Brief Preface.
The day of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ is approaching, which must be celebrated and praised with joy in the Church, as at all other times, especially on the days which were dedicated to the memory of His most holy and salvific birth by our ancestors, with the intention that the memory of this supreme good deed, the ineffable mystery, and the incomprehensible mercy and luminosity of God, according to which God Himself may be renewed.
the Creator of heaven and earth, condescended to come down into our flesh and become like us in everything, except sin. The greatness of this inestimable and supreme benefit is infinite, and so great that the human mind cannot fully comprehend its extent, at least on this earth. And when godly hearts taste even a few drops of this inexhaustible beneficence and infinite benevolence of God towards us, they are filled and overflowed.
*Apart from the short interpretation on the prophet Isaiah (sebobn in Lsniam), Luther later gave more extensive? Erklärungen über einzelne Stücke desselben, nämlich gegen Weihnachten 1543 (die Ausgaben bieten 1544), wo er seine Vorlesungen über die Genesis deshalb anderthalb Monate lang unterbrach, über Jes. 9, 1—7. und in der Passions- und Osterzeit 1544 über Jes. 53. (Köstlin, Martin Luther ,(3rd ed.(ß vol. II, p. 599.) The former statement is not to be confused (as the Erlangen edition did in its index, vol. 65, p. 55) with the sermon Luther preached on the same text in 1526, which is found Walch, St. Louiser Ausg, Bd. XI, 1972; just as little (which the editor of the German Seckendorfische Historie des Lutherthums p. 2806 encountered) may the shorter interpretation of the 53rd chapter, which is found in the Wittenberg edition (1556) Bd. V, Bl. 286b, in the Altenburg Bd. VI, p. 357 and in Walch, Bd. VI, 984, be confused with the more extensive explanation. Both interpretations, which Rörer had picked up from Luther's mouth, appeared only after his death; the former together with the interpretation of the second Psalm under the title: Lunrrutio ksalmi seoundi n Uemsreudo D. Martmo Imtbero dietata et eoUsetu u Vito Dbeodoro Xoriberg. üuarrntio Gap. uoui I^suiae a D. lVIartiuo Outlmro dictata et u dobnuim I'redero ooUeotu. 'iVitvberMM per dobaunem ImM 1546. At Rörer's request, Johann Freder from Pomerania took over the preparation of Rörer's notes for printing, which we learn from the dedicatory letter of b February 1546, in which he dedicated this book to Bishop Nicolaus Amsdorf of Naumburg. This writing is then included in the Latin Wittenberg edition (1552), tom. IV, tob 145b and into the Erlanger, oxo^. opp., tom. XXIII, p. 297. In German Uebersetzung it is found in the Leipziger, vol. VII, p. 83 uno by Walch. The more extensive explanation of the 53rd chapter was published by Stephan Tücher in 1550 under the title: I^uarrutio 53rd (Wapitis üsuiue propbetao ex praeiootiouibus Ueuoroudi patris O. ^Inistiui Imtberi summa üde et diiiASutia eolleetu, Xuuo 1544 et uuuo (boe 1550 auuo) primum in lneern aodita. Imprint ^InAdeburZi per Niebaelem bottborum. 1550. at the end: MnAdeburZue ex otüeinu D^poArapbma MiebneUs bottberi. This writing is also found in the Latin Wittenberger (1552), tom. IV, koi. 145b and in the Erlanger, exeZ. opp., tom. XXIII, p. 439; German in the Leipziger, vol. VII, p. 369 and in Walch. In all editions except the Erlanger, these more extensive explanations are appended to the respective chapters of the short interpretation, and we have also retained this arrangement, since it seems expedient to us.
The same hearts with true and thorough joy. And the joy that devout souls feel from this benefit is so great that it accompanies us into the rest of our lives, and that we can never get enough of it in eternity, nor can even the angels ever be satisfied with this joy for all eternity, since they praise and extol this benefit of God with constant and everlasting praise, sing with us, are happy, and rejoice, wishing us happiness from the bottom of their hearts; so much is lacking that they should begrudge us this.
2. Therefore, if the state of my health suffers otherwise, let us set aside for a time the history of the patriarch Joseph, in which we are now engaged in the interpretation of the first book of Moses, and during these days now approaching, let us consider the Incarnation of the Son of God, our Lord, which is the greatest work of all works, and the most glorious miracle of all miracles, and such a great benefit to the human race that we would give up our spirits in great joy if we could grasp and measure the greatness of this benefit with our hearts.
But this cannot happen in this life, in this weakness. No power of eloquence can explain this supreme good deed and mystery with words, no human mind can reach it with thoughts: That the Son of God deigns to become man and my brother; that he so joins me, so excludes himself from me, so unites himself, so closely and so closely unites himself with me and attaches himself to me, that no man on this earth, even if he were bound to me with the most intimate bond of friendship and with the most sacred right of closest blood friendship, could be devoted to me with greater and closer kinship, more intimate and more connected; that I can and should expect more and greater things from him, and more important things, than from any man in the world, even if he is most devoted and devoted to me, that the inclination of his love for me is infinitely more ardent than the love of the most tried and trusted man in the world.
The love of a brother for another whom he loves dearly, or the love of a godly father for his little son whom he loves most tenderly.
4. although, as I have said, the human mind cannot fully grasp and comprehend the greatness of this benefit, and cannot exhaust this inexhaustible fountain of infinite mercy and kindness, yet we must strive to taste a few drops of this benefit, and suckle at the breasts like little children, and be nourished with milk and soft food until we grow strong, and grow into a perfect man, who is in the measure of the perfect age of Christ [Eph. 4, 13.]. Therefore, we must be diligent and persevering in the contemplation of the divine word, so that these benefits are brought into the ears, eyes and hearts, inculcated, instilled, attached to them, and the memory of them must be renewed continually, lest they be forgotten among us, lest, being sluggish and sleepy, we fall away from so great a benefit, and through our laziness, carelessness and ingratitude lose these inestimable goods. For this reason, the Church has decreed certain days on which, putting aside all other business and worries with which the human race is occupied after the Fall, we are to do this most wonderful work of God, which was decided in the secret council of the Trinity before the beginning of all things out of the most ardent love for us exceedingly wretched human beings, and which was accomplished at a certain and predetermined time, and we are to speak among ourselves with pleasure of this exceedingly comforting union of the divine and human natures of Christ, which no human, indeed no angelic tongue can sufficiently explain. And in this way we shall not only comfort ourselves, but also endeavor to propagate this only salvation and light of all nations to the posterity, according to the example of the prophet, who rejoices with joy in the spirit, and breaks forth into these words:
V. 2. The people walking in darkness see a great light etc.
5 This text has been challenged by Satan in many ways, especially by the Jews. It has not been explained in the same way by our people either. Therefore, we must strive to have a pure and simple mind, and throw away all thorns, briers and thistles, which prevent us from being certain, without any wavering, and without any doubt, that this passage cannot be understood by anyone other than the Son of God, who was born of the virgin. Where this understanding is not certain and fixed before all things, it brings no true joy, no benefit follows, but doubt remains; as long as this is there, the human mind can have no true joy, no thorough peace. For the conscience wants to be so instructed and fortified that it can hold on to something certain about the work of its blessedness, and say: The matter is indeed thus, and not otherwise. If faith is to be certain in itself, and not waver and succumb, then the heart must have this sense and this joy of faith, and be fixed in it. If another and again another sense and nose is ascribed to the text, then all comfort and even the reason for joy is annulled. Therefore, we must make every effort to have the pure, simple, genuine and unified sense of the Holy Scripture, where it can be had, as it can certainly be had here.
(6) The Jews scoff at ours, saying, This passage is not properly drawn by us from Christ, because it can and should be understood by another. But I ask: Tell me by which other it should be understood? What is his name? They say: Hezekiah. For Isaiah was his teacher, whom Isaiah brought up in such a way that great hopes were placed in him. This one was given as a gift, as the future king of justice and peace. This one was also a peaceable, godly and just king. Therefore, this son, of whom he speaks that he was given, should and can be understood by him. The people also rejoiced at that time over the slain war army of the
King of Assyria, about Sanherib, who was killed by his sons, about the booty it had collected in the war. At that time also the clothes and everything were stained with blood etc. These were, they say, the causes of the great joy that Isaiah describes here. This is the opinion of the Jews of this text.
(7) But they are far, nay, utterly mistaken. And whoever holds with this opinion of the Jews has lost both the true text and the highest joy, which this text gives us. The text itself disproves these fables and gossip, and convicts the Jews of quite obvious error. For it speaks of such a child and son, who is born and given to us, who sits on the throne of David, that he may judge him and strengthen him from now on until eternity, whose reign shall be great, and his peace shall be without end. Here answer me, thou Jew, and whosoever else thou art that makest this text to waver, and turnest it to another thing, and drawest it not to Christ, whether Hezekiah hath made his dominion great? whether he hath had peace without end? whether he hath strengthened the kingdom upon the throne of David from henceforth even for ever? 1) Name me one who is a prince of peace, that is, of everlasting peace, and a king of righteousness, that is, of everlasting righteousness. Name him, I say. For these are clear words: "His reign shall be great, and there shall be no end of peace." You, Jew, must not pervert the words of the prophet, you must not twist and weaken his speech; that does not take place, that you teach him, and put into his mouth what he should speak. He speaks too clearly here for you to distort his meaning and twist it to your own opinion. He says: "A child is born to us, a son is given to us. His dominion shall be great, and there shall be no end of peace."
8) The angel repeats this when he speaks to Mary in Luc. 1, 32. 33: "God the Lord will give him the throne of his father David, and he will be king over the land.
1) In the Erlangen edition the words are missing: st sorroUorationsrn [nxsr [sdsrn David a inodo st ns^ns in 8smpitsrnuni?
House of Jacob forever, and his kingdom shall have no end." Here the kingdom is given without end, and is given to one person, not to descendants; it is given to one child and this son, who has no descendants. This Person is but One, but the same is to Himself an everlasting King, and a King of everlasting righteousness and peace. What can be objected here either by a Jew, or by reason, or by any man? It is said: The kingdom shall always be enlarged (and though this enlargement may be perverted, yet that which follows, and is connected with it, cannot be perverted), the kingdom shall be eternal, having everlasting peace, righteousness, and judgment. Now take all the kings from the first beginning, whom Josiah, Hezekiah, Solomon, David, and as many of them have been, to whom one could point this: surely you will have none.
(9) Neither is father nor mother given to this son (though it is given to him, but not by name). Nor does he say that this son or this offspring will have subsequent heirs. Nevertheless, he shall have a kingdom eternal in increase, and a kingdom of everlasting righteousness and life. This can be none other than the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour, and none other besides Him. Let him arise who can overthrow and refute this. I would certainly like to see and hear him; but no one will ever appear. For none other can be found than this our Savior, who was born of a child, that is, was truly man, sat on the throne of David, and reigned over the house of Jacob. And the angel Luc. 1, 32. 33. clarifies these words when he says: "The Lord will give him the throne of his father David" etc. These are not the angel's words, or at that time first of all brought forward by the angel, but they are taken from this passage; for he did not use his own words as well as those of the prophet.
10 Accordingly, this text concludes by a clear and irrefutable implication that this child and this son are natural and
must be true God, because to give eternal peace, to bring eternal justice, to reign forever, is as much as to sit on the throne in the kingdom of God. And this is done by God alone, these things belong to God alone. Then he also concludes that he is a natural and true man, because he is the son of David.
Isaiah was enlightened with a great light and incredible revelation of the Holy Spirit, because he described so clearly and precisely both the humanity and the divinity of Christ. And like Isaiah, the other prophets also preached the Messiah very clearly, and insisted that he was true God and one Lord over all, just as we also preach. But as our papists hear and believe, so do the Jews. But this is the unbelievable and greatest wickedness of the Jews, and obdurate obstinacy and godlessness, that they not only read the prophets, but also hear today that it is so clearly taught, so obviously proven, that Christ is true God and man, and yet with such great diligence falsify and corrupt the most obvious text.
12. there are also among the Christians such people, who do it here, like the Jews judaizant). I would never have believed that our bishops and shepherds would be so ignorant and lazy that they would let the Jews become so powerful against this so clear text that they have even overturned the faith of some Christians and drawn them to the Jewish religion. Therefore, this must be diligently and often impressed upon the people, so that they may be guarded against the Jews and Mahometists, so that if they should ever get into a dispute with the Jews, they may be able to refute them.
(13) Therefore we must be careful above all things to cut down and refute the hedges and thorns, that is, the false opinions, and to throw them away, and to have a purified text, so that we may be sure that Isaiah speaks only of the one Lord, our Savior JESUS CHRIST, who is true God and man. For if we want to rejoice in the unspeakable mercy of God, then this must be established with us and believed by us, it must necessarily be before
Be certain of all things and stand firm that we are brothers and fellow angels, and lords of devils, lords over the world, death, hell, sin. For the prophet uses splendid and peculiar words. He says: "You have broken the yoke of their burden, and the rod of their shoulder, and the rod of their driver." Likewise, "A child is born to us." These words testify that through this Son great things, yea, verily the very greatest things, were accomplished; but what He did, He did not do for Himself; He did not seek His best; what He acquired, He did not keep for Himself; but what He did, what He endured in labor and toil, what He took upon Himself in burden, He did for our sake, He sought our best. He has earned and deserved eternal righteousness and peace and the eternal kingdom for us.
14 But you may say, "How did he acquire and bring these things to me? How will I one day be made a partaker of his righteousness, peace and kingdom? By what ways and means can I attain to it? I do not feel righteousness but sin in my flesh, and I am dead in sins, and I see that the whole human race dies in sins and is caught in sins; I feel that in my flesh I am tempted, caught and carried away to avarice, to pride, to lust, to adultery; in short, I feel nothing but pure sin. Where is sin taken away here, and how does it happen? Where shall righteousness come from? Through the law? But the law doubles this evil; it stirs up sin and increases it; it only makes wrath and death more bitter, because the sinner, when he feels the greatness of his sins and hears the judgment of the law, must necessarily be oppressed by death, terrified in heart, and struck down. For this is the irrevocable saying of the law: Cursed be every man that doeth not all things which are written in the book of the law etc. [Deut. 27:26, Gal. 3:10.]
(15) Therefore, the law can do nothing but bring death and kill; it is the most cruel and ruthless driver and killer.
Executioner, it tortures, torments, distresses and anguishes the sinner in the most miserable way. I find nothing of comfort, advice, hope, help or refreshment in it. If I flee from it, I cannot escape from it; it keeps me trapped and bound in the middle; instead of one devil, seven of them present themselves to me, so that nowhere remains open for escape, and the sinner has no protection at all in the law.
16 What hope is there here, what help? There is nothing anywhere but in Christ alone. In him alone I lean, in him I take comfort, that this King has this name and title, that he is a King of righteousness and everlasting peace. Therefore he has this title, that he has brought about this righteousness and peace for me. Where there is sin and death, there cannot be righteousness and peace. Therefore, it is necessary for this King of righteousness and peace to abolish death and sin, otherwise there is no hope, no counsel, no remedy. By no other way, by no other means can one attain to this unified righteousness and peace. If sin and death are not taken away, there can be no peace or rest. But these are taken away, destroyed, done away with, and extinguished by this King.
This is the brief content of the Gospel, which is summarized in this text, that through Christ we are freed from death, sin, the law and hell, and transferred to the kingdom of life, righteousness and peace. Likewise, we boast that we are children of God, that God is our Father, that Christ is our brother, that we are co-heirs with Christ, judges of angels, and princes over devils. All things are ours, but we are Christ's, says the apostle 1 Cor. 3, 22. 23. But who believes this? The Jews and also our own opinions and doubts prevent and stand in the way, so that we do not believe this so consistently, and can certainly convince ourselves of it.
(18) Therefore, let us cast away the erroneous and ungodly opinions of the Jews; let us also put aside our speculations and conclusions of our reason and doubts, and not be uncertain that this text alone.
talk about Christ. If we remain with Christ alone, then the words of our text, if not making us drunk with wine, will certainly present us with breasts, and refresh and nourish us with milk.
(19) This I have said to clear away all other opinions, and that we may be sure that here the prophet speaks of Christ alone, that there may be this firm ground that Christ alone is the King of eternal righteousness and eternal peace. No mortal king has had eternal peace, nor can he give it; none has had eternal righteousness, nor can he give it; none has overcome death and sin, none has satisfied the law, none has been able or is able to free the conscience from its terror and trembling etc. Therefore one must stick to the grammar and the literal understanding and hold fast to it; and this passage is not to be understood differently than by this one and only King, who is truly the Son of God, yes, God Himself, full of grace and truth, and yet also a man, because He was born as a child etc.
20 Now that we have laid this foundation, let us proceed to the text. I have found it good not to refer to the preceding words [v. 1] from the previous time, but to pass over them. For it can be disputed whether they must be understood from the Assyrian captivity or from another. I will begin the chapter with this passage:
V. 2: The people who walk in darkness see a great light, and it shines brightly on those who dwell in the land of darkness.
21 This is truly a great assurance of faith and a great boldness of this holy prophet, that he speaks so shamefully of his people, who were Moses' disciples, that they walk and dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.
22. this word of the Holy Spirit the world can in no way suffer to be a nation of those who walk in darkness. The present lines also testify to this. The pope cannot suffer that we say to him: You are in darkness, you are mistaken. Likewise
The Turks, too, cannot stand it when people say of them that they are in darkness and error; they set their light, their Alkoran, against it. The wise refer to their wisdom, to their civil rights and laws, which are the most "beautiful" stars and lights. Likewise also the medicine, the wisdom, the good arts are very beautiful stars. The Jews put forward their law; they boast that they are Mosi's disciples, and say: "Should we walk in darkness? Isaiah, are you not quite wise to refrain from saying such things about the disciples of Moses, about the people and property of God? How can such careless words escape you? We are certainly a people of light and walk in the light. We have Abraham as our father, we have the prophets. How could we be blind? How should we walk in darkness?
The prophet does not turn to all this glory of the fathers, of the law, of property, of their wisdom; he resolves and grasps all men, Jews and Gentiles, in this misery and miserable state of life, that they are blind, unwise, ignorant, godless, foolish, in short, that they walk in darkness. Who should be able to suffer this?
(24) But the prophet speaks of a different light, of a different wisdom, righteousness and peace, than of a human wisdom, light, reason, or of all that a man can boast of, or of the gifts with which a man is endowed, not even of the law. This must be a completely different light, which this child and this son brings with him, with which he is to cover and illuminate the darkness. But what kind of light is it? Is it the wisdom of the world? Is it the law of Moses? Not at all; but he brings the light of eternal peace, of eternal righteousness, and of the eternal kingdom.
Moses illuminates his worldly regiment with the righteousness from the ceremonial and moral law, which was commanded by God. The pope also illuminates his lantern, or rather his cloak, with his decrees and decretal; Mahomet illuminates his with his alcoran. The philosophers also boast of their wisdom, their light of reason;
but this light, this wisdom is nothing; they are all temporal things, all subject to death. No king of the Jews, no monarchs, however powerful, have brought the light of peace, justice and eternal life that this child and this son have brought. Therefore, all people in the world, Jews and Gentiles, walk in darkness, however righteous, however holy, however wise, however powerful they may be. But if the Jewish people walk in darkness, what will the Gentiles boast of? If the law of Moses does not enlighten, wisdom and the light of reason enlighten much less.
26 This is the first armor with which the prophet overthrows all that there is of light, wisdom, reason, etc. Therefore it follows from this passage that the prophet spoke of such a child, who would not give or bring a law or establish a worldly government, but that he spoke of the eternal Lord, of the King of eternal peace and eternal righteousness.
The Jews understand nothing of the content and main purpose of this text, and they leave nothing of it pure and unadulterated, but they falsify all and every word. By the darkness they understand the sinners (peccatores), and after that they invent that the law of Moses will be eternal, and will not be abolished even at the time of the Messiah, but will be fortified and resurrected at the same time as your temple, ceremonies, sacrifices and services. In short, they let themselves dream that the Messiah will be such a king as Solomon was; therefore nothing intelligible is to be found among them.
(28) Therefore, let us leave off their talk and listen to the prophet, what he preaches about the child who is given to us. This one child, he says, this one person, who will have no children, no natural heirs, will be a king of eternal righteousness. If the Messiah is to be such, namely an eternal king, it follows that he will not be mortal, or subject to death; as the Jews dream that the Messiah and his children would die. But this text does not lie, since it says: He will live and reign forever, and in everlasting righteousness.
and peace. When Christ said John 12:32 ff, "If you will exalt the Son of Man," the people asked Him, "Who is this Son of Man of whom you say that He will be exalted? We have heard in the law that Christ abideth forever." These Jews at the time of Christ had good and true thoughts about the Messiah, not such foolish and godless thoughts as the Jews of today have, who think that the Messiah's kingdom will be physical and that he, the Messiah, will be a mortal king. On the other hand, the Jews of Christ's time concluded thus: Christ cannot be hanged, because he will remain forever; therefore they judge that it is contrary to the law that he should be exalted or put to death. This was impressed upon the people by the pure teachers, and stuck with them, and they also drew this belief, of the Messiah's eternity, from this and similar passages of the prophets.
(29) Therefore the Jews of this present time are quite senseless and bereft of all understanding, that they say, contrary to the teaching and opinion of their forefathers, that the Messiah will be mortal; further, that the law will not be abolished, but will be established as an eternal light. But if the Messiah is to be mortal, he certainly cannot be a king of eternal righteousness. Likewise, if the law is to remain always, why was Christ promised to the fathers before the law, who was to bring a different and better kind of teaching than the law was? Here one can see how great, how astonishing and appalling their blindness is, how they do not understand the Scriptures at all. Therefore, let us give thanks to God that we know that the Messiah is the true Son of God, yes, the true God, and became man for our sake, and dwelt among us, that we might see His glory etc., Joh. 1, 14.
