In the high mass.
Ebr. 1, 1-12.
After God spoke to the fathers through the prophets in various ways in the past, He has spoken to us in these days through the Son, whom He appointed heir over all things, through whom He also made the world. Who, being the brightness of his glory, and the image of his being, and bearing all things with his powerful word, and having made the purification of our sins by himself, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, having inherited so much a higher name before them. For to which angel did he ever say: You are my son, today I have begotten you? And again, I will be his father, and he will be my son. And again, when he bringeth in the firstborn into the world, he saith, And all the angels of God shall worship him. Of the angels he speaks indeed: He maketh his angels spirits, and his servants flames of fire; but of the Son, God, thy throne endureth for ever and ever; the scepter of thy kingdom is a right scepter; thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore, O God, thy God hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows; and: Thou, O Lord, from the beginning hast founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands. These shall pass away; but thou shalt remain; and they shall all pass away as a garment, and as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not cease.
1 This is a strong, powerful and high epistle, which is high and drives the high article of faith of the deity of Christ, and is a credible delusion, that it is not St. Paul, because it even leads a more decorated speech, than St. Paul is used to in other places. Some think she is St. Luke, some St. Apollo, whom St. Paul has not yet met.
Lucas praises how he was mighty in the Scriptures against the Jews, Acts 18, 24. 18, 24. It is ever true that no epistle leads the Scriptures with such power as this one, that an excellent apostolic man has been, be he who he will. Now this epistle does no more than establish and promote the faith of the deity of Christ, as I have said.
I have said that almost no other place in the Bible so powerfully contains the same article; therefore, we must dwell on it and deal with it piece by piece.
(2) First, the apostle's opinion that he would have liked to bring the Jews to the Christian faith is truly harsh, as we will hear, that they may not deny that Christ is true God. But since he is God and the Son of God, and has now preached to us himself and suffered for us himself, necessity and equity demand that we believe him rather as the fathers believed before, when he spoke only through the prophets.
3 Thus he holds preachers and disciples one against another: the fathers and us, these are the disciples; the prophets and Christ, these are the preachers. The Son, the Lord himself, preaches to us; the servants preached to the fathers. If the fathers believed the servants, how much more would they have believed the Lord Himself! And if we do not believe the Lord, how much less would we have believed the servants! And so one thing leads to another, that our unbelief is so horribly defiled against the faith of the fathers; and the faith of the fathers is so highly honored against our unbelief. And this increases our shame still more, that God spoke to the fathers not once, but many times, not in one way, but in many ways, and yet they believed all the time: and we are not moved by such examples to believe even once the Lord Himself. Behold, thus he goes about with mighty speeches to convert the Jews; yet it is of no avail.
Sometimes and in many ways.
4 These two words, in my opinion, have the difference that "sometimes" means that many prophets have been after each other, and not all prophecies have happened through one prophet nor at one time. "Sometimes", however, means that even through one prophet, let alone through many, God has spoken, now differently, now so,-now otherwise. As, at times he has expressed by clear words, at times by pictures and visions: as, Ezekiel described the four evangelists by the four beasts
item, Isaiah, at times he clearly says that Christ will be a king, then he calls him a rod and flower of the tribe of Jesse; item, a high fruit of the earth, and so on: is spoken of Christ in many ways.
005 Above this also "divers manners" is signified, that he spake differently and differently to the people of Israel, even in time. For it was another way when he brought them out of Egypt by Moses; but another way when he brought them through the Red Sea; another way when he commanded David to fight, and so on. It was not one word, but many words; as the works also were diverse and different: but faith was always one throughout all manner of things.
(6) How delicately and gently he draws and charges the Jews, holding up the fathers and the prophets and the same God. For the Jews hold fast to the fathers, the prophets, and the God who spoke to them before. But now they will not believe him, and will not take to heart that God spoke to the fathers not once, but many times, not in one way, but in many ways, as they must know and confess: but now he speaks another time and in another way, they will not believe. He never spoke in this way before, nor will he ever speak in this way. Therefore, the way they would like him to speak will never happen. Because he has never spoken before in the way they would like him to speak, because that hinders faith and God's work. He must be commanded to speak in time, person and manner, and to think only on faith.
7 Therefore he says: "last", because there will be no other way of preaching before the last day. It is the last time and the last way that he wills to speak, having commanded that same certain word and left it to preach until the end; as Paul says 1 Cor. 11:26: "As often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye shall proclaim the death of the Lord, until he come." He also forbids their gawking by saying, "in these days," so that they may not gawk at other days to come. They are already here the days in which the last time and last way of speaking has begun.
Through the son.
(8) Then he starts to praise the last teacher, speaker, apostle, Christ, that he proves him with strong, well-founded scripture to be a natural Son of God and Lord over all things. And here we are to learn to recognize Christ correctly, how he is in both natures, divine and human; in this he errs much, and in part makes fables out of his words, which they give to the divine nature, which nevertheless belong to the human nature, blinding themselves in the Scriptures. For in Christ's words there is the greatest respect, which belong to the divine nature and which to the human nature, so they are all easy and clear.
