JEsus.
Brother Martin Luther wishes salvation from the Lord to the most illustrious Prince and Lord, Lord Frederick, Archmarshall and Elector of the Holy Roman Empire, Duke of Saxony and Margrave of Meissen, Landgrave of Thuringia, his most gracious protector.
Those seem to do wisely and rightly who dedicate and ascribe their learned works and the products of their mind to great lords, for by this artifice they achieve for their works both reputation and protection against an adverse fate (which is particularly hostile to them), since what men undertake generally tends to be so that the better it is, the more it is subject to the envy and the furious persecution of malicious people. Hence it comes that both the good sciences and in general that which is based on understanding and learning (since it is beyond dispute that they are very good and worthy of an exceedingly good and special care of man) need in no small measure such people as a Mäcenas and Augustus, yes also a Ulysses, who beat these blasphemers (Thersitas) with the ivory rod. Some have also
This reason for their dedication, that they perpetuate and make famous the names of those to whom they ascribe [their works], having in mind at the same time that they incite the descendants to the same virtue, and inculcate by example that which they praise. Some have the purpose of showing gratitude, and to some extent to repay the good deeds [received], and to give those by whom they have been well received a testimony of their grateful disposition. But for me, Most Serene Prince, none of these reasons exist; first of all, because I know very well that what I accomplish through my work is not of such a nature that it deserves a patron. And in this respect it is not bad for me that I am at least not ignorant of this ignorance of mine. Even if I could still accomplish so much that would be worthy of a dedication, I would not then be anxiously concerned that it would be preserved by a high patron (patrono). Yes, after I have learned from the holy Scriptures how terrible and dangerous a thing it is to let oneself be heard in the church of God and to speak in their midst, of whom it is known that they will be our judges on the day of the last judgment (for before the present ver-
Psalms" is clearly distinguished. Luther's preface to Stephan Noth's translation (which is not found in the Erlangen edition) and the "short instruction on how to read the Psalter in a useful way" (of which the Erlangen edition, vol. 37, p. 248 erroneously says that it "does not yet appear in any complete edition") have been left in our edition, as has Walch. About his oporationos, Luther says in later years, as Mathesius indicates in his Tischreden (Lösche, ^.nalseta, p. 75, No. 52): "There is still an immature theology in it, although the doctrine of justification and against the pope is faithfully pursued. But the Hebrew Grammatica is not quite inside." In contrast, Jonas, speaking disparagingly of his commentary on the Psalms to Luther, said in 1532: "It is of the Holy Spirit; I like it." (Preger, Tischreden Luthers nach den Aufzeichnungen Schlaginhaufens, p. 28.) We translate according to the Erlangen edition, which brings the first Wittenberg printing, but compare the second Basel edition, the Wittenberg and the Jena. - After we had completed the entire translation, we were also able to compare the Weimar edition before going to press.
leumdern I do not fear at all), and that in the presence of God, who sees all things, since the angels watch and all creatures see and hear and incline their ears to the word of God (for it is fitting that one should believe in such a way that everything [that is there] behaves reverently toward the word of God, by which it was made; (and all do so] except man and the devil, who have become deaf through their ingratitude), I would truly have no greater wish than to be allowed to remain silent, indeed, that everything I have ever blabbed about would be erased. It is something hard and frightening to give GOtte an account of any useless word. For it is only obedience to a foreign will, yes, to God's will, that sustains me in the office of the word; as I have always had an aversion to it, so I have never entered into it with my will until this hour. Secondly, what fame, what praise, what immortality of your name could be hoped for by me for you, most noble lord, since you are such a prince who, both by other truly princely gifts and by a very special love for the sciences and learned people, has brought about such a great name and fame that even an Appion could not make an immortal name for you, but you for the Appion and all who praise you. Who does not know that Prince Frederick has become an example to all princes in the promotion of science? In your city of Wittenberg, the Greek and Hebrew languages are taught with great success. The liberal arts are taught with better skill than before; the truthful theology of Christ triumphs over the opinions and questions of men, who neither mean nor ask almost anything. All this is flourishing by your order, at your expense, through your protection. Would God that the ecclesiastical high lords, who in these matters should primarily precede the secular (laicis) princes as models, would at least follow the example of the laity! For such an evil end has come to the wealth and power of the church. But furthermore: What thanks could I possibly give for your exceedingly rich welfare?
