About September 1524.
Dear Brother N.! Since you have asked me to write you something about the German masses, especially about the new findings and additions 2c., I am willing to serve you, not only in this, but also in other matters. Accordingly, I will answer your article recently, and thus say to the first:
2 It is necessary, not only right, that in the churches of our German lands they read and preach in the German tongue, and make known other things taught by Christ. For all those who are converted should be corrected from this and know whether God's word is preached to them or not; this you have 1 Cor. 14. Paul has this reason
from Moses, who said how some should read the benediction on God's servants, and some the cursing of God against the devil's limbs, and all the people should say Amen to it; as you can hear from the fifth book of Moses on the 27th and from other oerterns of Moses.
3 The people could not say amen to the words of the magistrate if they did not hear the speaker speak in a familiar tongue. Therefore it is necessary that all things in the church be presented to the people in their own language. So everyone should put his prayers and all things in the church and
2) In the old edition: aside.
The only thing they hear is what they pretend to hear, and they hear the speaker or preacher as if he were judging or judging them. For this reason Paul says: "One or two speak, the others recognize" 2c. 1 Cor. 14, 29.
4 For the other, we see that some confirm the old error with the German tongue, 1) and fortify the poor unintelligent people in their error. For they soon speak: Now I have heard the mass correctly when German lessons have been read to them. This is what those do who call the Lord's Supper a sacrifice with words, or works and deeds.
5 Our poor surrounding priests mend their ways in this way. They read the epistle and gospel to the ignorant people in German, which in itself is blameless, but at the same time they say that Christ is a sacrifice in the holy mass. As a Christian, you can judge what an abominable sin this is. I have discovered it for my part in a booklet about the priesthood and sacrifice of Christ, and I also hope that you will not allow your pastor to execute our Savior Jesus Christ as an executioner would an evildoer, for his iniquity would also affect you as a grantor, Rom. 1.
(6) Some say and write and preach that Christ is not a sacrifice, and no less use the word mass, and may call the Lord's Supper a mass; which is the same as if I said publicly: The N. is a pious man, he steals from no one what is his; and yet call him 2) a thief or robber. Reason: this word mass is not German nor Latin, but Hebrew, and means in good German a free willing sacrifice.
(7) How well then it behooves Christians to call Christ in the sacrament, or the sacrament in which Christ is to be, a mass, I give you to know, because so much is said: Christ has not suffered enough at once; Christ is still mortal; Christ must be martyred in the mass for our sin. Item, Christ's sacrifice was so small that a poor, stinking, unclean, evil priest could offer it; which sacrifice no one could offer but he himself, Christ, the most high and pure priest. See in the epistle to the Hebrews the fourth, fifth, eighth, ninth and tenth chapters, and read them diligently and meditatively, and you will well understand what an abominable sacrilege it is for a sinful man to sacrifice Christ.
1) Old edition: bestäten.
2) In the original: bannest.
8. it is much worse to say that Christ is a sacrifice when a priest performs mass, than to say that Christ's suffering was insufficient. Because from such a saying or speech it follows that Christ's sacrifice has been and still is impure, guilty, sinful, defiled, insufficient, unintelligent, self-willed, disobedient, as the lukewarm priest and wicked of God, who submits to sacrifice Christ's body and blood. If the above chapters are not considered, all kinds of such abominations follow, and it becomes clear that the name of Messiah, against Christ's suffering, sacrifice and glory, is now attributed to Christ. In this, D. Martinus errs exceedingly, and the poor bishop of Zwickau, 3) who in this case has a papal sanctity, that he calls the Lord's Supper a Mass.
9) These also confirm their name 4) with their deed and manner, and confess that Christ is a sacrifice in the mass, although they grind their pen differently; that is, they lift up the hosts, likewise the chalice, and indicate by such lifting up that the one whom they lift up is still a sacrifice, that also their bread and wine is a sacrifice; for this manner is founded in the old law, and also has its origin and discovery there.
(10) In the Old Law, God commanded that the Jews bring sheaves and other things to their priests, which the priests lifted up and brought down, and by such lifting up and bringing down offered to God such things as you read in the third book of Mosiah on the eighth, ninth, tenth, fourteenth, twenty-third [chapters, and] in the fourth book of Mosiah on the sixteenth.
This annulment or sacrifice is called Thruma in Hebrew. Thus the priests abolish the sacrament and put it down in the mass, and set themselves without appointment as convenient priests of the angelic sacrifice, which Christ alone could offer, and therefore take the place of the avengers, executioners and murderers of Christ.
12) There was also another lifting of the sacrificed things, which is called Thnupha in Hebrew, when the sacrifices were woven or lifted to the right and left, in front of and behind them, as they now move the sacrament in the days of Corporis Christi and thus again indicate that Christ is a sacrifice, and speak that the stinking faithless priests could sacrifice to God, and that thus the newly sacrificed Christ forgives sin. But this still goes
3) This refers to Nicolaus Hausmann, whom Luther often calls Episcopus Cygnensis. De Wette, Vol. II, 572. He had to deal with the Zwickau prophets.
4) Abname perhaps as much as mocking name. Should this be correct, Carlstadt means: The name "new papists" they confirm with their That 2c.
now somewhat less and more than the mass. But both are against God's honor and a confession of their unbelief, that they also esteem Christ less than the unbelieving Turks esteem him.