30 Therefore the prophet calls the Jews who deny that Christ is the eternal king and that his kingdom is spiritual, such people who walk in thick and deep darkness, and says: "You foolish and blind Jews dream that the Messiah will be a secular monarch, as Alexander and Augustus were; likewise that the law with its sacrifices, the temple, ceremonies, and the sacraments will not be respected.
But you are far wrong, yes, completely wrong. For the Messiah will come in his time, bringing with him another light, the most excellent and brightest, which will illuminate this darkness and the people who walk in darkness. And you yourselves are the people of God, to you these promises have been made, to you the hope of this light has been given. But this light has not yet been revealed, the Holy Spirit has not yet been given; therefore the light has not yet dawned; but it will dawn.
He calls light the knowledge of justice, peace, and the eternal kingdom. With this light our souls must be enlightened. If I do not have this light or this knowledge of Christ, of his eternal righteousness, and of all his benefits, which he has acquired for me, and with which all the saints are endowed, then there is no hope at all, no help nor remedy left in the whole world, then I have nothing to comfort me in the hour of death and in the last battle of death, Then I will have to despair of my blessedness, I will not be able to stand before God's judgment, I will not be able to escape the accusation of the law, I will not be able to be freed from Satan's power, I will not be able to rule over sin, death, the devil, and over all evil that lies on the human race because of sin.
32. But since Christ has cleansed us from all sin with his blood, has conquered death through his glorious victory, and has nailed the law to the cross, we can now be sure that God's wrath has been quenched and that we have been reconciled to him through the Son, that the law can neither arrogate to itself any right over us, nor can it come to us by accusation, that Satan can exercise wedged tyranny over us, that sin and death cannot subdue us and rule over us, so that we can be assured of our eternal blessedness at the hour of death.
(33) This knowledge, and being endowed with this knowledge of Christ, is the light with which the hearts of the godly are illuminated by one God.
The Holy Spirit will enlighten you. If one does not know this from Christ, then Christ will be of no use. If I were not to hope for this from Christ, but were only to obtain moral wisdom or worldly prudence from him, I would not care about Christ, and I would not want him, but would rather choose a legal book in his place. For in civil law there are excellent and glorious sayings about virtues, and better ones than in spiritual law. Or I would read some philosophical books, or Cicero's books of duties; which contain exquisite teachings of virtue and morals, and in this way are the most excellent writings; and nothing better can be presented to the youth to instruct them to an honorable life, pleasant manners and good conduct. If Christ were to bring me no other than human light, I would not long for him; nor would he be of any use, since, as I have said, so many philosophers, so many wise men, so knowledgeable of law and legislation, have left behind for posterity such excellent books, which could provide us with as much light and wisdom as we need to live this life well and happily.
(34) But this is an entirely different light, which is promised here and is to be expected from Christ. This is a wisdom above all wisdom, a knowledge above all knowledge, which teaches us what sin is, what power it has, and how it is removed. It also teaches what death is and how we can be freed from it. It teaches what the devil is, what his tyranny is, and how he is overcome, how we are snatched from his tyranny. It teaches us what is man, what is flesh, what is spirit, what is true, thorough and eternal peace and righteousness. That one can distinguish all this, likewise that one knows how one should be transferred and led over from the captivity of the law into the most free freedom, from death into life, from sin into righteousness, and that after this life one will live an eternal life with God, in the highest glory, peace and joy,
this is the true light and wisdom, which is far preferable to all human wisdom, however excellent and admirable it may be; indeed, no human wisdom can in any way compare with this heavenly and divine light.
What is the wisdom of all philosophers when held against them? What can the collected wisdom of all sages bring about? What was the use of Cicero and the philosophers for their very beautiful teachings, which were full of wisdom and worthy of being known for their good manners, discipline and arts, since they were not illuminated by this sun and light of eternal wisdom? Cicero has written and taught excellently about virtues, prudence, temperance and other things, and Aristotle has also written and taught excellently about morality. Both men's books are very useful and highly necessary for the establishment of this life; however, true wisdom cannot be learned from their writings, as excellent as they are. For they do not teach me how to be freed from sins, from death, from hell; they cannot cheer up or pacify the troubled conscience; they cannot show the way how to come to God in the Kingdom of Heaven; they cannot teach me a true knowledge of God and myself.
36. If you were to enter into a conversation about these things with the wisest man who has ever been among those excellent philosophers, and ask him to show you a way to come to God, how to escape eternal death, so that you may become immortal and enjoy eternal joy in the Kingdom of Heaven with God; If, I say, you wanted to ask the wisest philosopher about these things, about this wisdom, and about this light, he would not be able to answer you, and if he were not a vain man, he would certainly freely confess to you that he knew nothing about these things.
37 Cicero and some others have written about the immortality of the soul.
but they betray themselves here and there that they themselves did not constantly believe in this immortality of souls. For so Cicero writes somewhere: In death there is nothing evil. If the feeling remains in it, then it is to be regarded more for an immortality than for a death; but if it is lost, then it must not be regarded for a misery, which one then feels. Does he not seem to waver here, and to be in doubt? Surely they meant that the body itself dies and perishes completely, and they knew nothing of its resurrection. But I want to live not only according to the soul, but also according to the body. "I want the body to come back to the soul and be united with it, which I now carry around on this earth, burdened with sins, misery and misery. If a philosopher should be asked about these things and about the resurrection of the bodies, he would know nothing to answer. "There is no one there." He would have to fall silent to these questions, because he is, as the prophet says here, the people so walking in darkness.
38. But when this Son comes, he will bring the true light, the true wisdom. He will say: "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" [Joh. 16, 33]. "I live, and you also shall live" [John 14:19]. He is our righteousness, our salvation, our blessedness and eternal happiness; He has earned and purchased for us the kingdom of heaven. When I am afraid of sins, when I am shaken by the horror of death, when the fear of hell is in my mind, I know immediately to whom I can take refuge; I have someone whom I can oppose all these things, namely Christ, my Lord. Through him sin is blotted out for me, since I believe in him, death is destroyed and expelled, hell is destroyed, and the devil is overcome.
We are captives under the law, sin and death. These three enemies are the cruelest tyrants, who are very hostile to all the godly. There has never been one of the godly who has not been terrified, tormented and martyred by these tyrants according to the flesh. How should
HO L. XXIII, 321-323. Interpretations on the Prophets. W. VI, 174-176. ill.
What should we do when these enemies attack us? What shall we do when these enemies attack us? There is no counsel anywhere, and you will not rest until you grasp this word: The King Christ is born as a little child, the Son is given to us, who says John 14:19: "I live, and you also shall live." When death, sin and the law hear this Son mentioned, they immediately tremble, are frightened, terrified, take flight, and cannot suffer this Son to be mentioned, because the law, sin and death accused this Child, brought Him to the cross and killed Him, but innocently and undeservedly. They wanted to overcome him and to rule over him; but they pushed against the light, against the Godhead itself, which could not sin, which could not die, which could not be subjected to the law in any way. That he therefore allowed himself to be accused, that he allowed himself to be nailed to the cross, that he allowed himself to be killed, he did this for our sake. This child has atoned for all and done enough; this son has led the prison captive. I believe in this son; therefore the law, sin and death have as much right over me as they have over this son, that is, no right at all, because he paid for me as an innocent man. Precisely because they killed this innocent man, they lost all their right against me. Before this, death, sin, the law, cannot stand. Death, sin, the law, are overcome by the word: "A child is born to us, a son is given to us." So everything flows together in this Son, the whole benefit of salvation has to be thanked to him.
(40) In this way, let us treat this text for our comfort and to strengthen our faith and hope. Now, as I have said, the object (argumentum) or subjectum, as Aristotle calls it, in this passage which we have undertaken to treat and explain, is "the child," the Son, who was to be king on the throne of David, and to reign forever. These are very clear words that cannot be wavered nor denied.
If we take this as the basis of the actual content, of which Isaiah speaks very much and extensively in his whole book, then we can also understand this passage correctly and take a firm comfort from it. To this end, and to this main proposition, all the words and verses of this passage fit very well, and can also be interpreted without difficulty to this opinion. And what is objected to it does not serve the purpose, yes, it is obviously devilish. And because the content of these words does not allow that this could be said or understood in any way by a physical king in this life or time, neither by King Solomon, nor by Josiah, nor by Hezekiah, nor by any other, it follows that here both the resurrection of the dead and the life after this life are included.
The people," he says, "walking in darkness, see a great light." This light, as I 33 ff] said, cannot be understood from the present bodily light, but from the eternal light. If it is understood from the eternal light, then it follows that another, and indeed an immortal life is future. And if this light were not understood to be an eternal light, it would be in conflict with this king. For since he is an eternal king, this light must also be eternal, or last into eternal life, or be a light of eternal life, of eternal righteousness, of eternal peace. Thus, I say, this light must be taken here, lest the words or members depart from the whole of the text and opinion, and be at variance therewith.
42 Furthermore, "the people that walk in darkness" is first of all the Jewish people, but after that the Gentile people, as Paul used to say [Rom. 1:16]: "The Jews first of all, and also the Greeks." The Jews indeed walk and are under the law, they do much, they have a zeal for God; but with lack of understanding. And this is really "walking in darkness," when works are heaped up, when sacrifices are made, when fasting is done, and everything is done; but without light, without knowledge of this child who is a king, and without knowledge of his righteousness and eternal peace. There then are all sacrifices, all fasting,
The effort in all works, however difficult and much they may be, is nothing but pure darkness.
(43) The Jews are very displeased that all their works, all their sacrifices, and the observance of their other ceremonies, however superstitious and diligent, should be darkness. The Gentiles also become mad when they hear that the apostles, who were apparently a small kind of people, who had no outward power, and who attracted the eyes of men by no outward splendor, 1) preach this light, that it is the true light, the true and only truth, that one should know that the crucified Christ is the Son of David and the eternal King of eternal righteousness and eternal peace, and that one should believe in Him alone. Since they taught this, they were assailed with every kind of opprobrium. Then they cried out: they fought against all reason and were furious, they threw all kingdoms overboard, they made the whole world go astray. How? should you condemn our fathers and ancestors? They certainly walked in exquisite wisdom and righteousness, they were wise and just men. How can you be so insolent as to call these most beautiful virtues darkness? But Isaiah did not turn to these their impulses; he spoke this joyfully etc.
The people who walk in darkness see a great light.
44. what kind of light? The light of the sun, or the light of this life and of reason? No. These are also excellent lights. The sunlight is common to men and cattle, and it is the brightest light of this world, but it is nothing compared to the light of the eternal kingdom and eternal righteousness. The sun has now already shone five thousand five hundred and forty-five years 2) but has not made a man eternal.
1) The words: "and the eyes - pulled" are missing in the Wittenberg.
2) This date does not contradict the date we gave for the time of the writing of this scripture, namely 1543, because we often find that the editors of Luther's writings changed the numbers set by him according to the time in which they prepared them for printing.
Life illuminates. The light of the sun and the light of reason are indeed splendid lights. Who would not recognize these lights as excellent lights? Who would despise them? Who would not admire the so great light of the sun that illuminates the whole world? Who would wish to live if there were no light at all, or if it left us only for a few days?
(45) As the light of the sun is excellent and admirable, so is the light of reason, and reason is a far more glorious light than the light of the sun; indeed, reason with its wisdom is a heaven full of light and stars. What the sun cannot do, reason can. And yet, just as a light or a lamp hardly illuminates a point when compared with the sun, which most clearly distinguishes the colors of things and shows how they differ from one another, so these excellent and admirable lights, the sun and reason, are hardly little lamps, lanterns, or wax candles when compared with the other light of which the prophet speaks.
(46) For this is truly the great light, because it teaches and enlightens our hearts. It does not shine and illuminate in the way that the sun or reason shine and illuminate, neither of which has any light of eternal righteousness, eternal life, and eternal peace. But this great light shines in such a way that I know that sin is condemned, death is killed, hell is destroyed, the devil is overcome and captured, and man is freed from the tyranny of all these enemies through this child and through this Son. Only this is and can rightly be called a great light, which teaches us how sin, death, hell, Satan are overcome, which teaches us about eternal righteousness, peace and life. These unspeakable benefits the born child brings with him and gives to us. Certainly, these things are far and infinitely greater than anything that any wisdom of reason teaches.
47 This is what Isaiah means when he calls this light a great light. With this word he has preferred the majesty of this light to all the things that have something of the light, and has told us this.
light. For he has to do with the fact that he is talking about the kingdom of eternal righteousness, eternal life and peace. Therefore he speaks of the light that is proper to this kingdom, which is Christ Himself [John 1:9]: "This is the true light, which lighteth all men that come into this world." Now follows:
[And upon them that dwell in the land of the shadow of death a light is risen, or shineth upon them.
48 It is a repetition of the same thing, because it is the same: "the people see a great light", and "it shines over the same". But he repeats one and the same thing in a twofold manner of speaking, so that he may declare this light all the more emphatically: "It is a great light, and shineth fair brightly." When I say, "It is a great light, and it shines and shines very brightly," I am saying one and the same thing in twofold speech; but the greatness of the light is increased still more by the addition of the second speech, and explained more emphatically, as I have already said.
49 But he expressly adds: In terra Zalmaveth, that is, "in the land of the shadow of death. Jews and Gentiles dwell in the land, they sit in the kingdom, they are not strangers, they do not wander about as if they did not have certain residences; but they dwell in the land, that is, they have a certain residence, they are under a certain government and regiment, in the light of their own wisdom, righteousness and peace; but by the special benevolence of God, who miraculously preserves the kingdoms and worldly regiments; otherwise there would be nothing but pure disorder of the devil. Through God's preservation, therefore, the worldly states have wisdom, government, the light of reason, they also have peace for many years, they have their kings, their regents, who are holy and just in a civil way. The Babylonian, the Assyrian, the Persian, the Greek, the Roman empires have been governed by the light of reason, have had their princes and rulers, distinguished by their excellent wisdom and external justice; but they have, nevertheless, in the country
lived. In what country? In the country Zalmaveth, that is, of the switching of the death. The Hebrews are still in dispute about whether Zalmaveth means darkness or shadow of death. But our opinion is with St. Lucas and the seventy interpreters that it actually means shadow of death. For this is how St. Lucas [Cap. 1, 79.] actually translated it from this passage of Isaiah in the Canticles of Zacharias.
50 But the prophet does not speak of those who have already died. Because these do not concern us. But he calls the kingdom of this world "darkness," which is most beautifully illuminated by the sun and by reason, which is seven times more beautiful and excellent than the sun. Thus he calls "darkness" the very cleverest and wisest suggestions and laws of reason or of the wisest men.
Reason is a very great and invaluable gift of God, and what it wisely arranges and devises in human affairs is not to be despised. If everything went according to its wishes and will, if its plans turned out as fortunate and good as they are wisely and prudently conceived, then it would truly accomplish something great and excellent. She can found kingdoms and commonwealths, guard and fortify them with useful laws, keep them in order and govern them with good counsel and wholesome commandments, and prescribe many things that serve the preservation of the commonwealths and the great benefit of human society. Nevertheless, her suggestions do not always work, and she cannot fortify the worldly regimes and kingdoms with so many, so wholesome and so sharp laws that she could keep the wicked in check, so that there would not still be a lack of many things every day, and so that sins would not be committed more often. The best suggestions often turn out quite differently and just the opposite. I say: If the counsels of reason had a happy course, then it would certainly have cause to boast. But since even the best counsels of reason so seldom have a happy course, reason is indeed a light, but not a light that shines.
52. although it is a light in its own way,
Yet this light is called darkness by the prophet. And reason, when it is held against the heavenly light, is in fact nothing but darkness and very thick darkness, that is, it does not understand anything about spiritual wisdom, justice and peace. It cannot determine with certainty what is the will of God toward us. It does not know what true peace is, what true justice is before God. Both the Jews and the Gentiles walk in this darkness, as the Scriptures testify [Ps. 14, 2. 3. Rom. 3, 12Z: They have all sinned etc.; likewise: God has decided all under sin etc. [Gal. 3, 22.], and here the prophet says: "They dwell in the land of the shadow of death" etc.
(53) Therefore this life is the life of those who "dwell in the land," walk, rule, among whom many have the glorious name of being righteous and wise, but they are all in darkness, or in the shadow of death, which is the same thing. For the Scripture calls "darkness" "shadow of death," either to paraphrase this word, or to give it emphasis, or also to indicate that it must be taken in an evil sense. "Shadow," however, is a word that in and of itself means nothing sad or hateful; for in summer nothing is more pleasant and lovely than to be covered by shadow. Therefore, the word "shadow" would have nothing evil, harsh, ominous, or horrible in it if it were placed here alone. But there is a genitive of another word, which is very sad and frightening, namely "of death". This genitive deprives the word "shadow" of everything that is pleasant and lovely about it, and makes the word, which is pleasant and lovely in itself, very ugly, sad and frightening. To the first taste it seems to be a lovely and wholesome potion, but the added word, "of death," indicates that it is a harmful and poisonous potion. It is a piece of bread or meat that is beautiful in appearance and pleasing to the appetite, but beware lest the first appearance deceive you, because poison is hidden underneath. Now the word "shadow" is often used in Scripture in a very good sense.
is used for refreshment, shelter, protection, and is a very pleasant and very beautiful word. But the added word, "of death," turns the beautiful shade into something that is not beautiful at all, but ugly and frightening. For the word "death" is something ugly, hideous and frightening.
(54) If one wants to take "darkness" in an evil sense, then it is nothing else than the shadow of death, because death is nothing else than darkness. Thus Job says: "In darkness is my bed made" [Job 17:13]. If the light of the sun were to be darkened or cease, if the sun of the world were not to shine, if one were to live without the sun, then our life would not be life, but death itself, and a shadow of death.
Thus darkness is called a shadow of death, because all who are in death are in darkness. This is the nature of our life, even though it has the greatest abundance of comforts of every kind and is overflowing with all kinds of pleasures. All men are covered with this darkness, and in this land of the shadow of death all men sit on the earth, not only the afflicted, the unwise, the sinners, but also those who, according to the human way, are the most wise, the most righteous, the most powerful on earth. They are the most righteous, the most powerful on earth, who have not yet been enlightened by the Word.
Thus Lucas clearly indicates that he speaks of this life when he says: "That he may appear to those who are in darkness, or [as Isaiah has it] "sit," that is, dwell. John the Baptist was not sent to those who had already departed from this life, or to those who had died of bodily death: and yet his father Zacharias says [Lucas 1, 76-79.And thou child shalt be called a prophet of the Highest: thou shalt go before the Lord, to prepare his way, and shalt give knowledge of salvation unto his people, which is in the remission of their sins, through the tender mercies of our God, whereby he hath visited us from on high, to appear unto them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death" etc. Does not Zacharias here speak with the words of Jesus, and does he not take them, as it were, from the mouth of the prophet, who-
cher calls this life, and especially the Jewish land or dwelling, a land of the shadow of death?
This agrees nicely with the subject and content of this passage, that he speaks of the spiritual day and light of Christ, namely, of enlightenment, of eternal righteousness, life and peace, and in contrast also of the spiritual night, or darkness, namely, of Zalmaveth [the shadow of death], and of the very terrifying night of the law, sin, death, the devil and hell. Thus the words must be drawn to the whole main subject. "They that dwell in the land of the shadow of death," that is, "in the land of darkness," are the most wretched, miserable, and afflicted of men. For they do not sit in the shade or in a pleasant shade per se (for the shade alone, especially when it is hot, is very pleasant), but they sit "in the shadow of death," that is, in the very thickest and deepest darkness. To these, I say, who sit in this shadow of death, the light shines or shines forth, as the prophet says.
The Hebrew word Nagah [XXX] means to shine, to shine. Hence the noun nogah shine, and is actually the shining, "the radiance," as when the rays spread out at the exit of the sun. This is what the epistle to the Hebrews has in view when it calls Christ "the brightness of the Father's glory" [Heb. 1. 3.]. For Christ is the Father's nogah, in Greek άπαύ- γασμα, in Latin splendor, refulgentia or relucentia, in German "bright shine." The fire is the light, but the ray or radiance that shines forth from the light is this nogah. This light and these rays of blessedness, which are spread by this sun, this child and this son, which has risen and been given to us, the Jews and Gentiles have seen and still see. The light and the sun is Christ; the rays are the Word of God, the Holy Communion, the Holy Baptism, the absolution, and the miracles that he has done and is still doing. So Christ is also the radiance in this world, just as he is the radiance of the glory of the Father.
The rabbis do not know and understand anything of this, because they are in Zalmaveth, and in even greater blindness; they do not have this light and Nogah. But 'without this sun, without this nogah, that is, without this brightness, there is nothing but pure darkness. Hence it comes that in this place they translate Nogah by morning star (Luciferum), which the Greeks call φώσφορον. But actually
Nogah is the shine, reappearance. The morning star is called in Hebrew and this word is used by Isaiah Cap. 14, 12. where he says: "How you have fallen from heaven, you beautiful morning star!"
