Before 11 December 1522. †)
1) Our poor humble prayer and whole fortune E. F. G. with high diligence always ready beforehand. Gracious Prince and Lord! After a discord has arisen between E. F. G. Preacher and us poor brethren, in that the Magister punishes and condemns as an un-
1) The prince to whom this letter is addressed is Duke Johann of Saxony, whose court preacher was Wolfgang Stein at Weimar. The sermon, which Luther commemorates in the last paragraph of the next writing, "von weltlicher Obrigkeit, wie weit man ihr Gehorsam schuldig sei" (Walch, St. Louis Edition, Vol. X, 374 ff.), was written at his request and dedicated to him.
Christian error, that we believe, hold and preach that the holy sacrament of the Corpus Christi of our Lord Jesus Christ is a sacrifice of the Christian church; we have verbally denounced both parties before E. F. G. Scripture, on both parts each to protect his sentence; but not brought to an end. By grace, the F. F. G. has given us leave to continue to present our scripture and argument in writings, because the time does not want to suffer, so that the truth may appear all the more clearly before the F. F. G. and we both parties may be brought to agreement and to one sense of the truth by the wisdom and means of the F. F. G.
*This answer of the Elector was drafted by Melanchthon. Cyprian printed it from his own handwritten concept in his "Useful Documents on the History of the Reformation", Part I, p. 371 f.. Our translation is based on this.
**) This writing is found in Cyprian's "Useful Documents on the History of the Reformation," Theil II, p. 240.
M. Wolfgang Stein will have sent this writing of the Barefoot monks to Luther, and the latter in the next letter, as is clear to the eyes, refers to everything that is asserted by the monks here. Therefore, this writing of the Minorites of the time "ah the earlier.
1424 Cyprian II, 240 ff. 59. of the Barfüßermönche zu Weimar Beweisung. W. XVIII, 1750-1732. 1425
(2) In the first place, we show that we are obliged to hear the holy Christian church, otherwise we would not be considered as believers in Christ, since the Lord says, Matt. 28. And since the usage of Christianity and the Scriptures of the holy fathers and bishops, who have been in the Christian church for a long time, indicate and teach the same thing that we hold about the above-mentioned sacrament, namely, that it is a sacrifice, we have never found that any saint has written or preached against it. Thus the above-mentioned commandment of Christ Matthew on the 28th urges and compels us to hear the church and to hold with it that the sacrament is a sacrifice: but if the magister can clearly prove without doubt that anything has been written in the holy Scriptures of the Bibles or of a Christian doctor, or that anything has been taught or preached in past times by the Christian church, that the sacrament is not a sacrifice, we might want to believe it. But since he has not yet done so, and, we believe, cannot do so, he distorts his statement with his own reason, and condemns himself, so that he means to condemn others who do not agree with him; which we thus prove.
The strongest protection and greatest power of his sentence lies in the fact that he says that it is condemnable to add to or add to God's word, and has proven it, as he lets himself think, with the saying, written in Proverbs 30: "All the speech of God is a fiery shield to all who hope in him; you shall not add to his words, lest you be punished and found lying. And has led to this the saying Deut. 4, where Moses thus speaks: "You shall not add to the word that I speak to you; neither shall you take from it."
These are words of God and of Scripture, on this foundation of Scripture he builds such an argument or proof of his sentence or conclusion. God forbids to add anything to the divine word. Now Matth. 26, Marc. 14, Luc. 22, 1 Cor. 11, in which passages the appointment and giving of this sacrament is described, it is not said that it is given for a sacrifice; therefore whoever says that it is given by Christ for a sacrifice, adds something to the words of the Lord, which the Lord has not spoken, and thus does something against the commandment of God, who bequeaths to add something to the word of God, and that is a damnable thing. It follows that it is a damnable thing to say that this sacrament or the mass is a sacrifice.
