according to the edition of Anno 1522 and 1527.**)
It would be right and proper that this book should go out without all preface and foreign names, and only bear its own new name and speech. But since by some wild interpretations and prefaces the Christian's mind has been driven away to the point that one almost no longer knows what is called Gospel or Law, New Testament or Old Testament, the necessity demands that an announcement and preface be made, so that the simple man may be led out of his old delusion onto the right path and instructed as to what he should expect in this book, lest he seek commandments and laws when he should seek the Gospel and promise of God.
2) Therefore, it should be known first of all that the delusion that there are four Gospels and only four evangelists must be rejected, and that some divide the New Testament books into legal, historical, prophetic, and sapiential, and think (I do not know how) to compare the New Testament with the Old Testament; but to hold firmly that, 2) just as the Old Testament is a book in which God's law and commandment are found, so also the history of both of them, who kept the same and did not keep the same, so the Old Testament is a book in which God's law and commandment are found, and the history of both of them.
2) Only here does the preface of 1527 begin, starting with the words: "Like". The preceding is in the edition of 1522.
*) This preface is found in Walch, in the Leipzig edition, vol. XII, p. 53 and in the Erlanger, vol. 63, p. 107.
**This preface is found, except in Walch, in the Hall volume, p. 153; in the Leipzig edition, vol. XII, p. 53 and in the Erlanger, vol. 63, p. 108. It has also been translated into Latin and precedes the Latin Bible translation of 1529 attributed to Luther, Walch, old edition, vol. XlV (second part), Col. 659.
The New Testament is a book in which the Gospel and God's promise are written. New Testament is one book, in which the Gospel and God's promise are written, along with the history of those who believe and do not believe. So that one may be sure that there is only One Gospel; just as there is only One Book of the New Testament, and only One Glory, and only One God who promises. 1) For gospel is a Greek word, and means in German: gute Botschaft, gute Märe, gute neue Zeitung, gut Geschrei, davon man sing, sagen und fröhlich ist. When 2) David overcame the great Goliath, good tidings and comforting new tidings came to the Jewish people, that their terrible enemy had been slain, and that they had been delivered to joy and peace; whereof they sang, and leaped, and were glad.
3) The Gospel of God and the New Testament are good tales and cries that have been spread throughout the world by the apostles, about a true David, who contended with sin, death and the devil, and overcame them, and thus redeemed, justified, 4) made alive and saved all those who had been caught in sins, tormented with death, and overcome by the devil, without any merit on their part, and thus satisfied them and brought God back to heaven. Therefore they sing, give thanks, praise God and rejoice forever, if they firmly believe otherwise and remain steadfast in the faith.
4. Such a cry and comforting tale, or evangelical and divine new newspaper, is called a New Testament because, just as a will is when a dying man decides his property to be distributed to the designated heirs after his death: So also Christ, before he died, commanded and appointed to proclaim this gospel after his death to all the world, and thereby to all who believe he gave for their own all his goods, that is, his life, that he might swallow up death; his righteousness, that he might destroy sin; and his blessedness, that he might overcome eternal damnation. Now the poor man, dead in sins and bound for hell
1) The preceding sentence is not in the 1527 edition.
2) 1522: same as.
3) 1522: this.
4) 1522: justified.
The man who is entangled in the world hears nothing more comforting than such a dear, sweet message from Christ, and his heart must laugh at the bottom of it and rejoice when he believes it to be true.
Now God, in order to strengthen such faith, has promised this gospel and testament of His many times in the Old Testament through the prophets, 5) as St. Paul Rom. 1, 1. 2. says: "I am set apart to preach the gospel of God, which He promised beforehand through His prophets, in the holy Scriptures, of His Son, who was born to Him of the seed of David" etc.
6) And that we should show them some, he promised at the first, saying to the serpent, Genesis 3:15, "I will put enmity 6) between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; he shall bruise thy head 7) and thou shalt bruise his heel." 8) Christ is the seed of this woman who crushed the devil's head, 9) that is, sin, death, hell, and all his power. For without this seed, no man can escape sin, death, nor hell.
7. item, Gen. 22, 18. He promised 10) Abraham: "Through your seed all nations 11) on earth shall be blessed. Christ is the seed of Abraham, says St. Paul Gal. 3, 16, who has blessed all the world through the gospel. For where Christ is not, there is still the curse that fell on Adam and his children when he sinned, so that they must all be guilty of sin, death and hell. Against the curse the gospel now blesses all the world, so that it publicly proclaims: "Whoever believes in this seed of Abraha shall be blessed, that is, freed from sin, death and hell, and shall remain righteous, 12) alive and blessed forever. As Christ Himself says, John 11:26, "He that believeth on Me shall never die."
8) Item, so he promised 13) David, 2 Sam.
5) 1522: promised.
6) 1522: lay.
7) 1522: your head.
8) 1522: trample his soles.
9) 1522: his head.
10) 1522: he promised to.
11) 1522: In your seed shall all generations.
12) 1522: justified.
13) 1522: promised.
7, 12. when he said: "I will raise up your seed after you, who shall build an house for my name 1) and I will confirm the throne of his kingdom 2) forever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son" etc. This is the kingdom of Christ, of which the gospel speaks, an everlasting kingdom, a kingdom of life, blessedness and righteousness, into which come out of the prison of sin and death all who believe.