(60) This is one part of the prophecy, that the light has dawned through this child and for the sake of this child, or that this child is the author of it, as the king of eternal righteousness, light and peace. Now this light first dawned on the Jews, but not only on the Jews, but also on the Gentiles. But what kind of light is it? It is by far the greatest and brightest light, since it enlightens those who sit in spiritual darkness and in the shadow of death; it frees them from sin, from the law, from death, from hell, from damnation. This light brings with it the knowledge of the divine mysteries, wisdom, righteousness, peace and eternal life. What is the light of reason or the sun against this new and admirable light? Nothing, and only darkness. Now follows:
V. 3: You make many things for the Gentiles, but you do not make many pleasures.
The holy men, the prophets, have suffered much from this very wicked and worthless people, they have been plagued with many miseries, miseries and misfortunes, they have suffered and been rewarded with the greatest hatred and envy; then, when they have sought the best of the people, they have received the most terrible thanks for their very holy work and preaching and exceedingly wholesome exhortations to godliness and blameless living. They inculcated faith and love with all diligence and zeal, they deterred people from vices and misdeeds; but they accomplished little or nothing, they saw that no or little fruit resulted.
In the face of such ingratitude, ungodliness and wickedness of the people, they could do nothing else than what we do: they cried out, sighed, comforted and strengthened themselves with the expectation of the future of the Messiah, and asked with fervent desires for his future, just as we today sigh and cry under our burdens: Come, dear Lord, come! We are tired of life, and wish to be resolved and to be with Christ. For what should we do in the world? Wherever you turn, everything is full of distress; there is nothing in the world that could please you, that could truly delight you.
The kingdoms of the world are places of licentiousness (sunt anarchiae). The people despise the sermons, make a mockery of the Word, ridicule God, their Creator and Redeemer; what God threatens and reminds through His servants is considered a mere fairy tale. Even the Son, the Child, the King of eternal righteousness, is regarded as nothing, completely worthless, he is not held in honor; his infinite benefits, which he offers us, are despised with the greatest ingratitude and trampled underfoot, his honor is stolen from him; through the masses and other idolatries he is insulted with horrible blasphemies even by those who want to be regarded as the holiest.
The Jews, too, did not consider the Promised Land to be anything, and in their vanity they fell away from God. The prophets were very indignant about this; it must have pained them greatly to see that they themselves, their teachings and the promises they made to them about the Messiah were despised. Therefore they concluded: "The Messiah will indeed come, but he will come in such a way that he will disgrace you godless and wicked evil-doers, who are puffed up by such great arrogance, yes, he will make you fall into folly and rage. You will be more annoyed by his arrival than happy about it. This is the subject of the previous eighth chapter [vv. 14, 15], where the prophet says: "He will be a stumbling block and a rock of trouble to the two houses of Israel, a snare and a fall to the citizens of Jerusalem. And many shall stumble against it, and fall, and be broken.
break, be entangled and caught." As if he wanted to say: You do not want to hear us, you throw all threats to the wind, you do not care about the promises. Therefore, one day you will receive the reward that these deeds of yours are worth. When the Messiah will come and preach to you, then you will fall, then you will bump, in such a way that you will be completely disturbed and perish in the most miserable way. For Christ by his brightness has shocked them terribly. This very thing also Simeon prophesied of this child, saying [Luc. 2:34.], "This one is set for a fall, and for a sign to be contradicted." For when this light rises (as we see that it also happens now), Satan rages and rages, "the nations rage, the kings rebel against the Lord and His anointed," Ps. 2:1, 2. All princes, all bishops, all wise men rage and rage with one accord and with equal fury, with united forces and according to cultivated counsel against this light and this truth.
But what does God do in the meantime? He does not want these rays of His righteousness, life and peace to shine and shine in vain. He does not want this child to be born in vain, he does not want this son to be given to us in vain. He does not want him to be a servant, but a king who sits on the throne and reigns. But for the fortification of the kingdom of the Messiah not only One Person is needed, therefore He has His special people. This people is troubled in all places; hence comes the raging and raging, hence comes the murmuring, the counseling and speaking against the Lord and his anointed. Why do you all come together? What are your plots? What are you planning? Are ye not rightly wise? Are you not in your right mind? What madness drives you? With what fury do you proceed? Do you not consider against whom you are rebelling? You are rebelling against the Lord, whose best ways are unknowable, whose best judgments are hidden and whose power is infinite. Everything you do against him will be in vain and will fall back on your head.
66. so the prophets agree with each other
They agree with each other by describing the kingdom of Christ as such, as the apostles also saw and experienced it, as we also learn through our experience and see it today. The more people come to the Gospel, the more the adversaries rage. Now they boast and defy us again, and rely on the presence of the emperor, of whom they believe that he has armed himself against us, and now they make the most certain hope that we will soon be put to death.
67. But so many hopes, so many attempts, so many undertakings have fallen by GO1te's providence and expired without benefit for them; so often have they become disgraced these 26 years. And this hope they have now will fail them to their greatest shame, embarrassment, harm and ruin, and this will serve to increase the glory of Christ. Their plots and undertakings will not succeed if we are only thankful and do not doubt in this child and son that he is born and given to us as king and light. If we firmly place our hope and trust in him, there will be no danger, even when the greatest danger seems to be ahead of us. If we have to suffer, even if they should kill us and take us out of the way, what is more? they will not snatch away this light, Christ, from us, they will not take away the rays of the gospel. Their hope will deceive them, their plan will be thwarted, even if far more devils pursue us with their scales; yes, we will not be afraid, even if the world would perish and the mountains would sink into the sea [Ps. 46:3]. For "unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given"; he is our confidence and strength, and our helper in trouble, in whose light and brightness we delight, knowing assuredly that he has prepared for us a kingdom in which we shall enjoy peace, righteousness, life and eternal bliss etc.
68 Thus the kingdom of Christ has at all times, especially when the voice of the gospel resounds, its enemies who oppose it.
1) This number "26" agrees again with the time determination given by us: 17-1-26-43. Compare the note Col. 112.
They argue about it most vehemently. However, even if they oppose it with united forces, attacks, and with all their might, they cannot overthrow it. So far, the Roman emperors and popes, who were well equipped with power and cunning, have tried in vain. The Turk, the enemy of the Christian name, so powerful and so denied, tried it for so many hundred years, but in vain. In sum, as many of them as wanted to destroy the gospel, they were not able to do so, so that even the worst enemies of the Christian name had to tolerate the Christians in their lands. As nowadays many in Turkey, many in other kings, princes and bishops, who are the worst enemies of the gospel, I do not want to say countries, but also stay in their courts. Where does this come from? Because the prophet says here: "You make many of the Gentiles" etc.
For some years now, as I have said, our adversaries have also hoped, and still hope, that we will soon be suppressed, and wish nothing more than this. If they suspect the Emperor's arrival, or have him present in Germany, dear God! how they rejoice, how they exult, how great hope they make for our ruin and downfall. Now, now, they cry, the emperor will suppress the heretics; now, at last, their end is at hand. This is the hope they always have, and they ask diligently and fervently for our downfall, and they are intent on our ruin with all their might. But as their hope has often failed them, so it will also fail them in the future, and their plots and undertakings will make a bad progress. They will never extinguish this light, they will never overthrow this kingdom. Why? Isaiah tells us: "You make many things for the Gentiles.
(70) The adversaries seek to deter us from the pure preaching of the Word that we have begun, crying out with a terrible voice that we are bad boys, rebels, and stiff-necked, that we have undertaken to teach the gospel, the true
They think that without their approval nothing should have been taught or done against the antichrist, the pope, against his ungodly, evil and worthless decrees. They think that without their approval nothing should have been taught or done against the Antichrist, the pope, against his ungodly, evil and worthless decrees, against the idolatrous invocation of the saints etc. So also among the Jews it was considered a terrible wrong and a great crime that Christ and the apostles taught against circumcision, against the law, against the temple and the holy place, without asking Caiphas and Annas for advice, as we see in the fifth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles [v. 28] and elsewhere manifoldly. Thus, since they have this reputation, the papists also demand and desire that we should humbly fall at their feet and say: Most holy and venerable fathers and lords in Christ, what do you want us to teach? For we will not undertake to teach anything except what you command and approve with your authority.
71 But Christ will not be subdued to these, but saith, Go ye, teach; spread these rays and my light among the Jews and Gentiles. Do not let this make them angry and rage. Therefore, just as Christ and the apostles preached and prayed, so let us also preach and pray, and let nothing that they do against us and against the kingdom of Christ trouble us. If we carry out our ministry diligently, there is no danger; then let us see what they will or can do against us, and whether they will extinguish this light. It is true that this light will arouse a terrible anger and fury of the devil and of the scales that cling to the devil, that is, his ungodly limbs; but however much they rage and rage, and try everything against us, they will not be able to do anything, they will never extinguish this light.
Seventy-two: This is what the prophet means when he says, "You make much of the nations, but you do not make much of the pleasures. As if to say, "You will not listen to me, you will reject me, you will despise my light; but you will do this to your great harm.
Nevertheless, although a large portion will reject the grace offered, some of the Jews and many of the unholy Gentiles will be converted; a great multitude will be gathered.
73. But by whom will they be converted? Who is the one who will make so much of the Gentiles? Certainly the king, my cousin and brother. For he calls him his cousin in the fifth chapter, v. 1. There is indeed a great familiarity between this king and the prophet Isaiah. For he speaks very familiarly with this king. What are you going to do? What do you oppose, my dear cousin, my dear brother, when your light will rise in the world? Is this why your light rises and shines in the world, so that you can make a lot of people happy? But by this very thing you will cause great trouble. You will cause a great defeat. You will make many things for the Gentiles, but you will not make many things for the joyful ones.
Why will you not make much of the joys? Because you will cause terrible wrath among those who are God's people and come from the seed of the holy fathers, because they will be angry that you are making much of the Gentiles. If you were to bring and gather a few from the Gentiles, who could quickly destroy and exterminate them, they would not be so angry and wicked. But that you make so many of the Gentiles, that you draw so many thousands of Gentiles to yourself by your light, that you make so great a multitude, which cannot be exterminated, subject to you, that this light is greater than they can prevent and exterminate, that is what will bite them, that will make them furious. That will disturb all joy, that will make them very angry. As great as your light will be, so great will be their anger, their rage and disgust. He speaks, as I said, of this so important matter with very low and contemptuous words, which mean more than they say, just as we Germans say: I bring him news that will not be pleasant to him and will give him little joy. I will prepare a banquet for him, but he will not go away from it very happy, and at which he will not feast very happily. Therefore
he happily boasts that this light will be much. As if to say: Therefore I thank my God that this light will be so great; but I do not know what will happen. When this light will have risen, it will blind the eyes and bring darkness upon the eyes of my Jews.
This is also the case now with our papists, who are no less angry than the Jews at this light, and are enraged and embittered by it. And it serves them right. Are they not worthy of it before others, since they are so angry and blinded by the light by which they should be enlightened, since they fight against their conscience? Why do they curse this so kind and gracious light, which offers itself to them of its own free will? They confess that our doctrine is true, that it does not dispute with the holy Scriptures; and they must confess this, willingly or unwillingly. We teach the first and other tablets of the ten commandments, we confess that Christ suffered, was crucified, died, and was raised from the dead on the third day, etc., which they themselves also confess. Why then do they dispute against us, since they themselves confess that what we teach about Christ is true? Even the Jews must admit that we teach the ten commandments correctly.
What do they find wrong with us? Why do they persecute us with such hatred and fury? It happens, as they think, for the sake of important causes. Dear, what are they? We don't keep the essays of the ancients, we don't wash our hands, we don't keep the sabbath, we don't pluck ears on the sabbath, that is, we don't believe that the pope is the head of the church, we don't cover our heads, we don't wear ropes, we don't wear robes, we don't wear straps on our feet, we don't wear clogs, we don't go barefoot, we don't wear albums and surplices, we don't wear coarse cloths etc. We are condemned because of these so coarse crimes! But do you ask: What do all these things matter? What is nothing, that is the most important thing with them; so great is their blindness, so wrong and so ungodly their judgment. They hear that we teach the Ten Commandments, they hear that we believe what is written in them and in the Gospel;
But because we deny that the saints are to be called, because we do not believe in purgatory, because we consider the plates to be nothing that God does not demand, because we abhor what God curses in His word, because we want the prestige and dignity of the divine word to remain unharmed, because we constantly uphold the honor of God and our Lord Christ, and protect it against the statutes of men, against the fictitious and idolatrous services of God, for this reason we are condemned, proclaimed heretics and rebels.
Thus they fight against the known truth, against the light that shines so brightly and blinds their eyes with its rays. They condemn us for the sake of nothing, through no fault of our own. They want us to worship their zalmaveth, their darkness, their shadows of death, for the true light that shines to us. But this we will never do. This king, this son, who sits on the throne of David, this light, this sun we want to worship, and bravely break through, and drive out their darkness, their purifications, their plate-shearing etc. But only try it, you will not make much of the joys with it; then you will incur danger, for they will kill you. What is it more? They can suppress me, but they will not suppress this light.
In the beginning of the evangelical cause, a certain brother from our order said to me: "Believe me, my dear brother, it will shame us, and it will be hard and difficult to confess what you teach, because we are confessing that we have erred. It will be hard to recant what we have taught and believed for so many years. This honest man loved the word with great reverence, and accepted it with joy; but he nevertheless saw that few would confess their error, because this would be connected with great difficulty. And now we see that it has come to pass. They will not confess that they have erred in one syllable, that they have walked in darkness, and dwelt in the land of the shadow of death.
79. and yet, nonetheless
Some pious people who have a good conscience and the hope of eternal life. These come near, bearing a desire for this King of righteousness. These, after being converted by the rays of this light, throw away the bats, the moles, the abominations, the idols of Zalmaveth, the works of darkness that they worshiped. These works of darkness the adversaries want us to worship, and that we should worship these abominations; and since we do not want to do this, since we refuse to obey them in this matter, they become inhumanly mad and foolish, threatening with pure murder, and seek to destroy us all with one another.
80 But no matter how much they rage and rage against us, they will never force us to worship their bats and moles and keep them. The light has dawned on us, Christ, the true light; we want to keep this light and remain with it, this we want to accept, this we want to worship and adore, and not turn away from their anger, rage, fury, blasphemy and blasphemy; we do not want to be deterred by the danger and persecution after our lives. We will comfort ourselves with the fact that Christ said beforehand that they would be angry with us and rage against us as frenzies, and do everything possible against us for the sake of this confession.
(81) And the prophet says here before that it will be the same with his wicked and stiff-necked people. And he was not mistaken. For this circumcised people can bear nothing less 1) than this light, which they persecute with such great hatred that they curse it to the highest degree and spit at it in a frightening manner.
Even today the devil is angry with his scales after the gospel shines, although now only a spark of this light is glimmering. What will happen then when the sun will rise, when Christ himself will appear? If they can't stand this light, if they go against the rays of the sun, what will happen?
1) Instead of this reading of the Erlangen edition, the -lvrttenberger offers: MUi) 6vim minus ksrrs possuut.
What will happen on that day against the sun itself? How terribly they will be enraged, when the sun itself will show itself in its complete clarity and will be seen, when he will speak this judgment in the judgment [Matth. 25, 41]: "Go away from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire" etc. How great then will be those eternal, abominable, horrible blasphemies and their wrath!
This is what the prophet says here: "You make much of the Gentiles", but to your people's destruction. O Messiah, thou son of David, by this very thing, that thou shalt make the Gentiles much, because they will receive the light, by this very thing, I say, thou shalt not make the pleasures much, that is, thou shalt awaken a great and dreadful sadness, rage and zeal, by this very thing thou shalt make the devil and his scales quite furious. This interpretation is not forced. For in this way the words, the things, and our experience agree with the content.
(84) The rabbis here speak useless things, and dream I know not what; they speak nothing intelligible at all, and say such things as are farther than heaven and earth from each other, and which do not rhyme at all with the sense and understanding of the prophet. Therefore, they should not be followed at all, nor should they be trusted. And I recommend to the lovers of the Hebrew language that they may be careful to improve it. The rabbis do not care at all about the context or the sequence, but they tear it apart and falsify the sayings of the prophets. As in this place, instead of the adverb of [not], they read the pronoun ei [the same], in this way: you make the people much, to them you make much joy. Thus they wilfully corrupt and falsify the opinion of the prophet, since neither the matter nor the consequence coincide.
In short, the prophet wants to say this: The child who was born to us has made much of the Gentiles, that is, he has gathered a large church among the Gentiles, or he has called many of the Gentiles to his church. But with this he did not make much of the joys, that is, this multiplication, or this multitude of the
The Gentiles have given cause for your terrible rage, which still continues with the Jews and will continue forever. For they will kill this child and persecute the Christian people with terrible cruelty. But since he says here that there was not much rejoicing, or that his people had no rejoicing at all over the Christ who was born, what does he want with what he immediately attaches to it?
But you will rejoice as one rejoices in the harvest, as one rejoices in the distribution of the spoils.
Here the prophet speaks of those who have been converted from the Jews and Gentiles, not of the blinded and hardened Jews who have rejected the offered Christ. Therefore he sets here a double kind of people. When he says, "You do not make much of joys," he means this of the hardened people of the Jews, who rejected Christ and drew no joy and pleasure at all from the future of Christ, so that they rather became furious against Christ and the confessors of the faith in Christ. But when he says, "In thy sight shall men rejoice," he understands it of those to whom this light has dawned, who have known and accepted Christ. And he distinguishes these two joys quite clearly from one another. "Thou hast not made much of joy," namely, apart from thee, in those who rejected thee and remained in darkness. But although this joy was not great in those who were blinded, yet "before thee" will rejoice those who before were in outer darkness, to whom that great light has dawned. For in this light is the true, highest and only joy, the highest and infinite pleasure; and therefore he adds: "Before you", that is, in this your light.
He uses two parables to express the greatness of the joy to some extent. The first is in these words, "How one rejoices in the harvest," the other in this [Vulg.], "How the victors rejoice over the conquered spoil, when they distribute the booty." And they are very appropriate, excellent parables. The one belongs to the heap.
or borrowed from the household, the other belonging to secular dealings, or taken from the secular regiment.
The parables, which are taken from the household, occur frequently with the prophets. For they often use these and similar words [Joel I, 10. 11.]: "The field stands miserable, the wine stands miserable" etc. When there is a lack of grain, or when the fields seem to be too meager, and do not yield with a great return what has been entrusted to them, then the farmers and all people look sad and morose. For our joy and life is precisely this field or the earth, and the heaven that makes the earth fertile.
89. And it is a very honorable, pure and sincere joy, since one rejoices when the crops are happy and abundant. For we rejoice that we have been given abundantly by God, so that our family, children etc. can be sustained and fed. It is not such joy or pleasure as the shameful and nasty pleasure of the flesh seeks in debauchery etc. When the fields give us good hope, or when the harvest is rich and great, when the fields have borne abundant fruit, then the hearts of all men and animals rejoice, then all is exceedingly joyful. Of spring Virgilius says:
Omnia tunc rident, tunc formosissimus annus. 1)'
[But this can be said with greater truth of the time of harvest. It is true that at the beginning of the year, in spring, it is a very joyful time, for then everything blossoms; but this time does not make fat, it does not nourish the body, but only feeds the eyes. But without grain and without wine, that is, if the body does not have its need, if the stomach is not filled, there is no joy; according to the saying in the 104th Psalm, v. 14, 15: "You make grass grow for the cattle, and seed for the use of men, that you may bring forth bread from the earth, and that wine may give delight to man.
1) VlrA. Lueoiien, lei. Ill, v. 57: Rune tronUent 8ÜVÄ6, nune torlnosißsiinus nnnus. The first words: ornnrn rinne riäent are found iiüä. Lei. Vll, v. 58.
and his form become beautiful with oil, and the bread of man strengthen his heart. The Germans say, "It is evil to sing and dance with a hungry belly"; that is, when the stomach is sober and the intestines make a noise from hunger, one cannot sing a merry song, and no one dances when he is sober. With these and similar words they imply that the merriment of the body is based in good part on food and drink.
90 Therefore this simile, which is taken from the household, is very beautiful, and is very appropriate here. For when the harvest is rich, when the crops are not in short supply, when the barns cannot hold the blessings of the harvest, when the house, the cellar and all the storehouses are filled, when everything is plentiful and in abundance with which we nourish and sustain our bodies, then people become extraordinarily and exceedingly happy. That is why they say: A good harvest, fine grain, a rich and fat autumn make people happy.
91) It should also be noted that this similitude, which is taken from the harvest, is not yet the thing itself, just as the word we speak is only a sign, but we expect the thing that is promised in the word. Thus, the joy that a good and abundant harvest produces is a picture of the true, eternal and spiritual joy, which cannot be better depicted than by this similitude.
The other simile is taken from worldly affairs, from victory in war. For even a victorious people rejoices greatly over the victory it has obtained over the defeated enemies, and this joy is also thorough; for when the enemy is overcome and suppressed, the dear and exceedingly pleasant peace is restored. The harvest is a joy in the household; the victory over enemies who severely threatened nns is joy in the worldly regiment. Both the joy that comes from the harvest and the joy that comes from the victory are extraordinary and very great joys. When peace ceases and war rages, the appearance of all men, land and animals is a sad one. But when the enemy is defeated, and victory is won, and peace is restored, there is laughter, there is skipping.
Everyone's spirits are lifted, all sadness is forgotten, songs of triumph and thanksgiving are sung.
Undique tunc felix niveis et alacribus alis Laetitia exultans gestit, luditque per omnes Vicos atque domos, celebrantur gaudia ubique, - Jubila tolluntur toto resonantia coelo.
Everywhere, then, the frellde leaps with white and swift wings, jailling with happiness, and plays its game in all villages and houses; everywhere, joyful festivals are celebrated, and rejoicing arises, which echoes under the whole sky]. These are the right and proper pleasures of the flesh, and they are far greater than the nasty and beastly pleasures of the flesh and pleasure.
