Luther had been prevented from making the journey to Amsdorf by a head ailment; now he asks him to indicate the safest route.
The original is in Cod. Seidel, at Dresden. Printed by Schütze, Vol. I, p. 306 and by De Wette, Vol. V, p. 657. German by Walch, Vol. XXI, 1524.
To the man venerable in Christ, Mr. Nicolaus, the right bishop of the right church at Naumburg, his superior highly honored in the Lord.
Grace and peace! I have heard the man and talked with this man, your pastor at Zeitz, venerable man in Christ; he seemed very good to me. I have been prevented extraordinarily that I could not get to you; afterwards rumors have been spread that horsemen were roaming around. But I will make an effort, if the Lord wills, to start the journey in another, more secret way, as soon as I can. I will wait for the arrival of the prince so that I can learn what has been done. The diocese of Merseburg is putting everyone on edge, which will bring this monstrosity with it) But verbally, as I hope, in a short while. I am reasonably well, read and preach, so that I attribute to Satan the suffering of the head, which I suffered during the journey I made to you, unless God prevented it by His hidden counsel. Nevertheless, if and as soon as you have time, please let me know if you think that the journey via Leipzig and through
1) Luther means the conferral of the episcopal dignity, which after the death of the previous bishop of Merseburg, Sigismund von Lindenau, was transferred to the eighteen-year-old Duke August, the brother of Duke Moritz of Saxony. See Seckendorf, Hist. Luth. lib. III, p.497.
the area of the von Pflug 2) was safe for me. Otherwise I had decided to take the way through Grimma or to the oak. Fare well in the Lord. May 16, 1544.
Your Martin Luther, D.
No. 311 7.
From Martin Gilbert, pastor in Marienberg.
Luther rebukes Gilbert's clumsy expression, which gave rise to the assumption that he teaches that the divine nature also suffered in Christ.
Manuscript in Aurifaber, vol. III, p. 426; in the Cod. chart. 451. I. 402. I. 185. 4th Bibl. Goth. and in the Cod. chart. Goth. A. 1048. Printed in Schelhorns Ergötzlichk., vol. I, p. 81; in Strobel-Ranner, p. 335; in Schütze, vol. I, p. 307 and in De Wette, vol. V, p.658.
Grace and peace! If you have said nothing else or in a different way, my dear Martin, than what you write, it would not be much to blame, except that this word, which you have used, that the whole (integrum) Christ suffered, consisting of two natures, may have given offence. Therefore you should rather have been careful that this should be said after the manner of the apostle. For although it is the same that the whole (integrum) Christ, consisting of two natures, suffered, and that that person of two natures suffered, and all this is right and true, yet 3) you would like to understand something else by the word integer, namely, that the Godhead was separate and suffered in a separate way, since it was also in humanity; this would be of no value. Therefore, you can clearly declare that you meant nothing else than that the person who is Christ, consisting of the divine and human natures, truly suffered, so that it may be said with truth: The Son of God, even the true God Himself suffered, because God is truly man, and man is truly God, in One Person, as Paul says in 1 Cor. 2, 4) 8.
2) That is, through the territory of the relatives of Julius von Pflug, elected bishop by the chapter of Naumburg. - Walch translates Aratrorum terras by: "thy land of the peasants".
3) Here, like all codices, we have omitted si.
4) In the issues: 1 Cor. 1.
Letters from the year 1544. No. 3117 to 3119.
said, "They would not have crucified the Lord of glory." He does not say: they crucified a mere man, but: "the Lord of glory." At another time Other. I am very busy and tired from old age and business. Be well in the Lord. On the day Vocem Jucunditatis [May 18, 1544.
No. 3118.