5. to answer and move this argument, we want to indicate first that the
Magister here condemns himself, it is fact that he wants to say that all additions to the word of God are forbidden without distinction and that any addition is condemnable.
6. secondly, we want to indicate that it is impossible for the church to add anything condemnable to God's word against the will of God.
7) Thirdly, we want to prove that the master adds something condemnable to the word of God (as we think) against the will of God.
The first we prove: the Concionator wants to conclude in the fetching 1) and teach from the words of God that it is damnable to say that this sacrament is a sacrifice; for why he thinks that it is nowhere found in Scripture that it is a sacrifice, therefore he may say that it is nothing else but a damnable addition. Now we ask him where he has read in the holy Scriptures that this sacrament is not a sacrifice? If he finds this nowhere written, then according to his statement it is a damned addition to the word of God.
(9) Here we see how dangerous it is to hear and interpret the Scriptures badly without distinction. If it is not true that any addition that rightly declares God's word, or serves and is useful to accomplish God's word, is condemnable. But the addition that is contrary to God's will and cannot stand with the truth of Scripture is condemnable.
(10) The other thing we prove is this: the church of Christ is built on the rock, and the gates of hell are not able to prevail against it. Matth. 16. She is the body of Christ, and without doubt has only the Spirit of Christ. 1 Cor. 11. and to the Ephesians Cap. 4. it is the house of God, where God dwells, and the pillar and fortress of truth, 1 Tim. 3.; from this it appears clear that it is not possible for it to condemn anything contrary to God's will, to add to God's word, which would not stand with the truth of holy Scripture.
11. From this it follows that it is not contrary to God's will, nor condemnable against God's word, to set, ordain, or command the things that serve, or are necessary, or help to keep God's commandment, to preserve and make unity, peace, and love among Christian people, to keep Christians in true faith, to avoid sin and heresy, to keep the speech of Christ, to contemplate and remember the bitter suffering of Christ, for which reason also the Lord has given us the worthy Sacrament of His holy body, and to keep it in the faith.
1) To close in the fetch is undoubtedly to make a conclusion from the silence (of the writing).
The Lord gave us his body and his holy blood in the sacrament of bread and wine for a sacrifice, as the priest to whom God spoke through the prophet in the Psalm: You are the eternal priest, after the order of Melchizedech, which Melchizedech, as it is written Gen. 24, was a priest of the most high God, and offered bread and wine, for a figure and meaning, that the true priest Christ in his church would give priest and sacrifice, sacerdos et hostia, his body and blood for a sacrifice in the holy and reverend sacrament, bread and wine, for a memorial of the sacrifice of our redemption and to obtain thereby daily (therefore it may be called juge sacrificium, that is, the continual sacrifice) grace and blessedness. If now the Lord Concionator does not want to accept this understanding of the figure, tell him why the Lord Christ is called an eternal priest after the order of Melchizedech. Let him indicate by which sacrifice the sacrifice may be more properly understood, since the Lord speaks of it through the prophet Malachi, Cap. 1.My name is great among the nations, and in every place a pure sacrifice is offered to my name"; for from the sacrifice offered in all the churches of Christendom over the whole world in this sacrament, we have to say that it is not against God, nor against God's word, that this sacrament is a sacrifice, but is according to the word of God and according to God's will.
12. Since this sacrament is given to us as a memorial of the bitter suffering and death and blood of Jesus Christ, shed for us, it is not against God, nor against the word of God, ordained in the Christian Church, to awaken this memorial in the hearts of the faithful at Holy Mass, to celebrate Mass with such vestments and regalia, signs and crosses, and through such ministers, who with priestly crowns of consecration 2c would indicate and incite to this contemplation: And [that] for the worthiness of this Sacrament it is ordained that the ministers should be pure and chaste, is not against God, nor against the Scriptures, but according to the Scriptures and God, and therefore without sin such ordinations of the holy Church may not be disdained. Which true son of the Mother of the Faithful, that is, of the Holy Church, has ever said that such ordinances are of the devil and damnable?
