishness of, 163f
their trust, 109, 125
warning to, 164f
Pcttrtekenhengst (one who sings for bread), 172
Pastor,
choosing a, 239, cf. 212
support of, 240
virtues of, 299f
wtoat one must be to be a, 313
396 Index
Pastoral office, see Ministry
Pater noster stones, 345, 348
Patriarchs, 13, 19, 39, 41, 154, 157
Patron saint, 50, 51
Payments in kind, 24
Peace, 148, 149
and rulers, 291
blessings of, 3G2fT
keeping, 42
Peasants,
address to, 224ff
against constituted authority, 226f
claims based on Gospel wrong, 237f
discontent of, 207
evil results of conflict, 243 f
force innocent to join them, 253
grievances of, 205, 211ff, 218
making false protestations, 233
means of settling strife proposed, 244
must obey law of Christ, 230ff
need good conscience, 224
offer of terms,, 251
on outbreak of, 248
resort to violence wrong, 236
summary treatment of, 251
their rebellion leads to anarchy, 228
their three sins, 248f
warned against false leaders, 225
would not listen to reason, 261
Peasants 1 War, 205, 332f
causes of, 205
intimately connected with Reformation, 206
Penance, 340, 342, 351
Perjury, 249
Physicians, 174
Pilgrimages, 345
Poor, 239, cf . 212
Poor man, selling him his own poverty, 14
Pope,
election and confirmation of, 83
has power to teach, 77
Portents, 220, 244
Portugal, 13
Power of the Church, spiritual, 41
Preacher,
appointed by God, 295
to stand in the congregation, 296
two sins of, 296
Preaching, 262
highest office in the Christian Church, 84
no dearer treasure on earth than faithful preacher, 146, 158
no preaching without a call, 313
of the monks, 346f
office of, 79ff, 176, 295
Index 397
Prebends, 96
Presumption, about the future, 20
Price-fixers, 16, 34
Price-fixing, 15, 16, 29f, 34
advice concerning, 17
authorities related to, 16
commission for, 16
conditions which affect, IS
regulation of, 16
Prices,
higher because of scarcity, 26
higher when selling on credit, 26
raised in proportion to need, 14
Priest, 144, 295
Priests,
forced Luther's condemnation, 333
forgetful of their office, 332
opposing use Luther's sermons, 333
power and influence of, 333
Princes, 220fT, 224
blamed for peasants' discontent, 220
deserving of and will receive God's wrath, 221
exhorted to fear God, 222
high office and virtues of, 298ff, 305 f
ministers of God's wrath, 251
position of, in religious disputes, 311
pride of, 220
their high names, 306
to put down heresy, 309f
to try conciliation, 223
vices of, 307f
Probus, 311
Proficiat, 350
Profits,
estimating, 17
forcing, 34
honest, 16
rjionest mistake in taking, 17
legitimate, 15
proportions of, 16
Propst, Jacob, 181f, 187
Proverbs, Book of, 125
Proverbs,
A cartload of hay must give way to a drunken man, 223
A wise man commits no little acts of folly, 308
Beneficium propter officium, non bcnefictum >propter maleficium,
357
Big thieves hang the little ones, 35, 308
Bttrqen soil 'man wftrgcn (Standing surety should be slain), 18
Do like others and you are no fool, 16
Bin nachbar is dcm andern sin brand schuldiy (One is guilty of
his neighbor's fire), 274
He who resists is wrong, 227
He who resists makes strife, 227
398 Index
If you help a man down from the gallows, he tries to put you
on it, 334
Nan minus est negligere scholarem qttaw, corrumpere virgincm.