(9) But before we do this, we must first hear the question, if some shall say unto me, Shall this be the last sermon, what then is said of Elijah and Enoch, that they shall come against the Antichrist? I answer, Of the future of Elijah I think that he will not come bodily.*) I know that St. Augustine says in one place: The future of Elijah and the Antichrist is firmly imagined by all Christians. But I also know that there is no scripture that testifies to this. For the Malachi Cap. 4, 5. says of Elijah in the future, the angel Gabriel Luc. 1, 17. urges John the Baptist, and even more strongly Christ Marc. 9, 13. where he says: "But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they have done to him what they wanted, as it is written about him. If John is the Elijah of whom it is written, as the Lord says here, then Malachi's scripture is already fulfilled, for there is no more written about Elijah's future. But that the Lord says before it, "Elijah, when he comes, will bring all things again," may be understood as if the Lord had told Elijah's ministry in this way: Yes, I know that Elijah is to come first and bring all things again; but he has already come and done it.
*Of the future of Elijah I hang between heaven and earth, and I waver much more that he will not come in the flesh; yet do not fight hard against it, I let believe or not believe whoever will, [a c d e].
D. Red.
(10) This mind demands that it should immediately come to such Elijah's future and ministry saying of his suffering, "And as it is written of the Son of man, that he should suffer much and be despised." If this should happen after Elijah, he would have to have come ever before. Therefore, I do not know anything more about Elijah's future, unless his spirit, that is, God's word, is brought forth again, as it is now. For that the Pope is the Antichrist with the Turk is no longer in doubt to me, believe what you will.
Now that we come again to Christ, it is to be firmly believed that Christ is true God and true man, and at times the Scriptures and he himself speak as a man, at times as a God.) As when he says Joh. 8, 58.: "Before Abraham was, I am", this is said of the Godhead; but when he says Matth. 20, 23. to Jacob and John: "It is not mine to give you to sit on the right hand or on the left hand", this is spoken of mankind, just as it could not help itself at the cross; although some want to prove great arts here with their dark interpretation, that they meet the heretics. So is the man Christ, when he says: "The Father is greater than I", Joh. 14, 28.; item, Matth. 23, 37.: "How often I have gathered thy little children together, as a mother hen under her wings"; item, Marc. 13, 32.: "Of that day knoweth no man, neither the angels, nor the Son, but the Father only.
12) Isn't the phrase "the son doesn't know" necessary here, that is, he doesn't want to say it. What does the gloss do? The humanity of Christ, just like another holy natural man, has not always thought, spoken, willed, perceived all things, as some make an omnipotent man out of him, mixing the two natures and their work into each other unknowingly. Just as he did not always see, hear and feel all things; neither did he always consider all things with his heart, but as God led him and put them before him. He was full of grace and wisdom, so that all things that came before him
He was able to judge and teach because the Godhead, who alone sees and knows all things, was personal and present in him. And finally, all that is said of Christ's lowliness and exaltation is to be attributed to man, for divine nature can neither be degraded nor exalted.
Whom he has appointed heir of all things.
(13) This is spoken according to mankind. For we must believe that Christ is not only according to the Godhead over all things, but also according to mankind; so that all creatures are subject to Christ the man. He creates all things as one God; but as a man he creates nothing, and yet all are subject to him, as David says Ps. 8:7: "Thou hast cast all things under his feet."
So Christ is our God and our Lord. As one God he creates us; as one Lord we serve him and he rules over us. So, in this epistle the apostle thinks to speak of him as of one true God and Lord of all things. For though the two natures are distinguished, yet it is One Person, that all things which Christ does or suffers, God has certainly done and suffered, though the same thing has only been encountered by one nature. In the same way, when I speak of a man's wounded leg, I say, "The man is sore," but his soul, or the whole man, is not sore, but a part of his body, because body and soul are one thing. As then I must speak differently of body and soul, so also of Christ. Item, it is not evil spoken when I speak: I know not the sun by night, though I know it by reason, but not by sight. So Christ knows nothing about the last day and yet knows it well etc.
Through which he also made the world.
(15) Behold, this is the same Son, who is an heir of all things. Things set after mankind, and yet by him made all the world, as by one God. One person, two natures, two works; one Christ, but two kinds. Here the high words begin. It is
It is clear that the apostle speaks of the Son, who was made an heir and through whom all the world was made. If then all things were made through him, then he himself must not have been made; so it follows clearly that he is the true God. For everything that is not made, and yet is something, must be God. Again, everything that is made must be a creature and not God, for it does not have its being from itself, but from him who made it. But now all things are made by Christ, and he is made by none: so he certainly has his being from and in himself, and from no made thing, nor from any maker.
16 Further, if he is the Son, he cannot be alone; he must have a Father. And if God made the world through him, the same God who made the world through him must not be the one through whom he made it. Thus it follows that there must be two Persons, the Father and Son distinct; and yet [because*] the divine nature is only One, and may be no more than One God: It follows that Christ is One true God with the Father, in One divine essence, One Creator and Maker of the world, and there is no difference but that He is the Son and the Son the Father, and He was not made by the Father, as the world is, but must have been born in eternity; not less than the Father, but in all ways and measures like Him, without being born of the Father and the Father not of Him.
