Manuscript in Aurifaber, vol. III, p. 417; in Cod. Movacens. in 4to , no. 88, no. IV, p. 59 and in Cod. Movacens. 90, no. VII, p. 389. Printed by Schütze, vol. I, p. 281 and by De Wette, vol. V, p. 594, as by Luther. In contrast, in Corp. Ref., vol. V, 203, as written by Melanchthon. That the latter is correct is evident by comparison with the preceding number. Luther signed as decan.
The Dean of the College of the Theological Faculty at the Academy in Wittenberg, Martin Luther, sends his greetings to all who will read this letter.
We give thanks to the eternal God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that He has chosen, founded and preserves a church in the Son, and continues to raise up some skillful teachers, as Paul teaches: "He ascended on high and gave gifts to men, some as prophets, some as apostles, some as shepherds, some as teachers. Therefore, it is not doubtful that wholesome teachers are God's gifts. Nevertheless, God wants an office of teaching; He has handed down to His Church the writings of the prophets and apostles, wants them to be read and known, and indicates His will in them; through this reading He instructs the minds, calls them and draws them to Himself. Therefore it is commanded concerning the study of the divine Scriptures [Col. 3:16], "Let the word of Christ dwell among you richly, teaching and admonishing yourselves." Therefore, God also calls and chooses from among the crowd of learners skillful and wholesome teachers. For this purpose, theological schools were established by the prophets and apostles according to divine counsel, and were subsequently maintained and continually restored by God. As we must now faithfully guide the studies, so it behooves us to give testimonies in view of the church to those who are called to offices, and the proclamation of our testimony is done by recognizing the [doctoral] degree according to the customary manner of the school. However, since Mr. Friedrich Bachofer 2) from Leipzig has been working for a long time on the
2) Cod. Monacens. 90: Bachofen.
Letters from the year 1543. No. 3055. 3056.
When he lived in the school of our church, we knew that he was of a good nature and of honorable and godly manners. Having worked diligently in philosophy and in the study of the languages, Latin and Greek and Hebrew, he diligently listened to the commentators of the prophetic and apostolic Scriptures, and compared the proven ancient writers, so that he might certainly hold the opinion of the general Church of Christ. Therefore, for the sake of his scholarship and godly conduct, he is ill called by our church to the fellowship of the evangelical preaching ministry 1) where he has given an excellent test of his scholarship and shown that he accepts in truth the unanimous teaching of the general church of Christ, which our church also follows, and he abhors all fanatical opinions that are condemned by the judgment of the general church of Christ. Since he was then appointed by the council of Hammelburg, we considered that he should be recommended by a public testimony. Therefore, since his morals were godly, and his scholarship was approved by us, which we had long recognized from his sermons and disputations, and he promised constancy in the godly doctrine which he has so far confessed to us, the dignity of Doctor of Theology was publicly conferred upon him by the pronouncement of the College, so that a testimony of our judgment about him would be available. And this we testify by this public letter, and ask the eternal God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that He, since He has called him to the evangelical preaching ministry, help him so that his ministry may be happy and beneficial, as it is written [Phil. 2:13]: "It is God who works that we may will what is good, and helps that we may accomplish it according to His good pleasure, that is, that something pleasing to Him may be done. For the greatest part of the human race, which senselessly despises God, proceeds in deeds of shame, against which God is terribly angry. But so that the whole human race does not perish, God pulls out some of them.
1) Among the number of deacons in Wittenberg, Seidemann also lists "Friedrich Bachov from Leipzig, 1542 f." in De Wette, vol. VI, p. 514, note 3.
No 3056.