what you have done against me, all of which you have done to a person who deserves nothing? At your expense, the badge of honor 1) is placed on my stupid (insano) head, which forces me to appear in public (ostentationis meae), of which I am ashamed; and yet it must be worn, because those whom I am obliged to obey want it that way. But how great worries, troubles, costs, yes, even dangers have brought you, most gracious Lord, my whimsical trade (monstrum), which has arisen for me from the indulgence! Your whole country knows that my prince has had much more concern for my sake than I myself. I have started the game of my own accord (aleam jeci), and have always been ready to dare and expect the utmost. For I hoped that on this occasion, relieved of the teaching of others, I would find a corner for myself and could leave the public, which I hated. But you, most gracious Lord, persevered in your benevolent conduct (officium) toward me, and although I wished to suffer what those [my enemies] fiercely desired to inflict upon me, yet neither of them accomplished what they sought.' But the end is not yet here. But in the meantime it pleases me that it has come to this end, especially because it must be exceedingly grievous to every Christian that some impudent people in the Church of Christ should presume on so great a thing as to succeed in their shameful desires under the name of the venerable authority of the Church. And the kinder, better, more learned a pope is, the greater abominations (portenta) these godless deceivers promise themselves to put into work under his name. For with how many blatant lies have they profaned and defiled the holy name of Leo of the tithe in this one very small matter, in order to frighten a very small monk (fraterculum) and to fortify their atrocious tyranny! But it is not so strange that there are people who desecrate the name of the pope and use it uselessly. Their forefathers have done the same, the false prophets, the false apostles, the false
Christ, who even forced the holy name of God and Christ to serve their lies. Therefore, by God's miraculous providence (dignatione), both the honor of the Roman Church has been preserved completely pure and 1) the reverence for the Pope has been preserved. Only the scheming people (sycophantis) were countered quite nicely and successfully, so that they finally learned that God still lives and reigns, who mocks the mockers. This God, I say, and our Lord Jesus Christ, who alone has in His hand all that we admire in you, most noble Prince, may He look upon it, increase it and preserve it for eternity. So I offer you my prayer instead of my thanks, since I am not able to do anything else.
Therefore, that I have wanted to publish these my works (operationes), they may now be what they want, "works" they are certainly (for I have not dared to call them explanations [interpretationes] or interpretations [commentaria], because I am very well aware how weak they are2) ), under your name, most gracious Lord, I have had no other cause for this than my love. For I have experienced how pure and chaste your heart loves the holy Scriptures, and my heart (to use the words of Deborah. 3) loves such princes [Richt. 5, 9.]. And why should I not tell what I think here, namely the reason of this love of mine, so that those who boast with the title [of a teacher] of the holy Scriptures may see how great a difference there is between a hypocrite and a true theologian. The excellent father Johann Staupitz, who is truly to be highly admired by me in Christ, once told me: "When we were talking with you, most gracious Lord, the subject of those who speak publicly to the people came up. Then you said, according to the admirable sharpness of your judgment, that the speeches based on the acumen and the statutes of men are extraordinarily cold, and lame and ineffective to persuade in our affairs, since nothing is so sharp as this.
1) 6t is missing in the Erlanger and in the Weimarschen.
2) m6U6 8up6ll66ti1i8 - how my household goods are doing.
3) Weimarsche: Vetdore instead of: veddorue.
The only thing that can be put forward with such great majesty and effectiveness, even without our efforts, is the sacred Scripture. But it is the holy Scripture alone that resounds with such great majesty and effectiveness, even without our effort, that it immediately removes and nullifies all artifices of objection (disceptationis), and urges and compels that one must say: No man has ever spoken like this. Here is the finger of God, for he does not teach like the scribes and Pharisees, but mightily. Since he [Staupitz] would have been more than happy to agree with this judgment and to pledge the same, you offered him your hand, demanded that he give you his hand, and then said: "Dear, promise me that you will always stick to this opinion. I beg you, is this not a word and a saying that would adorn even the holiest and highest bishop, and all the more so since it is clear that it was not only spoken in words but also from the heart? How? Do we not yet see who the right theologians are? Finally, the theologians and jurists should be ashamed of themselves, especially those for whom the Holy Scriptures are almost something ridiculous, and who, with their countless cobbled-together glosses, perniciously smear the mouths of those who want everything they say to be regarded as the Word of God (as St. Jerome also complains), as if Christ had said to Peter: Command, or command, or teach, and not rather, "Feed my sheep," that is, set before them that by which they will be fed; but they are fed by the word of God alone, not by the opinions or statutes of men. Furthermore, how rightly you said that nothing can be put forward in such an astute way that it cannot be overturned again, is abundantly taught by the miserable treadmill, 4) in which the Scotists, the Thomists, the Albertists, the Modernists, and all these again divided into their particular sects, waste time. I confess, most noble Prince, that I have been completely inflamed with love for you by this exceedingly lovely story. For I do not know how
4) Erlanger: xristinum instead of: pistrinum.
It comes about that I cannot but love those of whom I hear that they love the holy Scriptures, in turn to hate the trafficers and despisers of the same, in such a way that I am all too vehement on both sides out of impatience, which is peculiar to love, and, as those, my good friends, accuse me, mordantly and gloriously. But they may accuse me as they please, they may attach to me both evil and good names, whether this be done in the first or in the second, or even in the third intention or rather enclosure 1)(lest I verse it in anything in their dialectic): the cause of theology itself they will never take from me, nor even extinguish the love of it, if Christ be gracious to me. I know what scholastic theology has done to me, I know in turn what I owe it. I am glad that I have been torn out of it, and I thank Christ, my Lord, for it. It is not necessary that they teach me the same, I know it; nor that they try to bring it close to me, I do not want it.