(17) Therefore, if reason does not understand how it is, it must be caught up in these words and the like and believe. For if it were comprehensible according to reason, there would be no faith; for it is clear that these words speak of two, since he says, "God made the world through him." So it is also clear that he must be God, who did not make, but made all things through him. But how this may be, do not speak, and may not the Scripture reason out, it must be believed. Now the Scriptures maintain this way, that they say: The world was made by Christ, and by the Father, and in the Holy Spirit, which is the cause of all things.
*) [a]
It is not sufficiently intelligible nor expressible, but it needs to be said a little, so that it shows how not the Father from the Son, but the Son from the Father has the divine essence, and the Father is the first original person in the Godhead. Therefore it does not say that Christ made the world through the Father, but the Father through him, that the Father remains the first person, and from him, but through the Son, all things come. In this way also John Cap. 1, 3. speaks: "All things find made through him"; and Col. 1, 16.: "All things consist through him and in him"; and Rom. 11, 36.: "All things from him, through him, and in him."
(18) Now you see how fine the words rhyme, that he calls him an heir after mankind. For to whom should all God's goods be given as an inheritance more cheaply than to him who is the Son? He created all goods or creatures with the Father at the same time; but now that he is also a man and a Son, he also inherits them because he is a Son, and is now a Son in both natures. But where this way of speaking comes from, we will hear in the Gospel.
Which, because he is the brightness of his glory, and the image of his being.
19 Here he expresses, as much as it is possible, with some parables, how Christ is another person than the Father, and yet a real, true, natural God. But the German and Latin words do not sufficiently capture the Greek words of the apostle. He calls it such a "brightness" that goes out from the clarity of the Father; as there is the rising dawn from the sun, which has the whole sun with it and by it, and not a piece of the brightness, but the whole brightness of the whole sun, shining from the sun and abiding in the sun. So that in one word the birth, the unity of nature, the difference of persons may be understood; for Christ is born eternally from the Father without ceasing, always going out, like the sun in the morning, and not at noon or evening. And is not the Father according to the
Person; as the brightness is not the sun: and yet is with the Father, and in the Father, neither before nor after, but the same eternally with him, and in him, as the brightness is both with, and in, and at the sun.
(20) He also calls the clarity of the Father doxa, that is, glory or honor, because the divine nature is all glory and honor, as having everything of itself, nothing of anyone, boasting and honoring itself of itself. Now he says that Christ is all glory, a full splendor of his honors, that is, that he also has in himself the whole Godhead, and may boast and glorify everything of it, that the Father does; without having it from the Father, and the Father not having it from him. He is the outgoing splendor of the paternal glory, that is, he is native God, and not the birthing God, yet full and complete God, like and as the Father.
(21) Behold, the Scripture does not use such a way of speaking of the saints, who are also God's glory, that is, made and created in honor of God. But here, when he says that Christ is a semblance of the paternal glory, the words force that the paternal glory is in the same splendor, otherwise it would not be called his glory. And what shall I say? These words want to be understood more with the heart than expressed with tongues or feathers. They are in themselves clearer than all glosses, and the more one glosses them, the more obscure they become. This is the sum of it: In Christ is the whole Godhead, and to him is due all glory as to one God; yet that he has it not from himself, but from the Father. That is to say: two persons, one God. For he does not speak of the Holy Spirit in this place, which is also easily believed when man is brought so far that he may consider two Persons to be One God.
The other likeness that he calls him is an image or sign of his being. I must take leave to speak plainly. When an image is made after a man, that same image is not an image of man's being or nature; for it is not a man, but stone or wood, and is an image of the stone or wood being made after man.
But if I could take the essence of man, as the potter takes the clay, and make from it an image that would at the same time be the image of man, and also fully comprehend human essence or nature in itself, behold, that would be an essential image or an image of the human essence. Such an image is not in any creature, for all images that are made are of a different nature and essence than that of which they are the image. But here the Son is such an image of the Father's being that the Father's being is the image itself; and if it were proper to say so, the image is made of the Father's being, so that it is not only like and similar to the Father, but also fully comprehends his whole being and nature. As also of the splendor of the glories it is to be said that the splendor is made of the honor, and is not only like it, but has completely and naturally in itself that splendor and honor are one thing.
23 Now behold, as I say of a man's image, it is an image of wood or of stone; so I say, Christ is an image of God, that as true as that image is wood, so true is this image of God. Therefore St. Paul calls him an image of the living and invisible God. Now, in the wooden image this perfection is missing. For even though it is a wooden image, it is not the image of wood, but of man; it does not indicate wood, but man. Again, even if man is formed in wood, he is not wood, and his essence is something else than the essence in which his image is, and in all creatures there is the image of another essence than the one whose image it is, and there is no image of the essence to be found. But here is the image and the one whose image it is. Of one being, without the Father stinging an image; for he is not formed of the Son or after the Son, but the Son of oem Father and after the Father, in a simple, natural, divine being.
