Luther criticizes Melanchthon for missing him too much, since everything in Wittenberg is going well without him. He is ill and intends to go to Erfurt; he does not want to answer Einsern, but wants to translate Melanchthon's Apology; he is working on the German Postille. He answers the question whether the right of the sword can be justified from the Gospel, which Melanchthon had denied. Luther says that the Gospel approves and confirms secular power, but does not use it. Finally, he urged the Wittenbergers to be more active in proclaiming the Gospel and disapproved of the fact that the court had prevented the disputation on confession.
Handwritten in the Ood. den. b, k. 6; in the Ood. Kolter, vrosd. 0. 351, bl. 28d (very corrupted); in the royal
1) This is Onillerino de Orov, vnyne de 8ora, 8eüor de Okevres sOkiövresI, Dn^ue de ^risoot, the imperial minister. Scheurl, Briefbuch, p. 108, calls him daro de 8ekiveris. - His nephew, Wilhelm von Croy, also died at Worms. See No. 567 of this volume.
2) This signature has given rise to various conjectures. Aurifaber and De Wette read: Honrions nesoius, but the original offers Xosious. A conjecture, which can lead to the correct solution, is made by Lindner in the "Studien und Kritiken" 1835, p. 82, namely that vyEöc (islander) is a word formed by Luther himself. If we now add the explanation given by Luther in his "Namenbüchlein" about "Hinric", we get: "The father soder author) of many ^writings) on the island." (See St. Louis edition, vol. XIV, 729.)
Library at Copenhagen Äis. 1393, p. 39. Printed in Aurifaber, vol. I, p. 334b; in De Wette, vol. II, p. 21 and in Erlanger Briefwechsel, vol. Ill, p. 189. The text of the letter seems to be corrupted in many places.
To Philipp Melanchthon, the faithful servant of Christ, evangelist of the church at Wittenberg.
JEsus.
Hail! I disliked your letter in two respects, firstly because I recognize that you carry your cross too impatiently and yield too much to your emotions and, as is your way, are too tender; secondly, that you exalt me too much and are greatly mistaken in attaching such great things to me, as if I were so concerned for the cause of God. I am ashamed and tormented by your so high opinion of me, since I am sitting here insensible and hardened in idleness, unfortunately! praying little, not sighing at all for the church of God, rather burning by great fire of my untamed flesh; in short, since I should be fervent in spirit, I am fervent in flesh by evil lust, laziness, idleness, sleepiness, and I do not know whether God has turned away from me because you do not pray for me. You are now taking my place, more significant and lovely in gifts from God.
2) It has already been eight days that I neither write nor pray nor study anything, partly tormented by temptations of the flesh, partly by other complaints. If the matter does not get better, I will have to go to Erfurt in public; 3) you will see me there, or I will see you, because there I will consult physicians or surgeons. For it cannot be that I can bear this affliction longer, since I could more easily suffer ten large wounds than this small sign 4) of an injury. Perhaps the Lord is weighing me down for this reason, so that he can pull me out of this desert and into the public eye.
3) I will not answer the Emser 5);
3) Luther was prevented from doing so by the plague in Erfurt.
4) Instead of indiduni in the outputs, we have adopted indidnm.
5) to his "Quadruplica". But because no one could be found willing to take over the answer, Luther answered a little later by writing "Widerspruch seines Jpcthums" 2c. See St. Louis Edition, Vol. XVIII, Introduction, p. 41.
Let someone answer who seems to you to be puffing, for instance Amsdorf; but perhaps he is too good to deal with this miste.
I have decided to translate your "Schutzrede" 1) against the Parisian donkeys together with their frenzy into German, and to add notes. I wish very much that Oecolampad's book of confession would also be translated into German with you, so that the papists burst.
I am working on the German 2) postils about the Evangelio and will send them to the press immediately, as soon as I have ten of them ready.
