December 28, 1525.
We George by the Grace of God Duke of Saxony, Landgrave in Thuringia and Margrave of Meissen 2c.
1 Your writing came to us on the day of this year of the birth of Christ, which peace and grace we wish for you, as you have done for us, and also knowledge of yourself. And we want to make a commitment for the first, knowing that we are also free in our conscience with God, our Savior, because we are now tempted by you with writings, so that we do not make our response out of an ugly disposition, but out of an eager will to bring you to the knowledge of yourself, without any hypocrisy, because we suspect you as if we would like to deal with hypocrites and be filled with them. And give thee this lot: Where we shall hypocrite thee in this our writing, speak freely, that our wine taste after the barrel; but if we shall not do this, seek the hypocrites in the places where they call thee a prophet, a Daniel, an apostle of the Germans, an evangelist. You will not find them there who give hypocrites when thirty or forty people were feeding on them thirty or forty years ago.
2. For the other thing, we also charge thee, as a layman, to disputation of the scriptures, that we be not minded: for we have heard in time past, that when David was to fight with Goliath, Saul would arm him with his armour, and with his own weapons: But David was not accustomed to it, nor practiced, and laid aside his armor, and made use of his leather sack, and his sling, and stones, which he heaped in the field; which he was accustomed to, and with which he overcame Goliath. So we will use only what we are accustomed to in this scripture, so that we may be educated and circumvented, and so that it is not unchristian or unjust.
(3) Therefore, above all, we cannot leave undone that which pertains to the glory of the Most High and to the law, respecting the entrance of your Scripture and the like, so that it will not be drawn to where you point it; but we will command the scholars to do so.
(4) But that you have touched us harshly against the order of divine and evangelical law, there is no untruth in that; for you know how God has told you that you should act when you have something against your neighbor. You have, however, without truth, named us also in opposition to Hartmuth von Kronberg (which action, however praiseworthy it may have been at the time, has proven to be) as a tyrant and denier of the Gospel, with shameful denigration of our person, with promises of our body and soul, with many frivolous, sophistical words, which you have not found in the Gospel, nor even in the Scriptures, to which you compare such your rebuke.
(5) We have graciously written to you enough in the nature of things to ascertain your guilt or innocence, and would much rather that you had been innocent than that we had found otherwise. So you gave us such a quick answer out of your anger and impropriety, attacked us further with more untruths, and called us your ungracious lord; so we gave you no cause for this with our simple letter, nor in any other way. Would it not have been proper for you, before you wrote to Kronberg, to request us in writing to hear our answer? as God says and gives order, how Christian people should act.
(6) What is the matter with thee, that thou hast called us liars, when thou hast heard no lies from us all thy days? And if neither you nor anyone else can say with truth that we overcame with lies, it would have been proper for you to be kind to your neighbor, because you acted against us with such impetuosity. And in order that your impetuosity might be further revealed, your writing to us has been printed, so that our disgrace, which you have attributed to us without cause, might be further brought to the attention of the people. Whether this is according to the gospel of Christ, consider.
7. it is not less such harassment from you, as a committed and convicted, declared-
*) Where this writing is found, is already indicated in the first note to the previous number. We give the text according to the Jena edition.
1) It has been difficult for us to tolerate this man; and do not think 2) that we felt so little for the old Adam, when we did not think that God promised special mercy to those who suffer persecution for righteousness' sake, and that we would not have surrendered to him out of his grace, as you did, if we had long since made another father for the child, which 3) you and all your apostates should not have refused. If you have now asked God to make you a gracious Lord, he has long since heard you.
(8) But that we, because thou hast so shamefully and blasphemously reproached our most gracious lord, the Roman emperor, to whom we are sworn, and so wilfully despised his commandment, shouldst be thy gracious lords; how shall that befit us? For this purpose, you have set up an asylum in Wittenberg, so that all the monks and nuns who rob us of our churches and monasteries by taking and stealing have refuge with you, sojourning as if Wittenberg were, to be polite, a house of all the renegades of our country. 4) The monks of Wittenberg have been given a place to stay.
We have no doubt that our holy father, the pope, has never given an indulgence that you respect more than the one that your Wittenbergers earn by robbing the monastic virgins brought to you from our monasteries. In what misery and damnable wretchedness you brought them, and how they are kept and for what purpose, is in the day. We do not believe that the devil is hostile to you for this reason, because if he did something bad to you (he would have to do it out of God's decree and power), he would be accused of rewarding you as the executioner does to his servant.
