In 1546, individual editions of this document were published in Wittenberg and Frankfurt, including One without indication of the location. Printed in the Wittenberg edition (1559), vol. XII, p. 460 b; in the Jena edition (1562), vol. VIII, p. 383b; in the Altenburg edition, vol. VIII, p. 847; in the Leipzig edition, vol. XXI, p. 693; in Walch, vol. XXI, 280* and in the Erlangen edition (but only in the first edition), vol. 1, p. 57.
I. On the 23rd day of Januarii, at the request of the noble and well-born Counts and Lords of Mansfeld, the venerable Doct. Martinus Luther departed from Wittenberg and spent the first night in Bitterfeld.
2) And the demand for Doctoris Martini from the well-meaning counts was made for the reason that between their graces many and great errors and afflictions had arisen some time ago, from which the lordship of Mansfeld had suffered all kinds of misfortune.
Nachlese, No. XXII.
For this reason, the Counts have asked Doctor Martinus, as a native of Eisleben and of their grace's dominion, to take part in the negotiations and to try as much as possible to reconcile and settle the matters. However, although Doctor Martinus did not care to get involved in such worldly affairs, but waited for his profession with preaching, reading, writing, and other things, as manly aware, with the utmost diligence, he nevertheless, for the sake of his fatherland, brought the same to agreement, and that the counts might be amicably reconciled with each other, he did not want to refuse or reject this journey, even though it would have been quite inconvenient and burdensome for him to travel at such a time and to burden himself with these things, and it would have been contrary to his use. For this reason, he traveled that day, as mentioned above, from Wittenberg to Eisleben in the name of the Almighty.
On the 24th day of January he arrived at Hall at eleven o'clock in the morning and lay with D. Jonas at the hostel.
On the 25th, 26th, 27th of January he stayed in Halle, prevented by water, and on the 27th day, which was the Tuesday after Paul's conversion, he preached there in Our Lady's Church, from the Actis Apostolorum, about Paul's conversion.
5 On Thursday, which was the 28th of January, he crossed the water from Hall, together with his three sons and D. Jonas. Jonas, truly with some danger, on the barge across the water, so that he himself also said to Doctor Jonas: "Dear D. Jonas, would this not be a fine favor to the devil if I, D. Martinus, were to die in the water with three sons and you? and then traveled to Eisleben.
6. And after he arrived on the border with a hundred and thirteen horses before Eisleben, he almost became weak in the wagon, so that his life was also taken; but when he was rubbed with warm cloths in the inn, he ate and drank the evening, and was satisfied, complaining no more; but before on the wagon, as the illness struck him, he said: This is what the devil always does to me, when I am about to do something great, that he tries me beforehand and attacks me with such a torment.
7) From the 29th day of January until the 17th day of February inclusive, he was in Eisleben in the act, and in addition to the act preached four sermons, once publicly received absolution from the priest (who held communion at the altar), and communicated two times.
At the other communion, namely on Sundays on Valentine's Day, he ordained and consecrated two priests himself according to apostolic custom.
8 From January 28 to February 17, we have heard from him many fine, comforting speeches, since he often thought of his age and that he would retire at home when he returned to Wittenberg, as well as many important comforting sayings of the Scriptures over the table, laid out in the presence of the counts and the rest of us who sat at table with him, which are to go out in a special list in his time.
9 And especially every evening, for 21 days, he went out of the large room from the table to his little room at eight o'clock, or often before that, and stood in the window for a good while every evening, praying to God so earnestly and diligently, that we, Doctor Jonas, M. Cölius, Ambrosius, his servant, Johannes Aurifaber Vinariensis (after we were quiet), often heard some words, wondered; then he turned out of the window, cheerfully (as if he had laid down a burden) and generally talked with us for half a quarter of an hour, then went to bed.