(13) But the commandments and laws that are against God and the Scriptures are such as are against God and against justice, as one with injustice and with unrighteousness harms another, seeks his honor, exaltation, power, wealth, and oppresses others with violence and with injustice, deceitfully harms another, and gives commandments and laws to another, which he did not want to be imposed upon himself. Such laws are not laws of the church of Christ and the kind mother of the faithful, but of ruthless tyrants. Thus we provide that it is indicated here that it is impossible for the church to add anything condemnable to God's word, against God's will and against His word.
(14) The third thing that concerns us is how the Concionator, the Magister, adds something condemnable to God's word, against God and His holy word, and thereby concerns us that his conclusions and sentences, as that this sacrament and the mass is held condemnable for a sacrifice, are nowhere found in Scripture (as we consider) and therefore is only an addition to the word of God, which addition has never been made by the Church of Christ, nor by any saint. But that this addition is contrary to God's will, concerns us from the fact that it is seen to be contrary to the will of Christ, who wants all Christians to obey the church, Matth. 18.Who wants us to have constant remembrance of His sacrifice for us on the Cross, for which reason He also gave us this Sacrament, for which reason the Holy Church also ordained many things at Mass, and this Sacrament to do the will of Christ in remembrance of Him, and is to be feared, as the mass would cease, and the constant sacrifice of the church would be taken away, that the remembrance of Christ's suffering and death for us would almost come out of the hearts of Christian men, contrary to the will of Christ, who says: This you shall do in my memory.
(15) But that this sentence of the Lord Concionatoris, the Magister, is contrary to Scripture, concerns us in that the Scripture of Christ, the eternal priest according to the order of Melchizedech, and the words of God indicated by the prophet Malachi before it, according to the right understanding of the same sayings, also stated above, may not exist in truth, as concerns us, it would be factual that this sentence of the Magister would be true, and therefore concerns us that it is a damning addition against God and His words.
(16) Most Serene Prince, Most Gracious Lord, we command ourselves with this writing of ours to E. F. G., so that E. F. G. and everyone who has an unwavering Christian heart, may he-
1428 Cyprian II, 240 ff. 59. of the Barfüßermönche zu Weimar Beweisung. W. XVIII, I7SSf. 1742 f. 1429
know from the two parties' protective and counter-script which of us is closest to Christian truth, to which knowledge we humbly submit, desiring to remain in the Christian truth of faith and doctrine in the true church that Christ built, the 2c, as indicated above.
17. into which church God has placed the holy apostles, prophets, evangelists, doctores and pastores, that is the bishops, 1 Cor. 12. and Eph. 4. and has commanded by Paul, the holy twelve messenger, the praeppsitis of the church, that is to be obedient and submissive to the bishops and prelates, ad Hebraeos 13. which bishops the Holy Spirit has placed to govern the church of God, Apost. 20. by heart of which church no one likes ...; one body of Christ and one Spirit. Eph. 4. which church has been from the time of Christ and is now and will remain in this world until the end of the world, because it was built on the foundation of the Holy Spirit.
the rock of Christ, and the gates of hell are not able against them.
(18) Which church hath always kept and taught the right true faith, the right true doctrine of salvation, and hath never reprobated, being the house of God, the pillar and stronghold of the truth, 1 Tim. 3, and therefore hath without doubt the right understanding of the holy scriptures. And therefore we desire to remain united in this church and in its faith, in its doctrine, and in its understanding of the Holy Scriptures, as St. Paul exhorts us, 1 Cor. 1: Obsecro vos ste.
(19) That we may obtain all these things through Christ, the true light, we pray with the prophet in the psalm: Linitts Uuesm tu am ete. "Let out, O Almighty God, Your light and Your truth; they have led me, and brought me into Your holy mountain, and into Your tabernacles: I will enter Your altar to God, who rejoices in my youth" 2c.