It is a strong custom that the gospels are counted and named according to the books, saying: There are four gospels. Hence it comes that one knows nothing of what St. Paul and Peter say in their epistles, and their teaching is considered the same as additions to the teaching of the Gospels, just as a Prologus Hieronymi lets itself be heard. After this there is still a worse custom, that the gospels and epistles are regarded like law books, in which we are to be taught what we are to do, and the works of Christ are not presented to us otherwise than as examples. Wherever these two erroneous opinions remain in the heart, neither the gospel nor the epistle can be read usefully and Christianly; they remain vain heathens, as before.
Therefore it should be known that there is only One Gospel, but written by many apostles. Any epistle of Paul and Peter, plus
*) Cf. Walch XI Prefaces 31 ff. and Erl. A. 7, 6 ff. D. Red.
Actorum Lucä (Acts of the Apostles), is a gospel, although they do not tell all the works and words of Christ, but one is shorter and understands less than the other. But none of the four great gospels understands all the words and works of Christ, nor is it necessary. The gospel is and should be nothing else than a speech or history of Christ. Just as it happens among men that one writes a book about a king or prince, what he has done and said and suffered in his days, which one may also describe in various ways, one in length, the other in brevity.
So the Gospel is nothing else than a chronicle, a history, a legend of Christ, who he is, what he has done, spoken and suffered, which one has described briefly, the other long, one otherwise, the other so. For most recently, the Gospel is a speech about Christ, that he became the Son of God and man for us, died, and became the Son of God.
and risen, one Lord set over all things. So much St. Paul takes before him in his epistles, and cuts out that, leaving aside all the miracles and changes written in the four Gospels; and yet comprehends sufficiently and abundantly the whole full Gospel, as can be seen clearly and finely in the greeting to the Romans, where he says what the Gospel is, and says: "Paul, a servant of JEsu Christ, appointed apostle, and ordained unto the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand by his prophets in the holy scriptures of his Son, born of the seed of David according to the flesh, who is glorified a Son of God in power according to the Spirit of sanctification from the resurrection from the dead, who is Jesus Christ our Lord. "etc.
You see that the Gospel is a history of Christ, the Son of God and David, dead and risen, and set apart as Lord, which is the Summa Summarum of the Gospel. As then there is no more than One Christ, so there is and may be no more than One Gospel. Since St. Paul and St. Peter teach nothing but Christ in the aforementioned way, their epistles may be nothing but the Gospel. Yes, even the prophets, because they preached the gospel and spoke of Christ, as St. Paul reports here and everyone knows well, their teaching in the same place, when they speak of Christ, is nothing else than the true, fair, right gospel, as if Lucas or Matthew had described it. As when Isaiah Cap. 53. says how he should die for us and bear our sins, he wrote the louder gospel. And I say forsooth, if any man apprehend not this delusion of the gospel, he shall never be enlightened in the scriptures, nor come upon the right ground.
Secondly, that you do not make Christ a Moses, as if he did nothing more than teach and give examples, as the other saints do, as if the gospel were a teaching or law book. Therefore thou shalt understand Christ, his word, work, and suffering, in two ways: once as an example set before thee, which thou shalt follow, and so do,
As St. Peter says in 1 Peter 2: "Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example. As you see him praying, fasting, helping people, and showing love, so you should do to yourself and to your neighbor. But this is the least of the Gospel, though it may not yet be called the Gospel; for Christ is of no more use to thee than another saint. His life remains with him and does not yet help you; and recently, the way does not make a Christian: it only makes you more glib, it must still come much higher with you. Although for a long time this has been the best way to preach, it is still strange.
The main part and reason of the Gospel is that you receive and recognize Christ before you take him as an example, as a gift given to you by God and as your own, so that when you see or hear him doing or suffering something, you do not doubt that he himself, Christ, with such doing and suffering is yours, on which you may rely no less than if you had done it, yes, as if you were the same Christ. Behold, this is called rightly recognizing the gospel, that is, the abundant goodness of God, which no prophet, no apostle, no angel has ever been able to explain, no heart has ever been able to sufficiently wonder at and comprehend. This is the great fire of God's love for us, from which the heart and conscience become joyful, secure and satisfied; this is called preaching the Christian faith. Such preaching is called evangelion, which in German means a cheerful, good, comforting message, of which message the apostles are called twelve messengers.
Isaiah Cap. 9, 6. says: "A child is born to us, a son is given to us". If he is given to us, he must be ours: so we must also accept him as ours. And Rom. 8:32: "How hath he not given us all things with his Son?" Behold, if then thou shalt receive Christ as thy gift, and shalt not doubt it, thou art a Christian: for faith shall deliver thee from sins, and from death, and from hell, and shall make thee overcome all things. Oh, no one can speak enough of this, there is the complaint that such preaching is lost in the world.
is silent, and all days the Evangelion is praised.
If then you have Christ as the basis and main good of your blessedness, then the other part follows, that you also take him as an example, surrender to serve your neighbor, as you see that he has surrendered to you. Behold, then, faith and love go hand in hand, God's commandment is fulfilled, man is joyful and undaunted to do and suffer all things. Therefore look at this: Christ as a gift nourishes your faith and makes you a Christian; but Christ as an example exercises your works; they do not make you a Christian, but they are made by you a Christian beforehand. As far then as gift and example are separated, so far faith and works are separated. Faith has nothing of its own, but only Christ's work and life. The works have something of your own; but they should not be your own, but your neighbor's.
