(First published in 1523.)
(1) Some think that the Old Testament was given to the Jewish people alone, and that it is now gone, and only writes about past stories; they think that they have enough in the New Testament, and pretend to look for spiritual meaning in the Old Testament; as Origen, Jerome, and many more have also thought. But Christ says John 5:39: "Search the Scriptures, for they bear witness of me"; and St. Paul instructs Timothy [1 Tim. 4:13] to stop reading the Scriptures; and boasts Rom. 1:2, how the gospel is promised by God in the Scriptures; and in 1 Cor. 15:3 he says that Christ, according to the Scriptures, came from David's blood, died, and rose from death. St. Peter also points us more than once to the Scriptures [2 Petr. 1, 19. 3, 15].
2. so that they may ever teach us not to despise the Scriptures of the Old Testament, but to
2) enhinder - back. In Latin: remittit.
to read with all diligence, because they themselves so powerfully establish and prove the New Testament by the Old Testament, and refer to it; as also St. Lucas Apost. 17, 11. writes that those in Thessalonica daily searched the Scriptures to see if it was as Paul taught. As little as the reason and proof of the New Testament is to be despised, so much is the Old Testament to be respected. And what is the New Testament but a public preaching and proclamation of Christ, established by the sayings in the Old Testament and fulfilled by Christ?
In order that those who do not know better may have guidance and instruction to read it usefully, I have written this preface according to my ability, as much as God has given me. Please and faithfully warn every pious Christian not to be offended by the simple speech and story that he will often encounter, but do not doubt how badly it can always be regarded as vain words, works, deeds, and teachings.
*This preface is found, as we give it, in the last edition of the Bible, which was printed by Hans Lufft in Wittenberg in 1545. Of the complete editions of Luther's works, only the Leipzig edition, vol. XII, p. I and the Erlangen edition, vol. 63, p. 7 have included it. In Latin it is found in the Wittenberg (1549), tom. Ill, lol. I and in the Jena one (1603), tom. Walch and the Erlangen edition, which we have followed, place our writing in the year 1523, whereas the Jena edition, in the table of contents; to the third Latin volume, in the year 1524. In a somewhat modified version, which fits the Latin version of the Bible, it precedes the Latin translation of 1529, which is attributed to Luther, Walch, alte Ausgabe, Bd.
The scripture is the judgement and history of the high divine majesty, power and wisdom. For this is the scripture that makes fools of all the wise and prudent, and is open only to the small and foolish, as Christ says Matth. 11, 25. Therefore, let go of your arrogance and feelings, and think of this scripture as the highest, noblest sanctuary, as the richest treasure, which can never be sufficiently filled, so that you may find the divine wisdom, which God presents here so foolishly and badly that He dampens all arrogance. Here you will find the swaddling clothes and the manger, where Christ lies, to which the angel also directs the shepherds, Luc. 2, 12. Poor and insignificant swaddling clothes they are, but precious is the treasure, Christ, who lies inside.
4 Know therefore that this book is a book of the law, which teacheth what ought to be done, and what ought not to be done, and sheweth examples and histories of how such laws have been kept or transgressed; even as the New Testament is a gospel or book of grace, and teacheth where to take it, that the law may be fulfilled. But as in the New Testament, besides the doctrine of grace, many other doctrines are given, which are law and commandment to govern the flesh, because in this life the Spirit is not made perfect, neither can grace reign; so also in the Old Testament, besides the laws, are certain promises and sayings of grace, that the holy fathers and prophets might be preserved under the law in the faith of Christ, as we are. But as the main teaching of the New Testament is to proclaim grace and peace in Christ through the forgiveness of sins, so the main teaching of the Old Testament is to teach the law, to denounce sin, and to demand good. Know how to wait for this in the Old Testament.
5 And that we first come to Moses' books, who teaches in his first book how all creatures were created, and (which is the most important cause of his writing) where sin and death came from, namely through Adam's fall, out of the devil's wickedness, Gen. 3, 4. But soon after, before Moses' law comes, he teaches from where the help should come again to drive away sin and death; namely not through law nor through his own work, because there was no law yet, but through the
(Genesis 3:15) and Abraham (Genesis 12:3), so that faith from the beginning of Scripture would be thoroughly praised above all works, law and merit. So the first book of Moses has almost all examples of faith and unbelief, and what fruits faith and unbelief bear, and is almost an evangelical book.