24 Such perfection is also lacking in the sun and its brilliance. For the sun has its own clarity for itself, the radiance also for itself, although the radiance has its own from the sun. But all here
the brilliance is thus the clarity, that from the clarity, that I thus say, the brilliance is made or genaturet, and the clarity is quite essentially the brilliance itself, without the brilliance being thus genaturet not from itself, but from the paternal clarity.
(25) Now, behold, the words themselves are still clearer than this interpretation. It is clear enough that he says, "An image of his being," "a semblance of his glory," if the mouth thereafter is silent and the heart thinks upon it; and the Hebrew way of speaking is thus: pauperes sanctorum, i. pauperes sancti; virtus Dei, i. virtus Deus; sic, character substantiae, i. character substantia, subsistens et ipsemet Deus; sic, splendor gloriae, i. splendor gloria ipsa; as the Latins may well grasp this, but to the Germans and simple-minded it is enough that, as they call an image of gold, because it is made of gold, so they should also call Christ an image of God the Father, because he is wholly created by God and from God, and apart from him is no God; without having such deity and image from the Father, as the first person, and both are One God. And this is missing in the creature, because the golden image does not show his golden nature, but a foreign nature of man. Therefore, although it is a golden image, it is not an image of gold's own nature. For gold would have to be shown with another image than gold paint, or otherwise with something that is not gold. But here the image is also the essence itself, of which it is the image, and must have no other image than its own. Here faith is necessary, and not much sharp speculation, the words are clear, certain and strong enough. To whom these words do not tell the divinity of Christ, no one will tell it. Nor does he call him a bad, common image, but a character, that is, his own image, which is not like any other, just as the counterfeit images are. So also not a common image, but apaugasma, an actual appearance, which is no one else, but the clarity, from which he starts.
And carries all things with the word of his power.
26 This is the third time he preaches Christ as a God. He said the first time:
All the world was made through him; after that: He is a divine splendor and a divine image; here he speaks: That he carries all things. If he carries all things, he is not carried and something above all things; that must be God alone. But the "carrying" is that he nourishes and sustains all things, as that not only through him all things are made, as said above, but also all things remain and are sustained in him, as St. Paul Col. 1, 17. says: "All things exist through him and in him" etc. And even one of his words he needs to say: He carries; neither drives nor chases, nor rumors, he carries gently and lets all creatures enjoy his gentle goodness; as also Weish. 8, 1. is written: "The wisdom of God reaches from one end to the other mightily, and governs all things sweetly and gently."
(27) But what it is that he says, "by the word of his power," I am not sure. If a man said this, I would say he was mistaken, because Christ is the Word himself, as we shall hear in the Gospel, and he has no word by which he works. If it were spoken in the Father's person, it would be almost consistent with Scripture; for the Father made all things by His word, and also bears all things in it, as Ps. 33:6 says: "The heavens were made by the word of God."
(28) I want to give my mind here captive, to leave room for another and better one, to say no more than my conceit. He may therefore say that he is putting the person into One Godhead, because they are One God, and saying this in the person of the Father. Since what God does, every person does. Thus, God bears all things by His Word, which God truly is also Christ and the same Word.
29 Such swift changes of persons are probably more in Scripture than, Ps. 2, 6. 7: "I have ordained my King out of my holy mountain: I will preach the commandment, that God hath said unto me, Thou art my Son" etc. Here the first part is spoken in the person of the Father by Christ, and the other in the person of Christ by the Father; and the persons are changed into one speech for the sake that One God is both persons.
nen. So also here it may happen: that he is an image of God, is said of Christ; but that he carries all things by his word, is said of the Father in one speech, without distinction, therefore that both persons are One God without distinction.
(30) If this does not please me, I may think that by the word is understood as much as a deed or a story, as in the next gospel Lucas Cap. 2, 15. says of the shepherds: "Let us go to Bethlehem and see the word that has come to pass", that is, the story and deed that has come to pass. So the meaning here would be that Christ carries all things by the word of his power, that is, by the deed of his power. For by the doing of his power all things are sustained, and everything that is and can be, that it is not of itself, but from the active power of God. And then, once again, the power and the word are not to be separated, but the word and the power are one thing, not different from what is said about an active or powerful word, that the power is the essence and nature of the word, which works in all things. But here let each one proceed and follow as he will and can.
And has made the purification of our sin through Himself.
(31) There he meets the gospel aright. For all that may be said of Christ is of no use to us until we hear how it is all said for our good and profit. What need would there be to preach to us if it were for his sake alone? But now it is entirely for us and our salvation; therefore let us listen here with joy, for these are sweet words beyond all measure. Christ, who is so great, an heir of all things, a glory of divine honors, an image of divine being, who bears all things, not by strange power nor help, but by his own deed and might; lately, who alone is all in all: he has ministered to us, poured out his love, and prepared a cleansing for our sin.