Therefore, you see, the Gospel is not really a book of laws and commandments, requiring us to do what we do, but a book of divine promises, in which he promises, offers and gives us all his goods and benefits in Christ. But that Christ and the apostles give much good doctrine, and interpret the law, is to be reckoned among the benefits, as another work of Christ; for to teach rightly is not the least benefit. For this reason we see that he does not press and push cruelly, as Moses does in his book and the commandment artist; but teaches gently and kindly, only says what is to be done and what is not to be done, what will be encountered by evildoers and benefactors, pushes and forces no one. Yes, he also teaches so gently that he incites more than he commands, and says: "Blessed are the poor. Blessed are the meek" etc. And the apostles also commonly use the words: "I exhort, I entreat, I plead" etc. But Moses, who says: "I command, I forbid," threatens and scares with horrible punishments and penalties. From this lesson you can usefully read and listen to the Gospels.
Now when you open the gospel book, read or hear Christ coming here or there, or someone being brought to Him, you shall
you thereby hear the preaching or the gospel by which he comes to you or you are brought to him. For preaching the gospel is nothing else than Christ coming to us or bringing us to him. But when you see how he works and helps everyone to whom he comes and who is brought to him, you should know that it is faith that works in you, and that he offers the same help and kindness to your soul through the gospel. If thou holdest thy peace here, and let it do thee good, that is, if thou believest that he will do thee good and help thee, thou shalt surely have it, and Christ shall be thine and thy gift. Then it is necessary that you make an example of it, and also help and do to your neighbor, so that you are also given to him as a gift and an example. Of this says Isaiah Cap. 40, 1. 2.: "Be of good cheer, be of good cheer, my beloved people, says your Lord God. Say into the heart of Jerusalem, and call her: her sin is forgiven, her iniquity is ended, she has received twofold goods from the hand of God for all her sin" etc. These twofold goods are the two pieces in Christ, gift and exemplification; which are also signified by the two pieces of inheritance which the Law of Moses assigns to the first son, and by many other figures.
Although it is a sin and a shame that we Christians have come to this point, and that we have been so ignorant of the Gospel that we not only do not understand it, but also first of all need to be shown by other books and interpretations what to look for and wait for in it; For this reason the gospels and epistles of the apostles were written, that they themselves might be such pointers, pointing us to the Scriptures of the prophets and Moses, the Old Testament, so that we might read and see for ourselves how Christ was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in the manger, that is, how he was written in the Scriptures of the prophets.
There our study and reading should be exercised, and see what Christ is, how he is given, what he is promised to do, and how all Scripture refers to him, as he himself says Joh. 5, 46: "If you believed Mosi, you also believed me, for he wrote about me"; item V. 39: "Search and seek".
the Scriptures, for it is the Scriptures that bear witness about me. This is what St. Paul means to the Romans in the first place, since he speaks first in the greeting that the gospel was promised by God through the prophets in the holy Scriptures. Therefore, the evangelists and apostles always point us to the Scriptures and say: "Thus it is written"; item: "This has happened, that the Scriptures of the prophets were fulfilled" etc. And Apost. 17, when the Thessalonians heard the gospel with all eagerness, Lucas v. 11 says that they studied and searched the Scriptures day and night, whether it was true. So when St. Peter wrote his epistle, in the midst of the beginning he speaks, 1 Ep. 1, 10-12.: "Of this your salvation the prophets have inquired, who prophesied of this grace which is in you, and asked at what time or times the Spirit of Christ which was in them showed them, and declared by them the sufferings which are in Christ, and the following glory, to whom also it is revealed; for not unto them, but unto us, have they presented such things, which are now preached among you, by the Holy Ghost sent from heaven, which things also the angels desire to behold."
What does St. Peter want to lead us into the Scriptures? As if to say, "We preach and open the Scriptures to you through the Holy Spirit, so that you may read and see for yourselves what is in them, and of what times the prophets wrote, as he also says in Acts 3:24, "Of those days all the prophets have spoken. 3:24: "Of these days spake all the prophets, from Samuel even, that ever prophesied." Therefore also Lucas Ultimo (last) v. 27. says that Christ opened the apostles' minds so that they understood the Scriptures. And Christ John in the 10th v. 9. says: He is the door, through which
He who enters through him is opened by the Holy Spirit, the gatekeeper, so that he may find pasture and salvation. So that at last it is true how the gospel itself is a pointer and instructor in the Scriptures; just as with this preface I would gladly show and instruct the gospel.
But see how fine, tender, pious children we are: lest we should study the Scriptures, and learn Christ there, we hold the whole Old Testament to be nothing, as being now finished and of no more value; when it alone has the name, that it is called holy scripture, and evangelion ought not to be scripture, but the oral word, which brings forth the scripture, as Christ and the apostles did. Therefore Christ himself did not write anything, but only spoke, and did not call his teaching scripture, but gospel, that is, a good message or proclamation, which is not to be written with the pen, but with the mouth. So we go on, and make of the: Gospel a code of laws, a doctrine of commandments, Christ a Moses, the helper only a teacher. What should not God impose on such a stupid, wicked people? It is just that he let us go into the Pabst's doctrine and man's lies, since we let his Scriptures go, and instead of the holy Scriptures we had to learn the decree of a lying fool and a wicked scoundrel. Oh, if God would that the true Gospel would be known among Christians, and this work of mine would become neither useful nor necessary, then there would certainly be hope that the Holy Scriptures would also come forth again in their worthiness. That is enough for the preface and instruction in brief; we will say more about it in the interpretation. Amen.