After "Luther's Great Interpretation of the First Book of Moses" has been included in the first two volumes of our edition, "Luther's Sermons on the First Book of Moses" from the years 1523 to 1526, as well as the interpretations of the following books of the Old Testament up to the Psalms exclusive, follow in the present volume. The text of all these writings, which are given in the table of contents, has been improved and corrected to the best of our ability, and in the first note to each writing the necessary information is given about the occasion, time of writing, publication of the same 2c. A special introduction is therefore not required.
Through the Luther finds in the Zwickau Rathsschulbibliothek we were put in the position to make more exact and correct time determinations for some of the writings than could be done in the previous editions, e.g. for Luther's sermons on the first book of Moses, for the sermons on Gen. 3, 15. and on Gen. 22, 18.; for the annotations
to the fifth book of Moses; the dates for other writings, e.g. "Luther's interpretation of some chapters of the second book of Moses", are confirmed by the same finding.
Two major writings of this volume have been newly translated from the Latin, namely (according to the Weimar edition): "Die zehn Gebote dem Volk zu Wittenberg gepredigt" and (according to the Latin Erlangen edition) "Luthers Anmerkungen zu dem fünften Buche Mosis". Although the full, pure light of the Gospel does not yet shine in all parts of the former, it is also rich in salutary teachings and extremely interesting due to the detailed description of customs and traditions in the age of the Reformation, and has great value as a historical document of the Reformation. The old translation of the latter scripture is full of errors that disturb the meaning, which are partly to be put on the account of the translator, and partly probably also of the printer; e.g. (according to the old edition) Col. 2294, § 13 "carnal" instead of: falsely (per-
vorse); Col. 2323, § 30: but the parents who strongly resist her (the virgin], instead of: who strongly resist him (Christo); Col. 2332, § 16: it reads cruelly, instead of: it indicates from cruelty (atrociter sonat:); Col. 2336, § 26: that the stepmother should not take the son, instead of: that one should not take the father's wife (uxorem patris non accipere); Col. 2347, § 8: the law soon to follow, instead of: the law just preceding; Col. 2349, § 13: who is a new plant of faith, instead of: a neophyte in faith. Col. 2349 s., § 13: the children of the bridegroom, instead of: the wedding people (filii sponsi); Col. 2405, §44: "my enemies" instead of: arrows; Col. 2412, §24: "of gold" instead of: of solde (mercede); Col. 2418, §4: seduced by false similarity of the little words, instead of: deceived by the similarity of the expression, and the like.
Although "Luther's Lecture on the Book of Judges" 1) recording healthy
1) "Dr. Martin Luther's Lecture on the Book of Judges. From a manuscript in the Zwickauer Rathsschulbibliothek edited by Georg Buchwald, Dr. Phil. Cand. Theol., senior teacher at the grammar school in Zwickau. Leipzig, Julius Dreschers Verlag. Before this manuscript was included in the Weimar edition, Kawerau once again compared the text with the manuscript and improved it. Buchwald himself had placed it 1. e. p. 10 in the year 1529 or 1530, whereas Köstlin in his preface to Buchwald's edition lets the lectures be held in the year 1516 or 1517. The latter. The Weimar edition agrees with the latter assumption, but says (Supplements to Vol. IV) that the starting date assumed by it (1516) is also uncertain. This much is certain, it is a pre-Reformation writing. About the manuscript, the Weimar edition says: "It is a
In the Weimar edition, Vol. IV, p. 527, we have not been able to decide to give this writing a place among the "Luther's interpretations of the Old Testament" because of its fragmentary and otherwise doubtful nature. Should, however, the venerable ministry of the Synod of Missouri, Ohio and other states desire it, we shall add it to a supplement volume.
In the last writing of this volume, "Of the Last Words of David," a
Clean, but with little understanding, fair copy prepared from a college booklet. The manuscript does not extend evenly over all chapters of the book of Judges; it breaks off in the interpretation of Cap. 18 sCap. 15 and 17, shows gaps and has a fragmentary character; it was probably an incomplete and unevenly made postscript that was available to the scribe. The numerous errors in the manuscript suggest that the scribe himself had not been the listener of the lecture, but only relied on the faulty postscript of another for his work." In another place, under the "Supplements" to the 4th volume of the Weimar edition to p. 569, note I (so to read instead of: "To p. 610, note 1."), it is said about a citation from a letter of Erasmus to Nicol. Everardus, May 15, 1524: "The similarity is so great that it can only be based on borrowing, and this can only be put .... on the account of the transcriber of the judge's lecture, since the lecture itself was necessarily delivered far earlier than this letter of Erasmus was written or published (1524 or 1529). But is the assumption warranted here that the author of the Zwickau copy.... . has supplemented gaps in the Collegienheft available to him at his own hand, then it is highly probable that also the multiple pieces borrowed or excerpted from Augustin are to be put on account of this writer, yes perhaps also the passage on p. 538, which sounds so strongly like Luther's V666M praeeexta" - We are firmly convinced that the passage just mentioned is borrowed from "Die zehn Gebote dem Volk zu Wittenberg gepredigt". Cf. Col. 1218 of this volume.
of Luther's most important writings, we have been able to correct some passages and bring others closer to understanding by comparing them with Cruciger's Latin translation.
May God in His grace also bless this work, so that through it we may commemorate our dear Savior, the LORD
We know that we can recognize Jesus Christ ever better and, as Luther says (Col. 1959, § 139), "may thus see the Father and the Holy Spirit, One God, eternally. To him who has the Son, the Scriptures are open, and the greater and greater his faith in Christ becomes, the brighter the Scriptures shine to him." Amen.
St. Louis, circa Michaelmas 1894.
A. F. Hoppe.