All histories are full of victories and testimonies of joy that follow victories. As great as the danger in war is (but the danger in time of war is always very near, and very great, in that we are not safe for a moment of our lives, and all our possessions, wife and children are in the same danger with us), so great is the joy when the enemies are beaten and put to flight, when the dear peace is restored. Then one sings with a joyful heart: "The rope is broken and we are free", Ps. 124, 7.
(94) By these two parables, then, the prophet intended to express and indicate the exquisite, thorough, and exceedingly great joy. For a blessed harvest and a thorough peace, which one has attained after the enemies have been completely defeated, are two exceedingly great and inestimable treasures, which protect this life, and without which life is not only not pleasant, but also cannot exist in any way. Now, as pleasant as life itself is, so are food for life and peace, because if we are deprived of these, we are immediately threatened with mortal danger. For hunger and the sword spoil, devastate, destroy and consume everything etc. When that which belongs to the nourishment of the body is superfluous, when the blessing of the harvest is abundant, and when, after the war is eliminated and the enemy is defeated, peace is again established, then everything resounds with joy.
Tunc juvenes blanda modulantur carmina voce. Gaudia testantur Cytharae festiva sonantes, Et clare resonant plectra canora lyrae. Plurima sublata tolluntur jubila dextra, Jubila justitiae non habitura modum. 1) [Then the young men sing songs with a sweet voice. The sounding cithers testify to the festive joy, and the melodious melodies of the bright lutes resound. From all throats there rises a shout of jubilation with uplifted right hand, a jubilation that cannot keep the right measure]. Therefore, in these two parables, the highest and greatest joy is indicated and pictured by the prophet. But where is this so great joy?
In front of you.
95 Furthermore, he does not express the equality of victory in one word alone. He does not say, "As the victors rejoice," but adds, "As the victors rejoice over the spoils they have taken, when they divide the spoils. We divide our spoils according to our way, that is, we rejoice and are glad in spirit, not over a rich bodily harvest, not over a worldly victory, nor over a spoil snatched from a conquered enemy, but over the victory, and over the distribution of the spoil acquired and given to us through this born child. Therefore, our joy and gladness is not like the joy and gladness of those who rejoice in the bodily harvest and in a bodily victory, but, as the prophet says, "in thy sight" is this our true joy, that is, in thy light. There is the full and eternal harvest, there is the most sure victory, there is in truth the rich spoil taken, there we shall be satiated and made drunk with the riches of thy house, there we shall sing for ever as those who drink wine sing; there our mouth shall be full of laughter, and our tongue full of boasting; there all shall be full of gladness and rejoicing forever.
This joy is spiritual, and this harvest is eternal, as long as the gospel shines and the wheat is gathered into the sheds. This is where this joy begins, but in the future it will be a joy.
1) These verses are missing from the Wittenberg edition.
It will be completed in the next life. There we will finally enjoy the abundance of all things, there we will defeat the enemy, there we will have true peace, not such a peace as the world gives, but which the child born to us, the Son given to us, has acquired for us, as he says elsewhere, John 16:33: "In me you have peace. This peace is quite different, far greater, more thorough, and more excellent, than any peace and joy of the world; but it has been somewhat indicated by that temporal joy which men feel at the time of peace obtained after war, and at the time of a rich and superfluous harvest.
97) Now the prophet shows who these enemies are, after whose defeat and overcoming this child, this king of eternal peace and eternal righteousness, has achieved such an excellent and glorious victory, and has carried off such rich spoils; not for himself, but for his people, who have been enlightened by this great light, therefore they also rejoice and are glad. The words of the prophet are thus:
V. 4 For thou hast broken the yoke of their burden, and the rod of their shoulder, and the staff of their driver, as in the days of Midian.
Death, sin and the law are our enemies and tyrants, who rage against us and rule over us with full right and supreme power. These are described by St. Paul 1 Cor. 15, 56. when he says: "The sting of death is sin; but the power of sin is the law." These very powerful and cruel enemies rage against all the descendants of Adam, and devour the whole human race. There is no counsel or help against their exceedingly cruel tyranny, neither from men nor from angels. How then shall we be delivered from their right and from their power which they have over us? Listen to the prophet here; he sings joyfully that these tyrants, who are not only terrifying to the whole world, but are a poison and pestilence to the whole human race, have been thrown to the ground and destroyed by the child born to us and by the Son given to us with these
words: "You have broken the yoke of their burden, and the rod of their shoulder, and the rod of their driver, as in the days of Midian." As if to say, "O King of peace, righteousness and everlasting life, the joy of your people, on whom your light shines, is great and inexpressible. Why? Because you have overcome or broken the yoke of their burden, and the rod of their shoulder, and the rod of their driver.
With these words, Isaiah describes death, sin and the law, our most cruel enemies and tyrants, who, as I have said, rule over us, keeping us imprisoned and in a very miserable bondage, without any hope of deliverance. The law convicts us that we are sinners, it terrifies our hearts. After sin has been aroused and shown by the law, man immediately pronounces the sentence of death against himself: You have sinned, therefore you are guilty of eternal damnation. Thus death has the right to sting and kill us with its sting, namely through sin, which the law, the power of sin, arouses and shows.
100. Against this exceedingly hard captivity and bondage of the law, of sin, of death, by which we are oppressed, there is no remedy nor consolation in all the world, unless one grasps in faith these and similar sermons of the prophets and apostles, such as that is in this passage of Isaiah: "Thou hast broken the yoke of their burden, and the rod of their shoulder, and the rod of their driver." Likewise, "A child is born to us, and a son is given to us." He comforts us and gives us hope for all good things, and says John 16:33: "Be of good cheer! I have overcome the world"; likewise: "In me you have peace" etc. When death, sin, and the law hear this child mentioned in faith, they are immediately terrified and flee, because they cannot bear to hear him mentioned. For the law, sin, death have accused him, condemned him, brought him to the cross and killed him, but innocently. Therefore they have offended this Sun of Righteousness, who did no sin, but is the truth, the righteousness, and the life; of whom the law, the sin, and the death have accused, condemned, crucified, and killed him, but innocently.
They had no right to accuse, condemn and kill him. But because he allowed himself to be condemned and killed by them, he did this for our sake, and by this he has done enough for the sins of the whole world.
101 As many of them as believe in this child, in this Son, their sins are forgiven them, and those that remain in the flesh are not imputed to them because of faith in him. But to whom sin is forgiven, death has no right, for it too has been swallowed up through this child for eternity. But after sin and death are forgiven, the law finds nothing to accuse and condemn.
(102) Even though death is a heavy yoke and burden, sin a very sharp rod of the shoulder, the law a harsh and merciless driver, the people of this child and king have no cause to fear, but rather to rejoice, to be of good cheer and secure. For the child who is born to us has overcome these tyrants and so weakened their power that they no longer have any right over his people, who walk in the light. Yes, it can mock with Paulo with the highest joy of its enemies now: "Hell, 1) where is your victory? Death, where is thy sting?" [1 Cor. 15:55], and with certain faith, as Paul says elsewhere [Rom. 8:3], that sin is condemned by sin, that the handwriting which was against us, which came into being by statutes, and was opposed to us, is done out of the means, and pinned to the cross [Col. 2. 14.] That Christ had taken away the power of death, and had brought life and an incorruptible nature to light, 2 Tim. 1, 10. And this he does without ceasing to all the godly, during the whole time of their life and until the end of the world, until death will finally cease and be completely taken away.
But in what way does he do this? Through the Gospel and the Sacraments, through which he works the greatest miracles unceasingly. He kindles his light in our hearts, he brings with him the greatest joy, in which we rejoice over our own sins.
1) In the editions: mors.
We can rejoice over our enemies and cheerfully distribute our booty, knowing that we will triumph over Satan, over death, over sin. etc. Likewise, through the gospel, he not only calls the Gentiles, who were under the dominion of death and the devil, to grace, but from these same Gentiles he chooses for and for innumerable ministers of this grace, who teach others and deliver them from death, law and the kingdom of Satan. For those to whom the ministry of the word is entrusted save men from the power of Satan, from death, from sin etc. But those who are delivered from these very powerful and cruel enemies must necessarily rejoice to the fullest.
This joy this child works and brings about through the ministry of his word and the sacraments, especially in those who have tasted the horrors of death, who have felt what it is to bear the yoke of burden, that is, not to be safe for a moment, to be always pale at the mention of death, and to tremble in terror before it, and yet see no escape anywhere. Certainly, this burden is the heaviest of all burdens, insufferable and unbearable; but it is taken away by the good deed and merit of this Son who is given to us; that is, death itself, as the punishment of sin, is destroyed and cast down.
The ruthe of her shoulder.
Sin drove and weighed down this burden, or gave strength to this burden. For sin is the sting of death and its scourge. When man truly feels sin, then he flees and is terrified of death and hell, then he can think and conclude nothing else but this: You have sinned, therefore you must die. For sin brings death as the punishment. Now this burden, and the rod that lies on his shoulders, and this spur and lash, wakes up the ass, and drives and stirs him about; that is, when he truly feels sin, it weighs him down to such an extent that he does not know where to turn, and he sees that he must die and perish. I
Against this sting of death there is no other counsel nor remedy than that which the prophet shows here, namely, that Christ, the Son of God, has blunted this sharpness of the sting of death, that is, has condemned sin. This I have treated elsewhere more extensively; therefore, I now only pass over it above.
The third enemy is "the driver's stick", namely the law, "the rider who has the stick in his hand". The rider, who sits on the horse, and holds a stick or whip in his hand, and rules and forces the horse, is the law. If the law were not, if this did not accuse, the sin would not be, the driver would not drive. If sin were not, the burden did not press us. The law is on our necks, it presses our shoulders, it drives us, it puts the burden on us, it stings and drives us with its scepter or rod, that is, with sin. It commands us to fulfill the commandments of God; if we cannot do what it commands us to do, it stabs and pierces us with its scepter, saying: You must die. For "cursed is every man that continueth not in all these things" etc. s5 Mos. 27, 26. Gal. 3, 10.] The prophet and Paul have well understood what the law is. The prophet says exactly what Paul says, that the law is the power of sin, 1 Cor. 15, 56.
(107) When the gospel began, when our adversaries heard that we taught that the law was the power of sin, they almost became furious and blasphemed us terribly because we taught this. But they do not see that this is Paul's teaching. Nor does reason understand how the law is the power of sin. For according to its natural enlightenment it judges so: The law is a doctrine which enjoins what is good and honorable, and forbids what is evil and shameful; therefore it is certainly good and holy, therefore it is not the power of sin, but the power of righteousness. Therefore, Paul is the greatest heretic who dares to speak blasphemously against heaven, against God, and to say that the law is the power of sin, that is, that it increases sin, that it strengthens it, and that it is the power of righteousness.
strengthen. Therefore, when reason hears that the law is the power of sin, it cannot suffer it in any way. For it is convinced that it invalidates, abolishes and destroys sin, that it is a force of righteousness; therefore it considers this teaching of Paul to be blasphemy.
It took us much and great work to understand this and similar texts in the prophets and in Paul. The church fathers are silent and say inconsistent things, yes, they obscure such scriptural passages altogether.
But how the law is the power of sin, how sin is increased and strengthened by the law, this must be learned not from reason, but from Paul and his epistles to the Galatians and to the Romans in the fourth chapter, where he says, v. 15, "The law causes wrath," and is the power of sin [1 Cor. 15:56]. Not that it incites and compels to sin, but because it makes sin exceedingly sinful, that is, makes us realize how grievous and terrible sin is. It shows sin, but does not abolish it. It says and commands what one should do, namely, one must love God with all one's heart, and one's neighbor as oneself etc.; but it does not provide any strength, it does not help me to fulfill what it commands. It demands such things from me that are impossible for human nature. For nature cannot out of its powers love God with all its heart and its neighbor as itself. But the more I understand and feel the impossibility of nature, the more and stronger I feel the sin, or the heavier the sin becomes.
It is through God's special goodness that no one understands and feels in the highest degree, completely and perfectly, what sin and the power of the Law are. If man's conscience truly touched and worried him, if he truly felt the gravity and greatness of his sins, he would not be able to live long if he did not die suddenly. The more clearly and the more sin is understood and recognized, the stronger, heavier, more frightening and cruel it becomes.
1) In Latin: Koni. 7.
it is, and becomes heavier and heavier until it finally kills.
Thus the driver, that is the law, incites and drives sin; sin drives and brings death; death and the terrors of death kill man. Therefore, many have been, and still are, who, when they truly felt sin, could not be comforted, and fell into despair, because they did not have this child that is born to us, and this Son that is given to us.
Consider and see the whole condition of the churches under the papacy, whether those who have truly felt the burden of sin have not all met the law in one and the same way? whether they have not all endeavored to do enough for sin by their good works, and dreamed that they would do enough for it? But they did nothing at all, so that the more sour they let it become, the heavier this driver pressed them. This is what happened to me under the papacy. I held daily masses, and in each mass I called on three patron saints, I weighed down my body with fasting and vigils, and thought that in this way I would do enough for the law, and pacify my conscience before the driver's sting. But I achieved nothing; the further I went on these ways, the more I was frightened, so much so that I would have fallen into despair if Christ had not graciously looked upon me and enlightened me with the light of his gospel. Therefore I can credibly testify what an evil conscience is, and what this driver, the law, can do in the conscience. For I have partly experienced it myself; then I have also seen and heard some who were tormented and martyred in the most miserable way by the sensation of sin. Gerson writes that many who felt the burden of the law and sin imagined that they were [chickens, and] clucked like hens, or crowed like roosters. 2) What need is there of much words? A wicked ge-
2) Cf. Tischreden, Cap. 26, § 52, Walch, St. Louis Edition, Vol. XXII, 814. According to this, this passage is to be understood, but not, as the old translator has it: "that they seemed to him to be gersous, as if they were gurgling like chickens, or crowing like roosters. The meaning is simple: they have become insane by the unbearable burden of the law.
know is hell. That makes the stick of the driver, the law. If this driver presses the human being, if he strikes and drives with his stick and whip, then nothing healthy remains in the flesh and in the bones. The soul or conscience is tormented as if it were in hell; David is witness to this, Ps. 6:6.
Nevertheless, the law is good, Romans 7:12, but because it is good, it strengthens and increases sin; not that it increases it in number (although it does), but rather that it increases its power. The law blows into the fire, and when the fire has already subsided, it blows on it again, igniting and flaming the coals. And as the fire grows the more fuel is added, and the more one blows into it, so also the law: the more it is recognized, the more fiercely it drives us, the more heavily the sensation of sin presses and frightens us, and blows into the fire in such a way that it makes the fiery coals burn all the way to hell.
But that the prophet calls the law a "rod of the driver", and Paul "the power of sin" [1 Cor. 15, 56.], and its office "an office of death and damnation" [2 Cor. 3, 9.], this must not be taken from human or worldly legal laws. These are not juridical and human things. A jurist must not say that human laws increase sin; this is only true in true and high theology, where one knows what is conscience, what is law, what is sin, what is death.
In this passage, the law is called a tyrant and a driver. However, it is a tyrant and driver not through its guilt, but through ours. For we are conceived and born in sins, and live in sins; but the law kindles sin, and through sin it kindles hell, and makes it burn, that is, it makes sin exceedingly sinful, Rom. 7:13, and though sin be small, yet it becomes very dreadful, grievous, and great, when the law blows into it and makes it great. The more sin is recognized, the more it torments us. Thus, a man who kills pales, and the more he recognizes the greatness of his deed, the more he is tormented.
and realizes, the more he pales. Thus the law increases all sins by leading us to a more accurate knowledge of them. However, it cannot be otherwise than that man becomes afraid when he has seen the shamefulness and seriousness of sins more closely and more exactly, and has recognized the righteous wrath of God against sin.
Thus the law becomes our executioner, our driver, our tyrant, but only for a time, not forever. For the prophet says, "You have broken the rod of the driver." The law is now abolished by Christ, but not with all, only with the people who see the light. This people has been freed from the three cruelest tyrants, sin, death and the law, through Christ, the conqueror of these enemies.
(117) But this, that the law is abolished, must not be understood as if nothing more had to be done according to the moral law, as if we were now without law, and could live according to our own pleasure, and freely indulge our lusts. Let this be far from us. But the law is abolished in our hearts, so that it may not accuse us, so that it may not continue to be a force for sin. For if the law is burdensome to me, I can now say, Seize thee, O woman of the law, with the sting of thy driving; to them that dwell in darkness a great light has dawned. Likewise, "A child is born to us, a son is given to us." By this the power of sin is taken from thee, that thou mayest not further trouble and accuse my conscience.
St. Paul read this prophet diligently and held it in high esteem. For he portrays death, sin and the law in just this way, mocks them, rejoices in the spirit, and calls us all to rejoice in the Lord as the conqueror of these enemies. And why should not the godly rejoice, why should they not leap and skip, since they hand out such rich spoils? since the devil, the author of sin and death, the law, the driver's rod, Moses, the servant of death, since these tyrants, I say, have been overcome by this child? What Satan had stolen, this child has restored to us by overcoming Satan. This child
is the strong one who came over the strong one, overcame him and took away all his armor, on which he relied and his robbery [Luc. 11, 22].
This child, through his servants here on earth, takes and snatches from the hands and power of the devil those who are imprisoned and afflicted by death, sin, and the accusation of the law. When his servants say: I baptize you, or: I absolve you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit etc., they make people fearless and sure that they do not fear anything from death, sin and the accusation of the law. These straighten the frightened hearts and strengthen them when they proclaim this deliverance and salvation through this child who is born to us and through this Son who is given to us.
This is the victory through which peace is acquired. Peter also wishes this peace to those who were chosen according to the providence of God the Father, right at the beginning of his first epistle, where he says: "God give you much grace and peace! [1 Petr. I, 2.] This is the true and thorough joy that has been brought to us by the victory of this infant. And this joy the godly feel daily in their hearts, and the Holy Spirit works the same on earth in His Church through our hands and tongues. Our hands and tongues are indeed perishable and mortal things, but through these means, through these perishable and earthly vessels, the Son of God wants to prove His power. "We have this divine treasure in earthly vessels, that the abundant power may be of God" [2 Cor. 4, 7.].
The Hebrew word that the Latin interpreter has given by superasti [you have overcome] is actually translated fregisti [you have broken], especially when it refers to the mind. For a broken mind is called such a mind that is depressed, despondent, fearful, frightened, set in fear and trembling. So actually the Hebrew word here means to break or to deter and to hold off by fright. And in this way it is often used in the Scriptures. But the prophet wants to indicate with it that God is not afraid of a
He uses a completely different means than the world to frighten these enemies of whom the prophet speaks here, to put them to flight and to throw them to the ground. He uses no sword, no carnal power, no weapons, he does not let wrath and a passionate heart take the reins, 1) but uses only a mere terror (as he scared the Midianites), or he frightens them off, and stops them from their scheming and plotting, and says: Let go, stop, make an end. With such a weak arm (as they say) he confronts his enemies, and so easily can he repulse them with a word, destroy their forces and undertakings, and discourage them from their schemes and intentions. He destroys even the most fierce and cruel attack of death, sin, law and Satan with only one word. He does not need force for this, but if he only lifts a finger or waves a finger, he frightens and deters the enemies so that they do not do anything cruel or harsh against us, and only commands them to desist from their intention. etc.
But how does this work? How should such great enemies be deterred and their undertakings hindered by such a slight impulse, and without any emphasis behind it? They are, I confess, very great enemies; they undertake terrible things, and they exert all their forces to our destruction, but this child can frighten and cut them down with easy effort. For even if they press you to the utmost, if they torment your troubled conscience and assail you most vehemently, then go without delay to an ecclesiastic, or to a godly brother, and ask him for absolution and consolation. When the minister or the brother lays his hand on thee and says: I absolve thee etc., then at this word (if thou believest) the law, sin and death flee away immediately. Thus, by the mere terror of a weak hand and tongue, these cruel enemies are frightened and forced to yield. For if you think about the sins
1) The words: nori laxutis iraennäins impotsntisHus animi Unvsnis are missing in the Wittenberg edition.
If you have true repentance and sorrow, and believe that Christ has done enough for them by his death, and ask for absolution, you will be truly absolved of your sins, and you will then have nothing to fear, neither from death, nor from the law, nor from Satan.
Is this not by far the greatest and most marvelous thing, that by such a small impulse, so easily, at the mere laying on of hands and the speaking or sound of a human voice, Satan takes flight, that sin, which threatens us with death, must despair, and that the law and the conscience are compelled to put an end to the terror and torment? Is not this a marvelous way to govern, that a child should destroy and hinder the attacks and ravings of such terrifying enemies with such ease and in a moment, and terrify them? Are not these great and by far the greatest works, that this child can so terrify the devil that he must flee when he hears but one word? This word is the so great power, before which the power of the law, and even the wrath of God flees. So great is the power, so great is the power of this child, who is true man, but also true God. Now if you believe, the movement of a weak finger and tongue, or the voice with which I absolve you, can make your heart come alive. When I say: Be of good cheer, my son, your sins are forgiven: immediately death dies on this word, sin is destroyed and cancelled, Satan is frightened and put to flight.
It is an admirable and astonishing thing that the oral word of a man can do such great things, that the hand of a brother or priest, and the absolution is of such great power that it destroys this greatest and most violent attack of such great and terrifying enemies. Therefore also those in the Gospel praise this unspeakable gift, this wonderful and infinite power, gloriously and with full mouth, and praise God who has given such power to men [Matth. 9, 8.]. These are the greatest and infinite benefits of God towards the human race. Therefore
Let us be thankful and righteous for this, praising the works and benefits of this child, gladly hearing this word of life, righteousness, and peace, so that we may have comfort and strength against the terror of death and sin, and against the sadness of the spirit.
