1. Because this book of Johannis Lichtenberger with its prophecies is not only widely used, both in Latin and German, but is also held in high esteem by many, and is also despised by some, but especially the clergy are now highly consoling and rejoicing about it, after an almost mean speech has arisen from this book, that it would one day pass over the clergy, and after that it would be good again, and think that it has now happened, that they are through, that their persecution by the peasants' revolt and Luther's teaching is meant by this Lichtenberger. For the sake of all this, I am moved, with this preface, to leave out one more thing about the same Lichtenberger, to give my verdict on it, for the instruction of all who desire it, except the clergy, whom I forbid, along with their followers, that they believe nothing of me, for those who are to believe me will find themselves well without them.
First, there are some prophets who prophesy from the Holy Spirit alone, as Zechariah 7:12 says: "The words that the Lord of hosts sent by his Spirit in the prophets," as Peter also testifies, 2 Pet. 1:20 f.: "The prophecy of the Scriptures does not come from their own interpretation, for no prophecy has ever come forth from the will of man, but the holy people of God have spoken, driven by the Holy Spirit. This prophecy is directed and aimed at the punishment of the wicked and the salvation of the pious, and it always urges faith in God, and to secure and build up consciences, and when there is distress and affliction, or when it is to come, it comforts the pious. And it also deals with the pious alone; it has nothing to do with the wicked.
It does not comfort them or promise them, but it does threaten them and punish them.
Against this prophecy Satan also has his prophecy, that is the false prophets, sects and heretics, by which he corrupts the faith in God, destroys and seduces the consciences, comforts with lies, threatens with falsehood, and thus fights without ceasing against the pure prophecy and teaching of God.
4 The Lichtenberger is not of this kind, for he does not claim fame or appeal to the Holy Spirit, as the true and false prophets do, but bases his prophecy on the course of the heavens and the natural arts of the celestial bodies with their influences and effects. He neither teaches nor seduces, neither comforts nor punishes, but speaks badly of future things, whether they affect the godless or the pious, 1) as his art in the stars gives him. He also speaks of the true Christian church, but not otherwise than as it stands outwardly in bodily possessions and goods and dominions, nothing at all as it stands in the faith and comfort of the Holy Spirit; that is, he speaks nothing of the true Christian church, but as the same stellar art is wont to speak of all other heathen dominions and kingdoms. Therefore he also remembers the Hussites as enemies of the church, and the family of Dan, from whom the end-Christ should come. And his reformation stands in cutting the long hair, cutting off the beaks on the shoes, and burning board games; these are his Christians, so that [it] is even a bodily prophecy, of vain bodily things.
1) In the original: godless or pious.
*The prophecies of the astronomer Johann Lichtenberger, who lived in the second half of the fifteenth century, were widely read and repeatedly reprinted. When Stephan Roth published this book again in 1527, Luther wrote a preface to it. The title was: "Die weissagunge Johannis Lichtenbergers deudsch, zugericht mit vleys. Sampt einer nützlichen Vorrede vnd Unterricht D. Martini Luthers, Wie man die selbige vnd der gleiche weissagunge verneinen sol. Wittemberg. M.D.xxvij." In quarto. At the end: "Printed in Wittemberg by Hans Lufft. M.D.xxvij." The preface is found in the Wittenberg edition (1569), vol. IX, p. 537p; in the Jena edition (1556), vol. Ill, p. 438; in the Altenburg edition, vol. Ill, p. 777; in the Leipzig edition, vol. XXII, appendix, p. 83; and in the Erlanger edition, vol. 63, p. 250. We give the text according to the Erlanger, comparing the Wittenberg and Jena editions.