(10) That even such a thing should move us to mercy toward thee is not. For if the least farmer had his cows stolen from our lands, we would be displeased: much less, if we are a servant of Christ, could we suffer that his own herd should be stolen from him, body and soul.
(11) You praise how you have made many lovely little books, together with other writings: we do not want to hide from you that we were partly pleased with your writing when it first went out. We have also not unwillingly heard that the disputation happened in Leipzig; for we have hoped for the improvement of the abuses among the Christians.
1) This "is" seems to be too much. The soon following "halt" is probably to be taken as imperative.
2) "it" is missing in the Wittenberg edition.
3) In the old editions: the söltu.
4) A public house open to everyone, in which everyone has a share or inheritance. In the old editions: Janerbenhaus.
We have also known that you were accused by D. Eck of being a patron of the Bohemian sect; you have vigorously contested this with great impetuosity: although you let yourself be heard to say that some of Hussen's articles, in which he condemns, are most Christian.
We have acted as one who would like to see your cause well, and have truly called you to us out of a loyal heart, talked to you alone, told you about your misgivings and misunderstandings of our understanding, admonished you fraternally, because you do not love the Bohemian sect at all, that you would write against it, so that you would get out of all suspicion. You said you would write. Soon after that, you sent out writings in which you praised and confirmed all the errors of Hussein, Wikelf and all the other Picards, and blasphemously disdained all our ancestors of the holy Concilii at Costnitz; from this we could not have assumed otherwise than that Doctor Eck did not lie, as you proclaimed him a liar on the cathedra.
(13) We have never been in favor of your opinion. For we have been educated and it has been inherited by us that all who act and do contrary to obedience and separate themselves from the Christian church have been and still are considered heretics and seceders. For they are thus declared by the holy Concilia: to all of which you contradict, which is not yet proper for any Christian.
14. Since, then, by the providence of the Almighty, some wicked, some lost, and also some scholars, as you called them, among whom Carlstadt was not the least, happened to you by chance, and you led them to the slippery mountain, they slid without stopping; [We are well aware that they did not do you any good in this, but nevertheless, in order to preserve their loyalty, you let them slip; if you would have liked to endure them, it is not in your power.
(15) And we may also say that we care little for your gospel, because it is unworthily recognized by the heads of Christendom. But we have taken care that, as much as possible, it should be destroyed among us. The evil fruits that have come from it have given us cause to do so, for neither you nor anyone can say that anything other than blasphemy against God and the holy reverend Sacrament, the most holy Mother of God and all the saints, has its origin in your teaching.
10 For out of your teachings and your disciples all the old rejected heresies are renewed, all honest worship is destroyed, which is
Since Sergii times never happened so big. When have more sacrilegia happened of befallen persons, than since your brought forth gospel? When have there been more outrages against the authorities than from your Gospel? When did more robberies of poor spiritual houses happen? When have there been more thefts and robberies? When have there been more lost monks and nuns in Wittemberg than now? When have wives been taken from husbands and given to others, because now it is found in your Gospel? When have there been more adulteries than since you wrote: If a woman cannot be fruitful by her husband, let her go to another and beget fruit, which the husband must nourish? so the husband does again. This has brought the gospel that you pulled out from under the bench.
017 And thou shalt indeed give it a right name, that thou hast brought it forth from under the bank: it were well that it were yet under it. For if thou bringest forth another such, we shall not keep a peasant. If Christ had wanted such a gospel, he would not have said so often: Peace be with you [John 20:19, 21, 26]. St. Peter and Paul would not have said: One should be obedient to the authorities [Rom. 13, 1. 1 Petr. 2, 13. 14.]. Therefore the very fruits make us greatly abhor and detest your doctrine and gospels. We want to support the gospel of Christ (if God wills it) with body, soul, goods and honor; His grace shall help us to do so.
(18) You remind us of death, of which we are certain: how will it be if we accept your gospel and die? Would not God speak: When shall we have him who brings a new gospel with so many evil fruits? Did I not say to you, You shall know the tree by its fruit? [Matth. 12, 33.] If we said, Luther said, It would be the gospel that lay under the bank; and God said, But unto thee hath the Christian church said otherwise. Because you say every day that you believe in the Christian church, why do you believe Luther and not the church? My Luther, you keep your gospel that came out from under the bench, we want to stay with the gospel of Christ, as the Christian church has accepted and holds; God should help us.