(125) When we do this, it certainly cannot be otherwise than that we burst into infinite and unbelievable joy, since so excellent a victory has been won for us, and since we are distributing such rich spoils, after such great enemies have been put to flight, defeated, and thrown down, as there are, the sting of death, the law that increases sin; after the devil, sin, is done away with, death is killed and destroyed. "This may be called a little child and the Lord." This wonderful child is the Lord of great power, who works such and such great things only through the word spoken by men. Through men these words are spoken, but they are not the works of man, but of God.
Therefore, this born child must be God. For these are not the works of men, by the movement of a finger, and by a little sound of the tongue, to put death to death, to abolish sin, to banish and abolish the law, to overcome the power of Satan, and to frighten and terrify him, so that when he hears even one word, he is forced to flee. Since this child does such great things, it is certain that he is the real true God, and one God with the Father and the Holy Spirit. The prophet has summarized these exceedingly great things in such short words. And he adds:
As in the time of Midian.
So far we have heard that the prophet does not speak of any other victory, nor can it be understood, than the glorious, noble and by far most glorious victory of this child, who was born to us, and of this son, who was given to us, namely our Savior Jesus Christ. The Jews, as I have said, very wretchedly and wickedly dismember, tear apart and distort this text, turning it on Hezekiah, in whose days
the people rejoiced over the broken rod of the driver, that is, over the defeated and put to flight war army of Sanherib. Although it is common and usual for the prophet to understand "rod" or "stick" to mean temporal tyranny; for in this sense he uses this word Cap. 14, 4. 5. of the king of Babylon, neither the preceding nor the following in any way allows it to be understood of a physical victory or of this enemy Sanherib.
The Jews see well that these words, "Thou makest the Gentiles much, but thou makest not many pleasures," etc., are contrary to them and their opinion and dispute; therefore they do not read, "Thou makest not many pleasures," as they stand in the Hebrew, but they distort the text, and instead of non [not] read thus, "Thou makest the people much, and makest them many pleasures. 1) This is an ungodly and wicked audacity, when one twists the words of the holy Scriptures out of his own brain according to his own liking, and invents such an opinion for himself, which agrees with the dream of our head; as happens in these words: You make the people much, and give them much joy. This they explain in such a way that nobody had been who had not rejoiced extraordinarily and even very much. But, explaining it in this way, the greatest violence happens to the words of the prophet. For it cannot be understood otherwise than of the great light, and of the child that is born unto us, and of the Son that is given unto us.
129 Further, that he adds, "As in the days of Midian," is another similitude. The story is known, which is written about the famous commander Gideon, who defeated the Midianites, Amalekites and Arabs, the peoples who lived in the east and south, whose number was like the sand of the sea. For so reads the text [Judges 7:12 ff]: "The Midianites and the Amalekites, and all of the east country, had lich laid down at the bottom, like a multitude of
1) Compare § 84. Instead of x'8 in the text, the Jews read the keri i8.
Locusts, and their cameos were not to be numbered before the multitude, as the sand upon the seashore." Such a great multitude Gideon slew by no sword, by no weapons etc. Therefore, it can be seen from this that the prophet is speaking of a war other than a physical war, and of a victory other than that brought about by one of their kings. So he speaks of a victory similar to the victory obtained over the Midianites. Gideon attacked such a great multitude with three hundred men; for history [Judges 8:10] testifies that an hundred and twenty thousand enemies fell. And this so very great multitude he met in the greatest weakness. For he did nothing more than give each of his three hundred men who went with him against the enemy a trumpet in his right hand and a jar in his left, and torches to hold in the jars.
Truly, a strange war, a war without a sword. In the left one holds a miserable and fragile shard, and this must serve instead of the shield. The trumpet in the right is instead of the sword. Dear, what kind of war and meeting will this be, since one fights with such fragile weapons against such a large number of powerful and so fierce enemies? Those three hundred men of Gideon must have been gifted with an excellent spirit and very great faith that, when God calls them, they go against such a great army with such poor armor, with broken pieces and trumpets. What could they possibly accomplish with these wretched and fragile swords and weapons? If they should have fought against stubble 2) or flies, they would have been sufficiently armed. But what is more ridiculous to reason, what is more foolish, than to advance against such a great army of war, which was best equipped with all kinds of projectiles and weapons, with such ridiculous, such weak, such fragile and no weapons at all? But God used to arm his men of war in this way, and even though they were armed in a ridiculous and foolish way, they were still able to fight in such a way.
2) In the Wittenberg after LtiprUas is still the word tipulas.
They were able to beat an uncountable number of enemies with these weapons and to throw them over the heap. How these jars were prepared and what shape they had, I can not imagine. The text shows that fire was enclosed in them, which burst forth after the jars or pots were smashed or broken. How they made them, whether they were covered with pitch or some other material, I do not know.
131 So these three hundred men, divided into three battle ranks, did as Gideon had commanded them, that is, standing every man in his place round about the camp, blowing with trumpets, and breaking the pitchers, and after they had broken them, holding in their left hand the burning torches which were shut up in the pitchers, and in their right hand the sounding trumpets, and crying out: When the enemies heard the sound of the three hundred trumpets, which was great and terrible, and when they saw a great light in the night, which the three hundred torches made (for all this happened at night), they were suddenly terrified. And although it was nothing but a sound and a light, yet it aroused this thought in them, that they thought that the whole kingdom of the Egyptians, and a multitude of innumerable other nations, had gathered together and were fighting against them, and this they could in no way resist. For since so many trumpets made a very great and terrifying noise, they also frightened them very much. Also the so many lamps or torches made everything bright with their large shine around. By this stratagem (which God Himself indicated), the enemies became dismayed and despondent, and did not think otherwise than that death was now inescapably ahead of them, and as if they were in extreme danger of death, and that there was no other advice than that they should take flight. As they thus took flight, and each, wishing to save his life, endeavored to break through by force and flee, they all got into a scramble, slaughtered and hacked each other to pieces, and thus wore themselves out. For
because their neighbor stood in their way, so that they could not flee as quickly as they would have liked, the one who followed stabbed the one in front to save his life. So the enemies were frightened by the fear that God put in them, and wounded themselves among themselves, and wore themselves out. The three hundred men whom Gideon led did not draw a sword; indeed, they did nothing more than stand in their places, as I have said, holding a burning torch in their left hand and a trumpet in their right, with which they made a noise.
132 This story praises Isaiah here. 1) David also praises it in the 72nd Psalm, v. 6, where he prophesies of the Messiah and says: "He will descend like the rain on the skin, like the drops that wet the land. For Gideon asked for this sign, that the dew would be on the hide alone, and that it would be dry on all the earth. And again he asked that it would be dry on the skin alone, and dew on the whole earth [Judges 6:37, 39]. The Jews falsify, as everything, so also this passage, and give it thus: He comes down, as the rain on the shorn, that is, on a shorn or mown or harvested meadow. But the Hebrew word actually means shearing, as sheep are sheared at wool shearing. Since this story is praised by David, and here by Isaiah, we should let it be commanded to us, and it is very worth reading. For this victory of Gideon is very glorious, which he carried away over the Midianites, Amalekites and Arabs, who were very important and powerful enemies, who devastated everything "as far as Gaza (as the text [Judges 6:4] says), and left nothing left of food in Israel, neither sheep, nor oxen, nor donkeys. For they came up with their cattle and their tents, as a great multitude of locusts, that neither they nor their camels could be numbered; and they fell into the land, and destroyed it".
133. against these three very hostile and very large armies of such powerful enemies, Gideon likewise ordered three bands, or
1) In the Latin editions: Lrieokius instead of: Lsuius.
But they were no match for them in strength. For he divided three hundred men into three battle formations, and provided them for such a great battle with strange weapons, namely with trumpets and jars in which fire was enclosed, and addressed them thus [Judges 7:17 ff]: "Look upon me, and do likewise; and behold, when I come into the place of the army, as I do, so do ye also. When I blow the trumpet, and all that are with me, then ye also shall blow the trumpet round about the whole host, saying: Here, Lord, and Gideon. So Gideon, and an hundred men with him, came to the place of the host, to the first watchmen that were appointed, and stirred them up, and blew with trumpets, and brake the pitchers in their hands. So all the three companies round about blew, and brake the pitchers: and they held the torches in their left hand, and the trumpets in their right hand, to blow, and to cry: Hie sword of the Lord, and Gideon! And every man stood in his place round about the host. Then the whole army ran, and cried out, and fled. And when the three hundred men had blown the trumpets, the Lord caused every man's sword to be against every man's in the camp."
134. So also this our child shall smite his enemies, and in like manner shall he obtain victory over all his adversaries. This is not what happened with the victory that was obtained over Sanherib [Isa. 37:36]. The war against Sanherib was a war Tenuphah, and was conducted by the angels. Tenuphah was the weaving sacrifice, which was moved against all four parts of the world; Terumah was the lifting sacrifice, which was lifted up on high. In the same way in the Pabstthum this custom is still maintained, since one lifts the cup in the height, likewise when they consecrate the bread, as they call it, they make a cross against the four parts of the world. Such a war was the one against Sanherib, namely a war Tenuphah, that is, a war which was waged in the four parts of the camp in the form of a cross. For the angels smote the army of the Assyrians in such a way that at all ends the enemies were smitten and slain, numbering an hundred and five and eighty thousand. So there was
Not human weakness, as here with the army of Gideon, but the power of the angels, who crossed the army and destroyed it. So the victory that Gideon achieved was completely different. Here was not the power of the angels, but the highest weakness. Here the enemies were put to flight and defeated by such weapons, which had the appearance that the enemies could be defeated and killed by them as little as by straws.
(135) And Isaiah marvels at this, that in this supreme weakness, as it was with Gideon, so glorious a victory was obtained. For what can be conceived weaker, what is more admirable, than that three hundred men, who were not armed with any weapons with which the enemy could have been beaten (for though they had something of such weapons, they did not use them in this battle), that, I say, according to the number, so few men, who were not armed and armored at all, but had only trumpets and pitchers, and fire enclosed in the pitchers, should make themselves out against so great an army of war, which was well armed with all kinds of weapons, and that so mighty an army of war should be beaten by these weapons, namely by trumpets and pitchers? For the sound of the trumpets alone, which entered their ears, and the fire which fell into their eyes, brought about this glorious and marvelous victory. In the same way, our child who was born to us and the Son who was given to us overcame his enemies and won us just such a victory. Nothing like this happened to King Hezekiah, which could be compared to the victory over the Midianites. Therefore, this passage cannot be understood by Hezekiah, as the foolish Jews dream.
I do not think much of allegories, except when necessity forces us to do so. At this point, however, an allegory is highly necessary. For here the spiritual war is indicated, because the prophet speaks of the killing and destruction of death, sin and the law. Therefore this whole war is
on the spiritual Amalekites and the other enemies, and on the spiritual Gideon. Those three enemies of the people of God, Gideon and his men alone struck and destroyed them by the trumpets and the fire. However, the fire did not burn them, nor did the sound of the trumpets kill them, nor did it strike them down, but only frightened them, as I said. They alone were struck down by terror when they heard the trumpets and saw the fire. They did not feel the flame or the fire, nor was even a hair on their head hurt by the fire, but they were so terrified by the mere sight of the fire and the sound of the trumpets that they surprised themselves as they fled. Truly, those who stood with Gideon against such a great multitude had excellent faith.
1) But we want to look at the secret interpretation a little bit. The trumpet is actually the voice of the gospel. The leader of the army is the son who was given to us and the child who was born to us, the right Gideon, the breaker and healer [Richt. 6, 25]; he leads the army. But what army, and how is it constituted? The apostles and thieves of the word throughout the world. But with what weapons are they armed? Not with sword and iron, not with fire or other bodily weapons, so that with these weapons they should attack the world with hostility, turn it back and destroy it. "For the weapons of our knighthood are not carnal," says Paul, "but mighty in the sight of God" etc. Cor. 10:4]. We do indeed contend in the flesh, but not through the flesh or carnally. We are indeed born in sins, but having been called to the army of this host, we have and bear nothing but trumpets, and light in our cups, and we break the earthen vessels, that is, we take up the cross, and are subject to the tribulations in which all the godly are exercised.
I do not pretend to be a perfect teacher and master in secret interpretations, but I do think that they are
1) Here we have omitted the number "136." because it is duplicated in Walch.
very fitting and appropriate at this point. The. Trumpet is the voice of the Gospel. This voice alone strikes the enemies to the ground. We are the earthen vessels; we carry our treasure in supreme weakness, in earthen vessels Cor. 4:7]. We are exceedingly weak earthen vessels; the martyred, afflicted, and tormented to the point of death consciences show the power of the Holy Spirit, which does great wonders. Thus the power of our Gideon becomes mighty in our weakness [2 Cor. 12:9]. If the fire that is shut up in the earthen vessels is to break forth and be seen, the earthen vessel must be broken, that is, we must be subjected to many tribulations and be killed by many perils; as also the Gentiles have said: Let no great and memorable deed be done without great danger. Such a breaking, struggling and fearing, as takes place in the birth, must also take place here, so that we may be killed. For the gift and power of the Holy Spirit is manifested and especially exerts itself when we are most pressed, constrained and crushed.
138. But every lover of the holy scriptures should note here that all the killing of the enemies that occurs in the biblical stories means the spiritual killing that this child, who was born to us, works with his servants through the sound of the trumpets, and by the light enclosed in the earthen vessels, that is, by the Word and the Holy Spirit, he so terrifies and moves the enemies of the people of God that they go within themselves and kill themselves with their swords, and say to the shepherds of their souls: Dear pastor, I realize that I have sinned. Before I did not see the trumpets and the earthen vessels, but now I see and realize my misery and ruin, and I deceive myself about my sins, which I have committed against my God so freely. I repent of having persecuted the people of God, the true religion, and the godly teachers. I ask you to forgive me and, according to Christ's command, absolve me, a wretched man, who groans under this burden of sins, and who is mortally wounded and martyred by sins.
If we judge ourselves in this way, we will not be judged by the Lord [1 Cor. 11:31]. But I judge myself thus, and stab myself with my own sword, when I condemn my foolish, impudent and wanton flesh. Likewise, if I regret and repent from the heart that I have blasphemed the Son of God by keeping the Mass, that I have taken the Son of God for a mockery, and have been a church robber. I was such a robber for fifteen years, as Paul also complains and confesses in 1 Tim. 1, 13 that he had been a blasphemer, a persecutor and a taunter before. All this old man, who was a fool and ungodly, who reviled and crucified the Son of God, this one, I say, I kill and slay with my own sword, with my tongue and with all my strength, saying from my heart, "I have sinned. This murder or slaying comes from the sound of the trumpet and the light of the flame.
This is the victory of this child, who was born and given to us. He converts the Gentiles by the Word and the Holy Spirit, so that they kill themselves, that is, judge; not by the sword, but by true repentance and spiritual joy, so that they serve him in fear and rejoice with trembling [Ps. 2:11]. Those who confess and acknowledge their sins, and take refuge in Christ, are incorporated into Christ, and thus become the spoil snatched from the devil, Luc. 11:22, who is the author of sin and death. Thus the evil conscience, sin and death are killed, which are certainly glorious and magnificent victories. The conscience, which until now was troubled by the law and had to endure the accusation of the law, is now joyful and glad, and thanks our: God that it has obtained such a happy and glorious victory that sin is swallowed up, and, now that it is freed, sings, "Death, where is thy sting? Hell, where is thy victory?" [1 Cor. 15, 55.] 1)
141. although this victory over sin, over the law and over death does not become complete in this life, although these
1) In the editions after the Vulgate: Nom, ubi vietoriu tun? Ildi stinln" do", internal? Likewise in the following paragraph.
our enemies are not so overcome that they cannot start their quarrel against us anew, that they should not always trouble us, yet already here the beginning is made to sing this song of triumph: "Death, where is your sting? Hell, where is thy victory?" Through Christ we have restored and redeemed everything far better than it was lost in paradise through the transgression of the first parents, even though we still have to struggle. But thanks be to God, who has given us the victory over sin, over the sting of death, and also that the law does not accuse [1 Cor. 15:57]; or if it wants to accuse, then I can take hold of this child in faith and set it against death. Although the law always comes back, and does not cease to attack us, and does not cease to afflict us in this life, yet the victory is finally on our side, until it is fully obtained there.
So it is certain that the Son of God, the child born to us, in this way, in this life, frightens and deters death, sin and the law, our most dangerous enemies, and puts them to flight and beats them. It is true that in this life death is not completely eradicated, sin is not completely taken away, the accusation of conscience does not completely cease, we sometimes turn pale at the mention of death, we are even violently dismayed and sometimes grieved; but we do have a remedy if we oppose these things to the child that is born to us:, and say with certain confidence: Devil, do you also know that you have pricked this child in the heel? Law, do you know that you have innocently accused and condemned this son? Death, do you also know that you have devoured this one who was without any guilt? When they hear the name of this child, they are immediately deterred and take flight, and have no power against us. Why? Because the devil has committed such a sin that cannot be atoned for; therefore, he is guilty of eternal death and eternal damnation. Because he killed the completely innocent Son of God, the supreme person, the only majesty to be worshipped, for which he is the only one.
had no cause at all, as Christ says Joh. 14, 30: "The prince of this world is coming, but he has nothing on me. The devil could not find fault with this person; nevertheless, he condemned him to death and removed him from the way. Therefore, the devil is now guilty for eternity. The sin he committed against this person cannot be forgiven nor atoned for, because he can never make up for killing the Son of God.
For this reason Christ has swallowed up in himself the devil who raged against him, and not only by virtue of his divine omnipotence, but also with the highest right, has thrown him completely to the ground and deprived him of all his power, so that he must be subject to him for eternity, and indeed so subject that even when he only hears his name he pales and trembles, must hastily take flight, and cease to practice his intrigues, because he knows in his conscience that he is judged and condemned.
Thus this child, through a miraculous counsel and way, has acquired this glorious victory, and indeed he has acquired and given it to us. Therefore, if you believe in Christ, you have his power, and through him you will overcome sin, death and the devil. And although this victory has not yet been fulfilled and completed on this earth, it has been happily begun and will be most happily completed after this life. Therefore, every godly person who believes in Christ is an exceedingly powerful lord in Christ, in that he has power over the power of the devil. Luc. 10, 19. Christ says: "Behold, I give you power over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will harm you. And Ps. 91:13 [Vulg.] it is written, "Upon serpents and vipers shalt thou go, and tread upon the young lion and dragon"; likewise Job 40:20, "Canst thou drag Leviathan with a hame, and catch his tongue with a rope?" etc.
145. This indeed divine power to overcome our enemies and to trample them underfoot we have to thank, as I said, for the grace and merit of the Son of God. For he came into the world so that he might die for the sins of the world and
and deliver those who believe in him from the curse of the law and from eternal death, and having taken on human nature, he humbled himself and took on the form of a servant [Phil. 2:7J. The devil was deceived by this form, thinking that he was a sinner like others, subjected him to the law, and condemned him to death. But because he was not only righteous and true, but was righteousness itself, the truth and the life, which makes all who believe righteous and alive, the law, sin, death, the devil, had no right to accuse, condemn and kill him. But what he did, he did willingly for our sake; therefore the greatest wrong was done to him.
Therefore, the law is guilty before God for eternity, death is also guilty, sin is also guilty, the devil is also guilty. All these enemies have been overcome by the glorious victory of this person who could neither sin nor be condemned. Over all these enemies she has triumphed. Therefore it is said to those who believe in Christ, "You have no cause to fear the devil, sin, death, the accusation of the law; be joyful and of good cheer; the victory has come through this child who was born to us and through this Son who was given to us, who was subjected to the law, sin, death, and the devil, and yet could not be subjected. Therefore, the law, sin, death and Satan have lost their right, and are brought into bondage as conquered according to the law of war. So we should hope for victory and salvation through this child, who was born to us, and through this son, who was given to us so that he could overcome these enemies and free us, who were oppressed by their tyranny.
The prophet Isaiah speaks of this spiritual, exceedingly great and most glorious victory, not of the defeat of the army of Sanherib, as the Jews dream. Moreover, this subject or matter of the abolition of the law, and that these enemies, namely death, sin and Satan, have been overcome, has been treated at length in other places.
This theology is not understood by human reason, and our theologians in the papacy have not understood it either, at least they have not been able to treat it properly from Isaiah and Paul. This is sufficiently evident from the fact that they have chosen only those chapters that contain moral teachings, but very rarely those that deal with the theology that teaches that we come to this unbelievable and inestimable glory without works, without our merits, in vain and by grace, that we are set up as lords, overcomers and judges over death, over sin, over the law itself that accuses, over hell and the whole host of devils.
But we have now said enough about this glorious victory; although these things are of such great importance and majesty that they can never be treated sufficiently and with dignity. Now follows in the text:
V. 5. for all warfare with impetuosity 1) and bloody garments will be burned up and consumed with fire.
Now the prophet explains what kind of victory it will be by the sound of the trumpet and the appearance of the flame. It will not be a physical war, as the Jews expect and imagine. For the bloodthirsty people wish that it would come to this, that they would kill the Gentiles with the sword, and after the extermination of all Gentiles, they would reign alone in the world, so that not one drop of Christian blood would remain. That is how much they thirst for Christian blood. Therefore they kill the children of Christians either with the sword or with poison or by whatever other means they can manage. And they think that they would also be doing God a favor by destroying all nations and giving the earth to the children of Israel alone. Against this Isaiah says: "I have now spoken of the victory, how it will be and how great it will be, namely a very glorious victory; but it will not be a physical war or a physical victory.