5 His prophecy is not a spiritual revelation, for this is done without the art of the stars, and is also not subject to the art of the stars, but it is a pagan, ancient art, which was almost splendid and common with the Romans, and also before that with the Chaldeans; but they could not tell the king of Babylon his dreams, nor interpret them, Daniel must do it through the spirit; so the Romans were also often lacking. Therefore, it is to be seen whether this art is also able and able to hit something, because I myself do not know this Lichtenberger to despise in all places, has also hit some things, especially with the images and figures close to it, almost more than with the words.
6) Here it is to be noted that God, who alone made everything, also governs everything Himself, also alone knows and can say future things, has nevertheless taken to Himself both His angels and us humans, through whom He wants to govern, so that we work with Him and He with us. 1) For though he could govern, nourish, and protect wife and child, house and farm, without us, yet he will do it through us, and appointeth the father or ruler of the house, saying, Be obedient to father and mother; and to the father, Teach and instruct thy children. Item, so could he also without kings, princes, lords and judges rule worldly, keep peace, and punish the wicked; but he does not want, but hands out the sword, and says: Punish the wicked, protect the pious, and keep the peace. Although he does it himself through us, and we are only his shell, under which he hides himself, and works everything in everyone, as we Christians well know. Just as he himself does everything in the spiritual government of his Christians, teaches, comforts, punishes, and yet outwardly commands the apostles to do the word, office and ministry. Thus he needs us men, both in physical and spiritual government, to rule the world and all that is in it.
(7) In the same way he has need of angels, though we do not know how this is done; for he does not command them the sword, as the temporal authorities do, nor the outward word, as the preachers do, nor the bread and wine.
1) Thus the Wittenberg. Jenaer and Erlanger: act.
Clothes, cattle, and house, as to the keepers of the house, and parents. For we neither see nor hear of the angels, as we see and hear of men; yet the Scripture says in many places that he rules the world through the angels, assigning to every emperor, king, prince, lord, even to every man his angel, who does his best with him, and promotes him in his rule and reign, as Dan. 10, 13. 20. the angel of the Jews complains that the angel of Persia has resisted him, but the angel of the Greeks comes to his aid.
8. But how the dear angels remain one before God, and yet are against each other before men, just as the kings, commanded to them, are against each other, I leave here this time for the sake of the full spirits, who can learn in a moment all that Christ and all the necessary articles of faith require, and then fall to questions, worrying about what God did before the world, and the like, so that they also have to atone for their presumption with the dear angels here, but want to do the very easiest, which they also understand deliciously well as soon as they hear it.
9. Namely, because God rules the wicked in worldly authority through Himself and His angels (as has been said), mostly for the sake of His word, so that it may be preached, which could not happen unless there were peace in the land: So he also takes them seriously, and sometimes lets them secure and have happiness through his angels, sometimes also miraculously escape from misfortune, as all pagans themselves confess that strife and victory stand badly not in man's power nor wit, but in happiness. This happens when the dear angels are there, and by internal stimulation suddenly give advice or a meaning, or outwardly place a sign and impulse in the way, so that man is warned or turned to do this, to leave that, to go this way, to avoid that, even often against the first intention.
010 For because they speak not unto us in words, they enter into it with their mind, or
2) Thus the Wittenbergers. Jenaer: fordere; Erlanger: forder.
external cause, just as we yell at horses and oxen, or put wood and stone in the way, so that they do not fall into the ditch. Such outward signs or causes are called omina by the pagans, that is, evil indications or warnings, of which their books are full, for they see it happening, but they do not know who is doing it, of which much would have to be written and examples given.
11 The angels do this on earth. Above this, God in heaven also performs his signs when misfortune strikes, and causes stars to appear in the tail, or the sun and moon to lose their light, or otherwise appear in an unusual form. Item, on earth horrible miracles are born, both in humans and animals, which all the angels do not make, but God himself alone. With such signs, He forewarns the wicked and indicates future calamities over lords and countries to warn them. For the sake of the pious, such things do not happen, because they are not allowed to, therefore they are also told not to be afraid of the signs of heaven, as Jeremiah says Cap. 10, 2. For it does not apply to them, but to the wicked.