On Wednesday, February 17, the lords and earls of H. G. H. himself asked, and we all asked, that he not go to the great rooms in the morning to perform his duties, but to rest; so he lay in his little room on a leather bed, and also went around and prayed in the little room; nevertheless, in the evening and in the morning he sat down at the table in his chair in the great room. And that same supper before (when he passed away blessedly in God shortly before three o'clock in the morning) he spoke many important words and discourses about death and future eternal life, among others saying: 1) Oh dear God, 20 years is a short time, nor does the little time make the world desolate, if man and woman would not come together according to God's creation and order; how much more is it a vain creation: God gathers His Christian church a large part from the little children. For I believe that when a child of one year dies, a thousand or two thousand children die with him. But if I, Martinus, die of three sixties, I do not think that sixty or a hundred of them will die with me through the world; for the world does not grow old now. Well, we old people must therefore live so long that we look the devil in the butt, so much wickedness, infidelity, misery of the
1) What follows in this paragraph is found (somewhat modified) in all editions of the Tischreden, Cap. 3, §49, with the exception of the St. Louis edition, where this passage is referred to.
Erl. 1, 59 f.
Nachlese, No. XXII.
W. XXI, 283*-286*.
We are witnesses to the fact that the devil has been such an evil spirit. Human race is like a sheepfold of sheep for slaughter.
11) The Lord Doctor also pondered these questions over the table the same last evening, namely, whether we would also know each other in that blessed, future eternal assembly and church? and when we diligently asked the report, he said, "How did Adam? he never saw Evam his whole life, and lay there and slept; but when he awoke, he did not say, where do you come from? what are you? but: The flesh is taken from my flesh, and the bone from my legs. How did he know that this woman had not sprung from a stone? Therefore it happened that he was full of the Holy Spirit and in the true knowledge of God. To this knowledge and image we shall be renewed again in Christ in that life, that we shall know Father, Mother, and one another face to face, better than Adam and Eve.
Not long after these words he got up and went into his room, and his two little sons, Martinus, Paulus, M. Celius, soon followed him, he lay down in the room in the window to pray according to his habit; M. Celius went down again and Johannes Aurifaber Vinariensis came up. Celius went down again, and Johannes Aurifaber Vinariensis came up, the doctor said: "But I am sore and afraid as before, about my breasts; then Johannes said: "I have seen, when I was the preceptor of the young gentlemen, when they were sick about their breasts or otherwise, that the countess gave them a unicorn; if you want it, I will get it; the doctor said yes. Before going to the Countess, John hurried downstairs and called D. Jonas and M. Celio, who had not been out for over two days, and quickly ran upstairs.
When we came up, he complained hard about his chest, because we rubbed him with warm cloths from hour one (according to his usage, as he used to do at home), which he felt and said: it would be better for him; Count Albrecht himself came running with M. Johann, bringing the unicorn, and the Count said: How are things, O dear Doctor? The doctor said, "There is no need, my lord, it is beginning to get better. Then Count Albrecht himself scraped the unicorn for him, and after the doctor felt improvement, he left him again, leaving one of his advisors, Conrad von Wolframsdorf, next to us, D. Jona, M. Celio, Johann, Ambrosio, with him, and at the doctor's request, the scraped unicorn was given to him in a spoon with wine, and Conrad von Wolframsdorf was given the unicorn.
Beforehand, the doctor had taken a spoonful himself (so that he would be less shy).
14 Then he lay down safely at 9 o'clock on the little resting bed, and said: If I could slumber for half an hour, I hoped that everything would be better. He slept gently and naturally for an hour and a half, until 10 o'clock, when we, Doctor Jonas and M. Michael Celius, together with his servant Ambrosio and his two small sons, Martins and Paulo, stayed with him.
When he woke up at 10 o'clock, he said, "See, you are still sitting; don't you want to go to bed? we answered: No, doctor, now we shall watch and wait for you. With that, he got up from his resting bed and went into the chamber near the living room, which was protected from all air by windows; and although he did not complain there, yet when he crossed the threshold of the chamber, he said, "God, I am going to bed. In manus tuas commendo spiritum menm, redemisti ins, Domine, Deus veritatis.
