This sixteenth volume of the complete writings of Luther brings the continuation of the documents on the history of the Reformation from 1525 to 1537 in six chapters. The tenth deals with the peasant revolt and the death of Prince Frederick; the eleventh with the imperial congresses held in the years 1525 to 1529 at Augsburg, Speier, Esslingen, Regensburg and again at Speier; the twelfth with several alliances of papal princes against the confessors of the Protestant doctrine, and with the conventions of the Protestant princes and estates at Torgau, Rodach, Schleiz, Schwabach, Schmalkalden and Nuremberg; the thirteenth on the Imperial Diet in Augsburg in 1530 and the Confession handed down at the same, and also on Luther's stay in Coburg during the Diet; the fourteenth on the meetings of the Protestants in Schmalkalden and the so-called Schmalkaldic League, and also on the first religious peace concluded thereafter; the fifteenth on the negotiations held between the imperial and papal envoys on the one hand and the Protestant estates on the other.
because of a concilium to be appointed. It should also be mentioned here that three confessional writings of our church, namely the Augsburg Confession, its Apology and the Schmalkaldic Articles, have been printed in this volume in their entirety and revised according to J. T. Müller, "Die symbolischen Bücher" ("The Symbolic Books"), and that several of Luther's main writings, as "Von den Conciliis und Kirchen" ("On the Conciliates and Churches"), are found in this volume.
We have omitted the duplicates of the old edition, namely No. 802, which belongs to an earlier section, and is already included in the 15th volume, Col. 2291; No. 1074, because duplicate of No. 12 in the appendix of this volume, and appendix No. 16, because duplicate of No. 1103. As worthless, we have omitted what is offered to us in No. 826 of the old edition. This is a small collection of sentences and individual expressions, which Aurifaber claims to be an extract made by Spalatin from the first sheet of Luther's intended counter-script against the Mainz Rathschlag. For this, we have taken the whole scripture, as far as it exists, from the Erlangen Aus-.
The following is a summary. Things torn apart are united, as, No. 999 is brought to No. 1073, No. 1013 to No. 1011. Several time determinations are partly supplemented, partly corrected, as at No.801. 804. 854(11.). 877. 953. 978. 1004. 1073. 1075. 1165 and 1185. A large number of writings are improved after the originals, e.g. No.773. 782. 890. 891. 894. 895. 897. 910. 911. 912. 922. 923. 942 and others. The letters written by Luther in Latin are newly translated from Latin, as are several other writings, as No. 902 and 904.
In the old edition, we often encounter Walch's distortions of meaning in print and other errors, some of which run through all previous editions. An outstanding example of this kind is found in No. 1247, § 135 (Col. 2706 f. of the old edition; likewise even in the second edition of the Erlangen edition, Vol. 25, p. 354): "One can well see that this Concilium [at Nicaea] neither conceived nor established anything new, but condemned the old faith against the new error of Arii through the holy Scriptures. Here, without changing the slightest thing, the correct sense could be established by transposing a few words, namely: "It can be seen that this Concilium neither conceived nor established anything new, but condemned the new error of Arii against the old faith by the holy Scriptures." Of other errors we give here only a selection. It is found in Walch,
Col. 26: set instead of estimate; 28" measure - never; 40 envy - children; 49 given - admit; 52 use - irritate; idiä. Waare - delusion; 53 divine - amicable; 93 weil-will; 98 Tödte - Töde; 142 du - da; 183 ihr Freunde - ihre Pfründen; 183 die alten Verliebten - Verlebten; 205 judge-rich; 336 mandate - month; 350 getheilt - geurtheilt; 398 undue - and due; 405 have - half; 408 rightly - rightly; 443 would be someone - who someone; 762 Barcelona - Bononia; 764 with - nit; 793 Chemnitzer - Zwickauer; 943 Speier-Steier[mark]; 944 grunzet - grenzet; 1053 Palmen - Psalmen; 1078 if.- wem; 1097 Stengler - Spengler; 1115 Freude - friends; 1123 Bösem - bosom; 1171 Nun - None [9. Hour]; 1200 served - mean; 1273 heathens - saints; 1357 because - will; 1538 Uebermacht- superpowers; 1684 Schulhändel - Schuldhändel; 1706 still remained - nachblieben; 1737Lehren-Lehen; 1840 Stritten - cities; 1872 change - Verendung [termination]; 1888 Spanish - Speierische; 1892 try -disposition; 2090 entertainment -negotiation; 2119 a correctness - incorrectness; 2120 Christian-explain; 2156 honor - Chur[würde]; 2193 provociren - procuriren; 2222 unterbringen - umbringen; ibid. would - desolate; 2212 and 2237 betriegen - to war; 2275
1) For brevity, we leave the word "Columne" before the numbers and the colon after them, and put a dash (-) for "instead".
Eßdram - Heraklam; 2386 aus - without; 2436 unbetrüglich - betrüglich; 2764 zu antilogisiren - zerantilogisiren; 2829 Jenischen Boten - des Jonas (Jonensem) Boten. With this last error Walch has the excuse that also De Wette has the reading Jenensem. From this indication, it is easy to see that one must often get into quite an embarrassment when reading Walch's old edition. Of course, we have not been able to make everything smooth, but we have made every effort to smooth the way for the reader.
In this volume, as in the previous one, we have included a chronological index of Luther's documents, letters, and concerns.
May God also bless the course of this volume. We learn from the writings contained therein how wonderfully God has protected and preserved His Church, which teaches and confesses His holy, pure Word, against all the violence and attempts of the adversaries, however powerful they were and however evil they meant it. May he keep us in his truth until our blessed end, amen.
St. Louis, on Reformation Day 1900.