32. he says, "ours," "our sin," not his sin, not the sin of the unbelievers; for he who does not believe these things, to him
the cleansing is in vain and not accomplished. And the same cleansing he did not accomplish by our free will, reason or strength, not by our works, not by our repentance or penance; for all this is nothing before God: but "by himself". How by Himself? Namely, that he took up our sin on the holy cross, as Isaiah Cap. 53, 6. says.
(33) But this is not enough, but also "by himself," that whosoever believeth in him, that he hath done these things for us, by and for the same faith he himself dwelleth in us, and cleanseth us daily by his own work: so that nothing can help or be done for the cleansing of sins, but Christ himself. Now he may not be in us, nor work such cleansing by himself, but only in and through faith.
(34) Now listen, you world leaders and leaders of the blind, pope, bishop, priests, monks, scholars, and you useless talkers, who teach purification of sin by works of men and satisfaction for sin, giving letters of indulgence and selling fictitious purification of sin. Here you hear that there is no cleansing of sin in works, but only in Christ and through Christ Himself. Now it may ever be brought into us by no works, but by faith alone, as St. Paul says Eph. 3:17: "Christ dwelleth in your hearts by faith." So it must certainly be true that the cleansing of sin is faith, and whoever believes that Christ cleanses his sin is certainly cleansed by the same faith, and in no other way. Therefore St. Peter says Acts 15:9: "He made their hearts clean through faith."
35 If this faith be first, and such purification be made by Christ himself, then let us do good works, and put away sin, and repent of it: then are the works good: but before faith they are of no profit, and make vain false confidence and trust. For sin is such a great thing, and its cleansing costs so much, that such an exalted person as Christ is praised here must himself do it and cleanse by himself. What then should be done in such great
What can our poor and futile actions do, since we are creatures, sinful and incompetent, corrupt creatures? That would be just as if someone took it upon himself to burn heaven and earth with an extinguished fire. There must be as great a payment for sin here as there is for God Himself, who is offended by sin.
He has sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, so much better than the angels, so much another name has he inherited before them.
This is said according to human nature, in which he has also purified sins, but that it is nevertheless true that it was done by God's Son, and the person does not separate anyone because of the separation of natures. So it is also true that God's Son sits at the right hand of the Majesty, although this is only according to humanity; for according to the Godhead he himself is also the one Majesty with the Father, at whose right hand he sits. But let us leave such a way of speaking now, as that is dark, and remain with the text speech, which is clearer.
(37) To "sit at the right hand of the Majesty" is certainly to be like the Majesty. Therefore, where Christ is described as sitting at the right hand of God, it is thoroughly proved that he is true God. Since God is not equal to anyone but God Himself, the fact that the man Christ is said to sit at the right hand of God is as much to say that He is true God, as the 110th Psalm, v. 1, says.God said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand," that is, he said to Christ, who is a man, "Be like me," that is, you shall not only be known as a man, but also as God; as here the apostle also introduces this saying of the same Psalm. Item, Psalm 8:7: "Thou hast cast under his feet all the works of thy hands," that is, thou hast made him like thyself: not that he has now first of all begun to be God; but that man before was not God and like God. For at the same time that he began to be man, he also began to be God. And so the Scripture speaks many things.
More from Christ than we, and wraps the person so finely in the nature and separates the nature again, that there are few who understand it rightly, and I myself have often erred in this and similar sayings, that I have assigned to the nature what is due to the person, and again. Thus Phil. 2:6, 7: "Though he was in the divine form, he did not think that he had stolen it, that he was like God, but expressed himself as God, not as God, but as a servant"; though this saying is dark.
Now that we come back to the text: Here the apostle begins to take the ground of Scripture from the Old Testament, and proves that Christ is God. For up to this point he has drawn his words and opinion from the Scriptures, saying that Christ has become much better than the angels, for he has become God and has inherited a much different name than they. All this is said of the opinion that the man Christ began to be God, and was glorified and made known that he was God.
For to what angel did he ever say: You are my son, today I have given you birth?
(39) This saying is in another psalm; therefore, that it may be made clear, as it is spoken by Christ, let us tell the whole psalm, which is thus, Why do the heathen rage, and the people speak in vain? The kings of the land rebel, and the counsellors counsel with one another against the Lord and his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands, and cast away their cords from us. But he that dwelleth in heaven laugheth at them, and the Lord mocketh at them. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and with his fury shall he make them afraid. But I have set my King upon my holy mountain Zion. I will preach of the sentence, that the Lord hath said unto me: Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. If you make a demand of me, I will give you the Gentiles as your inheritance, and the end of the world as your possession. Thou shalt smite them with the scepter of iron, as the vessel of a potter shalt thou break them. Be wise therefore, ye kings, and be ye chastened, ye judges in the
Land. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish in the way, for his wrath shall soon burn; but good to all them that trust in him."
40 Here it is clear that he calls Christ, against whom the Jews raged with Pilato, Herod and the chief priests: to whom he says, "You are my Son" etc.
