This twentieth volume, now completed with God's help, forms the conclusion of Luther's dogmatic-polemical writings and offers the controversial writings against the deniers of the true presence of the body and blood of Christ in the Holy Communion (Sacramentirer), against other enthusiasts, as well as against the Jews and Turks; all carefully improved to the best of their ability. The main writings of Luther in this volume: "Against the Heavenly Prophets", his "Sermon of the Sacrament against the Spirits of the Swarm", his writing, "That these words, that is my body, still stand firm against the spirits of the swarm", his great and small "Confession of the Lord's Supper", "Daß JEsus Christus ein geborner Jude sei," "Wider die Sabbather," "Von den Juden und ihren Lügen," "Vom Schern Hamphoras und vom Geschlecht Christi," have all been compared exactly with the two oldest editions, the Wittenberg and the Jena; in five of them, no. 19. 20. 48a. 50 and 51, the Latin translation could also be used to correct the readings. When the first
four sermons, which Luther delivered in Wittenberg after his return from the Wartburg (No. 1a), were printed, the seventh volume of the Latin Wittenberg edition, which contains the translation of the same, was not yet in our hands; however, the comparison, which we have subsequently made, has shown that the readings, which have been recommended by us as the better ones (e.g. Col. 10: "rich"; Col. 15: "peak"; Col. 34: "heathen" and "hard") are confirmed by the Latin as the correct ones. Col. 10: "rich"; Col. 15: "top"; Col. 34: "heathen" and "hard") are confirmed by the Latin as the correct ones. Only Col. 25 is "commandment" (mandatum) to be put in the text instead of: "word". Newly translated from the Latin are the scriptures: No. 8. 14. (the Syngramma Suevicum, which is reproduced in the old edition in an exceedingly poor translation) 29. 31. (the theses of Agricola and other antinomians and Luther's six disputations against them) 48c and, in the appendix, No. 5. From the original in Förstemann's New Book of Documents, "Luther's Report of Eisleben's False Doctrine" etc. has been improved. Inserted
is the postscript to No. 45 from Burkhardt's correspondence, and Luther's judgment on Schwenkfeld, which belongs closely together with the letter to Schwenkfeld's messenger. Omitted are: "Luther's admonition against the Jews" (No. 61 of the old edition), because it is already included in the 12th volume of our edition (Col. 1264 ff.); furthermore, "Etliche Propositiones Melanchthons wider die Lehre der Wiedertäufer" (No. 44 of the old edition). 44 of the old edition), because this writing is only another redaction of No. 40 in this volume, and finally the last six sermons of the second redaction of Luther's sermons after his return from the Wartburg, about which an account is given in the note to the superscription of No. 1a. We have added to this volume a small register of rare and obsolete words in Luther's writings, which, although it makes no claim to completeness, will be a welcome addition for many readers (because the list appended to the first edition of the Erlangen edition, vol. 26, gives an explanation of very few words that really need explanation; then also because Dietz's dictionary of Luther's writings has unfortunately only been published in a small part).
Also some historical events, which were still in the dark, could be put into brighter light. Every sincere Luther lover will certainly be heartily pleased with us that by establishing the fact that Luther had defeated his worst enemy, Carlstadt,
The fact that Luther kept him hidden in his house for months and thus saved him from the danger of death (compare the introduction, p. 24) is again a delicious testimony to his detractors that Luther not only brought the Gospel to light and taught it again, but also lived it before others as a shining example and collected burning coals on his head. For "Luther's Report" (No. 32), we think we have provided evidence that it should not be placed in April 1540, as has been assumed so far, but in the first half of June. Often, and in this case undoubtedly, the correct understanding of a writing depends on the correct determination of the time. In addition, quite a number of incorrect time determinations have been corrected in this volume as well.
