Anno 1534.
To the godly reader, salvation in Christ! D. M. Luther.
1 The printer has forced this preface, which was to appear under my name, from me, so that this booklet, which is already popular in itself, would be made even more acceptable by my testimony, as it were, even though it is, both in terms of the subject matter and the delicate style of writing, as well as in terms of the
I am also very pleased with the way it is presented, and it will undoubtedly be much more pleasing to pious and learned people, even without my testimony. And I gladly confess that it is not my custom to act so gently and mildly in such a matter as our Corvinus is dealing with here, especially since there is no agreement between the Erasmian theologians and the
*The book to which Luther wrote this preface was published in Wittenberg in 1534 by Nicolaus Schirlentz in octavo under the title: tzuatenii8 expedirt aeäitain rooons Rrasini äs Mroiencia RooloÄao oonooräia Rationen,. 8e<Mi, tantisper äurn aüparatur 8^noäu8, 4uäieiuin Vntonii Oorvini ete. In 1544 it was reprinted at Hanau. The preface is found in Latin in the Erlanger, ox>i>. var. ar^., vol. VII, p. 526. In the excerpt in Seckendorfs Hi8t. Rutü., IU>. Ill, x>. 53, and translated from it in Elias Frick, Uebersetzung der Historie des Lutherthums, vol. 3, § 42, p. 1387. This translation is printed in the Leipzig edition, vol. XXII, appendix p. 12, and in the old Walch edition, vol. XIV, 316. We have translated according to the Erlangen edition, which brings the text according to the first edition.
However, for the sake of the booklet, I will overcome myself as much as I can, and say this much without vehemence: that, of course, the way of teaching that this Julianus defends for Erasmus cannot be made acceptable to me. I do believe myself that perhaps Erasmus and his disciples would like to advise the cause out of good opinion or unrest, through such a middle position and mutual condonation against each other, namely out of fear that it would come to a dangerous outbreak. But conscience and truth cannot suffer this kind of concord. 1) For another is the unity of faith, another the unity of love. According to love, nothing has ever been omitted on our part that we have not offered with all our heart either to preserve peace and harmony or to restore them. We have always been exceedingly willing to do, suffer and observe whatever the adversaries may command, impose or bring before us, without harm to the faith. We have always proved this with the deed itself and with the fruits. For we have never longed for their blood, much less shed it. We have not harmed them in any way, nor have we taken anything from them. Yes, we have always stood, worked and labored bravely for them, against the rebellious and fanatical spirits, and (as pious and godly people, yes, even many among them, confess) have done more than they themselves to preserve their status; hence we have also incurred all the greater and more bitter hatred. For the rebels and swarming spirits are much more lenient in their hatred against the papists than against the Lutherans, while the papists always continue to spill our blood and to drink, and also to persecute us with sword, fire, water and all kinds of fury, for no other reason than because we cannot respect their human statutes as equal to God and his word against our conscience, or even above God and his word.
1) From here on has been compared: V. L. Seckendorss Historia Lutiioranismi, lib. Ill, 53, where the following is given after a manuscript.
raise his service. Therefore, God will be the judge here, whether it is due to them or to us that no unity can be kept among us. For this is our glory, that we have a quite happy testimony of our good conscience, that we have sought, requested and demanded unity, as far as love is concerned, with the utmost diligence, even after much blood of ours has been shed, and we have had to endure innumerable cruelties and enmity from the adversaries.
2. But Erasmus seeks in vain the harmony of faith and doctrine by the advice that we should yield to and credit one another, not only because the adversaries neither yield nor want to yield anything, but rather now defend everything much more sharply and fiercely than ever before, so that they have now also dared to demand such things, which they themselves condemned and disapproved of before Luther's time, but also because we cannot approve of that either, which obviously disputes with the holy Scriptures and which does not allow for anything in the middle (as it is called). For the doctrine of faith does not contend with flesh and blood, as does love, which has to do with men and their faults, namely, to bear them, to punish them, and to amend what can be amended, and which always has hope, which endures even unto death, of converting the sinner; but it contends with the spirits of wickedness, and with such as all is lost, whose ungodliness is hardened for ever, without any hope that they will be converted or change their hearts. Therefore, between the faith or doctrine of Christ and the will of evil spirits, there is no peace, no concord, no friendship to try. He [the devil] is a murderer and father of lies, and can no more cease to prey upon the doctrine of faith than he can put away his lying will and purpose to harm. For how does Christ and Belial agree? What kind of fellowship is there between light and darkness?
