Before August 1526.**)
Martinus Luther to all dear friends in Christo.
Grace and peace in Christ our Lord and Savior.
A Latin booklet, called Syngramma, has gone out through the preachers in Swabia against the new rats, who bring up new dreams from the Sacrament 1) and confuse the wager. This pleased me so much that I was willing to translate it, because otherwise I would not have been able to write something special in a hurry. But now that it has been delayed, it has been translated by my good friend, Magister Johanne Agricola, pedagogue at Eisleben, 2) so that I am now relieved of the effort.
(2) I was also careful at the time when I wrote against the heavenly prophets and attacked Carlstadt's Tuto, that there should still be those who should distinguish themselves with the est and significat, and especially such learned men, because it is such a childish, inept reason, which has no example in Scripture; and if it already had an example, nevertheless it could not be proven that it should and must also be taken so in the words "this is my body". That they will never prove, I know for certain. For it is very different when I say: This may be called so;
1) Wittenberg and Jena: Lord's Supper.
2) Wittenberg and Jena: "Germanized by another". The name of Agricola is probably omitted from these editions because he had caused trouble through his antinomianism and his participation in the Augsburg Interim.
and when I say: This must be called so and cannot be called otherwise. Conscience cannot rely on the first, but it can rely on the second.
I also thought, and still think, that I have established this matter in my booklet against Carlstadt so that no one should overthrow it, and I do not yet see that my reasons, laid out there, are rightly attacked or moved. But my writing is despised by the high spirits, that they do not look at the [reasons], think that if they only wave 4) against it, then it is all bad, and must write differently about it.
4. Since I do not yet have the time to write against this spirit in particular, I will testify to my faith with this preface, and whoever wants to be warned, I will faithfully advise them to beware of these false prophets, who call our God a baked God, a baked God; they call us God's flesh-eaters, God's blood-drinkers, and I do not know how many more horrible blasphemous words, and yet they are patient, gentle people who suffer great persecution and rightly recognize Christ. The devil, however, 5) is the patience and litter that overthrows faith. But I hope that such abominable blasphemy will soon come to an end with them: even though we have well deserved such miserable creatures and sects through our ingratitude and persecution of the gospel, and
3) In the old editions: "sihe".
4) Jenaer: me. That "only" is the correct reading results from § 15 of the next following writing.
5) Thus the Wittenbergers and the Jenaers; Erlanger: wolte. That the reading "walte" is correct follows from § 20 of the following writing.
**This writing is of course earlier than Oecolampad's answer to it. Compare what is said in the note to the superscription of no. 16 about the determination of time.
still earn Aergeres, that also unfortunately! will come. 1)
At first, this sect is so fertile that it has gained five or six heads within a year. The first was D. Carlstadt with his Tuto. The other was Huldrich Zwingel with his significat. The third is Johann Oecolampadius with his figura corporis. The fourth reverses the order of the text. The fifth is on the track, shifting the words. The sixth is still in the process of birth and dices the words. The seventh will perhaps also come and shuffle the cards. Everybody wants to become a master here.
6) See if the Spirit of God does not warn us sufficiently against these sects, which are so divided in their beginning. 2) Where else should this image belong, but among the animals in Apocalypsi [Cap. 13]? 3) There are also some animals that have one body and many heads, just as these sects in sum are one and the same body. But to show the causes and reasons, every sect has its head 4) and its way, yet all set up to blaspheme the one solitary Christian truth. He who is not offended nor warned by the horrible image and God's admonition is worthy to believe that in the Sacrament there is not only bread and wine, but also chanterelles and fairy tales 5).
(7) Secondly, the right spirit not only avoids contradictory reasons, and always presents one reason in all his sermons, even in all the world. For he is not a God of ambiguity, but of simplicity; yes, he also lays down consistent reasons, so that the longer one fights against them, the firmer they become and increase. 6. But in this animal things are different. The first
1) So the Wittenberg and the Jena. Erlanger: that will also come unfortunately.
2) So the Jenaer; Wittenberger: "sich so theilet". Erlanger: "so sich theilet".
3) Here the Erlanger has reprinted from Walch's old edition: 13, 17. which does not fit.
4) Wittenberg and Jena: jre Köpff.
5) "Morche" - the nightshade. From the composition with chanterelles it can be concluded that a mushroom is meant, perhaps "morels".
6) Erlanger: "constant". The next scripture, § 39, confirms our reading.
