From the last words of David, 2 Sam. 23, 1-7. *)
Preface.**)
1 St. Jerome writes that he was moved to reinterpret the Biblia from Hebrew into Latin, that the enemies of Christ, the Jews, mock us Christians, as if they had
we do not have the correct Biblia, which was then in use throughout Christendom, because it lacked some words and letters that would be much different in Hebrew; which
*) In his second great writing Against the Jews, "From the Appearance of Camphoras," Luther says that the best translators of the Bible have allowed themselves to be influenced too much by the rabbis, and thus lacked the analogy of faith. Then he continues (Walch, St. Louis Edition, Vol. XX, 2107, F 190): "For I myself have followed their translation about too much, that I must recant, especially 2 Sam. 23 in vsrdi" novissirnis Duvüi, as I will soon do." Luther fulfilled this promise immediately. Still in 1543, our writing was published in Wittenberg by Nickel Schirlentz under the title: "Von den Letzten Worten Davids. D. Wart. Luther." In it, Luther shows in the most glorious way that only those can have the right understanding of the Holy Scriptures who look at them in the light of the New Testament, that is, in the faith in the only Son of God, Jesus Christ, D. Caspar Cruciger translated our writing into Latin. During this work he fell ill, but nevertheless completed it on November 15, 1549, and died the next day. (IVitt. [1549s, Dorn. Ill, col. 130 d.] LI. Georg Rörer first included it in the third volume of the Wittenberg Latin edition published in 1549, but then it also came out separately under the title: Ds novissirnis vsrkis Davittis Oorninsntutio pia st sunota, Martini Dntüsri wüsolo^ins Doctori", (isrinuniss sxplioata ak antors, st in Datinnm ssrinonsrn oonvsrsu, stnrlio st ttiliMntia Osspuris OrnoiMri, D. Dlisolo^ias. Xnno prirnnin ssorsirn säita, Dipsius in ollicina Vslsntini Dapas. Xnno M.D.D. O[1. Maii. In the collections, the German script is found: in the Wittenberger (1856), vol. V, p. 536; in the Jenaer (1562), vol. VIII, p. 137; in the Altenburger, vol. VIII, p. 304; in the Leipziger, vol. IV, p. 302; and in the Erlanger, vol. 37, p. I. The Latin translation is found in the Latin Wittenberger (1549), Dorn. Ill, col. 911>. We give the text according to the Erlanger, which follows the first edition, comparing the Wittenberger, the Jenaer and the Latin.
before also moved others more, as, Aquila, Theodotion, Origen 2c., until that one had at the time with sixfold interpretations, which they called Hexapla. So now, in our time, there is also so much interpreting, that perhaps in time (as happened then) so many bibles will come, so many masters will be in the Hebrew language, that there will be no end.
2. And this must also happen in the end, if one wants to turn to what the Jews say or judge about our Bible, who are not one among themselves, so stretching and tearing the Bible with their grammar that one can certainly (where one should follow them) never come to a unified Bible, because each rabbi wants to be better than the other; They must also all confess that in some places they do not understand the words, much less have a pure, certain Hebrew Bible, without any deficiency, even to speak according to the grammatica, let alone the theology, in which they are nevertheless to nothing at all.
(3) Therefore such mockery of the Jews does not concern me, and for the sake of their judgment I did not want to know one letter in the Hebrew language. The reason is this: We Christians have the sense and understanding of the Bible, because we have the New Testament, that is, Jesus Christ, who promised in the Old Testament, and who came afterwards, bringing with him the light and understanding of the Scriptures; as he says John 5:46: "Moses wrote of me; if ye believed Moses, ye would believe me also." Item, Luc. 24, 44. 45.: "It must be fulfilled, what is written of me in the law, prophets and psalms. And opened their minds, that they might understand the scriptures."
