(Regest.)
Whether secular authorities are obligated to abolish idolatrous ceremonies, and whether city councils may make changes to religion in cathedral churches.
This concern is written in Latin by Melanchthon and signed by Luther, Bugenhagen, Cruciger, Jonas and Melanchthon. It is found in Pezel's Mel. Consil. lat., P. I, p. 260, and from it and from a copy in Cod. Galli II, p. 368, in the Corp. Ref., vol. III, 224. The above regest in De Wette-Seidemann, vol. VI, p. 177 and in Burkhardt, p. 274. The reason for this concern is as yet uninvestigated.
No. 2331.
Concerns of the Wittenberg theologians for the preachers in Erfurt.
(Regest.)
Answer to the question: whether the true church of Christ is at Erfurt? This concern is similar in content to what was written in No. 2004 to the clergy at Erfurt, and is signed by Luther, Melanchthon, Pommer, Jonas and Friedrich Myconius.
From Innocent News 1715, p. 380, ex Msto, reprinted in De Wette-Seidemann, vol. VI, p. 178.
No. 2332.
To the Elector Johann Friedrich.
The Elector had instructed Luther to draw up articles for the purpose of the negotiations to be held at the Concilium. Luther had drafted them (later called the Schmalkaldic Articles), consulted with some of his colleagues, and now sent them to the Elector.
Letters from the year 1537. No. 2332. 2333.
The original is in the Weimar Archives, Reg. H. 120. Printed in De Wette, vol. V, p. 45 and in the Erlangen edition, vol. 55, p. 167.
To the most illustrious, highborn prince and lord, Lord John Frederick, Duke of Saxony, Archmarshall and Elector of the Holy Roman Empire, Landgrave in Thuringia and Margrave in Meissen, my most gracious lord.
Grace and peace in Christ, and my poor Pater Noster 2c. Most illustrious, highborn prince, most gracious lord! By E. C. F. G.'s writing and orders, I have summoned Niclas Amsdorf, M. Eisleben, 1) and M. Spalatin to come here on the day of Innocentium [Dec. 28, 1536] or the next thereafter (for Er Just 2) and Friedrich are too far away for us). To these I have submitted the articles that I myself have written (according to E. C. F. G.'s command), and have discussed them with them for several days due to my weakness, so that I have fallen three times, as I have fallen eight times, due to Satan, otherwise I would have hoped not to discuss them for more than one day. And as these are confirmed by them with their signed hand, I hereby send to our dear confrere and good friend, M. Georgen Spalatinum, E. C. F. G., as they all commanded me and asked me to do so. In addition, I also ask you to do this for the sake of all of us, because some people suspect us and say that we priests (as they call it) want to put you princes and lords with lands and people in danger with our stiff-necked behavior. 2c, E. C. F. G. would graciously refrain us from doing so; for where it should be yearly for others of lesser rank, let alone E. C. F. G. himself, together with other lords, lands and people, we would much rather take it upon ourselves alone. Therefore, E. C. F. G. will know well how far and wide they want to accept such articles; for we do not want to burden anyone else with this, but ourselves alone, leaving everyone free who wants to take care of himself.
1) The Elector did not like that Eisleben appeared on the day in Schmalkalden, because of the relationship with Ulrich of Würtemberg; he should therefore provide the court preacher position or be used for the visitation; according to the letter of January 9 (Burkhardt).
2) "Er Just" is Justus Menius in Erfurt; "Friedrich" is Friedrich Myconius in Gotha.
with nor will load or not load. E. C. F. G. be hereby commanded to the dear God. Midweek after the New Year [3 Jan.] 1537.
E. C. F. G. submissive Martinus Luther, D.
No. 2333.
January 7, 1537.
Elector Johann Friedrich to Luther.
From a copy in Cod. Chart. at Gotha, No. 452, fol. 240, printed in Kolde, Analecta, p. 285.
GOtt walts.
Johann Friedrich.