Therefore allow it, most noble prince, and I ask you to credit it to my love that I wanted to have this booklet go out under your name, most gracious lord. Now I am already reading the Psalter for the second time in your city of Wittenberg at the urging and request of my dear listeners, and I cannot deny that I owe them this. But I interpret it in the opinion (ita profiteor) that I do not want anyone to expect from me what none of the holiest and most learned fathers has yet been able to accomplish, namely, that I understand and teach the Psalter in all things according to its right sense. It is enough to have understood some of the Psalms, even only in part; the Holy Spirit reserves many things so that he may always have us as disciples. Much he shows only to entice us, much he teaches to move the heart (afficiat), and (as Augustine aptly said) no man ever spoke in such a way that he was understood by all in all things: much more has the Holy Spirit himself the [full] understanding of all things.
1) MV6 prilNNK, 81VS 8LC11I1<IiN' NUt (tlLM toNlgO inttziitionis, INI" impo8itioni8. Luther here mocks the scholastics and their distinctions.
understanding of all his words. Therefore, I must freely confess that I do not know whether I have the right understanding of the Psalms or not, although I do not doubt that the understanding I teach is a true one. For also all that St. Augustine, Jerome, Athanasius, Hilarius, Cassiodorus and others have gathered about the Psalter is quite true, but at times very far from the literal understanding. And also this second lecture of mine on the Psalms^ is quite different (lovZe lategue) from the first, and there is also no book in Scripture which would have cost me more trouble; until I have come to the conviction that one must not reject the interpretation of any man, if it is only godly, if one does not want the same to happen to one (träionis loZo), and one's own interpretation to be rejected again. He has missed some things, but you have missed many; I see some things that Augustine did not see; again, I know that others will see many things that I do not see. What is left, then, but to stand by each other, and to give some credit to those who are lacking, since we ourselves have either already fallen or will fall? So that we may not be counted among the exceedingly bad and repugnant class of people who, although they can accomplish almost nothing that would not be reprehensible, nevertheless, if they, like a briar, can seize an outstanding interpreter even by a trifle, immediately hope for the most glorious (I>0mpchLN08) triumphs. I know that he must have a very shameless stupidity who should dare to say publicly that he has understood even one book of the Holy Scriptures in all its parts. Yes, who would dare to claim that even one psalm has been fully understood by any man? Our life is a beginning and a progress, not a completion; the best interpreter is the one who has come closest to the spirit. When I have reached the moon, I should not immediately think that I have also reached the sun, but I should not proudly despise even the lesser stars. There are stages in life
2) In the Basel and Erlangen: rarnus instead of: rUninnnk. Weimarsche: iNanins.
and action, why not also in understanding? The apostle says [2 Cor. 3, 18.], "that we may be transfigured from one clearness to another." And that I may speak to the matter, I serve only those who do not know these things, and who wish [ that I should speak to them about them]; then at least the benefit will spring from the fact that I have brought this about, that in the meantime I have occupied myself and my hearers with better studies, than if I had put (creassem) over the books of sentences 1) new obscurities and frogs and gnats into the world. But this book, according to my judgment, has a different content from the other books. In the other books we are taught by word and example what to do; this book not only teaches, but also gives the way and the custom how we should fulfill the word and follow the example. For it is not our work to keep the law of God.
1) Sentences were called sayings of the church fathers. The main collector of them is Petrus Lombardus, magistsr ssntsntiariiw, died in 1164. On the basis of his five books other scholastics wrote extensive commentaries. The most important of them are: Alexander of Hales, doetor irrekruMdilis, d. 1245; Thomas of Aquino, doetor anMiieus, d. 1274, and John Duns Scotus, doetor suklilis, d. 1308. Cf. Walch, old ed. XVI, 1386, § 154.
or follow Christ's example, but we must ask and desire that we do so and follow; but when we have attained it, we must praise and give thanks. What is the Psalter but a prayer and praise of God, that is, a book of songs?
Therefore, because the precious Spirit of God, the Father of orphans and teacher of minors, sees that we do not know what or how to pray, as the apostle says [Rom. 8:26.When the Father of orphans and teacher of infants sees that we do not know what or how to pray, as the apostle says, and wants to help our weakness, he does like the schoolmasters who write letters or little speeches for the children to write to their parents, and equips us through this book with words and attitudes with which we should address the heavenly Father, and ask for what he had taught in the other books, that we should do it and follow it, so that man may lack nothing that is necessary for his happiness. So great is the care and goodness of God toward us, who is blessed for ever and ever. May you live and prosper in him, most gracious Lord, here and forever. Amen. Wittenberg, March 27, 1519.
2) Instead of ab, ad is found in the Baseler and in the Wittenberger.