to the Christians at Riga in Liefland.
D. Martin Luther to all dear friends in Christo, in Riga and in Liefland.
Grace and peace from God our Father through our Lord Jesus Christ. I have long been admonished, dear friends, to write something Christian to you, and would have gladly done so, as I am obliged to do, but I have been hindered by all sorts of things, besides that I knew nothing in particular to write, because God, our Father, has so abundantly graced you with His holy word that you can both teach and admonish, strengthen and comfort yourselves among yourselves, perhaps better than we can. But because such is desired of me, I have stolen so much time to awaken my spirit along with yours with a spiritual, divine chant, and have undertaken to interpret the 127th Psalm.
(2) And I have done this so that this psalm may, first of all, finely draw the hearts away from avarice and the care of temporal food and goods to faith in God, and recently teach how one should keep oneself Christian, to acquire and keep temporal goods. For it is to be presumed that neither with us, nor with you, the gospel that has risen will be better than it was in the time of Christ and the apostles, even from the beginning of the world. For not only the evangelists, but also all the prophets complain that avarice and the care of temporal goods almost hinder the fruit of the gospel. The noble word of God falls among thorns and is suffocated, so that it does not bear fruit, as experience, unfortunately, shows us all too clearly every day. And Paul also complains [Phil. 2, 21],
*The German Knights of Lydia had already turned to the Gospel, especially the German citizens in the cities of Niga, Reval and Dorpat. Since 1521, Andreas Knöpke (Cnophius), who was expelled from Treptow in Pomerania at the same time as Joh. Bugenhagen, had been proclaiming to them the righteous word of God. On August 20, 1522, the secretary of the city of Riga, Johann Lohmüller (De Wette III, p. 490 writes Luther's name like this, otherwise we also find "Lomoller"), addressed a letter to Luther, in which he urgently asks him in the name of the whole church of Liefland, because of their love for the gospel of Christ and for Luther's teachings, to address any letter to them, or to dedicate a writing to them. (This letter is found in Kappens "Kleine Nachlese", Theil II, p. 545.) Luther complied with this request first by a missive to all Christians in Riga, Reval and Dorpat in Liefland in August 1523 (Walch, St. Louis Edition, Vol. X, 1760), then in the following year also by our writing, which he addressed to them. It appeared in Wittenberg under the title: "Der hundert vnd Sieben vnd zwentzigst Psalm ausgelegt an die Christen zu Nigen ynn Liffland. Martin Luther. Wittemberg. M.V.XXIIII." The Erlangen edition lists four other editions besides this one with similar titles and no indication of the printer. It was not until 1534 that an edition with the printer's name appeared in Wittenberg under this title: "Der hundert vnd XXVII. Psalm. Nisi Dominus edisicauerit domum. How to keep oneself Christian, to acquire good time, and to keep it. Interpreted by. Mart. Luther. Wittemberg. M.D.xxxiiij." At the end with the song in song notes: "Vergebüss ist all mühe vnd kost" 2c. Signature of the printer: ,/Printed at Wittemberg by Görg Rhawen. 1534." In the collections: in the Wittenberg (1553), vol. Ill, p. 66 b: in the Jena (1585), vol. II, p. 364; in the Menburg, vol. II, p. 755; in the Leipzig, vol. VI, p. 550 and in the Erlangen, vol. 41, p. 128. Also in De Wette, vol. II, p. 595. This writing was translated into Latin by Vincentius Obsopoeus. It is found in the Latin Wittenberger (1558), torn. VII, Ir>I. 510 and in Aurifaber's collection of letters, tom. II, toi. 205b. Only the Erlangen edition reproduces the text according to the latter single edition of 1534; at the conclusion of the writing are these words: "Folget der Psalm: Xisi üominnk miOitinnvsrit 0omnm, in a beautiful song verfasset. (See the same at the end of this volume.)" But at the end of the volume it is not written. We assume that the song is not by Luther, because it is not found among his spiritual songs, nor does any of the above-mentioned collections have it. Although De Wette calls the edition of 1534 (Vol. II, p. 595) an improved one, it is in truth only a somewhat altered one. The title is expanded, the text of the psalm is no longer that of 1524, but instead the later one of our Bible is inserted; furthermore, the marginal gloss to the 127th Psalm (St. Louis edition, vol. VIII, 1750); then the Summarium on the same (ibick. vol. IV, 187). Also, the interpretation does not agree with the text, and errors have crept in here and there, e.g., § 7 "honestly" instead of: "conjugally"; "Thüren" instead of: "Thürn", which is Thürme, 2c. Thus, in this form, it is no longer Luther's original letter. We have therefore retained the original relation with Walch, but compared it with the Jena edition, De Wette and the Latin.