(13) In the first statement, the whole of Wittenberg is in error, but they say that they do not mean it that way, and boast that they are so highly exempt from the law that they may also pervert God's word and interpret it differently than God has interpreted his word and way; but how Christian this is, you must judge. You know that Christ did none of these things, that he did not break the law, but fulfilled it; that we may also judge the Wittenbergers according to the law of God and call them wrong, if they pervert the work of the law or do it unjustly, because, where they allowed themselves to be circumcised, we did not rightly call them circumcised Jews? even if they snorted and roared about it. So, I say, they may abolish the sacrament, so we may speak or write of them that they offer Christ, because God has assigned and measured the abolition to the sacrifices.
14 Since they protested that they did not call Christ a sacrifice, and yet sacrificed him by lifting him up or by wrapping him around themselves, you know what a protestation is that is made against substantiam actus. God almost blinded them because of this will of courage and let them fall into many horrible errors.
15. do you as a chivalrous Christian, and also burden the driving, which has a color end-Christian way; fear God, and not men. The time of our life is short, and eternity is approaching. You must remain eternally either in God's wrath and punishment, or grace and joy.
(16) Now some find a new way, who turn to the people, and read the words which Christ spake 2c.; in the other hand they have the sacrament, and say: Take, eat 2c., and take it up: which is ever so devilish and evil as the old custom. Cause: Their abrogation is like the old abrogation, and is as abominable as the old, and has all the vices that the old had, and is more mocking, in that they say to the people, Take, eat, and refuse them the bread; and when they have said, Take away the bread, they say, Take away the bread: And when they have said, Take the bread, and offer it to them, they soon turn back, fearing that one will take that which they have offered, and lay aside the bread. So much so that they promise and do not keep their promises.
(17) If we had kept Christ's order strictly, and considered Christ wise and prudent enough to have instituted and ordained his supper in the very best way, we would not have fallen into so many errors. So also of the
The bread of the Lord is food, and his cup is drink, so that we may use everything in remembrance of him, just as the apostles and their brethren did.
018 To whom did Christ command that he should lift up his supper on high, and show it to the people? But if Christ has not commanded it, how are they so bold as to take hold of such a great prince and lord in his order? Could they tolerate such sacrilege to their statutes? when they have neither redeemed us nor reconciled us to God. I must not teach you how the gospels speak of the custom of the Lord's bread and cup; for the text is in itself light, clear and bright enough. Matthew Cap. 26, Marcus Cap. 14, Lucas Cap. 22, Paul 1 Cor. 11, the other apostles in the stories of the apostles Cap. 2, 46. 20, 11. 27, 35.
19 A communion is called a meal, but a meal is put into the mouth. If it is food or drink, which one eats or drinks in remembrance of another, then you must keep it in remembrance. Now Christ has given us his bread and cup to eat, that we should remember him as one who gave his soul for us, putting himself into the hands of the executioners and devils who bound us and led us to death, as you have heard and know well.
20 In this way and in no other must we take and enjoy the bread and cup of the Lord Christ. He that would do better, what doth he but teach and instruct Christ, and despise the wisdom of Christ? You can take this up with you: Behold, if ye had made an order, and there came a poor peasant to mend your order, could ye suffer it without vexation? Or would you not take it for granted that the peasant wanted to be much wiser than you?
21 But is it not true that Paul says Rom. 8, 6. 7.: "The wisdom of the flesh is an enmity against God, and the death of man"? Truly, truly, all our reason, understanding and wisdom in divine matters is our death, for it is against God and cannot be subject to God. Because our wisdom promises God's wisdom and makes God a fool in all the things that our wisdom finds when it wants to serve God better than God has appointed, as you have heard from the above examples. How well the wise man said: "You shall not follow or trust in your wisdom", Proverbs [3, 7]. Item, Paul: "You should not be wise among yourselves", Rom. 12, 17.
22 You know what Peter heard from Christ, when he wanted to do better than Christ told him, Matthew 16:23. Did not Christ say, "You Satan!" only because he was wise according to his flesh and blood? Now no reason could have punished Peter.
How constant and true is this speech of Isaiah 55:8: "My thoughts are not like yours, and my ways are not like your ways. For God's ways stand, but our ways are as slipperiness in the darkness, Jer. 23, 12. He who stands on his thoughts and ways stands, as he who walks in the darkness on a glue-covered, wet and slippery mountain. That is why God has cast down everything that we or others find. Nothing is good before Him but His own alone. All other things must be rooted out, since Christ says: "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted must be rooted out," Matth. 15, 13. and speaks the same against human fables or teachings, saying: "Behold, the people want to honor me with the teachings of men, but their heart is far from me. Truly far from me, for it despises divine wisdom, even though the splendor seems good and divine.
24. God must have recognized our recklessness long ago and broken it by forbidding it when He said to the Jews, "If you are in the Gentiles, you are in the Jews.
When ye come into the land, and behold good and hard service, which they do unto their gods, ye shall by no means do so as they do," Deut. 12:29 ff. This is what is said: You shall not let the splendor, nor the hardness of divine service, nor anything move you to serve me differently than I commanded you.
The Gentiles had a harder service of God than the Jews, and burned their children in praise of their gods; but the Jews were not allowed to do this, Deut. 18:10. Therefore neither holiness nor hardness nor anything else must be regarded as God's order.
Therefore it is truly diabolical when you write and say that men are so defiant and foolhardy that they want to destroy the order of our Lord Jesus Christ and order his service better than Christ has ordered it for them. All of them are also fragile 1) in Christ.
(27) If you do not take the Lord's supper at all, I advise you to do so; but if you want to have the Lord's supper, keep it in the order of Christ, which is light and bright and does not need my interpretation.
028 If ye be not satisfied, write unto me your infirmities. For I am willing to serve you?
1) brittle - one who breaks his word, hence: unfaithful.