(12) This is the origin of astrology and divination. Because it is true that such things happen, and experience proves that they mean bad luck or good luck, they went to the stars and wanted to grasp it and make a certain art out of it. Then they went up to heaven and wrote it in the stars, and because they had his thoughts, so that it rhymes with the stars, now the stars and nature must do it, which God and the angels do; just as the heretics first find their thoughts, then carry them into writing, and must then call writing what they dream. Then the devil struck, mixed himself in, and as he is a lord of the world against God's rule, he has also caused many similar signs on earth, which they call omina, and has awakened soothsayers in some places, as in Delphis and Hammon, who have interpreted such signs and have told future things.
(13) Now that he is the prince of the world, and has before him all ungodly kings and rulers, with their countries, minds, and beings, and has seen all the experience from the beginning of the world
he can easily see where it wants to go with them. But because he is not sure (for God often breaks his armor and does not always let him hit), he gives out his prophecies with such wavering words that, if it happens or not, he is nevertheless true. As when the king asks Pyrrhus whether he would strike the Romans? he answers: Dico Pyrrhum Romanos vincere posse; as when I speak in German: Ich sage Hansen Petern schlagen; es schlagt nun Hans oder Peter, so is it both understood by the words. And he has done many such things by God's decree, and still does them, and often happens that [it] happens. But God does not allow it to happen all the time, so art is uncertain and makes do with it; if it fails in one place, it happens in another; if it does not happen in this place, it happens in that one.
14 What do we say to Lichtenberg and the like? This is what I say: First, I consider the reason for his star art to be right, but the art uncertain, that is, the signs in the heavens and on earth are certainly not lacking, they are God's and the angels' work, warn and warn the godless lords and countries, also mean something; but to make art on it is nothing, and to capture such in the stars. On the other hand, it may well be beside the point that God or his angel moved him to write many pieces that apply equally, even though he thinks the stars give it to him; but nevertheless, in order that God might think that art is uncertain, he has let him miss it several times.
15 And the summa summarum of it is: Christians shall not ask for such prophecy, because they have surrendered themselves to God, and are not allowed to have such prophecies and warnings. But because the Lichtenberger shows the signs of heaven, the godless lords and countries should be afraid of all such prophecies, and not think otherwise, for it is meant for them, not for the sake of their art, which can and must often be lacking, but for the sake of the signs and warnings that come from God and angels, on which they want to base their art, for these are not lacking, they should be sure of that. In our time we have seen many suns, rainbows and the like in the sky. Here there is no starry
There is no one who could certainly have said that it was for this or that king; nevertheless, we see what certainly happened to the king of France, Denmark, Hungern, and will certainly happen to other kings and princes as well.
16 Therefore I give the Lichtenberger and the like to the great men and countries, that they may know that it is for them; and where he meets, that this is done from the signs and warnings of God, on which he is based, as they certainly apply to the great men, or by the decree of God from Satan's input. But where he is mistaken, it is because of his art and Satan's temptation; for God's signs and the angels' warnings are mixed with Satan's suggestions and signs, just as the world is worthy of being desolate among itself, and nothing can be discerned differently. Let this be my judgment and teaching, the Christians ver
I stand by my choice, that [it] is so right. What the others believe is of no concern to me, for they must learn how to listen to the pistons of fools.
(17) Now that my ungracious lords, the clergy, rejoice as if they had passed over, and that they should be well henceforth, I wish them happiness; they may well do so. But because they do not improve their ungodly doctrine and life, but also strengthen and increase it, I have also prophesied that when it comes about a little while that such their joy will be put to shame, I will ask very kindly that they remember me, and confess that Luther has done better than both the Lichtenbergers and their own thoughts. If not, I hereby earnestly command them that they must confess it without their thanks, and have all the misfortune to do so. For this, God keep them, as far as they convert. God grant His mercy, amen.