July 1530 - Translated from Latin.
The following sentences of the Church D. Martin upholds by Christ's grace against the whole school of Satan and all the gates of hell.
The Christian Church has no power to establish any article of faith, has never established one, and never will.
The Church of God has no power to make any commandment of good works, nor has it ever done so, nor will it ever do so.
3. all articles of faith are sufficiently set forth in the Holy Scriptures, so that it is not necessary to add any more.
4 All the commandments of good works are sufficiently given in the Scriptures, so that it is not necessary to give any more.
The Church of God does not have the power to confirm articles [of faith] or commandments [of good works] or the Holy Scriptures, as if it did so by higher power or by judicial authority, has never done so, and will never do so.
The Church of God, on the other hand, is confirmed and proven by the Holy Scriptures or the articles of faith rather than by a higher power and judicial authority.
The Church of God confirms the articles of faith and the Holy Scriptures as a subject, that is, it recognizes and confesses them as a servant does the seal of his master.
8 For the sentence is certain: He who does not have power to destroy the life to come and the life of the age.
and to give, he also cannot put articles of faith.
9. the Church of God has power to order customs (ceremonias) in feasts, meals, fasts, prayers, vigils 2c., but not over others, but over itself, has never done otherwise, will not do it either.
10. however, in such a way that these customs do not conflict with the articles of faith or the commandments of works.
11. also in such a way that they are possible and that they are in their [the church's] power.
12. also in such a way that they neither bind nor confuse the conscience.
13. also in such a way that they shall be kept for a time, but not forever, may be changed at any time and in any case, and may be abated.
14 The Church cannot command celibacy or vows even to herself, much less to others, since this is not within her power.
15. but a church is a number or collection of baptized and believers under one pastor, whether [the pastor] of a city or of a whole country, or of the whole world.
16. this pastor or prelate has nothing to order (because he is not the church) unless his church gives its consent.
17. the pastor may admonish the church
*) This disputation appeared in Latin in a single edition on Einem Blatt in Placatform under the Ueberschrift: Keauentes propositiones sustinet lavents Okristo D. Martinus Imitier, Lancias Deelesiae Vei VuiiienakerMnsis Dosier, aäversns iotam L naAOZam Laianae ei universal porias inlerornm; German, but not translated by Luther himself and changed here and there in the arrangement, in 1530 under the title: "Etlich Artikelstück, so Martm Luther erhalten will, wider die ganze Satansschule." The three individual editions that the Erlangen edition cites of it are without indication of the place and printer. In the collections it is found in Latin: in the Wittenberg, lom. I, tot. 384; m the Jenaer (1579), lom. I, lol. 500; in the Erlanger, opp. var. arA., vol. IV, p. 373; in the propositionikns D. Mart. Imili. ak Iniiio neZoiii evanZelisi ak ausiore iraciaiis nsqu" in kuns <U6M. Wittenberg 1538, and in the propositionikug tksolOA. reverenä. virorurn D. Martini Imtkeri st kkiUppi Melansktkonis, published by Jakob Eysenberg 1561 in octav. German: in the Wittenberg <1569), vol. IX, p. 398; in the Jenaer (1566), vol. V, p. 9K and in the Erlanger, vol. 31, p. 122. The Erlanger edition, like Walch, has overlooked the fact that this writing is also contained in German in the old editions just mentioned, in a different translation from the one recorded by them. We have re-translated according to the Jena edition, comparing it with the Erlangen edition. For the chronology, see the introduction.
960 L. V. a. IV, 375-377. 126. L.'s Article on the Violence of the Christian Church. W. XIX, 1192-1194. 961
and persuade her to agree, for certain urgent reasons, to lay aside for herself fasts, holidays, prayers, or other ceremonies for a time, and again, if she wills, to change and drop them.
Articles of faith and commandments of works cannot be changed, but ceremonies must be changed according to the circumstances of the time.
19 There has never been a greater folly and folly than that of the papists, who proclaim the ceremonies to be articles of the faith, and that they are immutable, and that one member alone, the pope, has this power.
(20) There has been no greater heresy and wickedness than that of the Papists, who mix and confuse everything, making the ceremonies equal to the articles [of faith], and thus have suppressed the exceedingly free kingdom of Christ with a more than Egyptian and Babylonian bondage.
(21) He cannot be called a heretic who, contrary to the ordinance of the church, omits ceremonies, though he sins because he does not keep what he has promised.
(22) He cannot be called a heretic who transgresses God's commandments of works. 1) 23. He cannot be called a heretic who does not know an article of faith.
24. He must be called a heretic who stubbornly errs in an article of faith and asserts error.
(25) Just as he who transgresses a commandment of the authorities is not a rebel, though he sins and is liable to punishment.
(26) But he who denies or opposes the authorities is a rebel.
(27) Since the papists do not call a thief, a robber, or an adulterer, who sins against the commandments of God, heretical, they are not heretics in truth,
28. They must deservedly be called the greatest asses of all, because they are the ones who have
1) In the Wittenberg and Jena German editions, the 22nd sentence precedes the twenty-first.
Proclaim as heretics those who sin against the ceremonies of the Church.
(29) For this is wisdom worthy of asses, not to call a matricide, a patricide, a sodomite a heretic, but to consider him who eats meat on Friday a heretic.
30 Even the Church of the Pope, although it is a Church of the wicked, condemns priestly marriages only with disqualification from office.
(31) They admit, then, that a priest who has been married is to be called a Christian and not a heretic.
Therefore, it does not condemn his soul to hell as heretics are condemned.
At the same time she admits that he does not have to be punished with death, but after the office is taken from him, she lets him live as a Christian and confesses this.
Therefore, it is certain that even in the Church of the Pope, it is not considered a mortal sin for a priest to marry.
It also admits (with necessity) that they need neither be punished in the body nor imprisoned, but that, after only the office is taken from them, they can freely use their goods. 2)
Therefore, she does not consider it a nuisance or something shameful when a priest marries.
Therefore, those who add the punishment of heresy, death to body and soul, and deprivation of goods and honor, to the deprivation of office, are public robbers, thieves, murderers, traitors, forgers, tyrants, even according to the rights of the pope, and in his church.
From this it can be seen what has finally become of the Church of the Pope, in which such people are considered the holiest and wisest.
2) Here, in the Latin single edition, as well as in the translation of the Wittenberg and the Jena, two sentences are inserted, which, however, do not bring anything new, but are already contained in the preceding. (Cf. the introduction.)