151 Here is some difficulty as far as grammar is concerned. In Hebrew it says
1) Vulgate: Huia ornnis violenta praeäatio "um tuwultu.
not: Omnis violenta praedatio, as Jerome translated it, but it reads: Omnis Seon Soen in tumultu, et vestimentum involutum sanguine etc.. We have already had above some words that are unknown to the grammarians in the Hebrew language, because the same has largely fallen into decay, as far as the word theory (grammaticam positivam) is concerned, in which the words and names of things are taught. In syntax, too, much is still lacking. If we had not had the Latin and the Greek Bible, we would perhaps have hardly half of the Hebrew language. They have taught the declensions and the conjugations diligently enough, but the words that designate things and the figurative speeches do not explain them, but make them obscure. Therefore, this deficiency must be remedied from the New Testament, especially from Paul and John, who have explained many words.
It is not yet determined what the word Seon is. For it is read nowhere else in the Bible than in this place. But as much as one can conclude from the circumstances, it seems to mean as much as a skirmish, quarrel or meeting, which the Germans call "a battle", namely the clash of the parties in the fight itself, when they become hand in hand, when foot stands to foot, and man to man close together; as the poet 2) speaks:
. . . Haeret pede pes, densusque viro vir.
In this clash there is a great clashing of weapons, a great movement, a great tumult; and in sum, heaven and earth seem to tremble. This one's wound is struck, that one's body is pierced; this one's blood runs down his back, another's down his chest etc.
. . . 3) Fremit aequore toto Insultans sonipes, et pressis pugnat habenis, Huc obversus et huc; tum late ferreus hastis Horret ager, campique armis sublimibus ar- dent:
2) Virgil, lid. X, V. 361.
3) The following is a selection of verses from Virg. ^6N., lid. XI. Namely: V. 599-602. 611. 610. 613. 614. 632-635.
Crebra, nivis ritu, funduntur undique tela. Connixi incurrunt hastis, praefractaqueD qua- drupedantum
Pectora pectoribus rumpunt, legitque virum vir.
Tum vero et gemitus morientum, et sanguine in alto,
Armaque corporaque, et permixti caede virorum,
Semianimes volvuntur equi etc.
[On the whole plan the proud horse neighs and resists the tight reins by which it is steered here and there. Then the field stares from iron lances and the fields shine from delicious weapons. Dense, like snowflakes, projectiles are hurled from all sides. Vigorously they attack with spears, one hard horse breast shatters another, and each picks his man. But then the groans of the dying are also heard, and in deep blood arms and bodies roll, and among slain men the perishing horses etc.] In such a meeting as Virgil describes in these verses, there is a great movement, a strong clashing of weapons, a great tumult. This process and the fight itself, when the first attack happens, or the first heat is there, when the taratantara and the trumpet sound, when the call to arms is made, the Hebrews call Seon; and this tumult is aroused by the shouting of the men, by the neighing and stamping of the horses, by the banging of the guns, by the sound of the trumpets etc.
Therefore, the opinion seems to be this: Thou hast broken the yoke of their burden, the rod of the driver, and the rod of their shoulder, as in the days of Midian, where there was no meeting at all between two enemies. For Gideon only blew with three hundred trumpets, and broke as many pitchers that had fire in them. It was not a war with swords against swords, with spears against spears, nor wound against wound, but the enemies killed each other with their own swords, and slaughtered each other. You have heard above [§ 138) in the allegory that herewith it is implied, it is
1) In our edition of Virgil, the reading here is: psrkruetu.
sinners and the ungodly would be destroyed by their own tongues, that is, they confess their errors and sins after being frightened and moved by the trumpet of the gospel and by the fire of the Holy Spirit.
V. 5. for all warfare with impetuosity, and bloody garments shall be burned and consumed with fire.
The Hebrew word raash [XXX] does not actually mean a tumult, as I have said, but a very great movement, shouting, roaring of horses, weapons and men, as it happens at a meeting; or a terrifying thunderstorm; as Ps. 18:8 ff: "The earth quaked and was moved" etc., where in a kind of personal poetry the terrifying appearance of a thunderstorm in the air, or the anger of the sky or the clouds is described. For in a thunderstorm, when the Lord makes himself heard and brings forth his thunder, everything is moved and trembles; the sky, the earth, the sea, the air crack from the thunder, lightnings come out of the black and thick clouds, the trees are overthrown and struck down, the animals are killed etc.
Therefore, the prophet says: "Every fight or encounter in the battles takes place with roaring, shouting, roaring, and with a terrifying tumult, with violent movement and trembling. Wounds are struck, there is a lamentable killing, rivers of blood flow, clothes are soaked and stained with blood. But such a battle, such meetings will not take place in the kingdom of this child, our King and Savior. For such a tumult, such soaking and covering of clothes in blood, the fire will consume and devour, that is, there will never be such a bloody war in the church.
But what does he mean by saying, "The fire will consume" etc.? The Jews falsify these words mischievously, and interpret them in this way: All battles, or all warfare, are indeed done with a tnmult, and the garments are soaked or dyed with blood in the battles, but this warfare, which our Messiah will wage, will be done in the
Fire of a thunderstorm that will come down from heaven, as it happened in the time of Sanherib. The blindness and audacity of the Jews is terrifying, who twist everything to their liking to the dreams of their brain.
This is not the opinion of the prophet at all, what they dream, but he indicates, that this kingdom of the child will be a kingdom of peace and security, not a warlike kingdom; this king will not fight after the manner of the worldly kings, he will not shed the blood of the enemies, he will not strike down all who come in his way, he will not do terrible murder, as it happens in the meetings etc. Therefore the prophet calls him soon after [v. 6.] a prince of peace. And Cap. 11, 9. he describes his kingdom in these words, "One shall nowhere let, nor perish on my holy mountain." And Cap. 2, 4: "No nation shall lift up a sword against another, neither shall they learn war any more." For in the church there will be no physical warfare, "for the land is full of the knowledge of the Lord" [Isa. 11:9]. The knowledge of God will be so superfluous, like the water in the flood of sin, that war or sword will no longer be necessary. Then their swords will be turned into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.
The same prophecy that is written in the second chapter, he also prophesies here of the Kingdom of Christ, indicating that God will send fire on earth in the time of this King, who will be a consuming fire, devouring the terrifying impetuosity of wars, as also the 46th Psalm, v. 10, says: "He who controls wars in all the world, who breaks bows, shatters spears, and burns chariots with fire. Therefore he prophesies here that the Holy Spirit, the fire of God, will consume all weapons. "Devouring fire goeth before him, and great weather round about him," says the 50th Psalm, v. 3, that is, when the knowledge of the Lord is superfluous, that is, when this King of eternal peace, eternal righteousness and eternal life will be preached, and when he will fill the whole world with the word of the gospel so abundantly that all tongues and peoples will have to hear and recognize it: then who will be able to hear and recognize the gospel?
When the battles cease, people will no longer fight with each other, they will not fight with physical weapons that strike wounds and kill.
There is a significant distance and a clear difference between a worldly kingdom and the kingdom of Christ. Christ did not come to kill and destroy, but that those who believe in Him might have life and be saved, as He testifies in the Gospel [Luc. 9, 56. Joh. 3, 17. 12, 47.Z He did not come to wage war on this earth, but to crush the head of the serpent, that is, to free us from the very harsh servitude of the devil, with which he subjugated the whole human race through sin and death etc.
160 With these words: "For all war" etc. the prophet indicates that it will not be such a war as the world wages, but a completely different one. For the Holy Spirit would completely abolish this war, and change the hearts, so that people would be united among themselves, that they would praise God with one accord, and the godly would crucify and kill other enemies than the earthly enemies. But who these enemies would be that would be destroyed by the godly, he said above [v. 4], namely, the yoke of the burden, and the rod of the shoulder, and the scepter of the driver. This will be the war in which the godly will finally receive the most glorious victory through the power of this child, who is the king of peace etc. Therefore, they will also rejoice greatly that they are delivered from the law, sin, death, the devil. This, I say, will be the war that the Christians will wage, not such a war as the world wages. For Christians do not wage war after the manner of the world with swords and spears. "The weapons of our knighthood," says Paul 2 Cor. 10:4, 5, "are not carnal, but mighty in the sight of God." He says they are sharp and mighty, not before the flesh, but before God. To what end? What use are they? "To disturb the fortifications, that we may disturb the temples, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God." This is a different dispute than the dispute of the world is. These weapons
The people of the world attack all science and wisdom that opposes the wisdom and knowledge of God. With these weapons they fight against the wisdom of the law, against the justice of the law, yes, against the justice of the whole world in moral things.
So our weapons are spiritual, with which we fight against sin, against death, against the accusation of the law, against the evil spirits under heaven, against the rulers of the world who rule in the darkness of this world [Eph. 6:12]. We also conquer and destroy the strongholds of the devil when we spiritually kill those who live in the righteousness of the flesh, when we snatch out of it those who are in the misery of sin and covered with darkness, and lie as drunkards in deep sleep, and call them to a better life and repentance, They call us to a better life and to repentance, bring us back on the right path, instruct us in heavenly wisdom, lead us to the knowledge of the truth, so that they praise and confess with us the Son of God who was given to us and the child who was born to us, as the conqueror of death, sin, the law, hell and the devil, the most terrible and most abominable enemies. This is the most beautiful and glorious conflict, without bodily weapons, without wounds, overcoming through another's toil and danger, and carrying off a victory without bloodshed over such great enemies.
A bodily sword does nothing against death, the devil and the law that accuses the conscience; it has no sharpness, it does not wound, it does not hurt, it does not put to flight, it does not kill these spiritual enemies of ours. Therefore, there is no hope at all in the bodily weapons. Therefore, they are thrown away by the Christians and they are burned by the fire of the Holy Spirit. They are burned up not only in so far as they are of no use spiritually, but also externally, because no Christian fights against another with these bodily weapons, nor does he use them. For the Holy Spirit, who is poured into our hearts, changes us and instills in us the love of harmony and the search for peace, and calls us to love one another. And he directs
and shape our hearts in such a way that we forgive one another's offenses, gladly forgive one another's faults, patiently bear our neighbor's errors and weaknesses.
This is the fire of the Holy Spirit, which changes and transforms our hearts, so that when insults occur, I do not take up arms against you, nor you against me. So all carnal weapons are burned up and turned into ashes among the truly godly. Paul says the same thing in Eph. 2:14 ff. when he says that through Christ the enmity is taken away, and the fence is broken down between us Gentiles and the Jews, and that we are united and reconciled into one body, into one new man, so that we live in one mind, one heart and one soul. What you believe, I also believe; what you hope, I also hope. Therefore, we love one another and are brothers who love one another very much. Where hearts are united in one spirit through one faith, there can certainly be no war.
This is Christ's, our child's, peaceable, gracious and loving kingdom, which stands in one faith, in pure love and spiritual harmony. When a priest wants to preach, he does not draw a sword (as is customary among the Mahomedans, among whom the teachers of the Alkoran hold a bare sword in their hand while they are teaching, thus implying that this doctrine has arisen and been fixed by the sword, and must also be protected with the sword). I, too, when I preach or want to hear a sermon, do not bring a sword with me; we do not arm ourselves for a meeting, we do not go at each other with spears in hostility, but we are gathered together with one accord and are gathered to the One Son of God, to one and the same grace, and to the forgiveness of sin; we also rejoice with one accord in the spirit, give thanks to God, and praise and extol Him who has made us one in the Holy Spirit and in true love. This, I say, is what the heavenly fire does, by which the bodily weapons are completely burned up. This fire of God, the Holy Spirit, ignites our hearts and consumes the weapons.
And from this you can see the difference between the kingdom of the Son of God and the kingdom of the world. Through this kingdom of the child, this our Son of God, the authorities and the worldly orders and the obedience of the subjects are not abolished, rather we are subjected to this civil life according to your old and external people, because not all of them are Christians who claim to be. The largest part of the world remains godless and unbelieving. Since the world offends God by its godlessness and by the untamable licentiousness of its depraved and vicious life, it follows that there is either no peace at all in the world, or only seldom and little peace. And this is the reward given to the world for its ungodliness and wickedness. Thus, it is punished by God.
So now we have to live among such people who wage wars. In this hostel and in this camp of the godless people one must spend one's life. War is not abolished among the godless, but only among and among the godly. We Christians are all one body through faith, Eph. 4, 4. 1 Cor. 12, 12, but according to the body we carry we are subject to worldly power and worldly things. The church, the kingdom of Christ, is united in all things and of one mind. In the worldly kingdom things are quite different, and there everything is done quite differently than in the spiritual kingdom. Among the wicked, peace on this earth cannot exist nor endure, because of the wickedness and evil deeds of the world against God, as I have said. Since we are under authority according to the outward man, we must obey the orders of the authorities and also go to war when necessity demands it. In the household, we build the fields, take care of the trade, and govern those who belong to our house. These are divine, but nevertheless external orders. The household does not belong to the heavenly kingdom, but it is necessary as long as we live here. Thus we must also have worldly orders, and we are subject to them according to the outward man.
This must be diligently and wisely distinguished. For we can hardly prevent, as much as we take the utmost care, that the secular and the ecclesiastical matters are not mixed and confused with each other. The pope tears through, makes no distinction here, but as a cook mixes many broths (jura)1 ) among each other, so he mixes, disturbs, distracts and reverses everything. And in this he proves his name perfectly. For Christ said Matth. 24, 15. He said that he is "the abomination of desolation," by which he meant that he would destroy the worldly government, the household and the church, that he would bring them to an abominable ruin and wretched destruction with his new doctrines, holy water, statutes of men, fictitious and ungodly worship, and his own works of righteousness, which have been introduced and established against Christ and his gospel, and by these devices he would make the church and the worldly government, the laws and the kings subject to himself. And these he has also so brought under his yoke, so beguiled, so held captive, that they have been forced to obey this ugly monster, this desolation, or this ravager and destroyer in all things at a beckon.
For because of his power, the pope says, the laws should not refuse to be guided by the holy canons. If he had said, "The laws should not refuse to be guided by the word of God," he would have spoken rightly and godly. For the laws that do not agree with the word of God must be improved according to the word of God. But so, by his holy, nay, rather accursed canons, which dispute with the word of God, he has prescribed laws according to his pleasure even to the emperors. In short, he ruled in all things and over everything, and arrogated to himself the worldly rule, and in this way devastated the worldly government.
169. he has also devastated the household, robbing the sons and daughters, killing the parents through the disobedience of the children.
1) The word jura has a twofold meaning, namely "rights" and "soups".
The pope wanted such unions to be considered valid, for those who hide in monasteries or marry without the consent of their parents. Has he not also almost seized the goods of the whole world? that there has been no one whom he has not robbed, from whom he has not taken something of his fortune, from whom he has not extorted money either by indulgences or privileges, or by threats of banishment and curses, and by other artifices and frauds. This is why Christ gave it its proper name, calling it destruction or desolation, since he not only devastated the church, but also the secular government and the household. But he has so devastated, confused and mixed up everything that we can hardly with great difficulty bring the way of life and the status of each one back into their proper boundaries, and circumscribe and fence them with their barriers.
Therefore, we cry out and argue with the greatest zeal, so that a certain, and clear, and undoubted distinction, and a proper description of each state, may be obtained, that the household belongs to the government of children and family, that the parents govern the household, that the temporal princes govern the commonwealth, and that the subjects obey. Likewise, that the knowledge of the Son of God be taught in the Church, so that all believers may be unanimous with respect to this Child who is born and given to us; that we put to death sin, that we offer a hand to the fallen brother and help him up, that we come to the aid of the needy, that we do the works of life against death, the works of righteousness against sin, the works of consolation against the troubled conscience, against the devil and despair, that we exercise love for one another among ourselves, that we do not separate unity, that we give alms etc. This belongs to the church. But these works are not proper works of the church if they do not flow from faith and love.
This distinction between the secular regime, the household and the church must be diligently preserved, and each estate must be kept within its proper bounds.
will be. And although we have worked for this with all our strength, Satan will not cease to mix and confuse it, and there will never be a lack of people who will not keep within the bounds of their office. The teachers who are filled with a false spirit (spirituosi), who are enthusiastic and rebellious, and who are not satisfied with their office, also usurp the secular government. On the other hand, the secular authorities and princes also send their sickle into a foreign harvest, and lay their hands on the rudder of the church regime, and take over the rule here as well. Thus the devil always has his tools, who cause trouble here and transgress the prescribed limits of their profession.
Therefore, great care must be taken to keep the description of the three main classes (hierarchiarum) appointed by God correct and well distinguished. A woman shall not wear man's clothes, and a man shall not wear woman's clothes. Let each one remain in his profession, let each one keep his place, and keep within the limits of his office, and not overstep the mark. Let every way of life and every station keep itself within its circle, within its limits and within its bounds.
We do not hate the princes, we do not hate the lawyers (whether they love us, God knows; what they think of us, how favorable they are to us, their hearts testify); we do not hate the nobles, nor anyone else, but this we do, this we desire, so that every estate (hierarchia) may be preserved within its limits, that each one may do his office, that the estates and the different offices may not be mixed and blended. We teach that every rank is divine, or instituted by God; we despise none. But we work so that they are not mixed together. There is no place for mongrelism here. If the worldly regime is mixed with the household, fornication and other abominable shameful deeds arise. When the household is mixed with the worldly regime, tyrannies arise. When it is mixed with the church, heresies arise. In short, when these are mixed with each other
mixed, then the devil has his work. But nothing good comes from the works of the devil. That is why the prophets said before that the church would be a kingdom distinct from the kingdom of the world; it would not be a worldly kingdom, not a domestic kingdom, but a spiritual kingdom.
All the Jews twist these words to refer to a physical war and think that the prophet is talking about some war that was waged with the enemies of God's people. But the prophets mean nothing less than this in this and other similar passages. Cap. 11, 9, our prophet says: "Alan shall not perish nor perish on my holy mountain; for the land is full of the knowledge of the Lord, as it is covered with the waters of the sea"; that is, the word or doctrine of the Lord shall be preached far and wide. That Son, the Child, will reign through the Word in the whole world. This same one will take away all warfare with impetuosity (in which blood is shed, wounds are inflicted, and murder takes place) from the midst of the Church, which is an assembly of believers through the Holy Spirit. But new people are born every day, so the burning fire always has something to consume. 1) Why?
V. 6. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.
This is an excellent and splendid passage; if only I were skillful enough to treat it. But I will say and do as much as I can. I will also leave something for others who are more skilled in the Scriptures. But the cause why there is no tumult and bloodshed in this kingdom, and why it is not ruled by carnal weapons and wars, is this: Because, saith he, we have a child to be our king. A child reigns, it will be a kingdom of a child, and lovely. Children do not bear arms; a child is a child. He saith not, For unto us a man is born, a king, a prophet, a David, a giant, as he might well have said, for in other places Christ bears these names; but he saith, A child is born unto us."
1) In the editions: eidus i^nises.
seems to us that eomdursutis should be read.
And with this he describes how the kingdom of this child is, namely, an exceedingly lovely, friendly and pleasant kingdom. The manners of a little child are innocent; the little children are not carried away by passions, they do not indulge in their desires, they do not let their anger run wild, they are not driven by intemperate anger to revenge against those by whom they have been offended. Thus, by calling this king a child, he describes the nature and form of his kingdom, namely, that it will be an exceedingly lovely and amiable kingdom, and that the king should be such that one could play with him as with a babe of one or two years; that he will be a kind, childlike, pleasant king, from whom one can easily obtain everything, in whom and with whom one can delight oneself, from whom one can have the highest pleasure.
Although he is a child, he is nevertheless also a lord and prince. He is a child, so that no one will be frightened away from him and be afraid of him. He is a lord and prince, so that no one despises him. In the evangelical history, we find in him a wonderful and unbelievable gentleness, friendliness, and devotion to the penitent and godly. His simplicity is also so great that he seems to surpass the children in it. He humbles himself so much, he lets himself down so low, he is so easy to handle and to talk to that the apostles seem to play with him and are less afraid of him than of a little child. He shows that he is such a sweet and friendly king that it seems as if there is no difference between him and a child. There is nothing but play, caressing and pleasantness when he deals with us.
However, he is a child only to us who believe in him. To the wicked, however, he is not a child, but a terrifying thunderbolt and judge; and he is not born to them, but to us. We, I say, who believe in him, have in him as gentle and kind a king as if we had a little child with whom we could play very safely and sweetly, in whom we could find an exceedingly great and our highest pleasure. For
What is there to fear in such a kingdom, which is not governed by external weapons? Should one be afraid of him who lies in the manger, who hangs on the cross, who lets himself be led like a sheep to the slaughter, who voluntarily dies for his own, who rests in the arms and in the bosom of his mother, who sucks at the breasts? What is more gentle than such a king? What is less to be feared? Why are you afraid of him? You have no reason to tremble. He will not bite you, not tear you, not hurt you. He does not hold a sword in his hands, but the breasts of his mother. He is a child, he lies in the manger.
Nevertheless, he is the most powerful Lord of the world, as it is written in the 72nd Psalm, v. 8: "He will rule from sea to sea, and from the waters to the end of the world. And the Church sings:
Hic jacet in praesepio, Qui regnat sine termino. [Here he lies in the crib, without end is the reign].
However, he is not a mortal or temporal, but a spiritual and eternal Lord, and a king of everlasting peace and life. Life, as the same Psalm, v. 7, testifies: "In his days shall great peace flourish, till the moon be no more," etc. Therefore there are no weapons in his kingdom. He is a child, says Isaiah, he has no teeth, no claws, with him there is no bite, but the highest gentleness. The same gentleness and goodness of this king is described by the prophet in the 42nd chapter, v. 1-4, where the Lord says: "Behold, this is my servant, I sustain him, and my chosen, in whom my soul is well pleased. He shall not cry out nor shout, neither shall his voice be heard in the gape. He will not break the crushed reed, nor quench the smoldering wick. He will not be sullen nor atrocious."