6th After this, in the second book, when the world was now full 1) and sunk in blindness, so that it was almost no longer known what sin was, or where death originated, God brings forth Moses with the law, and takes on a special people to enlighten the world again in them, and to reopen sin through the law. And so he established the people with all kinds of laws, and set them apart from all other peoples, and had them build a tabernacle, and set up a worship service, and appointed princes and officers, and so provided his people, both with laws and people, in the most excellent way, so that they would both be governed physically before the world, and spiritually before God.
In the third book, the priesthood is especially prescribed, with its laws and rights, according to which the priests are to do and teach the people. There one sees how a priestly office is established only for the sake of sin, that it should make it known to the people and make atonement before God, so that all its work is to deal with sins and sinners. For this reason, the priests are not given any temporal goods, nor are they commanded or permitted to rule physically, but only to care for the people in their sins.
In the fourth, when the laws have been given, the priests and rulers have been appointed, the tabernacle and worship have been set up, and everything belonging to the people of God has been prepared, the work and practice begins, and it is tried how such an order will go and work. That is why the same book writes about so many disobediences and plagues of the people, and some laws are explained and increased. For thus it is always found that laws are soon to be given, but when they are to begin and come into force, nothing happens.
1) "full" namely of blindness. In Latin: omnia plena erroribus.
more than a vain hindrance, and does not want to continue anywhere, as the law demands, that this book is a noticeable example, how it is nothing at all to make people pious with laws, but, as St. Paul says, the law only causes sin and wrath [Rom. 4:15].
9. In the fifth, since the people are now punished for their disobedience, and God had lured them a little with grace, so that they were moved to keep his law with pleasure and love out of benevolence, since he gave them the two kingdoms, Moses repeats the whole law with all the stories they had encountered (without what concerns the priesthood), and thus explains from the beginning everything that both belong to the physical and spiritual government of a people, so that Moses, like a perfect teacher of the law, would do his duty enough everywhere, and would not only give the law, but would also be there when it should be done, and where it was lacking, he would explain it and restore it. But this declaration in the fifth book does not actually keep anything else inside, except faith in God and love for one's neighbor, for that is where all of God's laws lead. That is why Moses, with his transfiguration, fended off all that might spoil the glow of God up to the twentieth chapter, and all that might hinder love up to the end of the book.
(10) It should be noted here, first of all, that Moses so carefully lays down the laws for the people that he leaves no room for them to choose any work or to invent their own worship. For he not only teaches to fear, trust and love God, but also gives so many ways of external worship, with sacrifices, vows, fasting, mortification, etc., that no one needs to choose anything else. He also teaches planting, building, freeing, fighting, governing children, servants and house, buying and selling, borrowing and lending, and everything that is to be done externally and internally, so much so that some statutes are to be considered foolish and futile.
(11) Dear one, why does God do this? Finally, he subjected the people to be his own, and he wanted to be their God; therefore he wanted to govern them so that all their doings would be certain to be right before him.
1) .langen = to aim. In Latin: is est scopus.
would be. For if anyone does anything without first receiving the word of God, it is not valid in the sight of God and is lost. For he also decrees in the 5th book, Cap. 4, 2. 12, 32. that they should do nothing to his laws. And Cap. 12, 8, he says that they should not do what they think is right. Also the Psalter and all the prophets cry out that the people do good works that they themselves have chosen and that God has not commanded. For he will not and cannot suffer his own to do anything that he has not commanded, no matter how good it may be. For obedience is the nobility and goodness of all works, who hold fast to the words of God.
Since this life cannot be without outward worship and ways, he has set before them such diverse ways and written them with his commandment, so that if they had to or even wanted to do any outward service to God, they would attack these and not devise their own, so that they would be sure and certain that their work would be in God's word and obedience. Thus they are everywhere prevented from following their own reason and free will, from doing good and living well, and yet enough space, place, time, person, work and manner are determined and provided that they must not complain, nor must they follow the example of other people's services.
13 In addition, it should be noted that the laws are of three kinds. There are some that speak only of temporal goods, as the imperial laws do here. These are mostly set by God for the sake of the wicked, so that they do no harm. Therefore, such laws are only laws of defense, more than doctrinal laws. As when Moses bade that a wife be filled with a bill of divorcement [Deut. 24:1], item, that a man drive his wife with a sacrifice of jealousy [Deut. 5:14], and may take other wives more [Deut. 25:5]; these are all worldly laws. But there are some who teach about outward worship, as stated above.