(41) The Jews run away from this saying with wild glosses, and because they cannot deny that this psalm speaks of a person who is a king and Christ, that is, an anointed one, they say that it speaks of David, who was also a Christ. For they call all kings Messiahs or Christos, that is. Anointed. But it is not their thing; for David has never had the Gentiles, and his kingdom has not reached to the end of the world, as the Psalm says of this king. So also to no man is it said in the Scripture, "Thou art my Son."
(42) But though they confess that the psalm is spoken of Messiah, they have two evasions: for they say that the same Messiah is yet to come, and that he is not Jesus Christ. Therefore, even if he is called the Son of God, he is not God. For Psalm 82:6 is also written, saying to all God's children, "I have said that you are gods and children of the Most High." And in many places of the Scriptures the saints are called children of God, as, Gen. 6, 2. Psalm 89, 27. Matth. 5, 45. 1 Joh. 3, 2. And St. Paul calls us children of God in all places; therefore we also call him a father, and say: Our Father etc.
43 What shall we say to this? Shall we leave the apostle stuck like this, as if he did not bring up a good, clear reason of the Scriptures? That would not be fine. First, that this Jesus is the man of whom the psalm speaks is proved by experience, for it was thus fulfilled and came to pass. He was persecuted by kings and princes. They have tried to destroy him and have become a mockery, they have also been corrupted, as he says here; so he has ever been regarded as a Lord in all the world, that no king before him or after him continues to reign or can reign more widely. So then
the fulfillment agrees with the psalm, it does not let itself be forced on another.
44) That he is God, although other saints are also called gods and children of God, the apostle proves strongly enough that to no angel, let alone to a man in particular, was it said: "You are my Son"; therefore this must be a special son, above all men and angels; because he does not call him a son in common with others, but draws him out of all, he must be higher than no other. Now he may not be higher than the angels, unless he is truly God, because the angels are the highest.
(45) Above that, all other children he gives birth to by means, as St. Jacobus Cap. 1, 18. says: "He gave birth to us willingly by his word"; and the angels he also created and did not give birth to. But this Son he does not create, but without any means, by himself he gives birth to him and says: "I", myself, by myself "have I given birth to you today", which he said to no one else. This few personal births conclude a natural birth; for he probably speaks 1 Chron. 22, 10. of Solomon: "He shall be my son"; but not particularly to him: "You are my son, I have born you"; but David gave birth to him. But no one but God Himself gave birth to him.
46. he also says: "today", that is, in eternity; it is ever not possible that a bodily birth takes place in one day; as we see in man and all animals. But in order to separate this birth, he adds "today" to the fact that God gives birth to his Son at once, eternally, and at the same time, his birth and having a son, does not say: "A year ago I gave birth to you, but now that you are my Son, I have given birth to you. Therefore, it must be an exuberant birth in the high nature that no one can understand.
47 It is also written in Hof. 11, 1. that God says: "Out of Egypt I have called my son", which reads as if it were a son, as this Psalm says; and the Jews say that it is said of the people of Israel. But St. Matthew draws it
on Christ. But be it as it may, no saying is found where it is said to a person: "You are my son", let alone to a king and such a great king; much less is it found that he says: "I myself have given birth to you, and today I have given birth to you". Therefore it is strong enough and clearly proven from this Psalm that Jesus is this Christ and God's true natural Son.
(48) Besides, it is to be noted with special care that the apostle insists on the Scriptures in such a way that if something is not said in them, it is not to be kept; for if this were not the case, his speech would be of no avail, since he says, "To what angel did he ever say" etc. For the Jews would say, If he hath not said it in the Scriptures, yet it may well be said; for not all things are written. But since he wills that what the Scripture does not give is not to be kept, we should therefore also reject all other teaching.
(49) And this is contrary to the iniquity of the pope and papists, who impudently pretend against this apostle, that more things must be held than the scripture hath. And if they say, It is not in the Scriptures, therefore it shall not stand, it shall not be concluded; they make void this reason of the apostle, much more than the Jews, that they may bring in their conciliarities, teachers, and high schools. Beware of this, and be sure that there is everything in the Scriptures that is to be kept. But what is not therein, thou shalt say, as here the apostle, When hath God ever said this?
And again, I will be a father to him, and he will be a son to me.
(50) They have also made this saying dull, as if they were teachers only to weaken the Scriptures, and say that this saying has two senses: one is to be understood of Solomon, as a figure of Christ; the other of Christ. But if this is admitted, that the Scripture does not insist on a simple sense, then it already disputes no more. Let the Jews insist that it is said of Solomon, as we confess; but so the apostle lies in the sand with a good appearance, and concludes nothing. Therefore
It is to be held firmly that it is said of Christ alone and, just as the previous saying, describes a special son above all other sons, that even to the angels such a thing is not said, let alone to Solomon; as here the apostle says: and is a name much different and better than the angel, as he also says here that it may in no way be put to Solomon.