For there it is, there it lies, there it remains: Whoever does not have this man, who is called Jesus Christ, Son of God, whom we Christians preach, right and pure, nor wants to have him, let him leave the Bible alone, that is my advice, he will certainly be offended, and the more he studies, the more blind and foolish he becomes, whether he is a Jew, a Tartar, a Turk, a Christian, or however he wants to boast. Behold, what did the heretics Arianis, Manichaeis, Pelagianis 1) and countless others lack among us Christians? What did the pope lack? Have
1) Erlanger: Pelagianus.
Did they not have the certain, bright, powerful words of the New Testament? What is lacking in our rotten ones at this time? Do they not have the New Testament clear and certain enough? If the New Testament were to be translated according to any such mad devil's head, how many New Testaments would we have to have?
(5) Now, if it should be wished and chosen, either that I should have St. Augustine and the dear fathers, that is, the apostles' understanding in the Scriptures, with the defect that St. Augustine sometimes does not have the right letters or words in the Hebrew, as the Jews mock; or if the Jews should have certain letters and words (which they nevertheless do not have through and through, everywhere) without St. Augustine and the fathers' understanding, that is, with the Jews' understanding, it is well to reckon what I would choose. I let the Jews go to the devil with their understanding and letters, and lead to heaven with St. Augustine's understanding, without their letters. For although Augustine cannot, as the Jews do, say Kikajon, since he says cucurbita, Jonä 4, 6. item, cannot say veniet Hemdath, since he says veniet Desideratus, Hagg. 2, 8. and the like, his faith does not break the neck nor the leg, because he knows the right man, who is called Way, Truth and Life, of whom the prophets prophesy and testify; as said.
6 Again, the Jews, because they do not accept this Christ, cannot know nor understand what Moses, the prophets and psalms say, what right faith is, what the ten commandments want, what the examples and histories teach and give, but the Scriptures must be to them (according to Isaiah 29:12). Prophecy) as a letter to one who cannot read, who sees the letters very well, but does not know what they give, as the German proverb says: A white field, in it is black seed, many a man passes by who does not know what is there. But he who is able and ready to read runs over, grasps the meaning, regardless of whether he does not actually look at some letters or words. Before the other one spells a word, he has read the whole letter. Thus, a musician has sung a song before the other searches and finds whether it is a sol or fa in the clave.
7 Look at the fine man Lyra, who is a good Hebrew and faithful Christian, how he does such good work, where he goes against the Jewish mind, according to the New Testament. But where he otherwise follows his Rabbi Solomon, how coldly and lazily he goes off, that it has neither hands nor feet; whether he certainly has the words and letters, nor is he even better and purer than they all, both old and new Hebrews, who follow the rabbis too much. Truly, one must not make diligence with interpreting and glossing, as one brings the Rabbis' and grammarians' understanding among us Christians; without that, it sticks to itself all too readily, like pitch and glue, even if one wants to beware of it deliberately. For the letters and examples of the others blind the eyes, that one sometimes lets the sense of Christ go, where it should not be, so that the Jewish mind creeps in unawares, as has happened to all interpreters, none excepted, not even me.
8. summa, if we do not turn our diligence to draw the Hebrew Bible, wherever it will suffer, to the understanding of the New Testament, against the mind
of the rabbis, it would have been better to remain with the old interpretation (which has the best and most out of it, through the New Testament), than that one should have so much interpretation (for the sake of a few oters, which should be different, or still uninterpreted), 1) which misleads the reader's memory, and hinders his study, and makes it more uncertain than before.
(9) Therefore I have taken upon me for an example to interpret the last words of David, not as they are translated, when I followed all the others, lest I should be wise alone; but now I will be self-willed, and follow none but my spirit. Whoever does not like it, let it go. It is not the first time that I write what others do not like, I am well used to it (praise God). For I, in turn, do not put up with everything that others write. Let each one see how he builds on the foundation, gold or wood, silver or hay, precious stones or straw. The day of the Lord will reveal it (1 Cor. 3:12, 13).
1) This parenthesis translates Cruciger: proptsr pauos. yuasäam loea, ubi ant Hbraiva Isotio niia sst, and quorunäum voeum lutsrprstatio nonärnu esrtu öst.