Head, Carlstadt's Tuto, is lying low, and may not have had a poof, that they themselves must confess that he was absent, and that the spirit was not at home there; and no sparing helps here, that holy people sometimes stumble in faith and life, as it is true. But to lay the foundations of doctrine, especially when it is to arise anew, he has never 7) left his teachers wanting. He lets them 8) be weak, but not fall nor succumb, but, as I said, increase and surrender, not like Carlstadt's Tuto fell and lies.
8) The same is true for 9) the signet of the Zwingel, which has hung down its head and dies freely. For one cannot bring a significat in the Scriptures to 68t. And even if one were to bring it up (as they cannot), they may never bring it up in the Lord's Supper, and so the spirit is also missing there, and lies. These are two great admonitions and warnings from God to all who fear Him and want to believe Him. Nowhere can the devil be known so well as in lies and ambiguity in faith; and nowhere can the Spirit of God be known so well as in truth. But it does not help. The world must and will be deceived, just as in Arius' time such lies were found as a warning, but nothing helped.
(9) Thirdly, this spirit is especially a fleeting or floating spirit, which does not remain on any piece, as I have tried them both in writings and words. When it is demanded of them that they should prove this saying, "This is my body," or the like, that it is to be understood in their opinion and otherwise than the dry natural words are, they looked at another little song, according to which they are full of words and thoughts; therefore they say from John 6, how 10) two kinds of food are spiritual and bodily, as if no one knew this before; or praise themselves once, how they are pious and suffer much; or defy what it is useful for that
7) In the following scripture § 39 and in the Erlanger: never. Wittenberg and Jena: not.
8) So the Wittenbergers and the Jenaers: "the", namely the teachers. Erlanger: the reasons.
9) "also" is missing in the Erlanger.
10) In A 47 of the following scripture and in the Erlanger: wie; in the old editions: dass.
Christ's body and blood must be there; or else they tear something in, so that they do not have to stay on the words, otherwise they would be caught; thus filling leaves and ears with vain words, so that one must grasp, as Satan fears and changes into all shapes, lest he be caught in his 1) lies.
I say then, such digression and evasion does not matter, they should stick to their words, and there, in that place, prove their opinion from the text. Yes, I have the eel by the tail, they lead me again into the 6th chapter of John or otherwise on a monkey's tail, that one however comes from the matter by much chatter and yet does nothing. That is a real Satan's art, to hover like the night fires in the evening in the field.
(11) Therefore, I say my judgment, even though it is highly distorted, yet I know that it is true. For in this case I know faith and the devil well. There are two reasons for their error. One, that [it] is almost an unskillful thing by reason. 3) The other, that it is unnecessary to be Christ's body and blood in bread and wine, which is absurdas et nulla necessitas. They have grasped these two things, and have 4) thus passed through Satan's temptation, as oil passes through the bones, Ps. 109:18, 5) that they may not be rid of it. 6)
1) Erlanger: his. The old editions and K47 of the following writing have the reading given by us.
2) Erlanger: they shall me. In K 47 of the following script: "only" instead of "me". In the old editions both are missing.
3) So the Wittenbergers and the Jenaers. Erlanger: "is".
4) "are" put by us instead of "ares", according to K 50 of the following scripture.
5) Here the Erlangen edition reprinted from Walch: Ps. 109, 8.
6) The words "that they may not get rid of him".
Twelfth, then, having such painted spectacles before their eyes, they come rolling to the Scripture, seeking how they may carry their sense into it, and draw the Scripture to their opinion. Then the words do not have to be understood as they are; they have to be stretched and bent, as a tuto, as a significat, as a figura, as the words are inverted, as the text is shifted, as the text is mixed like a map. Behold, that is where the sects come from. But if they remained on the words as they stand, and 7) proved from the text and sequence, or otherwise with good reason, that the words were to be understood differently than they read, then they would not cause any sect.
If they want to confirm their opinion, they will have to take up the sword in a different way. The writings presented, whether subsidium or antisyngramma, 8) will not do it. They may seduce a lot, but they will not achieve anything thoroughly.
(14) I also want to admonish all devout Christians to beware of these sects and to stick to the pure, honest words of Christ. We have the advantage that we, like them, may not stretch or bend the words. Please also read this booklet diligently. If God gives me time, I will write about it in particular. However, thank my God that He does not allow the devil to bring up stronger lies than these. May God's grace be with us all.
are in the Erlanger and in the following writing, but are missing in the old editions.
7) Erlanger: or.
8) About Zwingli's book Subsidum compare the note to No. 13, § 2. - Oekolampad had let his book AntisyngraiQMa go out before the end of 1525 against the Spngramma. Seckendorf, Nist. I^utk., vol. II, x. 35, (2).