51 Now it is not enough for us to believe the apostle; we are obliged to prove that he finally proves with clear reason what he has undertaken. Therefore it is to be known that this saying is taken from 2 Sam. 7, 14. and Ps. 89, 27. 28. which are prophetic books, and at the same places it is only said about Christ, not about Solomon. But 1 Chron. 23, 10., which is a historical book, is said of Solomon alone: "I will be his father, and he shall be my son." Now it is also known among the Jews that Ps. 89, 27. 28. says of the right Christ: "He will call me: You are my father, and I will make him the highest king, the highest among the kings of the earth"; item v. 7: "Who may be like God among the sons of God?" that is, among the sons of God there is one who is a God, and no one like him.
52) But whether this saying is written in the same voice in 2 Sam. 7 and 1 Chron. 23, it has such circumstances in 2 Sam. 7 that it cannot be understood by Solomon, so that it must have been said twice to David: once by Christ; once by Solomon. To the first, 2 Sam. 7:12, God says to David: "When your days are fulfilled and you die, I will raise up your seed after you, who shall be born of your flesh."
Now Solomon was not raised up as a king after David's death, nor after his death, but while he was still alive, 1 Kings 1:30 ff. David also understood that this was said of Christ; therefore he thanked God there, 2 Sam. 7, 19, so heartily, and said: "Dear Lord God, you have also spoken of my lineage in the long future." But 1 Chron. 23, 9. David still alive orders Solomon to make his will.
and says badly, "God has said to me, 'A son will be born to you, he will have peace, he will build my house, not you who have shed too much blood. The shedding of blood is not mentioned in 2 Sam. 7, and God says there that He will build a house for David. And this is the strongest of all, which is highly praised in Ps. 89. He promises His mercy freely without any addition and says: "If his children sin, I will punish them with human punishment, but I will not turn away My mercy from them." 2 Sam. 7, 14. 15.
This promise is not said by Solomon, as Ps. 132, 12 shows, but with the addition: "If his children will keep my commandments" etc., as David also testifies 1 Kings 2, 4. and God Himself spoke to Solomon 1 Kings 3, 14. Therefore this saying from 2 Sam. 7, not from 1 Chron. 23, should only be understood from Christ, so it concludes and proves strongly.
And again, when he bringeth in the firstborn into the world, he saith, And all the angels of God shall worship him.
55 This is the third scriptural saying, drawn from the 97th Psalm, v. 7, which clearly speaks of the kingdom of God, of which Christ also always preaches in the Gospel, in which kingdom Christ reigns and is Lord, which began after his ascension and is accomplished through the preaching of the Gospel; for it clearly speaks of the preaching. And thus it reads: "The Lord has become King, that the earth may rejoice and the islands be glad. Clouds and darkness are around him," that is, he reigns by faith hidden, "righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne. Fire goes before him, and sets on fire his enemies round about. His lightnings shine upon the ground", these are the miraculous signs, "the earth beholds and is astonished. The mountains", the great heads and the worthies, "melt like wax before the Lord, before the ruler of the whole earth. The heavens," the apostles, "proclaim his righteousness," faith, "and all nations see his glory," for the gospel is preached everywhere. "Ashamed must they all be who serve the images, and are ashamed of the
Praise idols. Worship him, all gods. Zion has heard and is glad, and the daughters of Judah are joyful, O Lord, because of your judgments" etc.
The experience and fulfillment interprets this Psalm. For such a thing has all happened about Christ. He is preached in all the world and reigns in the kingdom of God, which has not happened to any other king. Therefore the apostle makes a preface, saying, "And again, when he brought into the world the firstborn Son"; as if to say, "Since the Spirit in the Psalm speaks of the other entrance into the world through the gospel. For before he came into the world once in the flesh, and was cast out by his crucifiers in death: but afterward he is come again in his resurrection, and by the word, and reigneth first of all, and shall never die, nor be cast out: of which entrance the psalm speaketh.
(57) I also allow, saith he, that God hath more sons; but this is the firstborn son, whom he bringeth in, and maketh king, that the angels should worship him: which they would not do, nor be called, if he were not true God.
(58) We read that David and others have worshipped many things, but no angel has ever worshipped anyone but God. Therefore this saying concludes that he must be God whom the angels worship. For if one worships that alone which is greater, even on earth, and nothing is greater above the angels but God alone, then this King must be God, who is heard through the preachers and brought into the world, and whom the angels worship. Nor is there anything wrong with the fact that the apostle does not lead all the words so evenly from the Psalm. So the psalm says, "Worship him all his angels." But the apostle thus speaks, "All God's angels will worship him." Surely it is A sense that in the future was, the angels should worship him. But if they worship him, he is God, so the angels are also his, and yet he is also a man. But it is to be noted that in the Hebrew it is written: "Worship him, all Elohim", that is, all gods, and the angels are called thus and all saints, because they are God's children.
But of the angels he says: He makes his angels spirits, and his servants flames of fire.
(59) By this he does not want the angels to have such names in the Scriptures that to one of them it would be said, "You are my Son," "He shall be my Son," "Him shall all the angels worship," but he only makes them messengers whom he sends into the world, and is of the opinion that when he commands the angels many things, it is not that he makes one of them such a lord, but that he makes them wind and flames of fire. He calls them wind or spirits and flames of fire because when they are sent, they take on such a form, flying lightly and swiftly like the wind, and shining like lightning and flame, as is proven in many places in Scripture. But by this none of them is lord of the world, neither is any preached everywhere, as this king is preached a lord over all things; which the Jews also must confess.
