Luther complains about the evil times. News.
Manuscript in Aurifaber, vol. III, p. 437 and in Cod. chart. Goth. 451, fol. 185.8. printed in Innocent News, 1704, p. 828; in Tob. Eckhardi Mss. Quedlinburg. p. 91; in Strobel-Ranner, p. 330 and in De Wette, vol. V, p. 642. German in Walch, vol. XXI, 1332.
To the highly famous man, Mr. Justus Jonas, Doctor of Theology, Provost at Wittenberg, envoy of the Lord to Halle in Saxony, his most esteemed superior.
Grace and peace! I have nothing, my dear Jonas, what I could write, only that I ask and hope that the day of our redemption is near. For everywhere the whole world is so moved and shattered, the Word is so struggling with the gates of hell that it is necessary,
that this movement of the bodies and minds must bring about a very great change of things. For in this way the world cannot exist or remain. According to this, those unbelievable monstrosities, namely the alliances of the most Christian (rather the most wicked) king and of the most holy (rather the most terrifying 1)) Pabst with the Turk, something the like of which has not been seen in many centuries. Who would have thought that we would come to these times and see such terrifying things? Of these eclipses and signs the mathematicians have foretold nothing, but only he who says: And there will be great signs. In truth, these are signs, they are truly great. Let us pray and rise up with our heads lifted up; our salvation is drawing near, amen.
Those diseases have also prevailed in this city. 2) All my children have suffered from them at the same time. All my children have suffered them at the same time, and of them my Margarethlein has contracted a fever and still suffers great heat.
The Frenchman is said to have about thirty thousand Turks in France, not from Asia, but from Africa, and it is believed that he wants to invade Luxembourg or even Trier. God have mercy on us. Germany will be exhausted by heavy impositions. Summa, these are the beginnings of the evils, God wanted, also the end of the sins and this death, amen.
Greet your wife and all yours and ours. Fare well in the Lord. Thursday, Easter week [April 17] 1544.
Your Martin Luther, D.
No. 3109 .