(9) Such promises of the Gospel are many more in the other prophets. As Micah 5, 1: "And thou Bethlehem Ephrathah, which art small among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall come to me the Lord of Israel. 3) Item, Hosea on the 13th, v. 14: "I will redeem them from hell, and save them from death. Death, I will be a poison unto thee; hell, I will be a pestilence unto thee. 4)
(10) Now the gospel is nothing else, 5) but a preaching of Christ, the Son of God and David, true God and man, who by his death and resurrection overcame sin, death and hell for us who believe in him. So that the gospel may be a short and a long speech, and one may describe it briefly, the other lazily. He describes it long who describes many works and words of Christ, as the four evangelists do. He, however, describes it briefly, who does not describe Christ's works, but recently shows how he overcame sin, death and hell by his death and resurrection, as St. Peter and St. Paul did. 6) He also describes how he is the only one who has the power to save those who believe in him.
(11) Therefore see to it that you do not make of Christ a Moses, nor of the gospel a book of laws or doctrines, as has been done hitherto, and that some prefaces, even of St. Jerome, are heard. For the gospel does not actually demand our work, that we may become pious and blessed with it; indeed, it ver-
1) 1522: me.
2) 1522: fortify the chair of his kingdom.
3) 1522: And you Bethlehem, you are small among the thousands of Judah, out of you shall come to me who is a duke to my people Israel.
4) 1522: I will deliver them from the hand of death, from death I will save them.
5) In the edition of 1522 it reads like this: So we see that there is no more than One Gospel; like only One Christ. Sintemal Gospel etc.
6) 1522: bys.
7) But it requires faith in Christ, that he has overcome sin, death, and hell for us, and thus makes us godly, alive, and blessed, not by our work, but by his own work, death, and suffering, so that we may accept his death and victory 8) as if we had done it ourselves.
12) But that Christ in the gospel gives many commands 9) and teachings, and interprets the law, is to be counted as all the other works and deeds of Christ. And as knowing his works and history is not yet knowing the true gospel, for you do not yet know that he has overcome sin, death, and the devil: so also this is not yet knowing the gospel, because you know such doctrine and commandment, but when the voice comes saying, Let Christ be thine own with life, doctrines, works, death, resurrection, and all that he is, has, does, and is able.
13) So we also see that he does not urge, but kindly entices, and says: "Blessed are the poor" etc. And the apostles use the word: "I exhort, I implore, I entreat", so that one can see everywhere how the gospel is not a law book, but actually 10) a sermon about the benefits of Christ, shown to us and given to us as our own, if we believe. Moses, however, in his books, drives, penetrates, oppresses, strikes and punishes horribly, because he is a law writer and driver.
(14) Therefore, no law is given to a believer to justify him before God, 11) as St. Paul says, 1 Tim. 1:9, because he is justified, alive and saved by faith. And he needs no more than to prove such faith by works 12). Yes, where faith is, he cannot keep himself; he proves himself, breaks forth by good works, confesses 13) and teaches such a gospel before men, and risks his life on it. And everything he lives and does, he does for the benefit of his neighbor, for his own good.
7) 1522: only.
8) 1522: Ueberwindens.
9) 1522: Law.
10) 1522: only.
11) The words: "thereby - GOtt" are missing in 1522.
12) "with works" is missing in 1522.
13) 1522: breaks out and confesses.
Not only to come to such grace, but also with body, goods and honor, as he sees that Christ has done for him, and so follows Christ's example.
(15) This is what Christ meant, when he gave no other commandment than love, by which it should be known who are his disciples and righteous believers. For where works and love do not break forth, faith is not right, the gospel does not yet adhere, and Christ is not 1) rightly known. Behold, therefore, direct thyself into the books of the New Testament, that thou mayest know how to read them in this manner.
2) Which find the right and noblest books of the New Testament.
Anno 1522.
1) From all these you can now judge rightly among all the books, and distinguish which are the best. For 3) John's gospel and St. Paul's epistles, especially those to the Romans, and St. Peter's first epistle, are the right core and marrow among all books, which should also be the first, and every Christian should be advised to read them first and foremost, and to learn them through
1) 1522: not yet.
2) The following forms the conclusion of the preface of 1522. It is found in the Eisleben edition, vol. I, p. 184; in the Altenburg, vol. II, p. 493; in the Hall volume, p. 468; in the Leipzig, vol. XII, p. 55 (in all these editions, including Walch's, with the 'wrong year 1524) and in the Erlanger, vol. 63, p. 114.
3) namely - by name.
made daily reading as mean as daily bread.
For in these you will not find much description of the works and miracles of Christ, but you will find a masterful account of how faith in Christ overcomes sin, death and hell, and gives life, righteousness and salvation, which is the true nature of the gospel, as you have heard.
For if I should ever lack one thing, the works or the preaching of Christ, I would rather lack the works than his preaching. For the works help me nothing; but his words, they give life, as he himself says Joh. 8,4) 51. Since John writes very few works of Christ, but very many of his sermons, and the other three evangelists describe many of his works, but few of his words, John's gospel is the most tender, right main gospel, and is far, far preferable to the other three, and is to be lifted higher. So also St. Paul's and Peter's epistles are far superior to the three Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke:
4. summa, St. John's gospel and his first epistle, St. Paul's epistles, especially those to the Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, and St. Peter's first epistle, these are the books that show you Christ and teach you everything that is necessary and blessed for you to know, even though you never see or hear any other book or teaching. Therefore, St. Jacob's epistle is a rather dry epistle, since it has no evangelical character about it. But more about this in other prefaces.
4) Here the Erlanger has reprinted "Joh. 5, 51." from Walch.