19 October 1516.
He speaks against the theology of Erasmus, who in Paul wants to understand the righteousness from the works only from the ceremonial law, likewise from the true righteousness, which is valid before God, through which only the works become good works. He then passes judgment on Jerome and Augustine, and prefers the latter to the former.
To the servant of Christ and priest of the Lord, the highly learned M. Georg Spalatin, his sincere friend and faithful brother.
JEsus.
1. salvation. What I do not like about Erasmus, the highly learned man, is this, dear Spalatin, that in explaining the apostle Paul, he understands by righteousness of works, or of the law, or by one's own righteousness (as the apostle calls it) the observance of ceremonial and exemplary laws. Furthermore, he also claims that the apostle does not speak clearly of original sin (which, however, he admits) Rom. 5. But if he would only read Augustine in the books he wrote against the Pelagians, especially about the spirit and the letter, further about the merit and the forgiveness of sins, likewise against two letters of the Pelagians, finally against Julianus, which are all in the eighth part of his works, and would see, how he teaches nothing according to his own opinion, but according to the opinion of the most excellent fathers, Cyprianus, Nazianzenus, Rheticius, Irenaeus, Hilarius, Olympius, Innocentius, Ambrosius, then he will perhaps not only understand the apostle correctly, but also think that Augustine is worthy of a higher esteem than he has hitherto believed.
2 I have no hesitation in departing from Erasmus in that I place Jerome inferior to Augustine in the interpretation of Scripture to the extent that he places Augustine everywhere inferior to Augustine.
Jerome adds. Not that out of zeal for my order I should praise St. Augustine, who, before I read his books, had not the slightest reputation with me; but because I see that St. Jerome falls with diligence on a historical mind, and, what is still more to be wondered at, explains Scripture in a more wholesome way when he passes briefly over it, for example, in letters, than when he treats it with diligence, as in his works.
(3) Therefore the righteousness of the law, or of works, is by no means in ceremonies only, but rather more properly in the works of the ten commandments. If these are performed without faith in Christ, they taste as little like righteousness as the arlesberry does like figs, even though they make such men as Fabricius, Regulus, and the most righteous men in the sight of men. For not, as Aristotle thinks, do we become righteous by acting righteously, unless in a hypocritical way, but (that I say so) by becoming and being righteous we do righteous works. First the person must be changed, then the works; first Abel pleases God, then his sacrifice; but I have spoken of this elsewhere.
4 Therefore I ask you, out of friendship and Christian love, to give news of this to Erasmus, whose reputation, as I hope and wish, will rise high; but I also worry that many, moved by it, will take the liberty of defending his literal, that is, the dead mind, of which the explanation of Lyra and almost all after Augustine are full. For even the otherwise spiritual and honest Faber of Staples (Stapulensi viro) lacks this understanding when interpreting the writings of others.
*) This letter is handwritten in the Ooä. .Ion. V., col. 16 and 281; in the Ooä. (lotUan. L. 28, fol. 172, with the superscription: D. Outiisri äuäisium äs katridus st äs Lrasmo, sx suo släroZraxUo transsrixturo 28. Ostovri 1551. In following prints: Aurifaber, vol. I, toi. 26 d; Hottinger tu xrimit. IIsläsIdsrZ. x. 221 (supposedly from the original, but incorrect, cf. Tentzel, Hist. Bericht, vol. I, p. 180); Seckendorf, Historia Imtk., iid. I, p. 22; ssst. 8, § 8, aää. VII, according to Aurifaber; Löscher, Reformation Acta, Wd. I, p. 825 (where it is also confirmed that the text in Hottinger is corrupted); De Wette, vol. I, p. 39; Erlanger Briefwechsel, vol. I, p. 63. We have translated according to De Wette.
rer, which he nevertheless proves perfectly in his own way of life and in the encouragement of others.
5. by the way, you could easily think me foolhardy for rebuking such great people, if you did not know that I do it for the sake of the
for the sake of God and the salvation of the brethren. Farewell, my dear Spalatin, and pray for me. In haste, in the corner of my monastery, on the day after the feast of St. Luke [19 October] 1516.
Br. Martin Luther, Augustinian.