181 Paul says that he is φιλάνθρωπος,
[a lover of men], Tit. 3, 4. For with him is the highest loveliness, the highest γρηστότης, kindness, lightness and friendliness.
lity. The Greeks call such a person agreeable, pleasant, gentle, kind, friendly and affable, with whom one can talk in all confidence, with whom one can live agreeably, who interprets everything for the best, who is not easily angered, of whom one knows that he is kind and gracious, who forgives gladly, who is willing to do more than one may ask. Such a one will also be our king. Therefore, it is impossible that in his kingdom there can be wars and wounds, or bloodshed, because this king is a child before whom no one can be afraid, but whom all can and should call upon with confidence.
182. But only for us, as I said, he is called a child, and is a child to us, is a son to us. For the adversaries he is not such. Although he does not kill them with the sword, he will judge them in his own time. Therefore, a distinction must be made between us and all unbelievers. To those who believe in him, he is a child, blessed and favored; he cannot suffer them to be condemned.
When the Pharisees and scribes condemned the disciples of Christ, saying, "Your disciples transgress the statutes of the fathers; they do not wash their hands, they pluck up the ears and eat them on the Sabbath day," Christ answered them, "If you knew what this is, I am pleased with mercy and not with sacrifice, you would not have condemned the innocent. Here we see that Christ could not suffer those who believe in Him to be condemned. So you see in him in the whole evangelical history a childlike caressing, sweetness, affability, talkativeness, friendliness and kindness, which is connected with such a great simplicity that he seems to be a little child. But where he is aroused and provoked to anger by the hypocrites, the priests and scribes, he takes on a completely different form than that of a child, there he reveals and shows his heavenly and infinite power and wisdom.
184 Likewise, the fact that he adds, "A son has been given to us," gives us great and rich comfort and hope. For what could God have given us that is greater?
We cannot give anything more important than that he has given and offered us his Son out of infinite goodness and kindness, that he should speak to us, shower us with his light, and that we should dare to speak to him again, and that through faith in this child and in this Son we could stand against the gates of hell and all the terrors of the devil. The child is born to us, he also remains a child to us. So also a Son is given to us, and also remains a Son to us; he does not become another than he was from the beginning of his birth. But if we have the Son, we have also the Father. But we have this child and this son, the mother gives him to us, she nurses him, he remains a child to us forever. He does not show himself to us as one before whom one would have to tremble because of his frightening seriousness, or because of his frightening majesty, but he shows himself to us as a little child against little children, and plays with us for eternity in his childhood. Besides this so great and so infinite beneficence, we have been given such a beloved Son of such a great Father. What, then, shall we fear? If God is for us, who can be against us? (Rom. 8, 31) We have the most precious and infinite pledge. How then could the Father be angry with us? Yes, even the Father in the Son and because of the Son is forced (that I say so) to become a child and to play with us and to caress us, because we have his Son. For the sake of his beloved Son, we are also beloved children and heirs of God etc.
From this we can see what glorious thoughts of the future Christ the prophets had and how splendid speeches they made, how exuberant they were in joy when they even thought of his future, and how even the mere waiting for such great things and their mention delighted them. If we compare ourselves with them, we are in truth more stones and blocks than men, since we are not moved at all, or at least very little, by these so important things, although now this grace and glory is not in our waiting and hoping, but is already open to us.
The word of God is given into our hands, set before our eyes, offered to our ears and hearts, and inculcated 1) through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Since such a great light shines upon us, and yet we do not sufficiently esteem this grace according to dignity, and many even despise and reject it, since we have such great ingratitude, such great indolence, such great sleepiness, it is truly no wonder that God is so angry with us that he sends the Turk, that he oppresses us with the tyranny of the pope, because of such great ingratitude and contempt for this grace and light of his that is revealed to us.
It is an infinite and unspeakable blessing of God toward us that He has given us His only begotten Son, and with Him all things. Shouldn't this supreme and infinite benevolence, love and benevolence of God toward us move our hearts and fill us with the highest joy, and awaken us to some gratitude, which we repay God for such a great benevolence, to everlasting thanksgiving, to the improvement of life, to obedience to such a kind and merciful Father, if we could recognize this supreme benevolence, if we could appreciate it according to its dignity and greatness?
188. I myself have a great displeasure with myself, and hate myself, because I know that all that the Scriptures say of Christ is true; that there can be nothing greater, nothing more important, nothing more pleasant, nothing more joyful, which should fill me with the highest joy; because I see that the Scriptures agree in all things and throughout, and speak in such a manner of one accord, that one cannot in the least doubt the truth and certainty of so great a thing: and yet I am hindered by the wickedness of my flesh, and so imprisoned by the law of sin, that I am not able to put this benefit into all my members, into all my bones, and even into all my soul.
1) Here the reading of the editions seems to us to be out of order. The Erlanger offers: auribus st soräidus nostris Spiritus sansti odiuta st Ministerio iusuisata. Likewise the Wittenberg, only it has spiritu instead of Spiritus. We think that this is how it should be read: auridus sts. Spiritus sansti Ministerio oMatn st insuisata, and have translated thereafter.
into the innermost marrow, as I probably would like to.
St. Bernard confesses that he has tasted the sweetness of this knowledge at times and was filled with unbelievable joy; but he also complains that, since the flesh prevented it, this tasting did not last long. Augustine complains about the same thing etc. I too would have liked to take these words and very joyful promises into my heart and press them deeply into it; but the accursed flesh, the wall of sensuality (as godly monks used to call it), weighs us down, presses us down and holds us captive in such a way that we cannot grasp this delicious food, this immeasurable joy, as we should.
Our heart is far too narrow to grasp the scope of this great good deed. For the greatness of it is so great that if anyone could comprehend that the Almighty God, the Creator of heaven and earth, plays with us, caresses us as His most beloved children, is happy with us, and takes such great care of us, and is so affectionate toward us; If we had a complete knowledge of this goodness of God towards us, then such a great joy would arise in us from this knowledge that we would immediately give up the ghost with infinite joy, or die with the greatest joy. And from this we see how great our weakness, how great our sleepiness, is, since few, I do not want to say the sea, but barely a few small droplets of this immeasurable joy can be tasted.
Therefore we must not snore, but resist the malice of the flesh all the more valiantly, and strive with all our might that we may always grow in this knowledge. Peter 2 Ep. 3, 18 exhorts us: "Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Therefore, one must always progress, one must always learn. One must spend a lot of time on these reflections, so that this knowledge may continually grow. For in this weakness and degradation we can achieve a completion (absolutionem) and a perfection.
We cannot hope for the derbness of the flesh. We can grasp it to some extent, but not completely.
Therefore, let us practice and contemplate these things diligently and often, so that we may grow in this knowledge and be strengthened more and more until the fullness of it comes in true and perfect knowledge. Therefore, let us diligently practice these things and contemplate them often, so that we will grow in this knowledge and be strengthened more and more, until the fullness of it will come in the true and perfect knowledge. Without contemplation and practice, this knowledge does not grow. You have not known Christ immediately when you have heard one sermon and another. You must not say: I have heard that the Son of God is born for me, therefore I know and know Christ. Far from it. The wall of sensuality prevents us from feeling the most delightful smell of this infinite mercy, that your Creator and the Creator of all creatures, who became a child for your sake, plays with you, and not only this child, but also the Father in heaven and all the angels. Through our flesh we are prevented in this life from feeling in our hearts the pleasure that springs from this supreme and ineffable benefit.
When we come down from this wall of sensuality, when we are freed from the filth and filthiness of our flesh and enter into that eternal life, then we will talk with each other about this inexpressible joy, which is now abundantly presented to us through the Word. Blessed is he who, through diligent contemplation, tastes and catches even a few sparks and droplets of this joy! But we will achieve this if we practice reading and listening, and occupy our minds with these thoughts, with the exceedingly lovely games of the Son of God, which he lets us see through his childhood.
A son is given to us.
I have said that the kingdom of Christ will be a very peaceful one, that of a son and a child, because our King was born to us as a child and given to us as a son; and he is to us and will remain a child and a son to us forever. Every year this song is repeated: "To us a child is born" etc., and we will have it from eternity.
sing to eternity, and in the life to come we will marvel and rejoice completely in this immeasurable joy that the Son of God is our child, and the Son who is given to us.
Furthermore, I take the word "son" not only in and for itself (nouns), but also in its relation to others (relative) and in the category of relationship. For thus the words are, "A son is given unto us." Above [v. 4.] he said that we were oppressed by the yoke of the burden, by the rod of the shoulder, and by the rod of the driver, that is, captives of the devil, subject to death, servants of sin, and debtors to the law. But now it is the other way around through the relationship [of Christ to us]; those who believe in Christ are no longer slaves of death, sin, the law, and the devil, but children through this Son who has been given to us. Of this freedom which Christ has purchased, read St. Paul to the Galatians, Cap. 3, 28: "Here is no servant," etc., but "ye are all at once one in Christ JEsu." This bondage, over which there could have been none harder, has been abolished by this King, by this Son, who has been given to us; and by this very Son our liberty and filiation have been acquired and restored to us.
The people of the law have a servant, Moses, who has the office of death, sin, condemnation and an evil conscience. Therefore Paul calls the ministry of Moses a ministry of death [2 Cor. 3, 6], because it does not make righteous, but kills, works wrath and imprisons, and does not make free. We have spoken of this bondage and captivity above [H 106 ff.], when we spoke of the rod of the driver. Against this bondage, and against this office of death, we have the Son, who was given to us that we might be free, because he was born a freeman, that he might be our deliverer, and make us free. He was not under the law, or subject to the law. He was born under the law [Gal. 4:4], but not born under the law, nor was he a debtor to it as far as his person was concerned, but for our sake he subjected himself to the law.
thrown. Thus, in the word "son" is included the Christian freedom by virtue of which we have been liberated from Moses and from the office of death.
However, this is to be understood in the spirit of the new man. The old man is to remain under the law. About this matter, read Paul in the epistles to the Romans and to the Galatians. The old man, because of the remnants of sin in the flesh, shall be subject to the law until the day he is laid in the grave. Throughout life he shall be guilty of death and condemnation, and plagued by the thorns of an evil conscience, and so be crucified, but for his own good. But for his own good, that he may be put to death with his vices and evil desires. Therefore St. Paul says [2 Cor. 4, 16]: "Whether our outward man decays, yet the inward man", who is created in the image of God, "is being regenerated day by day" etc. The new man, however, who believes in the child who was born to us and in the Son who was given to us, is the most free Lord and is not subject to any law.
Therefore, the old man and the new man should not be mixed with each other. The new man is not subject to the law, death and sin, but is a free son of God, who is above the law, above sin, above death and above hell. The yoke of burden, therefore, is not to press upon the new man, but upon the old man, who is to die daily, that the sinful body may cease [Rom. 6:6.] "The body is dead because of sin," says Paul, "but the spirit is life because of righteousness" [Rom. 8:10]. Because of the remnants of sin in the flesh, we are judged by the law, condemned to death, and our fleshly life has no good conscience. But the new man who believes in the Son is with the Son a Lord of all things, he is a King and a Lord of lords; not in temporal and perishable things, but in heavenly and eternal things; he is a Lord of death, of the law, of sin, and of hell. When death terrifies me, or conscience troubles me, I answer, Pack thyself, exercise thy dominion over the flesh, let the soul be satisfied, and
the conscience in peace. You, O death, have no cause to frighten me; I believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. What right have you in this one? What will you do to him? This one is given to me, and he is truly the Son, who is the Deliverer, my freedom and liberation, my wisdom, my redemption and my righteousness, 1 Cor. 1, 30. And Joh. 11, 25. and 14, 6. he himself testifies that he is the resurrection, the way, the truth and the life.
So when the word "son" is explained according to its relation to us (relative), it comforts us against the bondage of sin, death and hell. Thus every Christian, as far as his outward man is concerned, is under Moses or under the law, under death, hell and the devil; because the outward or old man must still be crucified and put to death. But after faith, the new man takes hold of the Son who is given to us, and is a master of death, the law, hell and the devil, and can say, "Death, where is thy sting? Hell, where is your victory?" [1 Cor. 15, 55.] Thus, I say, he speaks according to the faith by which he believes in the Son who is given to us. This is our freedom, which is purchased for us through this King, through this Son, who is given to us, against the bondage of the law etc.
Therefore, a sharp and proper distinction must be made between Christ and Moses, between the Son and the servant. The servant Moses is to be put on the shoulder and on the back, that is, on the old donkey, the old Adam, so that he may be killed and the body of sin may cease. But on the new man the servant Moses shall not go up. For the servant Moses has no right to the new man, because his kingdom is not there, which is a kingdom of bondage, sin and death. This kingdom and office of death shall remain in the flesh. In the new man is filiation, righteousness, holiness, blessedness, redemption and eternal life.
201 Therefore, a Christian man is undaunted, and surely despises the greatest and most abominable enemies, sin, death, hell, the devil, for the sake of faith in Christ the Son who gave us life.
so that you can shame them and say: You death, what will you do to me? What will you do to me? Will you bite me? I do not want to be bitten. Will you accuse me of sin? I will not be accused. What do you want, hell? Do you imagine that you will triumph over me? Rather, I will triumph gloriously against you. You, devil, have no right over me either; rage as much as you can, you will never make me your slave, because I have been given a son; I am now under the kingdom of the son who has brought with him the highest and everlasting freedom. Whose kingdom is subject to none, for he is God's Son. He is not subject to law or death for his person, but for our sake he went down into the pit. He saith unto me, For thy sake I suffer these things. Believe in me. "He that believeth in me shall never die, though he were dead, yet shall he live" [John 11:25, 26]. This is being free from death. That is the other contrast. So I take the son in his relation against the servant, that is, against the yoke of burden, for the kingdom of freedom.
Moreover, the prophet also wants to indicate with these words: "A child is born to us, a son is given to us", that this King of Justice and Prince of Peace is One Person, consisting of two natures, the divine and the human. He is a child, born of his mother, the Virgin Mary, in time; a Son, begotten of the Father from eternity. From this it follows that this child born of the Virgin is at the same time the Son in the Godhead; consequently, he is truly God and truly man.
In this entire prophecy, the prophet speaks of this son and child as being the author of all that is promised here, that he has accomplished and done everything. When the prophet says that the people sitting in darkness have seen a great light, it is because of the goodness and work of this King, who is the Son of God and the Virgin. That he says, "You have broken the yoke of their burden," must be understood by this son and by this child, that he has done this, that he has broken our yoke.
enemies and these difficulties and overcame them. He did not do this without the Father, but it is attributed to the Son that he did it and put it into action, because this happened in the person of the Son. Therefore, here the prophet expresses in the second word "Son" a person in the Godhead. Thus, the King of this supreme freedom, the King of the most free people, is the author, instigator and bringer of this most free, meek, tranquil, pleasant and loving kingdom; this King, I say, is the Son of God on high, and yet truly man, a child born of a woman.
This order must be carefully preserved. We do not have to ascend to the examination of the divine majesty before we have well grasped this child, but one must ascend to heaven on this ladder that is presented to us, one must make use of these steps that God has prepared and laid out for this ascent. The Son of God did not want to be seen and found in heaven, and therefore he descended from heaven into this lowliness, and came to us in our flesh, and laid himself in his mother's womb and in the manger, and was crucified. This is the letter he laid on this earth, on which we were to ascend to God. You have to walk on this path. If you rely on this way, and go down without speculating on this ladder about the glory of the divine majesty, you will think up wonderful things that are too high for you, but to your greatest detriment. Therefore, I give you this reminder: Stay on this path, and use these letters, and do not undertake to investigate that majesty.
The philosophers, especially the Platonists, make many imaginations of the Godhead, how God is an intelligible being who governs the world and is the cause of all good in nature. But since they wanted to be wise, they finally became fools. For everything they said about God always tastes like a dizzy imagination. And in this piece, all philosophical schools have amply and clearly demonstrated their foolishness and insipid nature.
Day. For they necessarily had to be crushed by this majesty, so that, in seeking and investigating God, they lost God over it. For such questions arose before them, which are inexplicable to reason, as: Why does God act this way? Why does He rule the world this way? etc. They undertook to investigate and comprehend the manner of divine government by means of reason, which, after all, does not agree with reason. Therefore they had to become fools in their wisdom.
But if you do not want to start, first take hold of the child that is born to us and do not take your eyes off him. Grow with him and increase, and practice faith in him, then you will find God, then you will be able to dissolve all questions of the eternal choice of grace, which kill the carnal man. If you feel that you like the son, if you delight in him, if he has become a little child to you, if you begin to love him, then be confident, and be sure that you belong to the number of the righteous, and that the Father has drawn you, not by a trait recognizable to reason (metaphysico), by revelations and faces.
For the special revelations, raptures and visions, as the monks have had such revelations and illuminations in the past, should not be believed. The devil is often the author of these things, and he is such a powerful spirit that he can very easily work and give the most lovely thoughts that one would think one was among the angels etc. However lovely they may be, he nevertheless gives them into the heart with a far different intention and for a different end purpose than one thinks. Surely such thoughts and illuminations are outside the Son given to us. Many have broken their necks here and have fallen into great danger because of it.
But I give counsel and remembrance that thou despise all these things, and begin to become a child with the child, and a son with the son. Take hold of this child who lies in the manger and in the womb of the mother. Delight yourself in the same. If this son pleases you, if you have him, if
If you cling to him and remain firm, you cannot fail to follow the right path, nor follow your own dreams, nor fall into any danger. With this Son you have the heavenly Father, you have the Holy Spirit, you have the angels and all creatures as friends. Yes, certainly no creature will be able to cause you even the slightest harm. "You will walk on lions and vipers, and tread on young lions and dragons," Ps. 91:13. You are a king and lord over other lords. What more do you ask? Therefore, let this be your first concern, that you may take hold of this child; let this be your highest command; the one who is born of the Virgin Mary, and who is also the Son of God, press firmly to your heart. If you have taken hold of this one, you are safe and well guarded against all cunning attempts and dangerous plots of the devil. But if you put this child, born of the Virgin Mary, out of your sight, and in the meantime indulge in speculations in order to understand the Godhead, you will never recognize God. Believe me in this, for I too have been in this school, thinking that I was among the choirs of angels, when in fact I was among the devils. Learn wisdom from my harm, and descend with the Son, who has condescended to you for this reason, that you may recognize God in him. "Where I am," He says, "there shall My servant be also" [John 12:26]. And this is also the intention of the following text:
And his dominion will be on his shoulder (or as the church sings: Which dominion is on his shoulder).
209 In Hebrew the little word "his" does not stand. So this pronoun is superfluous. And yet it comes to almost the same thing, only that it reads more emphatically: And the dominion or the principality will be on his shoulder, without putting the pronoun "his" to it.
Furthermore, this dominion is freedom itself, or this kingdom is free, take it as a mere concept (abstractive) or in reality (concretive). And it is the same word here of which we speak in the struggle of
Jacob's Gen. 32, 28, from which the word Israel and Sarah are also derived. Sarah means to have the upper hand, to rule, to be victor. From this is derived Misrah, which the prophet uses here; this word means a kingdom, supreme power, dominion, triumph, victory, freedom, as St. Paul calls it in the 4th, 5th and 6th chapters of the epistle to the Galatians, where he deals with Christian freedom, looking back to this passage of Isaiah, and considering each word most diligently, and thus speaking: "We are not the children of the handmaid, but of the free" etc. [Likewise Cap. 5, 1: "Stand therefore in liberty, that Christ may set us free; and be not entangled again in the bondage of the yoke" etc.
211 There the apostle gives a very beautiful and truly apostolic discussion of the two wives, Sarah, the free one, and Hagar, who is a maidservant, and is servant with her children. Sarah gave birth to us Saraitatem, that is, freedom, not freedom of the flesh or of external things. For, as I have said, the old man must be under the yoke, that is, under the law, sin, death and hell etc. Here is burden and law, not freedom, not dominion. The old man must be weighed down with this burden of servitude, that he may be restrained, subdued, and crucified etc. In contrast, the new man has freedom over death, sin, law and hell. He is not weighed down with the yoke of burden, he is not weighed down with the rod of the shoulder, he is not driven with the rod of the driver. For he believes and hopes that these are broken through the work of the child that is born to us and the Son that is given to us, and of this victory he joyfully enjoys. Thus this word Misrah agrees with the preceding, namely, filiation, and with the text, v. 4.:. "Thou hast broken the yoke of their burden etc." Accordingly, the text reads thus:
A son is given to us, and freedom is on his shoulder.
212. this child and this son is such a lord, on whose shoulders is not the
He is not the yoke of the burden, the rod of the shoulder, the rod of the driver, but the kingdom, that is, freedom, is on his shoulder. He Himself bore our sins and made us free, being put under sin and under the law for our sakes; He set us at liberty, He made us kings, lords, "freemen" who are their own lords and autocrats (αυτοχράτορας), Saracites, not Hagarites. Thus, accordingly, we are not Hagarenes, but truly Sarenees or Saracenes. (If only this word had not come into abuse, for the Turks boast of being Saracens, since they are nothing less than what they boast of being). We are truly Saracens or Saracites, that is, freedom itself, salvation, life, righteousness and dominion over sin, death, hell and the devil.
But this freedom is on the shoulder of the Son who is given to us; it has not been acquired by our powers or virtues. This Son was subjected to death, sin, the law, the devil, hell, for our sake; for our sake He became a servant of the law. So we are Misrah, which is freedom, for the sake of the bondage that he himself endured for us, that he placed on his shoulder, that he might take upon himself our sins and our burdens. Thus it amounts to the same thing, may one understand by dominion either the church or freedom. We are free and liberty, kings and the kingdom, priests and the priesthood; but on his shoulder, that is, he himself has brought about this liberty for us, not we.