14. Now over these two go the laws of faith and love, so that all other laws must and should have their measure from faith and love; that they should go where their works thus go,
That they go not contrary to faith and love; but where they go contrary to faith and love, they shall be evil.
15 Therefore we read that David did not kill Joab the murderer when he deserved to die twice [2 Sam. 3, 27. 20, 10.), and 2 Sam. 14, 11. he vowed to the woman of Thekoa that her son should not die, even if he had strangled his brother; item, Absalom he did not kill either [2 Sam. 14, 21.]. Item, he himself, David, ate of the holy bread of the priests, 1 Sam. 21, 6. Item, Thamar thought that the king would give her to Amnon, her stepbrother, in marriage [2 Sam. 13, 13.]. From these and similar stories it can be seen that the kings, priests and rulers have often taken fresh recourse to the law where faith and love have demanded it: that therefore faith and love should be the master of all laws and have them all in their power. For since all laws are based on faith and love, none of them should no longer apply, nor should there be a law that is contrary to faith or love.
(16) For this reason, the Jews are still today almost very much mistaken, because they keep some of the laws of Moses so strictly and harshly, and let love and peace perish much sooner than they eat or drink with us, or do something like that, and do not see the law's opinion rightly. For this understanding is necessary for all who live under the law, not only for the Jews. For thus also Christ says, Matt. 12:11, that one should break the Sabbath when an ox had fallen into a pit, and help him out, which was only a temporal need and harm. How much more should one break all kinds of laws when necessity demands it, so that nothing else is contrary to faith and love? As Christ says that David did when he ate the holy bread, Marc. 2:25 ff.
017 But what is the matter, that Moses casteth the laws so disorderly one with another? Why does he not put the secular in one heap, the spiritual also in one heap, and faith and love also in one heap? in addition, he sometimes repeats a law so often, and uses the same words so many times, that it is equally tiresome to read and hear. Answer: Moses writes, as it drives itself, that its Bnch a picture and
The example is of the regiment and life. For so it goes, when it goes in the swing, that now this work, now that must be done. And no man can so arrange his life (if it is to be otherwise divine) that he practices this day vainly spiritual, the other vainly worldly law, but God thus governs all laws among themselves, as the stars in the sky and the flowers in the field stand, that man must be ready every hour for each, and do whichever comes first before his hand. Thus the book of Moses is also mixed together.
(18) But that he is so almost impulsive, and often repeats the same thing, is also a sign of his office. For he who is to govern a law-governed people must always stop, always drive, and bluff his way along with the people, as with donkeys. For no law goes out with pleasure and love; it is all forced and compelled. Because Moses is a teacher of the law, he must show with his activity how the laws are forced works, and make the people tired, until they recognize through such activity their sickness and unwillingness to God's law, and seek grace, as follows.
In the third place, this is the right opinion of Moses, that he reveals sin through the law and disgraces all presumption of human ability. For this reason St. Paul calls him a minister of sin, Gal. 3, 19, and his ministry a ministry of death, 2 Cor. 3, 6. And Rom. 3, 20. and Cap. 7, 7. he says: "Through the law comes no more than the knowledge of sin"; and Rom. 3, 20: "Through the work of the law no one becomes righteous before God. For Moses can do no more by the law, neither can he tell us what to do and what not to do, but he does not give us the power and the ability to do and not to do such things, and so he leaves us stuck in sin. If we are stuck in sin, then death comes upon us immediately as a revenge and punishment for sin. Therefore St. Paul calls the sin of death sting [1 Cor. 15:56], that death through sin has all its right and power over us. But where the law would not be, there would be no sin [Rom. 4, 15]. Therefore it is all Mosi's fault, who reproves sin by the law; so death follows sin with force, that Mosi's office is to be found in the law.
is rightly and justly called a ministry of sin and death by St. Paul [2 Cor. 3:6]; for he brings nothing upon us by his lawgiving but sin and death.
(20) Yet such a ministry of sin and death is good and almost necessary. For where God's law is not, all human reason is so blind that it cannot recognize sin [Rom. 3, 20. 7, 8.]. For no human reason knows that unbelief and despairing of God is sin, indeed, it knows nothing of the fact that one should believe and trust in God; therefore, in its blindness it goes stubbornly and never feels such sin; meanwhile, it does good works and leads an outwardly respectable life. Then she thinks that she is well, and that the matter is done; as we see in the heathen and hypocrites, when they live to the best of their ability. Nor does she know that the evil inclination of the flesh and hatred of enemies is sin, but because she sees and feels that all men are so skillful, she considers it natural and a good thing, and thinks it is enough if one only outwardly resists the works. So she goes there and considers her illness as strength, her sin as right, her evil as good, and can go no further.