Since things are going so well with you, you have absolutely no need of me. And I am also displeased with you that you burden yourself with such great work and do not listen to the fact that you should take care of yourself; therefore you let yourself be guided by selfishness. So often I shout this at you, but just as often I tell a dove a fable.
5 I still think the same about the power of the sword as before. For you seem to me to desire from the gospel either a command or a counsel concerning this matter. In this I fully agree with you that such a right in the Gospel is neither a command nor a counsel; nor would it be proper in any way, since the Gospel is a law of volunteers and freemen, who have nothing to do with the sword or the right of the sword.
6 But the right of the same is not denied, but rather confirmed and praised, which we certainly do not read of any of the things only admitted. For even the fasts and outward ceremonies are neither commanded nor advised in the Gospel, nor any care for temporal things. Nor would it have been proper for the gospel to make decrees about these things, since it alone guides the spirit in its freedom; but is it for this reason a right that they should not be used, indeed, does not necessity require them?
1) St. Louis edition, vol. XVIII, 960; Luther's German translation of the Detsrminatio of Paris with his Vor- und Nachrede ibendaselbst Col. 932.
2) Instead of veruuoulu, veruaeule or V6rQuoulus should be read.
of this life such a right and use?
Your reason would be able to make a difference if everyone obeyed the Gospel. For when the sword is taken away (since the wicked are necessarily in the majority), how long will the church of God endure in this world, since because of the licentiousness of the wicked no one can be sure either of life or of the use of his goods? But you do not want to be referred by reasons and [indication of any improprieties that may occur], but by the Scriptures.
8 I have said before that the sword is neither commanded nor judged, as well as many other things, but that it is nevertheless praised and confirmed, as is the right of marriage, which also has nothing to do with the gospel. For you have John the Baptist, Luc. 3:14, instructing the men of war, saying, "Do neither violence nor injustice to any man, and be content with your soldiers." Surely, if they did not have the right of the sword, he should have forbidden them, since they actually raised your question and said, "What then shall we do?" Here you have the warrior state, though not as one instituted, yet as one confirmed. Do you not think that it is much harder for you to answer those who cite this passage against you than for them to answer you? Paul commands 1 Tim. 2, 1. ff. to pray for those who are in authority, according to the example of Jeremiah, who commands [Jer. 29, 7.] to pray for the king of the Babylonians, and does not command to pray against authority, as against a thing that is either forbidden or has no right.
9th But, thou sayest, those were Gentiles; but there was no prayer 3) that they might believe, but that they might be and abide in peace. You will not persuade me that a prayer could be commanded by the apostles and prophets for those things which are only to be left and to suffer, that they might abide and be at peace; otherwise we would pray for the robbers and (as you interpret it) the unjust tyrants, that they might be unjust.
3) Instead of orabat we have assumed orabatnr.
10 Now I do not suffer that Rom. 13, 1. ff. and 1 Petr. 2, 1) 13. ff. are rejected by you as if they should not serve here or only instruct the subjects. You cannot do that, Philip. These are the words of God, and they mean something great, since it says: "The authority is from God, and he who opposes the order of God opposes the authority, and it is God's servant. You will not find that this is said only of approved things.
(11) He is not a servant of God, but an enemy, who does wrong, or who makes everything possible to be tolerated, nor is a ventilator or a lulled thing a servant of God. It is something completely different that it is sometimes written that he stirred up one nation against another to 2) war [2 Chron. 15, 6. Matth. 24, 7.], like the king of Babylon against Tyre, and in Ezekiel [Cap. 26. Jer. 27, 6.] calls him his servant, and in Jeremiah [Cap. 51, 11.] "awakened the courage of the kings of Medes"; and it is something else that Rom. 13 and 1 Tim. 2 are said that the authorities are ordained for the sake of peace. For here it is said, 3) that it is appointed for the fear of evil works and for the honor of good works; there: 4) for vengeance, and the account is balanced for an evil work already done.
12) What will you do now that you read that Abraham, David and the ancient saints used the sword in the best way, of whom it is certain that they were evangelical men? Although they used it only for a time, 5) it is certainly not godly that evangelical men should deny the use of the thing of which they made commendable use, namely, the right of the sword, especially since it is neither revoked nor forbidden in the Gospel, but (as I have said) confirmed, at least among those who believed, namely, the men of war who asked John.
1) In all editions: 1.?6tri 3.
2) Here, according to De Wette's assumption, we have read aä dsllnm instead: Helium.
3) Instead of äicit we have assumed äieitur.
4) "there," namely, in the Old Testament passages cited earlier.
5) Only here do the outputs end the previous sentence.
(13) Since Christ had to use divine and heavenly things in the Gospel, what wonder that he did not use the sword, which is easily ordered by human creatures, and meanwhile treats it in such a way that, if the Gospel did not dispute that it was used by him, he would have wanted to use it, since, after it is used, he praises it and confirms it, even clearly teaches that it is used by God.
14 Peter [2 Ep 2:10] and Jude [v 8] are also angry that the powers and dominions are despised by the Antichrist. But may one not despise unbridled or unrighteous things that are permitted? He wants honor and reverence to be shown to them; but does he want the same for unlawful and ungodly things?
(15) Caught up in these passages of Scripture, I have not what to answer for myself, Philip, and much less will you satisfy me in regard to this piece than I will satisfy you in yours. You have no passage which reprobates or forbids or in any way teaches the authorities to flee. I have it as one confirmed in so many ways, praised to be honored and commanded to GOtte in prayer, only that it is neither commanded nor counseled in the Gospel, which neither marriage, nor the household, nor the discipline of the house or a city, nor any government and care for temporal things [can say of themselves].
16. if you have something that has been revealed to you in another way, show it, but present it in such a way that you prove that it is forbidden to flee or merely permitted. For Christ said that power was given to Pilate from above [John 19:11]; but I hold that these words are to be understood in this place as meaning that God does not give to evil. But enough of this.
17 I wish Amsdorf luck that his fortune is increased, 6) but even more that he gives an apostle in a happy way. You are already full, you rule without me [1 Cor. 4, 8], nor do I see why you miss me so much, or how my work can be so necessary to you. You seem to be thinking to yourself, since it is
6) by the parish of Schmölln near Altenburg. See No. 81 of this appendix.
your affairs are better when I am absent than when I am present: you read, Amsdorf reads, Jonas will read. 1) I ask you, do you want the kingdom of God to be proclaimed to you alone? Must not the gospel also be brought to others? Will your Antioch not give a Silas, nor a Paul, nor a Barnabas to any work of the Spirit? [Acts 15:34 ff.]
(18) I say unto thee, Though I am exceeding glad to be with you, yet it would not grieve me (since ye already have abundance) if the Lord would pardon me either at Erfurt, or at Cologne, or elsewhere with a door for the word. I pray you, how great a harvest is everywhere, and no laborers [Matth. 9, 37.]; but you are all laborers. Certainly we must not be taken into account, but our brothers who are scattered everywhere, so that we do not live for ourselves, that is, for the devil, and not for Christ.
(19) Therefore, see that we are not too carnal toward one another, seeking more the presence of the flesh than of the Spirit. I am ready to go wherever the Lord wills, either to you or elsewhere. I know nothing at all about my return. You know in whose hands this lies.
20 Spalatin writes to me that, by order of the prince, there has been no discussion about the part of the theses on confession, which displeases me greatly. I beg you, from now on, always anticipate the advice forged by the court and do not follow it, as I have done so far. Half would not have happened if I had followed their advice. There are people there, too, just as we are.
I will discuss this with Spalatin. These things inflame our adversaries' defiance and prove that we are fearful. Farewell. This letter, which I had already written, someone promised to deliver, but he did not keep his word. Pray for me, I ask, all of you, for I am sunk in sins in this solitude. From my desert, 1521, the day of Margaret [July 13].
Martin Luther, hermit.
1) Jonas was not yet in Wittenberg.