(It is just as bad to neglect a pupil as to corrupt a virgin),
109
Nummus non pavet nummum, (Money does not produce money),
10
There's sense in that, said the servant, 348
Where peace is, there is half a heaven, 303
Psalter, Jerome's Translation of, 116
QUADRIVIUM, 111 (note)
Quill, 168, 170
Quinquernell, 31
REASON, 39, 42, 2921
Rebellion, 249, 278
Rebels, 261 f, 277f, 309
Regius, Urbanus, 240
Regulation of prices, 16
non-tolerance of, 16
Relics, 346
Rentenkauf, see Zinskauf
Rights, 263
Rites, 375ff; not to be observed, 380f
Risks,
in investments, 63
related to price-fixing, 17
related to trade, 16
Ritter, (Retter), 306f
Robber, barons, 33
Roman imperial law, 160
Roman See, 381
Romans overthrown by Goths, 157
Rome, 39, 49, 50, 111
Rosary, 345, 348
Rule of Merchants, see Merchants
Rule, the right, 332
Rulers, see also Temporal Rulers ; Government
ancient, 289
called "foundation of the land," 317
criticism of, 296f
establishment of, 294
overthrown by God: the reasons, 317f
public rebuke of, 297
source of their power, 319
subject to God, 295; to the Word, 296
their punishment, 321
upheld, also judged by God, 291
SACRAMENT,
two kinds in, 358f ^
one kind an innovation, 358f
Index 399
St. Ambrose, 50
St. Augustine, 115, 116, 154, 157
St. Bernard, 117
St. Bridget, 345
St Elizabeth, 301
St. Hilary, 116
St. Hilarion, 304
St. James of Compostella, 49
St. Jerome, 115, 116, 304
St. Paulinus, 50
St. Peter (Apostle), 231, 338
St. Peter of Rome (the pope), 47
St. Philip, 80
St Stephen, 80
Saint worship, 344
Salbach, Franz, 73
Satisfaction for sin, 342f
Saxony, 155
School,
keeping children out of, a wile of Satan, 139
the established at Nuremberg, 136f
Schoolmaster, 11, 173f
Schools,
going to ruin, 104
government support of, 106
individual Christian's support of, 106f
present opportunities, 107
Schwarzenberg, Hans von, 169
Self-defence, 39, 41
Selling, 15
on credit, 26
should be governed by law and conscience, 15
Serfs, 240, cL 213
Serving love, 95
Signet rancoris, (Signs of enmity), 46, 52
Snicken, John, 193
Soldiers, 167
compared with scholars, 168
Solomon, 20
Sophists, 117, 120, 128, 149, 150
Soul, 76
Spalatin, 327
Spengler, Lazarus, 135
Spires, Diet at, 332
Spiritual estate, 142f, 288
Spiritual Rulers, 44
Spirituals (I ., religious the orders), 93
Staupitz, 181
Subjects, obedience of, 291
Supply and demand, 26
prices affected, 26
Surety for another, 18, 24
the Holy Scriptures against, 18
why it is condemned, 19
VoL
400 Index
Swabian League, 208
Sword, Temporal, 23, 159, 227, 251, 252, 264, 268, 270, 291
see also Government, Temporal Power
TAUBER, CASPAR, 185
Taxes, 13
Teachers,
on call of, 79
subject to judgment of hearers, 77, 78
Temporal goods, 43, 54, 56
three ways of dealing well with, 37fT: the first, 37; the second,
43; the third 51
Temporal power, or Government, 41, 78, 121, 288
an ordinance of God, 158, 159
function of, 159, 226, 227
government not to be compared with office of preaching, 158
indispensable, 158
Temporal rulers, 44
advice to about monasteries, 94
Terminarien, 85 note
Theologians,
arrogated powers in judging doctrine, 76
have power to teach, 77
Tithes, 68, 239f, cf. 212
Tonsures, 341
Torgau Articles, 328
Torneborch, Augustine, 193
Trade,
abuses, sins of, related to conscience, 14
exports, 13
foreign, 13
imports, 13
lack of government control of, 13
London-cloth, 30
necessary, 13
raising of prices, 14
regulations, 16
spice-trade, 13
tricks, 12, 25ff, 32
Trade conditions, 9, 13
Christian, 13
unjust, 14
Trade Guilds, 9, 30, 32, 34, 35
Traders,
patriarchs, 13
Trading,
four Christian ways of, 21ff : the first, 21, 37; the second, 21, 43;
the third, 21, 51 ; the fourth, 24
three sources from which evils in trading spring, 25
working against existing evils in, 25