Behold, to drive out this blindness and hardened presumption is Mose's office. Now he cannot drive it out, he must reveal it and make it known. This he does through the law, teaching that one should fear, trust, believe and love God, and that one should not bear or have any evil desire or hatred toward any man. Because nature hears this, it must be frightened, for it certainly finds neither trust nor faith, neither fear nor love of God; item, neither love nor purity toward one's neighbor, but unbelief, doubt, contempt and hatred of God, and evil will and lust toward one's neighbor. But because it finds such things, death is immediately before its eyes, which will devour such a sinner and devour him into hell.
(22) Behold, this is to bring death upon us through sin, 1) and to kill us through sin. That is, to stir up sin by the law, and to set it before our eyes, and to put all our
1) In other editions: bring.
The devil's presumption drives him into despondency and trembling and despair, so that he can do no more than cry out with the prophet: I am rejected of God [Is. 49, 14], or as one says in German: Ich bin des Teufels, ich kann nimmermehr selig werden. That means led into hell. This is what St. Paul means in short words, 1 Cor. 15:56: "The sting of death is sin; but the law is the power of sins." As if to say, that the sting of death strangles us, the sin that is found in us makes us guilty of death. 2) But that sin is found in us, and so powerfully gives us to death, makes the law, which reveals and teaches us to know sin, which we did not know before, and were sure of.
(23) Now behold, with what violence Moses performs and executes his office. For in order that he may defile nature to the utmost, he not only gives laws concerning natural and real sins, such as the Ten Commandments, but also makes sin, since there is otherwise no sin by nature, and presses and presses on it with heaps of sins. For unbelief and evil desire is full of sin, and worthy of death. But not to eat leavened bread on Easter [Exodus 12:15], not to eat unclean animals [Leviticus 11:4 ff], not to put a mark on the body [Leviticus 19:28, 21:5], and everything that the Levitical priesthood does with sins is not of the nature of sin and evil, but becomes sin only because it is forbidden by the law, which law may well be abolished. But the ten commandments may not be so, for there is sin, if the commandments were not, or were not known. Just as unbelief among the Gentiles is sin, even though they do not know or consider that it is sin.
24 Thus we see that these and many other laws of Moses were not given for the sole purpose that no one should choose anything of his own to do good and to live well, as was said above, but rather so that sins would only become many and would multiply beyond measure to weigh down the conscience, so that hardened blindness might be recognized.
2) That is: the sin that is guilty of death. In Latin: affert enim secum mortem ceu poenam.
and would have to feel their own inability and insufficiency for good, and thus would be compelled and urged by the law to seek something further than the law and their own ability, namely God's grace, promised in the future Christ. For all the law of God is good and right, even if it means only carrying dung or picking up straws. But he must not be pious, nor of good heart, who does not keep such good law, or keeps it unwillingly. All nature is unable to do otherwise than to keep unwillingly; therefore it must recognize and feel its wickedness here in the good law of God, and sigh and strive for the help of divine grace in Christ.
(25) Therefore, when Christ comes, the law ceases, especially the Levitical law, which makes sin, since otherwise there is no sin of this kind, as has been said. So also the ten commandments cease; not that they should not be kept, nor that they should not be fulfilled, but the ministry of Moses ceases in that it no longer makes sin strong through the ten commandments, and sin is no longer the sting of death. For through Christ sin is forgiven, God is reconciled, and the heart has begun to be devoted to the law, so that it can no longer punish the ministry of Moses and make it sinful, as if it had not kept the commandments and was guilty of death, as it was before grace and before Christ came.
26 St. Paul teaches this in 2 Cor. 3, 14, when he says that the clarity in the face of Moses ceases for the sake of clarity in the face of Jesus Christ. That is, the ministry of Moses, which made us sinful and ashamed with the brightness of the knowledge of our wickedness and worthlessness, no longer harms us, nor does it frighten us with death. For we now have clarity in the face of Christ, that is, the ministry of grace, by which we know Christ, with what righteousness, life and strength we fulfill the law, overcoming death and hell. Just as the three apostles on Mount Thabor saw Moses and Eliam, and yet did not shrink from them because of the lovely clarity in the face of Christ [Matth. 17, 4. Luc. 9, 33.]. But 2 Mos. 34, 30. 33., since Christ was not present, the children of Israel could not see the clarity and shining in
Mosi's face, so he had to put a blanket over it.