Every man seeketh his own, not that which is of Jesus Christ.
3. I have now preached and written much that good schools should be established in cities, so that learned men and women could be educated and become Christian, good pastors, preachers and housemothers 1), and the Word of God would abound; so they are so lazy and casual about it, as if everyone wanted to despair of food and temporal goods, that methinks it will come to pass that both schoolmasters, pastors and preachers will have to perish, and go away to crafts or otherwise, that they will let the word go, and resist hunger; just as the Levites had to leave [the] service, and till the ground, when Nehemiah writes [Cap. 13, 10.].
But is it not a pitiful pity that until now a city with four or five hundred citizens could give five, six, seven hundred florins only to the mendicants, without what bishops, officials, and other oppressors, in addition to what other beggars and stationers have stolen. In addition, today such a city should give five or six hundred guilders annually for parret alone; let us not mention the cost of spices, silks, gold, pearls, and other useless things; yes, what beer and wine is wasted! that, if one adds it all up, such a city annually throws far more than a thousand guilders into the dirt. Such a poor, miserable, lost regiment is now in German lands. But if it were to give a hundred guilders or two for a good school and a preacher's chair, yes, one would have to become poor and a beggar, there we have nothing, there avarice and concern for food reigns, there one wants to die of hunger.
5. But what will God say in the end? He will say: "What the wicked fears will come to him" [Proverbs 10:24]. We fear hunger, hunger will strike us, and no care will help us. And because we are so careful without all need, as the unbelieving Gentiles, that we do not promote his word and work with that which he has given us for it.
1) "and housemothers" in the Wittenberg and in the Jena, missing in De Wette and in the Latin.
2) Parret (Pirret, Parreth, Biret) berets.
he will let a time come when we will have enough to worry about, and yet we will not be able to support ourselves. And if it happens, as it should, that a cruel theurge comes, then it serves us right, because we want it that way.
(6) Before, we gave the seducers, priests and monks, who violated our mothers, wives, daughters and sisters and made them whores, who oppressed us with sacrilege and violence, so that we had to die as among the devils, and murdered our bodies and souls with poisonous teachings, and drove us into hell: to them we not only gave enough in the most superfluous way, but also land and people, cities and castles, and made them greater lords than we ourselves are or have. But now God sends us pious, faithful, learned people, who help to discipline and chastity with words and works, and make less fornication through divine marriage, serve us with all diligence in body and soul, and show the right road to heaven, we leave them. And those whom we should fetch with all food from the end of the world, we almost keep, as the rich man kept the poor Lazarum, lind are now not able to feed three pious, learned, married 3) preachers, since we have previously received a hundred whoremongers in all splendor. Well, what pleasure God will have in this, we will know shortly. We are not to be told that he will once again plug our ears and not listen. There are still some on earth, if they lay their head, it will be found.
7. nothing better, but only another and worse pabstium set up, which will destroy us more horribly (if it were possible), than this has done; as without doubt will and must happen, if the last day does not strike. We want to be deceived, seduced, maltreated and defiled; as wisdom laments, Proverbs 1:24 ff: "I called, and you refuse; I stretched out my hand, and no one respects it; you spurn all my counsel, and forsake my punishment; I will also laugh at you when you perish, and mock at you when it comes upon you, that
3) Erlanger: "honest". In the other editions: "conjugal", also in Latin.
you fear 2c. Then only shall they cry, but I will not hear them; so shall they eat of their fruits, and be filled with their counsel."
Therefore, I will sing another little song to serve such avarice, if some may still be awakened to help us endure the wrath of God longer. And that shall be this Psalm, which has such a superscription:
A Song of Solomon on High.
(9) Why this psalm and some others are called "songs on high" I do not know. Some think that this is why the priests and Levites sang such psalms when they went up to the temple, on the stairs or steps; that is why they call them step songs or stair songs. But this is not true, nor does it have any basis in Scripture; nor did they sing on the steps, but in the temple.
But if it were up to me and my opinion, I would think, and let myself think, that these psalms are sung with a high voice, as boys or women sing against the male voice, and that the same is called Lamnazeah in some psalms, that is, sung with a high voice, 2c. But because the manner of the Levites to sing has passed away, it is uncertain what we say of it; nor is there great power in it, if only we had the mind of the psalm right.
(10) Solomon made this psalm, and was not enlightened by the Spirit alone, but, as he practiced in daily government and dealt with people, he experienced manifoldly how in vain unbelief labors with worries to provide for the belly, when it is all in God's blessing and keeping. For where he does not bless, no work helps; where he does not protect, no care helps, and so he says: