The original is in the Anhaltisches Gesammt-Archiv. Printed in Aurifaber, vol. II, p. 55; in De Wette, vol. II, p. 176 and in Erlanger Briefwechsel, vol. Ill, p. 324.
To Georg Spalatin, evangelist at Lochau.
JEsus.
1st Hail! Here you have the letter you wanted, my dear Spalatin. But what I wrote to Duke John Frederick, 7) I do not fully remember, only that I am certain that I taught that he would not make innovations in anything, unless this could be done without the annoyance of the weak, so that he would prefer love to all things. I have also written the same teaching to Duke Carl 8).
2. I had not only the Gospel of John, but the whole New Testament.
6) Longitudinal translation of Matthew had already appeared in June, but Luther had not heard anything about it.
7) In the letter Walch, St. Louis edition, vol. X, 2226.
8) Duke Carl von Münsterberg. Compare No. 662 in this volume.
in my Patmos, but now we, Philip and I, have begun to polish everything, and it will (God willing) become a worthy work; but we also want to use your help from time to time to put the words in a suitable way. Therefore, be ready, but in such a way that you give us simple, not castle and court words, for this book wants to be made bright through simplicity. And, to begin, see that you give us both the names and the colors of the precious stones of Revelation 21, and, God grant it, give us the sight of them from the court or wherever you are able.
The work of evangelical communion 1) is in my hands. But if this matter should cause me much trouble, I fear nothing; Christ lives, and for His sake one must not only become a good smell, to some to death and to others to life [2 Cor. 2:16], but also be killed [Rom. 8:36]. Farewell and greet all at court. From Wittenberg, Sunday Lätare [March 30] 1522.
Martin Luther.
No. 84.
Luther to Spalatin.
Luther sends a sample of the Bible translation, awaits the sending of the gems, and asks to use them because of a domestic matter of the monastery.
The original is in the Anhaltisches Gesammt-Archiv. Printed in Aurifaber, vol. II, p. 63; in De Wette, vol. II, p. 195 and in Erlanger Briefwechsel, vol. Ill, p. 358.
To the learned and godly man, Georg Spalatin, ducal evangelist, his [friend] in Christ.
JEsus.
Hail! I am sending you the sample of our new Bible, 2) but in such a way that you keep it so that it will not be spread. I am waiting for the gems 3); they are to be faithfully preserved and sent back. By the way, I ask that you will
1) The writing "to take of both forms of the Sacrament" 2c., St. Louis edition, vol. XX, 62.
2) The first sheets of the so-called September edition of "Das Newe Testament. Deutzsch. Vuittemberg".
3) See No. 83 of this appendix, § 2.
Bernhard Hirschfeld that he intercede for me with the most illustrious prince for some malt (I do not know how much) which our prior owes, and for which I have become guarantor, that he may not collect it before we can pay, because the interest is not given to us, and we, having given up begging, have now become poorer by 300 florins annually. "There is nothing left here but love and friendship." We live on the future, on the future we will die. 4) Fare well and respond well. On the Saturday after Misericordias Domini [May 10] 1522.
Martin Luther.
No. 85.
Luther to Amsdorf.
Luther expresses his opinion about the sleep of souls and about purgatory, which he still accepts in a certain way. He is pleased about Carlstadt's wedding, announces his Bible translation, and, in order to finish the Old Testament, wants to stay in hiding in Wittenberg. Last of the Zwickau prophets.
Printed in Aurifaber, vol. II, p. 44 d; in De Wette, vol. II, p. 122 and in Erlanger Briefwechsel, vol. Ill, p. 269.
To the reverend Nicolaus Amsdorf, licentiate of sacred theology and canon of Wittenberg 2c.
JEsus.
I have nothing reliable to answer you about your souls. I am inclined to agree with your opinion that the souls of the righteous sleep and do not know where they are until the day of judgment. To this opinion I am drawn by the word of Scripture: "They sleep with their fathers" [2 Sam. 7, 12.]. And the dead, who were raised by Christ and the apostles, testify to the same thing, since they woke up from sleep and did not know where they had been. In addition to this, there are the raptures of many saints. And I have nothing,
4) Due to defaulting debtors, namely Günther von Staupitz at Dabrun and Christoph von Bressen in Mutterwitz, the economic conditions of the monastery were often very bad.
with which I could overturn this opinion. But whether this is generally valid for all souls, I do not dare to claim, because of the rapture of Paul, Elijah and Moses, who in any case did not appear on Mount Thabor for appearances. For who knows how God deals with the departed souls? Can He not let them sleep in turn, or as long as He wants, just as He puts those living in the flesh to sleep? Now the passage Luc. 16, 19. ff., about Abraham and Lazarus, although it does not enforce [a feeling] in general, nevertheless attributes a feeling to Abraham and Lazarus, and it is clumsy to interpret this to the day of judgment.
(2) I think the same of the damned: that some can feel the punishments immediately after death, but some remain secluded until that day. For the reprobate [Luc. 16, 24.] confesses his torment, and the Psalm [Ps. 140, 12. Vulg.] says: "The unrighteous man shall be seized with evil in his doom"; unless you also want to draw this to the day of judgment or to the temporary frights of bodily death. Therefore my opinion is that this is uncertain, probably however that with few exceptions all sleep insensibly. Now see who the spirits in prison were, to whom, as Peter [1 Ep. 3, 19] writes, they were preached by Christ, whether they too were not able to sleep until that day. Jude [v. 7], however, says of the sodomites: "They suffer the eternal fire," speaking of the present.
(3) But of purgatory this is my opinion, not that I think it is a certain place, as the sophists invent, or that I think that all who remain outside of heaven and hell are in purgatory, for who could say that? since they can sleep between heaven, earth, hell, purgatory and all, as happens to the living in deep sleep, but that I hold that it is the torment called the foretaste of hell, which Christ, Moses, Abraham, David, Jacob, Job, Hezekiah and many others suffered. For since this is similar to hell, but temporal, it may now be called hell apart from
If it takes place in the body or in the body, then it is a purgatory for me, because we attach such a chastisement to purgatory. But since it is admitted in the body and is certain, it cannot be denied outside the body, although it cannot be proved, so that you will not be mistaken, whatever you may believe here. For even if you deny purgatory, you are not a heretic for this reason, because you do not deny that this pain is felt in the body and can be felt outside the body, but you deny that it [purgatory] is a certain place and that it is certain that it [pain] is felt outside the body. This I also deny; for those who feel it in the body are already not in the body at all, as far as life itself is concerned, for they are dead. Therefore it cannot be that you deny that this punishment is in this way outside the body. I have that much; if you have anything more, teach me.
4 Carlstadt's marriage pleases me greatly, I know the girl. May the Lord strengthen him as a good example to resist and reduce papal fornication, amen. I will deliver my small gift myself at his time after Easter. In the meantime, I will translate the Bible, although I have taken upon myself a burden beyond my strength. I see now what interpreting is and why it has not been attacked so far by anyone who confessed his name in it. But I will not be able to reach the Old Testament if you are not there and cooperate. Yes, if it could happen that I could have a secret room with any of you, I would come as soon as possible and with your help translate the whole thing from the beginning, so that it would become a worthy translation that would be read by the Christians; for I hope that we will give our Germany a better one than the Latins have. It is a great and worthy work, which we would all like to work on, since it is a public one, and should be dedicated to the common welfare. Answer about this what hope there is. I do not wish to be completely and totally hidden, since this is impossible, but to be known to want to be hidden, or not to know that I am
to show myself [publicly]. For I believe that in this way both the fearful and the wicked will be satisfied when they realize that I want to be hidden.
The prophets of Zwickau 1) do not let yourselves be moved soon. You have the holy scriptures, Deut. 13 and 1 John 4,2 ) 1. which make you sure that you will not sin if you put them off and first test the spirits to see if they are of God. In the meantime, the Lord will tell you what to do. Of course, at first sight it is very suspicious to me that they boast of having conversations with the Majesty [of God]. More about this to Philip. Fare well and pray for me. On the eighth day after Epiphany [i.e. on the Octave, January 13] 1522. Yours, Martin Luther.