Newly translated from the Latin.
To the venerable man in Christ, Mr. Johann Pommer, bishop of the church in Wittenberg and exceedingly faithful and sincere pastor, his superior in the Lord
Grace and peace in Christ our Lord, who has become a servant, not alone
of the circumcision, but also of the whole world, that is) of all of us, who are the most miserable sinners, through his inexpressible love. My dear friend! It pleases me very much your undertaking (of which I learned quite late) to publish some books of St. Athanasius, namely of the Trinity,
*The book that Bugenhagen published is entitled: "D. Athanasii Libri contra Idolatriam Gentium et de fide Sancte Trinitatis. Cum Praefatione D. Martini Lutheri et D. loannis Pomerani, cuius opera hi Athanasii Libri restituti et aediti sunt. ^Vittembergae M.D.XXXII." In Octav. At the end: uius opera hi Athanasii Libri restituti et aediti sunt. ^Vittembergae M.D.XXXII." ^n DctaV. 2lm @nbe: Excusum Wittenbergae. Per Nicolaum Schirlentz. M.D.XXXII. The writings which are contained therein (of which Walch notes in his preface p. 29: "But some things are contained therein which have been falsely and without reason attributed to Athanasio") are the following: Liber contra gentiles. Symbolum fidei [Athanasii]. Liber primus de unita deitate Trinitatis ad Theophilum. De propriis personis et unito nomine deitatis ad Theophil. libr. 2. De assumtione hominis contra Marcellinum. De singulis nominibus. De unita et sempiterna substantia Trinitatis. De beatitudine filii Dei. De professione regulae catholicae cum increpatione haereticae. De Ariana et catholica confessione. De fide sua. De unitate fidei. De fide unitatis et Trinitatis, patris, filii et spiritus sancti. Ad Epictetum, episcopum Corinthianum. Ad episcopos Africae. Disputatio inter Athanasium et Arium. The preface is in German, with omission of the beginning and conclusion in the Seckendorfische Historie des Lutherthums by Elias Frick, vol. Ill, p. 1281, 8 24 and likewise in the Leipzig edition, vol. XXII, appendix, p. 105; Walch has it complete. Latin in De Wette, vol. IV, p. 427 and in the Erlangen edition, ox "x". var. ar^., toru. VII, p. 523. According to the latter we have retranslated.
among which the conversation or disputation gave me extraordinary pleasure, which, as is known, was held under Constantine the Great before the judge Probus 1) between Athanasius and Arius. For I was delighted by the fond memory, as I remembered with how great fervor of faith and applause I had read this discussion as a young man in the first year of my monastic state, since my monastery preceptor at Erfurt, a truly good man, and no doubt a true Christian in the damned habit, had given it to me to read, which he had copied with his hand. But this was only for me (privata) an amusement and a benefit.
But the other [pleasure and benefit] is that I see that the Spirit of Christ is diligently working this in you and through you, that this article of the Trinity be preserved and defended pure and whole in the Church of God, for the preservation of which that exceedingly holy man Athanasius had no hesitation in unloading from himself whatever evil spirits were in hell, in the world, and in the whole kingdom of the devil. Therefore, dear Pomeranian, your action is a good and salutary one in this exceedingly corrupt age of ours, in which all articles of faith are being attacked by the servants of Satan, and especially that of the Trinity is beginning to be very confidently ridiculed by some skeptics and Epicurians. They are not only helped by those French grammarians or nede artists (as they make themselves believe).
1) Instead of: oorurri prodo juäies in De Wette and in the Erlangen edition is to be read eorarn krodo juäiee. Cf. Walch, old edition, vol. XVI, 2703.
but also some Welsh-German vipers and vipers, or, as you use to call them, viper- aspides, 2) which sprinkle their seed here and there in their conversations and writings, very much, as Paul [2 Tim. 2, 17.) says, devouring and serving to ungodliness, at which they laugh and are so happy among their own that one can hardly believe it.
But to these devils, or Epicurians, or skeptics, or people like Lucian or like the followers of Pyrrho, 3) or to any French and German monsters we oppose the man who said to this our servant Jesus Christ [Ps. 2, 7.]: "You are my son", and again jHs. 110, 1.]: "Sit at my right hand." Let us wait and see what triumphs these sneezers will achieve in this great battle against God. This war of the giants is not new, and he did not strike down one Enceladus or Typhoeus, or once or only at one time, but from the beginning of the world this our Servant Jesus Christ has done nothing else than to cast down giants, and will not desist until he has once for all destroyed both the seed and the root (as Isaiah [Cap. 5, 24.]), has destroyed all giants with stump and stem, which we expect every day, and pray that it may be done shortly, Amen. Fare well in Christo and pray for me. The grace of this weak God and servant be with you, Amen.
Your Martin Luther, a servant of the servant of God.
2) This goes back to Erasmus and his followers. Cf. Walch, St. Louis Edition, vol. XVIII, Col. 1992.
3) Pyrrho, a Greek philosopher who doubted everything.