(27) For there are three kinds of disciples of the law: the first, who hear the law, and despise it, lead a reprobate life, without fear; to these the law cometh not. And are signified by the calf servants in the wilderness, because of whom Moses cast in pieces the two tables, and brought not the law unto them [Ex. 32:6, 19].
The others, who attack to fulfill it with their own strength, without grace, are meant by those who could not see Mosi's face when he brought the tablets the other time [Ex 34:30]. To these the law comes, but they do not suffer it, therefore they make a covering over it, and lead a hypocritical life with outward works of the law, which nevertheless the law makes everything sins, where the covering is taken off. For the law proves that our ability is nothing without Christ's grace.
The third are those who see Moses clearly without covering. These are the ones who understand the law's opinion, as it is impossible to demand. There sin goes in power [1 Cor. 15:56], there death is mighty, there Goliath's spear is like a weaver's beam, and his sting has six hundred shekels of brass, so that all the children of Israel flee from him; without the one David, Christ our Lord, delivers us from all this. For if Christ's clarity did not come alongside such clarity of Moses, no one could bear such glories of the law, sin and the terror of death. These fall away from all works and presumption, and learn no more from the law, but only to recognize sin and to groan for Christ, which is also the true ministry of Moses and the law, Gal. 3, 24.
30 Moses himself indicated that his ministry and teaching should last until Christ, and then cease, when he says, Deut. 18, 15: "The Lord your God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brothers, like me, and you shall hear him" etc. This is the noblest saying, and certainly the core in all of Moses, which also the apostles have highly led and strongly used [Joh. 1, 45. 6, 14. Apost. 3, 22. 7, 37..] to affirm the gospel and to abolish the law; and all prophets drew much from it. For
Because God here promises another Moses 1) whom they are to hear, it forces itself that he would teach something else than Moses, and Moses hands over his power to him and gives way that they should hear him, then the same prophet cannot teach the law; because Moses has directed this to the highest, and it would be no necessity to raise up another prophet for the sake of the law; therefore it is certainly said of the doctrine of grace and Christ.
For this reason St. Paul calls Mosis law the old testament [2 Cor. 3, 14], Christ also called it the new testament [Matth. 26, 28], and therefore it is a testament, that God promised and appointed the people of Israel the land of Canaan, where they would keep it. And also gave it to them, and was confirmed by death and blood of sheep and goats [Ex. 24, 8]. But because such a testament was not based on God's grace, but on man's works, it had to grow old and cease, and the promised land was lost again, because by works the law could not be fulfilled. And there must come an arid testament, which shall not wax old, neither stand upon our doings, but upon the word and works of God, that it may endure for ever [Heb. 13:20]. Therefore it is also confirmed by the death and blood of an eternal person, and an eternal land is promised and given. This is what was said about Mosi's books and ministry.
(32) Now what are the other books of the prophets and of the histories? Answer: Nothing other than what Moses is, for they all carry out the ministry of Moses, and prevent the false prophets from leading the people to works, but let them remain in the right ministry of Moses and knowledge of the law. And hold fast that by the right understanding of the law they keep the people in their own immorality, and drive them to Christ, as Moses does. For this reason, they also continue to delete what Moses said about Christ, and show by both examples: those who are right with Moses and those who are wrong with him, and the punishment and reward of both, so that the prophets are nothing else, but
1) This reading is found in the 1545 edition, likewise in the Weimar Bible (1686) and in Latin. Later editions offer "prophets" instead of "Moses".
Handlers and witnesses of Moses and his ministry to bring everyone to Christ through the law.