Trafficking in spiritual and ecclesiastical things, 47, 48, SO
Trickery, 32
Trier, Holy Coat of, 345, 348
Trivium, 111 note
Trust in God, 44
Index 401
Turks, 331
Twelve Articles, The, (Peasants'), 207, Text: 211ff; 218, 223, 236
Address, 211, cf, 236
The First Article, 212, cf. 223, 239
The Second Article, 212, 239
The Third Article, 213, 240
The Fourth Article, 214, 249f
The Fifth Article, 215, 249f
The Sixth Article, 215, 249f
The Seventh Article, 215, 249f
The Eighth Article, 216, 249f
The Ninth Article, 216, 249f
The Tenth Article, 216, 249f
The Eleventh Article, 216, 249f
The Twelfth or Conclusion, 217, 249f
Tyrants, 280, 288
UNDERSELLING, 28
Unfaithfulness, 296
Universities,
Erfurt, 156
Leipzig, 156
Wittenberg, 156
Usurer, 22, 26, 53
Usury, 10, 37, 52, 56, 57, 64f, 67, 96
VOES, HENRY, 181 f, 185
WALDENSIAN BRETHREN, 119, 120
Wealth acquired by Sin, 58
Wertheirn, George von, 169
Wiclif, 205
WinkclmosK-en, see Mass
Wisdom, 167
Word of God, 76f, 79, 108, 157, 174f, 184, 225, 295, 321, 334, 336
Works,
true, 12
world's, 12
World, ruling the, by force not by Gospel, 28
World, Kingdom of, 26Sf
Worldly Government, see Temporal Government
Worms, Edict of, 333f
Writer, 168f, 170
YEAR OF JUBILEE, 107, 129, see Golden Year
ZINSKAUFF, 56, see Introduction, lOf
Zwbgli, 208
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
OLD TESTAMENT
Genesis
1:
213,214,215
l:29f
291,292
2:19
163
19:21
169
20:24f
110
41:34
68
41:47
169
41:48ff
27
43:9
19
44:14ff
19
44:32ff
19
47:14ff
27
Exodus
3:
212
14:
212
18:17ff
130
21:14
266
22:8
289
31:
212
Leviticus
23:10,18,20
24:16
344
311
25:10ff
69
Numbers
16:31ff
242
Deuteronomy
6:
214
10:
212
15:4
44
15:7ff
SI
15:11
49
16:11
44
17:
212
17:18
126
18:
216
403
404
Scripture References
Joshua
Judges
21:18ff
25:
26:2-4
29:26
31 : 25f
32:7
32:21
32:35
1:5
9:22ff
I Samuel
15:23
II Samuel
18:14f
20:22
I Kings
16:18
20:42
II Kings
5:1
23:8
II Chronicles
19:6
24:22
Job
2:10
39:14
39: 16
42 : 10, 12
Psalms
1:3
2:4
3:6
4:6
10:3
10:18
12:4
108
213
344
342
126
109
260
227, 229
21
242
262
242
242
243
262
169
110
290
38
275
109
109
43
119
103
225
289
289
33
289
14: 3 (Vulgate) 42
18:27 260
29:9 119
37:16 12
37:25 43
45; 7 79
Scripture References 405
50:15
235
50:15-20
313
51:13
80
52:2
352
64:1 (Vulgate)
120
68:6
110
72:14
185
78:5f
108
82:
287
82:1
289
82:2
298, 304
82:2-4
298
82:3
305
82:3f
41
82:4
305
82:5
317
82:6
319
82:7
321
82:8
322
91 : 15
235
104:31
168
107:40
221, 223
109 : 17
268
110:1
157
110:3
116
111:3
168
113:5-8
171
116:10
80
116:15
184
147:19
114
Proverbs
l:24ff
125
3:9
66,240
6:1-5
18
8:14
160
20:16
18
22:26
18
24:21ff
261
25:21
45
27:1
20
27:13
18
30:21
268
Eccksiastes
9: IS
167
9:16
160
9:18
160
Isaiah
1:23
35
l:23f*
41
10:
216
11:
216
14:5
266
406 Scripture References
28:20 35
29 : 13 320
40: 212
40:7 104
53: 214
53:12 186
55 : lOf 75
58:1 248
61 : 8 66, 97, 240, 353
62: If 103
65:2 124
Jeremiah
15:1 244
26: 216
44:16ff 157
Lamentations
3 : 22 275
Ezekiel
2:7 248
14:14 244
22:20 35
Daniel
6:27 166
11 : 37 361
12:3 146
Hosea
13:7f 370
Amos
6:10 309
Jonah
3:3 292
Haggai
1 : 13 143
OLD TESTAMENT APOCRYPHA
Ecclesiasticus, or Wisdom
6: 214
26:28 12,17
38 : 1-8 174
Prayer of Manassah
Verse 9 152
NEW TESTAMENT
Matthew
3:11 271
4: 214
4:9 360
5: 213,214
5:3 279
Scripture References 407
5:9
303
5:11
279
S:39ff
230
5:40
21,37
5:42
43,45,51
5:44
230
6:11
21
6:16
341
6:24
66
6:31-33
156
7:1
248, 297
7:3
227
7:3-5
297, 355
7:12
50, 53, 342
7:15
77, 360
7:16ff
58
7:21
320
8:
216
9:13
263
9:15
157
10:
213, 216
10:10
16, 18, 155
10:13
331
10:14
311
10:23
238
10:35ff
41
11:10
143
12:34
261
13:43
147
15:14
259
17:5
250
18:5
125
18:6f
109
18:10
125
18:11
263
18:15
342
18:17
353
20:26
78
22:21
294
23:
216
23:24
358
24: 4f
78
25:31ff
95
25:35ff
279
25:42f
48,152
26: S2
225,242
28:19!