16 When he went to bed, which was well prepared with warm beds and kisses, he lay down and shook hands with all of us and said good night. Jonah and M. Celi, and the rest of you, pray for our Lord God and his gospel, that it may be well with him; for the Concilium at Trent and the wicked pope are angry with him. Jonas, his two sons Martinus, Paulus, his servant Ambrosius, and other servants stayed with him in the chamber.
For these twenty-one days, light was kept in the chamber every night, but the same night the parlor was kept warm; he slept well, snorting naturally, until the seiger struck one, when he awoke and called his servant Ambrosium to heat the parlor for him. When the room had been kept warm all night, and Ambrosius, the servant, came back, Doctor Jonas asked him if he was feeling weak again, and he said: "Oh, God, how I am in such pain. Oh, dear D. Jonas, I think I will stay here in Eisleben (where I was born and baptized). To which D. Jonas and Ambrosius, the servant, answered: "Oh, Reverend Father, God our heavenly Father will help through Christ, whom you have preached. Then, without any help or guidance, he went through the chamber into the parlor, and, crossing the thresholds, he spoke these words as he went to bed: In manus tuas commendo spiritum meum, speak
1) "Betten" put by us instead of "breten" in the Wittenberger and "brettern" in the Jenaer.
Erl. 1, 60-62.
Nachlese, No. XXII.
W. XXI, 286*-289".
misti me, Domine, Deus veritatis. Once or twice he went back and forth in the parlor, then he lay down on the resting bed and lamented that it was pressing him very hard around the chest, but it was still the most beautiful thing in his heart.
18 Then they rubbed him with warm cloths, as he desired, and as was the custom in Wittenberg, and warmed him with kisses and paws; for he said that it was good for him to be kept warm.
19 Before all this, and as the doctor was lying down on his bed, M. Celius came running out of his chamber, close to ours, and soon after him Johannes Aurifaber. Then the innkeeper, Johann Albrecht, the town clerk and his wife were awakened in a hurry, as were the two physicians in the town, who all came running in a quarter of an hour (since they lived close by).
20 First the host with his wife, then M. Simon Wild, a physician, and Doct. Ludwig, a physician; soon after, Count Albrecht with his wife, who brought all kinds of spices and refreshments with her, and who did her best to refresh him with all kinds of strength; but in all of this, the doctor said: Dear God, I am very sore and afraid, I am going there, I will probably stay in Eisleben. Then D. Jonas and M. Celius comforted him and said: Reverend Father, call upon your dear Lord Jesus Christ, our High Priest, the one mediator, you have left a great good sweat, God will grant grace that it will be better. Then he answered, and said, Yea, it is a cold dead sweat, I will give up my spirit, for the sickness multiplies. Then he began, and said:
O my heavenly Father, a God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, God of all comfort, I thank thee that thou hast revealed to me thy dear Son Jesus Christ, in whom I believe, whom I have preached and confessed, whom I have loved and vowed, whom the wicked pope and all the wicked revile, persecute and blaspheme. I beseech thee, my Lord JESUS CHRIST, that my soul may be 1) commanded unto thee. O heavenly Father, even though I must leave this body and be torn from this life, I know with certainty that I will remain with you forever, and no one can tear me out of your hands.
1) Marginal gloss: Seelichen he spoke actually, without doubt, to humble himself before God, as if he should say: Like a poor creature I am against you, you great, infinite, eternal majesty.
22. further he also said: Sic Deus dilexit mundum, ut unigenitum filium suum daret, ut omnis, qui credit in eum, non pereat, sed habeat vitam aeternam ["Thus God has loved the world" 2c.], Joh. 3,16. And the words from the 68th Psalm, v. 21.: Deus noster, Deus salvos faciendi, & Dominus est Dominus educendi ex morte. That is German: We have a God of salvation, and a Lord Lord, who leads us out of the midst of death.