But from the Son: God, your throne endures forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a true scepter. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity: therefore hath thy God anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
60 This is the fourth saying, from the 45th Psalm v. 8, which to my mind concludes in the strongest and most obvious way that Christ is God, against which, without a doubt, even the Jews may say nothing. Let us see this. First, it is known by everyone that this psalm was written by Christ, whether it should still come, as the Jews think and err. Secondly, the first part, where he says: "Your throne, O God, endures forever," must be said of the right true God, who has a royal throne and the rule; for although the word "God" is also given to the saints, as is heard above from the 82nd Psalm, v. 1, the rule and the throne is no one's own but the one true God.
*) These words are missing in c and d. D. Red.
right and natural God. Is this not clear and certain? Well then, we have the God who has the throne and reigns forever.
61 Now from the same God follows thus: "You have loved righteousness, therefore God, your God, has anointed you before your fellow men. What do you want to become here? The GOt who has the eternal throne and reigns forever, who is anointed by his GOt, before all his fellows? It must be the right God who anoints; so he is also a right God who is anointed, because he has the throne and reigns forever. Now God may not anoint Himself, but He who is anointed is under His anointed. For "to anoint" here means to pour in the Holy Spirit with His graces, as is public, which is only proper to the creature.
(62) Behold, it is irrefutable here that this king must be true God by the first part of the saying, and yet true man by the last part: for after humanity he has fellows, if he is a head of all believers, who are made partakers of his spirit, which he has abundantly above all. But according to the Godhead he has no comrade: for there is only One God and yet not One Person. For this saying requires two persons: the one who governs, the other who anoints the same, who cannot be anointed according to the Godhead. Therefore it is determined that this is the Son of God, to whom such a name is given that he is God and has an eternal throne, which is the kingdom that began after Christ's ascension, and yet he has fellow anointed ones and loves righteousness, so that he deserves the anointing, all of which is due to a true man.
The rod or scepter of his kingdom is the gospel, which is a scepter of rightness, that it may proceed aright and straight. This is said against the doctrine of men, which have many crookedness and confusion, yet never bring to salvation. That we should learn nothing here in Christianity, but only this scepter of his kingdom. He does not want his kingdom to be ruled by any other means than this right rod of the gospel.
(64) I also had to put the word "God" twice in the other part of this saying because of necessity: "God, your God," so that we have no more than one word that is called God. But the Hebrew tongue has many of them, and here are the two: elohim, elohe.
There are many more of these sayings in the Old Testament, which creep along so secretly and yet close so insurmountably. As, Gen. 19, 24: "God rained fire and brimstone on Sodoma and Gomorrah from God." What is "God", "of God", but that two persons are indicated here, the Father and the Son? Item Zech. 3, 2: "God said to Satan, God punish you, Satan." Behold, there also one God speaks of the other. And Psalm 68:19, having spoken long and much of God, says: "Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast caught the prison," which ascent belongs only to the man Christ. Item, there: "Your God has commanded your power" etc.; again: "God commands God's powers". And many more.
And thou, O Lord, from the beginning hast founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands. These shall pass away; but thou shalt remain; and they shall all pass away as a garment, and as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not cease.
(66) How this saying clarifies this matter does not yet appear, for as it stands, it can easily be interpreted as referring to God as One Person. Therefore, one must look at the whole Psalm, which also says about the future kingdom of God, which the Scriptures give to Christ to rule, as is heard in the next saying, and many more. Thus this Psalm 102:13-17 says of this kingdom: "God, you remain forever, and your memory from one generation to another. Thou wouldest make up and have mercy on Zion; for it is time that thou shouldest have mercy on her, and the hour is come. For thy servants," the apostles, "have made pleasant their stones, and unto their dust shall they bring grace" through the gospel. This has ever been said of Christ, whose servants have
Apostles are, and have brought the stones of Zion, the elect, to grace by their preaching; for such servants no king ever had. "And the Gentiles shall fear thy name, and the kings of the earth thy glory. That the Lord may build Zion, and appear in his glory" etc.
67) Last of all follows this saying: "And you, God, have founded the earth from the beginning. From this he concludes that this King, whose servants have graced the stones of Zion, and who is preached in all the world, that the Gentiles and all the kings of the earth fear him, is the God who created the earth, and abides in himself forever. Now no king has ever been preached like this to all the nations.
as Christ; therefore it follows that he is true God and man. What more is to be said about this, I leave to higher spirits, I cannot say more.
68 Thus we have that this whole epistle is vain armor, and contends for the article of faith, that Christ is God, and Lord of all things, even after mankind. And see the wonder how bright the Scripture is in itself, and the infirmity in us is that we do not see it; that indeed Lucas says Cap. 24, 32, that Christ opened the understanding of the disciples, so that they understood the Scriptures. He did not open the Scriptures, but the understanding; for the Scriptures are open, but our eyes are not open.