(3) But the papists likewise boast of the doctrine of Christ and do not want to be regarded as teaching the devil's errors. They do boast, but the tree is known by its fruit.
And that I do not deal with it extensively here, it is known enough that they do not ask anything about what they teach thoroughly and efficiently to satisfy the consciences. They only shout: Church! Church! Church! and call the church also godless men, who can hold opinions and make statutes over and against the Scriptures, and that by divine power. This speech of theirs is also confirmed by Erasmus, who everywhere promises that he will follow the church, and yet teaches nothing but doubtful and uncertain things. But if we are to call that the church, of which they always cry out that it is the church, and believe according to it what their church says and does, then what is the need of the holy Scriptures? why do they punish vices? why are we in danger because of the confession of the truth? since we can make it up in a nutshell and be blessed without effort if we only speak in this way: I believe that the papists are the church, and I believe that everything the papists teach is true. But how shall we advise pious and godly souls who, caught in the image of Scripture as the word of divine truth, cannot believe what is evidently taught against Scripture? Shall we say to them: One must hear the pope, so that peace and unity may remain? or must we leave them in uncertainty, and in the meantime leave it until the pope has decided otherwise with his own? [Others, who like this, may ask so little about their blessedness and be so sure, surely a mind that fears God and earnestly flees from eternal death and desires eternal life cannot be calmed by uncertain and doubtful teachings.
Therefore, in my Servo Arbitrio on the theology of Erasmus, I also rebuked such an opinion of the doubters. For one must have in the church a certain doctrine, a certain word of God, which one can believe with certainty and certainty and in such certainty of faith live and die both. Because Erasmus asks little about this certainty, and the papists do not teach it (and how could they, because they do not understand anything about it?), but hate and persecute it,
o peace and harmony in doctrine and faith can come about, because the church cannot do without this firm anchor of faith, and no faith can exist apart from or above the word of God. Therefore, whatever the papists or Erasmus say or advise here is all in vain and useless. They cannot and will not help the consciences with such human advice and means, for they want to hear the voice of their one shepherd and master and the voice of their bridegroom. But to the strange voice they say: Because this cannot be proved from the Scriptures, it is as easily rejected as accepted. I am not speaking now of disputes that are raised on the basis of Scripture, but of those that are defended by the adversaries apart from and against Scripture, and are demanded with violence and all kinds of fury. Such things are not merely heretical (for godless spirits invent their heresies from Scripture), but quite wicked and certainly diabolical. Therefore, Erasmus would do best to leave theology altogether and use his eloquence in other things for which he has the gifts. For divine learning wants a mind that earnestly and simply seeks and loves God's word, as it is written: "Seek Him with simplicity of heart, for He is found by those who do not tempt Him;" and Paul Rom. 12. 1 Peter 4: If any man speak, he speaketh as the word of God; and 2 Peter 1: The prophecy of the scripture is not of his own interpretation: for the prophecy is not of the will of man. And we have experienced with great sorrow more than too much under the papacy, with how many winds of doctrine we have been driven about, since we have invented our own articles apart from the Scriptures out of human will, until at last we have even worshiped the cowls of monks, by which idolatry we have far surpassed all the abominations of the heathen. For those who cry out that the church believes in many articles that are not found in the Scriptures, follow their madness and invent a completely different church, namely the school of Satan, and under the name of
of the holy church, the virgin and bride of Christ, they decorate with the most impudent lies of the devil's vixen and whore and offer the same.
5 But I will speak about this in more detail when I write about the church and the Lord gives me time and strength to do so.
6 However, as long as the devil's kingdom lasts, we must not promise ourselves peace or harmony in doctrine. It is only
A certain way, namely, patience in the love of Christ, that we let them rage and rage, but we bear their hatred and malice with a calm mind. For we must in truth be Christophori [Christ-bearers] and of the order of the holy cross. But Christ will convert his elect and finally redeem us all, for his is the victory, the power and the glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever! Amen.