23) In this the magister 2) tried a very delicious medicine, which he always had in his pocket for emergency, of which the doctor took a spoonful; but he said again: I am going, I will give up my spirit; therefore he said three times in a hurry: Pater, in manus tuas commendo spiritum meum, redemisti me, Deus veritatis. Ps. 31,6. When he had now commanded his spirit into the hands of God the heavenly Father, he began to be quiet; but one shook, rubbed, cooled, and called to him; but he closed his eyes, did not answer. Then Count Albrecht's husband and the physicians stroked his pulse with all kinds of tonics, which the doctor had sent him and which he himself used.
24 While he was so silent, D. Jonas and M. Celius strongly called out to him: "Reverend Father, do you want to die to Christ and the doctrine as you preach? he said so that it could be heard clearly: Yes. With that he turned to his right side and began to sleep, almost a quarter of an hour, that one also hoped for recovery; but the physicians and we all said that sleep was not to be trusted, shone lights diligently under his face.
25. In this Count Hans Heinrich of Schwarzenburg, together with his spouse, also came; after which the Doctor soon paled greatly under the face, his feet and nose became cold, he had a deep but gentle recovery of breath, with which he gave up his spirit with silence and great patience, so that he no longer moved a finger or a leg, and no one could notice (we bear witness to this before God on our conscience) any restlessness, torment of the body, or pain of death, but passed away peacefully and gently in the Lord, as Simeon sings.
26. that the saying of John 8 was true in him: "Truly I say to you, whoever keeps my word will never see death forever", which saying of John 8 is the last manuscript, so he also wrote in the Bible for the people's remembrance, and the same his manuscript to Elrich Hans Gasman, the Hohnstein Rent
2) Simon Wild.
Erl. 1, 62-64.
Nachlese, No. XXII.
W. XXI, 289*-292°
master, in front in a house postill, which saying the dearest hearty father thus laid out: 1)
Never see death again.
"How unbelievable this is spoken, and contrary to public and daily experience; nevertheless it is the truth. If a man earnestly contemplates the word of God in his heart, believes it, and falls asleep or dies over it, he sinks and passes away before he understands or becomes aware of death; and he has certainly passed away blessed in the word which he thus believed and contemplated." Under this was written: Martinus Luther Doctor. 1546, happened on the 7th 2) day of Februarii.
27 When he had passed away in the Lord, and Count Albrecht, his husband, and Schwarzenburg 2c. were terrified together with us, still crying out that one should not desist from rubbing and lavishing, everything that was humanly possible was done, but the body became colder and colder and more deadly. And after the dead body had lain on the resting bed for three quarters of an hour, they made three underbeds of many feather beds next to it, and cloths on top, hard by the resting bed, into which they lifted it, hoping (as we all wished and prayed) whether God would still give mercy.
Before daybreak, at four o'clock, the noble and highborn prince and lord, Lord Wolf, prince of Anhalt, the noble, well-born counts and lords, Philippus, Johanns Görg, brothers, Count Volradt, Count Hans, Count Wolf, also brothers, counts and lords of Mansfeld, and other lords, and of the nobility, came.
The body was left lying on the bed from four to nine, that is five whole hours, when many honest citizens came and looked at the dead body with hot tears and weeping. After that, he was dressed in a white Swabian gown and laid in the chamber on a bed and straw until a pewter coffin was cast and placed in it. Many of the nobility who knew him, husband and wife, several hundred, and a very large number of people, saw him lying in the coffin.
On February 18, the body was left in the inn, Doctor Trachstet's house.
On February 19, at two o'clock after noon, he was carried into the main parish church of St. Andres according to Christian custom, with great honor and spiritual chants, where he was buried.
1) This is in the "Interpretation of Many Beautiful Sayings," St. Louis edition, vol. IX, 1828. See the note there.
