Newly translated from the Latin.
Martin Luther to the Godly Reader.
Grace and peace in Christ. We offer you, dear reader, the holy reflections of this holy man Jerome Savonarola, so that you may also see by this example what kind of men the abominable Chair of the Ver
Revelation 16, 10. 2 Thess. 2, 3. 3) For a certain viper out of the number of those who are called by the title of the
3) Pope Alexander VI said: "This man must die, even if he were a John the Baptist." (Guericke, Church History, 7th ed., vol. II, p. 454.)
*The Dominican Girolamo Savonarola, born on Sept. 21, 1452, in Ferrara, publicly condemned the prevailing corruption of morals among clergy and laity and the rampant unbelief and urged the renewal of the church. In Florence, where he was prior of the St. Mark's monastery, he was attacked by the disgraceful pope
St. Franciscus, 1) they say, brought this man to ruin for no other reason than that he wanted a purifier for the Roman cesspool. And at that time that Antichrist dared to hope that the memory of this great man would be destroyed, even under the curse, but behold, he lives and his memory is blessed. Christ canonizes him (as they say) through us, even if the pope and the papists burst with him over it.
Then you will also perceive in these interpretations how works have no honor at all before God, and how necessary in judgment and in death the sole and firm faith in the mercy of God is, without all works (on which one can rely), since you see here how even faith itself struggles and can hardly prevail through the word of God, - so much is lacking in it that you cannot see the
1) "Luther probably means the Franciscan Francis of Puglia, who in his Lenten sermons in 1498 in the church of Santa Croce denounced Savonarola as a schismatic, heretic and false prophet." (Weim. ed.)
You could have confidence that the works here are able to do something. And even though the dung of human theology still hangs on his feet, on which he seems to have spent much time uselessly (for who could have been completely clean of this filth at that time. 3), he still shows you a pure and beautiful example of faith, trust and hope in God's mercy, but of mistrust and despair of us and our powers, that is, an example of evangelical doctrine and Christian godliness. For you do not see him walking along trusting in his monastic vows, 2) not in his religious rules, his cap, masses, and the works of his order, but standing, as ready to practice the gospel of peace, clothed with the cancer of righteousness and armed with the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation, not as of the order of preaching monks, but as of the common order of Christians. Be well, and follow him.
2) vota substantialia are the vows that constitute the essence of monasticism, that of poverty, chastity and obedience.
Alexander VI to the stake. During the imprisonment that preceded his death, from April 8 to May 23, 1498, he wrote reflections on the 51st Psalm and on the first three verses of the 31st Psalm. The completion was prevented by his death. L. von Ranke, Werke, vol. 40/41, p. 327, says: "The writing is like a confession, a religious soliloquy, in which, despite all scholastic and exegetical subtlety, a deep, warm and genuine religious feeling prevails" (Weim. Ausg.). Both interpretations soon became popular edification writings and appeared in numerous editions in Latin, Italian and German. Still in 1522, the interpretation of the 51st Psalm went out on June 30 and that of the 31st Psalm on July 4 in German, both in the same printing house, but without indication of the place and the printer. In 1523, these two writings appeared in Latin at Wittenberg under the title: Meditatio pia et erudita Hieronymi Savonarolae a papa exusti super psalmos Miserere mei et In te Domine speravi. V Vittembergae 1523. The printing is by Johann Grunenberg. Luther wrote our preface to this manuscript. Whether he himself ordered the reprinting, we do not know. The Weimar edition describes two more reprints, which have the same title, and says of the first, which is marked on the title page in the copy with the year "ÄI.V.XXIII.", that it went out in Strasbourg (probably by Joh. Herwagen) only in 1524. The second reprint is without place, time and printer. Furthermore, the Weimar edition gives the title of a print that Veit Dietrich organized of Luther's interpretation of the 51st and 130th Psalms (cf. our edition vol. V, 472, where we have followed the information of the Erlangen edition), which appeared in Strasbourg in 1538, ^puü Eratonsm MMura. ^n. H).XXXVIII. LIsnss 8spt.", which, together with Savonarola's reflection on the 51st Psalm, contains our preface on p. II 2. In 1524, Nickel Schirlentz in Wittenberg published a German translation of the first part of the LIsüitutio, namely the interpretation of the 51st Psalm, under the title: "Eyn andechtige vnd kunstreyche betrachtung odder ausslegung Hieronimi Sauonarole vom Bapst Verbrand vber den eyn funfftzigisten Psalm, Gott erbarm dich meyn. Comforting to all Christians God's merciful mercy, which you can find in this book. Wittemberg M D Miiij." In Latin, our preface is reprinted in Aurifaber's collection of letters, torah. II, col. 125; in the Erlanger, opp. var. arZ., tona. VII, x. 497 and in the Weimar, vol. XII, p. 248. German in the Leipzig edition, vol. XXII, appendix, p. 81, and in Walch. We give a new translation according to the Weimar edition.