Our greeting and gracious will beforehand. Worthy, dear devotee! We have received your letter together with the articles in which you, by God's grace, compared yourselves with the other theologians, your fellow ministers, through M. Spalatinum, and give thanks to God Almighty and our Lord Christ that He has given you health and strength to produce such articles in such a Christian, pure and honest manner, and that He has given you grace that you have compared yourselves with the others of your kind unanimously, Christianly, and also fraternally and kindly, 3) and also take your diligence and effort, which you have shown therein for the benefit of the common Christianity, as a gracious favor, 3) also accept your diligence and effort, which you have put into it for the benefit of the common Christianity, as a gracious favor and thanks, and also from the fact that you have not changed your mind in anything, but are constantly based on the Christian articles, which you have always taught, preached and written, and which are also built on the foundation, our Lord Christ, which the gates of hell are not able to overthrow, and which will also remain well before the Pope, Concilio and his followers. May the Almighty God grant us all His grace through our Lord Christ, so that we may remain in it with constant, true faith, and that no human fear or discretion may turn us away from it 4).
3) Kolde: "take".
4) Kolde: "or güt düncken, thereof" 2c.
Letters from the year 1537. No. 2333. 2334. 2335.
let. And we can well consider that there are people who speak of such and other divine dealings in such a way that you and others, who preach and describe the holy gospel purely and loudly out of divine desire, lead (lead) into strife, danger and trouble. But what these people ask about God and His only saving Word, and what they worry about, can well be inferred from this, and also that they care little about living under the Pabstacy or the Turks, if they would only have peace, quiet and good, peaceful days with their mammon, and from time to time they would scrape up more good things for themselves. But we know, praise God, that the things which you lead from the divine word, and which we confess to be divine and right, are not human, but divine things, and which want to be known before the world, and not denied, so that we do not have to be subjected to the frightening saying that because we do not know him before the world, he does not want to know us before his heavenly Father either. Since these things have been given the opportunity, and the articles have been written in such a way that no one can overturn them with divine truth, they are also so clear and understandable that we, as a layman, in praise of God and in accordance with the previous Augsburg Confession, consider and understand them to be Christian and right, and do not know any further advice about them after we have read them for the second time, but accept them as divine, Christian, and right, and wish to have them freely confessed before a council and before the whole world, even if it should come to that, and ask God to give grace to our brother and us, and also to our descendants, so that we may persevere and remain in them constantly and without wavering.
But as far as the dangers and journeys are concerned, which our country and people, as well as [other] 1) persons, might encounter because of this, [we want to] 1) turn them over to God, after he says that the hairs on our heads are all numbered, and we may not lose any of them without his divine will: He will also, for the sake of the journey, decree and make it according to His divine will with our brother, with us and our children, with the land and the people, to whom we will restore it to His will, for He has chosen us to be a prince. If it is his will, he will keep us well, but if it is not his will, no worrying about danger will help, because he will.
1) Added by us.
as is pleasing to him, to whom we have recommended it, and in your prayers and those of other Christians.
For the sake of the pope, we have no hesitation at all in opposing him most vehemently. For if, out of good opinion and for the sake of peace, as M. Philip claims, 2) we let him remain a lord who commands us and our bishops, pastors and preachers, we would put ourselves on the road and in trouble, because he would not rest and his descendants would not be able to completely destroy and exterminate us and all our descendants, which we do not need at all, because God's word frees and redeems us from it. With our wisdom, and since we have once been freed from our Babylonian prison by God, and have again put ourselves in such danger, thus tempting God, it should be imposed on us by God, which will otherwise remain without any doubt. We did not want to restrain you on your letter of gracious opinion, and hope that our God will grant you grace, strength and health, that you may make the journey with us towards Schmalkalden, and that you will help to make these and other things right and bring them to a good end. Date.
Sunday after Trium Regum [Jan. 7] 1537. To D. Luther.
No. 2334.