2) The Wittenberg edition offers: "on the 17th day".
Princes, counts and lords, among them also Count Gebhart with his two sons, Count Görgen and Christoffel, together with their wives, and a very large number of excellent people, accompanied and followed.
As soon as the body was placed in the choir, Doctor Jonas preached a sermon, which is excipitated; first, about the person and gifts of D. Martini. 2. of the resurrection and eternal life. 3. warning the adversaries that death would have power behind it, against Satan's kingdom, about the locum 1 Thessal. 4, 13. f. The body was left in the church during the night, guarded by ten citizens.
When, however, at the request of our Lord, the Elector of Saxony, the body was to be brought to Wittenberg (which the Counts and Lords of Mansfeld also liked to keep in their dominion, but nevertheless let follow the Elector as a favor), a sermon was preached early on the 20th day of Februarii, which was the Saturday after Valentine's Day, which was preached by Es. Michaelem Cölium, on the saying Es. 56, 13.: Justus perit & nemo considerat ["The righteous perishes, and there is no one who takes it to heart"].
34. And after that, between twelve and one beat, he was again led out of the city of Eisleben with all honor and Christian customs and songs, where again the above-mentioned princes, counts and lords, and besides Count Gebhart with two sons, Count Görgen and Count Christoffel, also Counts and Lords of Mansfeld, together with Count Gebhart's husband, and their wives (as if they had been at the church before), and a large number of people followed devoutly, and led the body to the outer gate with many tears and weeping; So they came with him this evening as far as the hall.
35 In Eisleben, before these church ceremonies were all used, two painters thus abconterfeited the dead face, one from Eisleben, while he was still lying in bed in the parlor, the other, Master Lucas Fortennagel of Hall, since he had already lain in the coffin for a night.
When he was led out of Eisleben, the bells rang in almost all the villages on the way from Eisleben, and the people ran out of the villages, men, women and children, and gave signs of serious compassion. So we arrived outside Halle after five o'clock, and as we approached the city a little, citizens and townspeople came out far along the Steinweg, and as we entered the city gate with the
Erl. i, 64 f.
Nachlese, No. XXII.
W. XXI, 292*-295*-.
Leich come, are the two parish priests (after the Superattendent D. Jonas followed the Leich) St.. Ulrich and Mauricji, and all the ministers of the Gospel, also an honorable council of Halle, together with a large number of all council persons, also the whole school, schoolmaster, with all his boys, with usual funeral ceremonies and chants went to meet, also a large powerful people, among them many honest citizens, many matrons, virgins, children, came to meet at the outermost gate, with such loud wailing and weeping that we heard it back there in the last rearmost carriage. And when one went up the streets of St. Moritz, the old market, as well as on the bridge and in the gate, there was such a big crowd around the wagons of the Leich and others that one often had to keep still in the streets and on the market, and one came very late, almost half past six, to the church of Our Lady of Halle.
The church of Our Lady was very crowded everywhere, since they cried out the psalm "Aus tiefer Noth" 2c. with piteous, broken voices more than they sang, and if it had not been so late, a sermon would have been preached, and so the corpse was hurriedly carried into the sacristy, and guarded through the night with some citizens.
38 The following morning at six o'clock the corpse was brought out of Halle again with bells ringing, which had been done before in all churches, and honest, Christian accompaniment to the gate, as on the evening before, accompanied by a whole honorable council, all preachers and the schools there.
The lighter departed from Hall on Sunday, February 21, to Bitterfeld. Februarii to Bitterfeld, there on the noon brought, there on the border, and also in the small town the deputies of our most gracious Lord, the Elector of Saxony, the Captain of Wittenberg Erasmus Spiegel, to thieves 1) Gangolf of Heilingen, to Brehne Dietrich von Taubenheim, the two counts, and us, who led the corpse, have accepted and brought the evening to Kemberg, where one then, both to Bitterfeld and Kemberg, with usual Christian ceremonies the corpse honestly accepted and accompanied.