295
28:20
144
Mark
8:5-8 4
16: 15 313
1:52 224,292
408
John
Acts
Scripture
References
2:34f
260
3:
215,216
3:11
24
4:
214
4:41
314
6:
213, 216
6:30
45
6:31
53
6:32ff
45
6:34
51
6:35
55
6:36
263
11:11
23
12:16-21
20
14:12ff
45
16:10
44
18:
212
19 : 12-25
196
20:25
249, 250
21 : 25-36
194
23:34
232
3:12
259
4:2
84
6:
212
6:45
79
8:44
149,248
10:1
360
10:5,8
77
10:8
312
10:27
77
13:
214
13:18
334
14:12
146
14:14
235
18:23
37
18:31
38
18:36
277
19:11
38
19:15
222
1:7
20
2:4
113, 115
2:44
92
4:32
92
4:32ff
250
5:
214
6:2ff
83
6:4
84
6:8, 10
80
7:2ff
80
10:
214
10:38
273
11:28
157
Scripture References 409
14:
212
14:23
81
15:4ff
358
18:25, 26, 28
80
20; 28
367
Romans
1:
211
1:2
114
1:9
194
2:1, 17ff
369
3: If
114
3:8
227
5:7
186
8:
212
8:11
147
8:20
170
8:28
332
10:
215
11:
212
12:19
223, 230
12:20
45
13:
214
13:1
226, 249, 250, 290, 294, 309, 382
13:2
13:3f
13:4
226, 249, 262
41,262,270
23, 159, 227, 251, 252, 264, 268, 291
13:13
12
14:17
54
15:1
195
16:13
78
16:18
78
I Corinthians
1:17
84
4:8
260
4:11
238
4:20
320
6:lff
230
6:5ff
233
6:7
23
6:16ff
41
7:
214
9:
213
9:7
18
9:14
155
10:
214
10:14
78
12:8ff
117
12:10
115
12;28ff
117
13:5
57
14:26ff
117
14:27, 29
U8
410 Scripture References
14:30 81
14:31 81
14:39f 81
II Corinthians
4: Iff 158
4 : 13 80
5 : 20 143
6:1 329
6: If 107
9:2 92
10:4 234
11:20 230
11:27 157
12 : 9 234
13 : 10 382
Galatians
2: 212
3:4 78
3:24 111
3 : 28 240
6 : 13 305
Ephesians
2:2 251
4:11 117
6: 216
6:12 251
6:17 114
Philippians
3 : 16 332
Colossians
2: 214
2:8 78
3 : 14 312
I Thessalonians
5 : 22 57
II Thessalonians
2:3f 77
I Timothy
3: 212
3:1 37
3:2 367
3:2, 10 82
3:5 372
4:10 235
4: 13 126
5: 213
5:22 81
6:9, 10 12
6:20 311
7: 214
Scripture References 411
II Timothy
2:26
273
3: Iff
57
4:2
367
4:13
126
Titus
1:
212
1:5
81, 313
1:7
82
1:7,9
367
3:10
311
Hebrews
The entire
Epistle :
212
7:23
196
10:28
266
13:5
155
James
4:13-16
19
4:15
22
5:16f
235
I Peter
1:
214
2:
214
2:7
227
2:9
80
2:13
294
2: 13f
159
2:14
268
2:18
352
2:23
38,232
5:3
313
5:5
331
II Peter
l:20f
314
2:18
352
2:19
364
3:3
289
Ij0h " 5:14
235
Tudc
Verse 16
305