19. you may think: God sent his prophets and his teachers before times, who converted great princes and lords (when we were great enough in person) by their teaching; so you were sent to us by God. We know that Moses was sent to Pharaoh (2 Mos.
3, 10.], Samuel to Saul [1 Sam. 13, 13.], Nathan to David [2 Sam. 7, 4. 5. 2 Sam. 12, 1.], Isaiah to Ezechia [2 Kings 20, 4. ff.], John the Baptist to Herod [Matth. 14, 4. Luc. 3, 19.], Ananias to Paulo, Philip to Eunucho [Apost. 9, 11. ff. 8, 26. 27.]. Among all of them we find no apostate, they are all steadfast. They have been truthful and pious men, not greedy, not stingy, not unchaste. And even though we are not worthy of it, we are usually visited, praise God, by the word of God, by such pious people who tell us to stay in the Christian church; we follow them as much as God gives us grace.
20. where we should hear your apostles, who are commonly apostates, we will not find this teaching. For we are told, apostates counterfeit the Scriptures, and walk with a perverse mouth, as Solomon describes them, than we unfortunately find with thee. For if we have written to thee graciously, thou hast called us thy ungracious lord. If thou sayest we are ungracious unto thee, when thou hast given us a cause of ungraciousness, then callest thou us a gracious lord.
021 Neither do we give much heed to prayer, both thine and thy congregation's. Nor do we almost fear your cursing. For we know that God hates the assembly of your apostates. We also know well that Luther is not Muenzer. That God punishes Muenzer for his wickedness through us is something he can also do to Luther: we also want to be used as an unworthy witness according to his will.
(22) But if you ever want us to obey your words, we will still give you our advice without being asked, out of a good heart. For we have such a merciful, mild God that no sinner can despair of Him unless he wants to be with Him.
23. and so return and do not let the spirit that seduces Sergium the apostate lead you further. The Christian church does not close its doors to those who return. If your enemy has led you into a puffed-up hopefulness, as art is wont to do; look at the hopeful Arian, your master Augustine, whose rule you vowed and swore to uphold. Return with him, still keeping your loyalty and oaths, and become with him a chosen light of Christendom.
24) If the wicked covetousness of honor and goods has deceived thee; leave it with Matthew, and until 1) for an apostle and evangelist. Has thine enemy and sting of the flesh deceived thee; why prayest thou
1) d. i. be.
not with Paulo? and God would have given you grace. If you can abstain from womanizing for a while to please a man, why not for God's sake? If the beautiful form of Eve has deceived you, let it be. We would gladly name thee one to whom thou wouldest cleave; but none will fall to us, for he that took a wife said he would not come to the even.
(25) But because you are a good woman, hold on to the noble penitent, when God drove seven evil spirits away, fall with her at Christ's feet, admonish your Eve to do the same, and then, by the grace of God, the monk will come from the nun. Do not be mistaken that God says: What God has gathered together, man cannot but gather together. For your marriage is not ordained by God, but by your enemy. For God says, "He who is not with me is against me." Since you both swore by your oath that you would not be helped by God when you committed unchastity, see for yourselves what you have done.
(26) How strong also be thy prayer against the devil, that God hath hitherto restrained thee, and not
1) with Dathan and Abiron [Num. 16, 31. 32.], there you will find his causeless mercy. But where thou wouldst not relent, it is to be feared that he will compare the harshness 2) with severity of chastisement. 2)
This is what we want to give you for the new year; if you follow this and remain steadfast in our instruction, we promise you eternal reward and blessedness from God. We also want to appeal to our most gracious Lord, the Emperor, for mercy, as much as we can, not to spare any diligence here in time, and you may then, of all the past misdeeds against us, provide yourself with no evil, but all good: that this will be done by you, we wish, Amen. Given at Dresden, Thursday Innocentum. After the birth of Christ, our dear Lord, 1526. 3)
Martino Luther
at Wittemberg to hand.
1) This is the name in the Vulgate instead of: Abiram.
2) i.e. the length of time. - Compare - balance.
3) The date is set according to the old style, since the new year began with Christmas. According to the new style, this letter still belongs to the year 1525.