In the last place, I should also indicate the spiritual interpretation presented by the Levitical law and the priesthood of Moses. But it is too much to write, it should have space and time, and be interpreted with a living voice. For Moses is the fountain of all wisdom and understanding, from which all that all the prophets have known and said has flowed. The New Testament also flows out of it and is founded in it, as we have heard. But to give a small, short handle to those who have grace and understanding to continue to strive for it, let this be my service:
If you want to interpret well and with certainty, take Christ before you, for this is the man to whom everything and completely applies. So make Aaron the high priest, but Christ alone, as the epistle to the Hebrews does [Cap. 7, 15. ff.], which alone is almost sufficient to interpret all the figures of Moses. So it is also certain that Christ Himself is the sacrifice, even the altar, who offered Himself with His own blood, as also the same epistle reports [Cap.7, 27. 13, 10.]. As the Levitical high priest by such sacrifice took away only the sins that were not sin by nature, so our high priest Christ by his own sacrifice and blood took away the real sin, which is sin by nature, and once passed through the veil to God to make atonement for us, so that everything that is written about the high priest you point to Christ personally, and to no one else.
(35) But the sons of the high priest, which deal in daily sacrifice, thou shalt point to us Christians, who, sitting before Christ our Father in heaven, dwell here on earth with the body, and are not with him through it, without spiritual faith. The same ministry, as they slay and sacrifice, means nothing else than preaching the gospel, by which the old man is put to death and offered to God, burned and consumed by the fire of love in the Holy Spirit, which is well pleasing in the sight of God, that is, it makes a good, clean, safe conscience before God.
This interpretation is found in St. Paul Rom. 12, 1, where he teaches how we should offer our bodies to God as a living, holy, acceptable sacrifice. Which we do (as I said) by constant practice of the Gospel, both with preaching and faith. This is enough for a short instruction to search for Christ and the Gospel in the Old Testament.
(In the first edition of 1523, which contains only the five books of Moses, there is still the following piece:)
Let it be known to those who read this Bible that I have chosen to write the name of God, which the Jews call Tetragrammaton, in capital letters, that is, Lord, and the other, which they call Adonai, in half capital letters, that is, HEART. For among all the names of God, these two alone are attributed to the right, true God in Scripture, but the others are often attributed to angels and saints. I have done this so that one can conclude quite powerfully that Christ is true God, because Jeremiah Cap. 23, 6. calls him Lord, when he says: They will call him Lord, our righteous one. So all more places of the like are to be found.
Hereby I command all my readers to Christ, and ask that they help me to obtain from God the usefulness of this work. For I freely confess that I have undertaken too much, especially to translate the Old Testament. For the Hebrew language lies, unfortunately, too low, that even the Jews themselves know little enough of it, and their glosses and interpretations (which I have tried) are not to be trusted. And beware, if the Bible is to come forth, we who are Christians must do it, as those who have the mind of Christ, without which even the art of language is nothing. Which lack half a lot of the old interpreters, also Jerome, have lacked in many places. But I, although I cannot boast that I have attained everything, may nevertheless say that this German Bible is lighter and more certain in many places than the Latin, that it is true, where the printers do not spoil it with their carelessness (as they are wont to do), the German language certainly has a better Bible here than the Latin language. I refer to the readers.
3. now also the manure will attach to the wheel
And no one will be so rude as not to be master over me here and there, and reproach me here and there. Well, I will let them go. I have thought it through from the beginning, that I would find ten thousand who would criticize my work, before I would find one who would give me the twentieth part. I also wanted to be quite learned, and prove my art deliciously, if I should reprove St. Jerome's Latin Bible, but he should also offer me defiance again, that I should copy him. Now, if someone is so nearly learned about me, let him take the Bible and translate it completely, and then tell me again what he can do. If he does it better, why should one not prefer it to me? I also thought I was learned, and I also know myself to be more learned than all high schools of sophists, by the grace of God; but now I see that I also do not yet know my native German language. I have also not yet read any book or letter in which the right kind of German language would be inside. No one pays any attention to speaking German properly, especially the gentlemen in the law offices, and the lumpen preachers and puppet writers who make themselves believe that they have the power to change the German language, and every day they invent new words for us: beherzigen, behändigen, ersprießlich, erschießlich, 1) and the like. Yes, dear man, it is well heard and learned.
4 Summa, if we all worked together, we would still have enough work to do on the Bible to bring it to light, one with understanding, the other with language. For I, too, have not worked on this alone, but have used it wherever I could find someone. Therefore I ask everyone to leave his blasphemy and the poor people unconfused, but help me where he can. If he will not, let him take the Bible himself and make it his own. For those who only blaspheme and criticize are certainly not so pious and honest that they would like to have a more truthful Bible; for they know that they are not able to do so, but would like to be masters of other people's art, who have never been disciples in their own art. May God complete the work He has begun. Amen.
1) "erschießlich" explains Dietz by: fructuosus, utilis (fruitful, beneficial).