Since the procedure we use for the reduction of the data is, as far as we know, not known elsewhere, but it serves us excellently in our work (because it is easy and safe), we want to communicate it here for the common good: The chronological cycles (sun and moon circles, Sunday letters, etc., thus also the occurrence of Easter) repeat themselves 340 years after the Reformation time, therefore one can easily read the data of the Reformation time from the corresponding calendars of the nineteenth century. For the years 1517 to 1546 the calendars from 1857 to 1886 give
Information. *) One obtains these calendars, which is still easy to do now; with the help of them, everyone is able to resolve the data. (Cf. Seidemann, Erläuterungen, p. IV: "that is truly not everybody's business.) This shall now be demonstrated with some dates of the antinomian disputes by 1) citing a wrong date, 2) improving it with the help of the calendar, 3) proving from correctly resolved dates in De Wette that the change is really a correction.
Wrong: Kawerau, Agricola, p. 153: "Sonntag nach Galli den 18. October" [1533]. - Correct: Calendar of 1873: Sunday after Galli is the 19th of October. - Proof: De Wette, Vol. IV, p.488: October 22, 1533 is Wednesday after 11000 virgins (October 19), thus October 19 is a Sunday.
Wrong: Köstlin, Martin Luther (3rd edition), Vol. II, p.466: "18. p. Trin. 1537, den 2. October." - Correct: Calendar of 1877: 18. p. is September 30. - Proof: De Wette, vol. V, p. 77: Thursday after Moritz (September 22) 1537 is September 27, so September 30 is a Sunday.
Wrong: Förstemann, Neues Urkundenbuch, p. 332: Sabbath. dominica cantate et fo. n (should read: et fe. II [Monday]) sequente 1540 is April 20, 1540. - Correct: Kalender
*) An exception to this is the year 1539, in which Easter fell one week earlier than in 1879. -
of 1880: Cantate is April 25; thus the writing is to be set on April 24 and 26. - Proof: De Wette, vol. V, p. 278 f.: Wednesday after Misericordias Domini is April 14, 1540; thus Sunday 9 April 25 is Cantate. Kawerau has improved this error.
In Förstemann l. c. p. 291, Count Albrecht von Mansfeld says: "Thursday, December 20, 1536" and p. 294: "Saturday, December 10, 1536". Both are wrong. - Correct: Calendar of 1876: Thursday the 21st of December and Saturday the 9th of December. - Proof: De Wette, Vol. V, p. 37 f.: Wednesday in Christmas is December 27, 1536, which proves the two dates given to be correct. - The letter in De Wette, vol. V, p. 34 ff" which should have served as proof for the latter date has the wrong resolution: Sunday after Nicolai, December 9, 1536. - According to the calendar of 1876, Sunday after Nicolai (December 6) is December 10. The wrong date of De Wetter has already been corrected by Burkhardt, Briefwechsel, p. 271.
Wrong: Köstlin l. c. Vol. II, p.470: "for a disputation to be held on February 9, 1539". - According to the calendar of 1879, February 9 is a Sunday on which no disputation was held. - Correctur: Tischreden, cap. 37, § 55, Walch, St. Louis edition, vol. XXII, 1044: "The other day [after the last of January, i.e., Saturday, February 1, 1539] was the disputation." - Proof: De Wette, vol. V, p. 158 f.: on the day
On the occasion of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, February 2, 1539, Luther sent Eisleben's Disputation to Melanchthon. Kawerau I. c. p. 200 has the correct date.
Wrongly resolved in Förstemann I. c. Correct: Calendar of 1880: Friday after the Exaltation of the Cross (September 14) is September 17. - Proof: De Wette, vol. V, p. 307: "Montag nach Mariä Geburt, den 13. September 1540." If Monday was the 13th, Friday must be September 17. Kawerau l. c. p. 212 has corrected this error.
The correction of other errors in the determination of time in the antinomian controversy and elsewhere has arisen in another way. In passing here only
still notes that in Förstemann I. c. p. 348 the letter of the Electoral Councils to Agricola is dated "Sonnabends Galli", that is, October 16, 1540; however, the same letter is thought there p. 352a, in No. 35 as written on "Saturday after Galli". If the latter is correct, then the letter would have to be set to October 23, 1540.
Now may the merciful God grant that this volume, in which His salvific teaching for salvation in Christ our Lord is again abundantly presented to us, may also be diligently used by us, so that His gracious promise may also be fulfilled to us: "My word shall not return to me void, but do that which pleases me, and it shall prosper when I send it."
St. Louis, on the birthday of Martin Luther. 1890.