40 On Monday, February 22, the noble and well-born counts and lords, Count Hans and Count Hans Hoier, counts and lords of Mansfeld (as they then rode safely from Eisleben with 55 equipped horses), in front of Witten
1) This is: Düben.
Soon the Rector, Magistri, and Doctores and the entire laudable university, together with an honorable council, and the entire community and citizens, were assembled at the gate (as previously ordered by the Elector); the ministers of the Gospel and the school, with the usual Christian chants and ceremonies, proceeded along the entire length of the city from the Elsterthor to the castle church.
41 Before the. The above-mentioned deputies of U. G. H., the Elector of Saxony, and the above-mentioned two young Counts and Lords of Mansfeld rode in the 65 horses without danger. And next after the carriage, on which the body drove, his wife, the Doctor, Catharina Lutherin, together with some matrons, was led on a little wagon; after that his three sons, Johannes, Martinus, Paulus Lutheri, Jakob Luther, citizen of Mansfeld, his brother, Görg and Ciliax 2) merchant, his sister's sons, also citizen of Mansfeld, and others followed the friendship. After that Magnificus Doctor, Rector of the laudable University, with several young princes, counts, barons, so in the University of Wittenberg Studii half abstain. After that the body was followed by D. Gregorius Brück, D[ominus] Philippus Melanchthon, D. Justus Jonas, D. Pomeranus, D. Caspar Creuziger, D. Jeronymus 3) and other oldest Doctores of the University of Wittenberg. Then all the doctores, magistrates, and an honorable council, together with the council persons, then the whole great heap and splendid crowd of students, and then the citizens, such as many citizens, matrons, women, virgins, many honest children, young and old, all with loud weeping and wailing in all the alleys, also on the whole market the crowd was so great, and such a quantity of the people, that it was reasonable to wonder in a hurry, and many confessed that they had not seen such a thing in Wittenberg.
When the corpse was brought into the castle church, it was placed in front of the sermon seat; first Christian funeral hymns were sung, then the venerable Mr. V. Pomeranus appeared and preached a Christian, comforting sermon for several thousand people, which will also be given during the day.
According to the sermon of D. Pomerani, the Lord Philip Melanchthon, out of special cooperation with
2) "Ciliax" == Cyriacns.
3) "Jeronymus" - Hieronymus Schurf.
and to comfort the church, a beautiful Funebrem Orationemi, which has already gone out in print, and will subsequently also go out in German.
After the oratory had ended, the body was carried by some learned magistrates, who let the body into the grave, and thus laid it to rest; and thus the precious organ and instrument of the Holy Spirit, the body of the venerable D. Martini, was laid to rest there in the castle at Wittenberg, not far from the preaching chair (since he had preached many powerful Christian sermons before the churals and princes of Saxony and the entire church). Martini, there in the castle of Wittenberg, not far from the preaching chair (where he preached many mighty Christian sermons before the princes and rulers of Saxony and the whole church), was laid in the ground, and as Paul 1 Cor. 15, 43. says: "Sown in weakness, that he may arise in glory on that day."
(45) May the eternal heavenly Father, who called the aforementioned D. Martinum to the great work, and our Lord Jesus Christ, whom he faithfully preached and confessed, and the Holy Spirit, who gave him such special joy, great courage and heart through his divine power in many high battles, help us all to such a Christian departure from this miserable life and to the same eternal blessedness.
We, D. Justus Jonas, and M. Michael Celius, and Johannes Aurifaber Vinariensis, above-named, as we have been at the blessed father's end, from the beginning to his last breath, testify to this before God, and to our own last journey and conscience, that we have not otherwise heard, seen, together with the princes, counts, lords, and all who come to it, and that we have not otherwise told it, than as it has gone and happened everywhere. God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, grant us all His grace, Amen.