Dear God, how very great things the prophet has summarized here in so few words! How wonderfully he speaks! Freedom (he says) or dominion, will be on his shoulder etc. What we teach in many words is here described by Isaiah in few, but very beautiful and very emphatic and clear words, namely that Christ, the Son, is the Savior of the human race. For this is the aim of all that he says. Therefore the Son came in the flesh, that we might be free [John 8:36]. This is what the prophet says with his words
which were, as I said, brief but emphatic.
Read St. Paul diligently, who uses the words of Isaiah gladly and often. For he has been a good and diligent reader of Isaiah (Isaista). These words: "A son is given to us"; likewise: Freedom is on his shoulder, he has, as said, well and diligently considered and pondered, since he in the letter to the Galatians, Cap. 4, 31, he says: we are children of Sarah, the free, and therefore we should not and could not be subject to the law etc.
Therefore, when the law comes, shows sin, frightens and condemns us; likewise, when sin threatens death, we can say: We are Saracens, children and free; therefore, you, death, sin, law, Satan, have no right over us and cannot harm us. This freedom was brought to us by the child born for us and the Son given for us, in whom we believe. He put his shoulders under for us, that we might be treaders and lords of the devil, of death etc. This kingdom is a kingdom of liberty and liberty itself; but it is a liberty from sin, from law, from death, and from the devil; it is not a liberty of the flesh, which the world is wont to desire. And now even those who want to be considered evangelical rage and rage when they are rebuked even a little, and cannot bear to hear those who chastise and remind them. They want only freedom to be preached, but vices and misdeeds not to be punished by us. According to the new man, it is grievous to hear the teaching of the law; but to the rude people, the old man, the ass, it must be preached. According to the flesh you are in sins, in death etc. No righteousness, no liberty shall be preached to the flesh, but the rod of the driver shall be laid upon it. Apart from faith, in the flesh, the law must be driven. For we are to be corrected, that the body of sin [may cease. This I have already reminded in the foregoing, and it cannot be reminded enough, because of the lust and willfulness of the flesh, which everywhere seeks freedom, while yet it is subject to the law.
must be morsed. You are free from the law as far as the new man is concerned; you are not free from the law as far as the old man is concerned, who must be under the rod of the driver, that he may be killed. But over the new man this rod shall not rule, for he is free, is a king and lord over sin, death and the devil, as I said, because of the Son who is given to us, who has freedom from his shoulders.
Now when sin comes to afflict you, when the devil terrifies you, when death hovers before your eyes, immediately show him the Son. And look on this son with unblinking eyes; from him turn not thine eyes anywhere, and say, I am Misrah, I am free: let me not be afflicted, take thee away; thou hast no right in me. But if the law say, Nevertheless thou art a sinner, therefore thou art guilty of death, answer him, I confess this, and therefore it is lawful for thee to chasten me, but unto death thou shalt not deliver me etc. So also the born-again according to the old man are under the harness of the driver, and have need of the teaching of the law, remembrance and punishment. Just look at each one of us and examine his life a little more closely, and he will see how much he still lacks, how often he stumbles, how sluggish his flesh is for good works, how far he still is from perfection etc.
According to the flesh we are to be under the rod of the driver, the law must chasten the flesh. But in the sadness of spirit, in the danger of death, in the sensation of sins and hell, say: Lord driver, go and exercise your ministry in the flesh. In the flesh you may torture and torment me, I well deserve it, but let the inward and new man be satisfied. I shall not despair. I should not despair. I may be troubled (that is, the law and the evil conscience may frighten me), but I shall not despair, for I shall remember the wounds of the Lord, says St. Augustine. So also thou shalt say, Thou law, terrify and slay the flesh; for that I have deserved; but in despair yet shalt thou not
lead. If I am troubled, I will not despair, I will not despair, but I will remember this child, this Son, who is given to me and who is my Misrah. I deserve to be afflicted and crucified by you; but because of this I will not throw away the hope of salvation, I will not lose heart, I will not deny the child born to us and the Son given to us. Therefore, chastise and crucify me always, but in such a way that this cross may be a salvific martyrdom for me, which is not for condemnation, but for the death of the old man, and for the bringing to life of the new, 2 Cor. 4, 10. ff. Thus, the martyrs were subjected to various tortures, and their bodies were killed, but the new man triumphed, because he was Misrah, he was the freedom that is placed on the shoulder of this Son.
Now this is the Christian knowledge, and the highest wisdom, that we know that we are sons, lords, and Saracens in the Spirit. In the spirit, I say. The flesh may be subjected to the rod of the driver, that is, to the law, it may be thrown into the fire, it may be tormented, it may be punished while alive, it may be tortured and martyred in many ways; just as we are indeed plagued daily by many temptations, miseries and sorrows, so that the strength of our body is also weakened by them. But because of this we will not run into danger. This thing will not harm us, it will not bring us trouble, but it will be for the increase of our glory. The Lord, this child, remains our son, Misrah, our kingdom, our triumph and our victory. Through him we must necessarily be the very freest masters, through him we use and enjoy the very freest freedom, but according to the inward, not according to the outward man. According to the flesh, this freedom does no good. The flesh must be under the law, under the tormentors, the devils, 1) who must plague us at all times, and also under evil men who torment us. These evils are part of the driver's sting.
1) Erlanger. 6iadoli, Wittenberger: äiadolis. We have followed the latter reading.
But Sara, the victory, the supremacy and the freedom, must be incumbent and always be there, comforting and strengthening the new man, so that I can say: No matter how much I may suffer, no matter how much I may be tortured in the flesh, no matter how many hardships and miseries I may have to contend with, the Lord lives and gives life to the Son who was given to me and is my deliverer. Thus we read of a certain Roman citizen who possessed great wealth that he was not only deprived of all his goods but also sent into exile for professing the Christian religion; which was indeed a great punishment and cross, especially for a Roman accustomed to prosperity. But since he was deprived of all his goods and expelled from his homeland, he consoled himself in this way, saying, "At least they shall not take Christ from me, though they take from me my goods, my body and my life. An excellent word, worthy of a Christian. He made a distinction between the stick of the driver and Misrah or 1) the kingdom of this child.
(221) So also we shall be accustomed, and learn to say, when our flesh is chastened: I shall indeed die, for the flesh must die, because I lie under the burden according to the flesh; but though I die, yet shall I not lose Christ, and shall enjoy the liberty which he hath purchased for me for ever, and I shall be a Lord, I shall be a King, I shall be Misrah etc. But let us go further, and hear the names of this King, which are exceedingly full of comfort.
And he is called Wonderful, Counsel, Power, Hero, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 2)
This passage in particular has been interpreted in many ways, even torn apart. Yes, this whole text, which we have undertaken to treat, the Jews have crucified miserably and in a shameful way. For just as the child himself was crucified by them, so was he crucified by them.
1) In the editions: st, for which should probably be read ant.
This passage and its scripture are also crucified by them daily. And also our interpreters, as wholesome as they speak, treat this passage in many ways. Jerome treats it coldly and shallowly. Lyra does as much as he can, but he does not do justice to the text. We therefore see ourselves compelled to examine the words of this passage with all the greater attention and diligence, and to reflect upon them, and to bring out a more certain and richer sense of them from the circumstances and from the New Testament, as we have done above [§ 98 ff.] in explaining the yoke, the rod, the plug, the war, the light, the peace etc.
The Jews, the crucifiers of Christ, falsify and corrupt this passage in the most shameful way. The prophet attaches six names to this child and this son. The first five they read in the nominative, but the sixth in the accusative, in this way: And he shall call his name, who is the Wonderful, Counsel, God, the Strength, and a Father of eternity: a Prince of Peace. This is a blatant blasphemy, and they understand it of Hezekiah the king. But we have already said above 6. 7] that it could not be understood in this way. The text speaks of a prince born as a little child, and of a son given, of an everlasting joy; as of the conquest of death, of sin, of the law, and of a king whose reign shall have no end; likewise that there shall be no end of peace. What then do they bark against the manifest understanding of the word (grammaticam)? Here also, as everywhere else, is their hideous wickedness revealed; for as they crucified Christ, so they crucify also the words of his prophet. There are, as I said, six different names, and yet they put the first five in a different case than the sixth, and interpret them in this way: This wonderful God etc. will call this king Hezekiah a prince of peace. Already from this it is evident that God has given them in a wrong sense. The final wrath of God has truly come upon them.
224. our interpreters and all Christians understand it from Christ, our Savior, from
which alone the prophet speaks. Some of the interpreters have connected these six words in such a way that from them three compound names should become, namely: a wonderful council, a strong God, an eternal father and prince of the peace. Jerome thinks that there are six names, and rightly so. And we also want to keep this opinion.
Et vocabit [And he will name].
Lyra argues that vocabitur [he will be called] should be read, and the interpreters agree with him. And that these are names of the Messiah, testifies also the Chaldean translation. But the newer Jews explain it all, as I do
[§ 6 f. § 223] of the king Hezekiah. With the exception of these blinded Jews, all interpreters agree with each other that it must be understood of the Messiah, our Savior. The seventy interpreters read: Whose dominion is on his shoulder, and he is called the angel of great counsel; as is also sung in an introit. After that they add the other names: Wonderful, Counsel, God, the Strong, the Mighty, the Prince of Peace, the Father of the World to Come. And it is added: For I will bring peace upon princes, and health unto him. But according to the Hebrew it cannot be read thus. Now I do not know how it came to be that they read or translated thus, or what they intended by it. Therefore I leave this to the Hebrews to investigate.
226 But that one says, it is read in the Hebrew: He will call his name (vocabit), and not, his name will be called (vocabitur), this is an unfounded pretense of the rabbis. For it is known that an active verb is often taken passively, or rather impersonally. For example: they will give a measure, that is, it will be given; so also vocabit, instead of vocabitur. And it is even common for impersonal things to be pronounced by actives. It seems that the text is corrupted by those who put the dots, who, instead of writing in the passive, wrote XXXXX. For the letters,
Whether they are read with or without dots, they are the same, and the grammar agrees with them. But the Jews, the most harmful people, often falsify the sayings of the prophets with their dots and distinctive signs, and their dots, which are a new invention after all, are supposed to be more valid than the simple, genuine opinion, which agrees quite well with the grammar. Therefore, I do not much care for these grammatical superstitions of theirs. But, grammar is on our side, if the right points are made. And the Jews themselves confess, as Lyra often says, that they are not free to depart from the Chaldean translation.
Since the seventy interpreters and the Chaldean translator agree with us that this text is to be understood by the Messiah, and that these names are names of the Messiah, we have no reason to be anxious about the points in this one word. We can be content with the fact that even the Chaldean translator and the seventy interpreters agree with us.
What follows, then, are names that are actually attached to the Messiah. And the distortion of the Jews does not take place, who say that these names are said here by God Himself (that is, by the Father). For it is a common image and manner of speaking to attach names to someone from his offices or activities, although they are not proper names of the person, as the grammarians call proper names.
Wonderful.
But there are six different names, of which I, although I have recently treated them in a sermon, nevertheless also want to say a few things here. The first name of this son or child born to us, he says, is Pele [XXX], that is, "Wonderful". But who can explain the exceedingly high majesty of this word by dignities? He is wonderful in everything, and through everything. What is more wonderful than that God and man are One Person? that He is the Son of God and Mary, and yet only One Son? Who will ever and forever comprehend this mystery?
that God is man, that a creature is the Creator, and the Creator is a creature? We will admire this mystery for eternity, even after this life. Even the angels long to look into it, and yet they will never be satisfied. We are blessed if we even believe these incomprehensible things; but we will be even more blessed, yes, most blessed of all, when we see them with our eyes, when faith will cease, when we will see Him as He is, when we will be revealed with Him in glory, when we will be given to see face to face that which we now see through a mirror in a dark word [1 Cor. 13:12]. What is more wonderful than that a son is born of a mother without a father, contrary to the common way of birth? Who can explain these wonderful things about this person? I do not want to discuss them here, nor do I want to dwell on the enumeration of them. For the prophet actually speaks of the kingdom and the government of the kingdom of the Messiah. Not only his person is incomprehensible, because he is a son of God and a son of the virgin, but also all his works are wonderful and incomprehensible. And most of all he looks at the word Misrah. In his works and effects he is far more wonderful.
Lyra explains this word too lightly, for he says that he is called miraculous because of the miracles he performed, which we find distinguished in evangelical history. This is true, because even for this reason he is not called "miraculous" without rhyme. But the miracles do not actually belong to his kingdom. The dominion (misrah) is not on his shoulders; he was still a servant and a minister of the circumcision; he was not yet sitting at the right hand of God when he did these miracles.
But far greater and more admirable miracles he performed after he ascended into heaven. There he triumphed over the prince of the world and the god of this world, and over hell. Likewise, he broke the yoke of the burden, the rod of the shoulder, the rod of the driver. These are far greater miracles. And these he works still now, and they will continue, so
long as this child and this son will last, and will never cease. He will be miraculous forever; he will never cease to work miracles that are far more miraculous than the miracles he worked when he gave sight to the blind, healed the sick, and the like. For these are the greatest miracles of all, that he quickeneth souls by his word, that he quickeneth our bodies at the last day, that he baptizeth us in his blood, and thereby washeth away sins, that he daily taketh away the spoil of hell, of death, of sin, of the law, and this spoil ceaseth not. And this he does with marvelous ease, and without the least difficulty, by the mouth of Peter, Paul, and other apostles, and now by our mouth, who are in the preaching ministry, and in case of need by the mouth of all Christians, only by saying: I absolve you from sins, I open heaven to you, I kill the devil. Is this not wonderful? Not only is the person of Christ wonderful, but his works, which continue forever, are no less wonderful. etc.
Not only the works he did himself, but also those he did through his servants were far greater than those he did in his own person. He raised the dead, he healed the sick etc. He did this when he was still a servant and not yet transfigured, and when the Holy Spirit was not yet given. But after the Holy Spirit is given, much greater works are done. For after the Holy Spirit is given, He breaks into the whole world as it were with a storm; He speaks with the tongues of all nations, and not only casts out devils, but also casts out the devil from his kingdom, and breaks the yoke of the burden, the rod of the shoulder, the rod of the driver, as in the days of Midian; then the pitchers were broken, the trumpets were blown, the enemies were smitten and slain. He ascended on high, he received gifts for men, he led captivity captive [Ps. 68, 19.]. These are truly wonderful things and the highest miracles, that such a stronger came over the strong, and took away his robbery [Luc. 11, 22.], and that with very easy effort, namely by the word alone,
and by the ministry of a man, either a minister of the Word, or of any Christian in case of need. The world does not know these miracles, as Christ himself says: "He will give you another Comforter, whom the world cannot receive, for it does not see him [John 14:17]. We go to the sermons, we are baptized, we are absolved, and thus die in faith in Christ, and are still alive when we have died. These greatest miracles, that we live as the dying, no one sees. Horses and mouths do not see that the Holy Spirit is present and that he works here, and that he makes the believers alive and comforts them, but a believer sees this. Likewise, that a child born again through baptism has been placed in the bosom of God, has become a child and heir of God and co-heir with Christ, this the world does not see, but only the Holy Spirit in the believer sees these miracles. And it is of these miracles that Isaiah actually speaks when he calls Christ Pele, that is, "Wonderful".
233 But also for other reasons this King and this Child is and is rightly called "Wonderful", namely, because he leads his saints wonderfully, Ps. 4:4, because he rules us wonderfully. We die, and behold, we live; as the deceivers, and yet true; as the unknown, and yet known; as the chastened, and yet not slain; as the sorrowful, and yet always rejoicing; as the poor, and yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet having all things, 2 Cor. 6:8-10. The world flourishes, and we wither; the world reigns and triumphs, and we perish. Thus everything happens in the church in a miraculous way, both in what it does and what it suffers.
Rath.
Thus he is also a "council". Lyra thinks that Christ is called a "council" by the prophet because he would have added councils to the commandments of the two tablets of the law. But to say this is unworthy of a divine scholar, yes, of every Christian man. You should completely and utterly reject this opinion of the schools of the evangelical counsels.
even condemn. I, too, have published a disputation note (scheda) 1) of the twelve evangelical counsels, because in my time this theology was very common. And John Hus defended it at the Concil of Costnitz. It was very common in all schools, but it is a very harmful and pernicious doctrine. For it annihilates the teaching of the Gospel and the Law.
The papists do not want to recognize that they have introduced errors, abuses, idolatrous worship, many false and godless doctrines into the church. "No one now wants to have the water muddied." Now no one among them has provided anything, no one is aware of any guilt. They accuse us fiercely and blame us for having eradicated all discipline, and boast that they have the discipline. But if the papacy had sinned nothing more than that it had invented these counsels and introduced them into the church, it would already have deserved, with this single crime, to be thrown into the utmost hell, into eternal fire. That is why I have gathered these counsels, so that they would be present in the Church for and for, and would remain in our memory, and so that we would thank God for the great light that has now dawned upon us.
(236) That Lyra now says that Christ is called "counsel" because he added evangelical counsel to the commandments, that is, because Christ made counsel out of the strictest commandments, in this he is terribly mistaken. For this is an appalling and utterly ungodly doctrine, taken from the Talmud, that one makes counsels out of the fifth chapter of Matthew, that is, that they
1) This writing is found in the Latin Wittenberg edition (1550), tona. I, col. 4096; in the Latin Jena (1579), tona. I, toi. 525 b; and in the Erlanger, opp. vnr. arx., tom. IV, p. 450. it belongs to the year 1540. Walch seems to have overlooked it. It should have been inserted in the tenth volume as an appendix to Luther's "Disputation on the words of Christ: Go and sell all that you have, and give it to the poor" in the old edition Col. 691 (in our edition vol. X, Col. 585); we will add it in its time, about the 21st volume at the end of the collection of letters.
say that a man can be saved without these commandments, and that it is not necessary for a man to keep them if he does not want to become perfect, that is, a monk. And they divide the church into perfect and imperfect Christians. The imperfect they refer to the Ten Commandments, saying that they must keep them, and teach that those who keep the Ten Commandments will be saved. But the perfect, they say, must keep the counsels which, according to them, Christ taught in the fifth chapter of Matthew, namely, that one should not be angry with his brother, that one should love his enemies etc. For, they say, who can love the enemies? This is the scholastic, yes, in truth the devilish theology. These cursed errors were brought to us by the Pabst and the Sorbonne in Paris. Nevertheless, they do not want to recognize any of these errors. Among these counsels they also include chastity, Matth. 19, 12: "Whoever can grasp it, let him grasp it." That was a frightening darkness.
In this darkness and error, as I have said, was the holy martyr John Hus, but the fire and the blood cleansed him from this error, as Augustine says of Cyprian: His exceedingly beautiful confession of Christ has swallowed up this error of his from rebaptism; so also the error of Saint John Hus. But it is of good use that you remember such abominations, that you guard against them, and give thanks to God that we are delivered from them, and that you may have something to oppose the papists, who proudly act and insist on their church, so that they may boast a little more modestly, and not think that they are free from all guilt, and have never sinned in any way against the church of Christ. For what do they want to say? How can they excuse themselves? With what color do they want to gloss over this evil and ungodly error, that they have made twelve evangelical counsels against the revealed word of God? What did they regard the Gospel as other than the commandments of Moses, which are in fact quite the same as those in the Talmud?
[Refutation of the doctrine of the twelve evangelical vengeances.] 1)
238 Christ says: "You have heard that it was said to the ancients, 'You shall not kill; but whoever kills shall be guilty of judgment. But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother shall be guilty of judgment. And whosoever saith unto his brother, Racha, is guilty of counsel. But he that saith, Thou fool, is guilty of hell fire" [Matt. 5:21, 22]. Truly, these are not advice, but commandments. He does not give advice in such a way that it is up to us to do it or not to do it, but he seriously commands that we should do it. And yet these clumsy theologians say quite the opposite, that Christ does not speak by commandment but by counsel, or that he gives counsel, and that it is lawful to be angry, and that a man may be saved even if he does not keep it. This is only commanded or advised by Christ to those who strive to be perfect.
The Talmudists and the teachers of the Law, the scribes, taught similar things. The law says: You shall not kill. Here they have said: Occides [thou shalt not kill] is a verb in the singular, and denotes One Person. Therefore, if three or more persons kill one person, they do not sin. And this is not forbidden, for it is not written: You shall not kill; but, "You shall not kill," which is only for One Person. Our jurists are almost also such Talmudists in their glosses. But I remind them that they must not continue to be such people, and that they must give way to Christ, to whom all must give way, and whose teaching alone we should and must reverence. Further, just as the Talmudists have nefariously falsified and circumvented the commandment of Christ by the singular, so they have done the same in the interpretation of the word "to kill." For they have explained the word thus: "To kill" is to stab someone with one's own hand, or to murder; therefore hatred and treason are not sins, or it is permissible to hate someone.
1) This heading is found in the Wittenberg edition.
Or to betray. Thus Saul handed David over to the Philistines [1 Sam. 18, 21], and yet did not mean that he sinned against the divine law; Christ was betrayed by Judas. The Jews, the crucifiers of Christ, put this blame far away, since they said to the apostles in the Book of Acts: "You want to bring this man's blood upon us" [Acts 5:28]. As if they wanted to say: we did not kill him, but Pilate etc. So when Peter accused them that they had killed Christ, they denied it, that they had not killed him, but that he had been handed over to Pontius Pilate, because they thought that they did not commit a death stroke when they caused someone to be killed, and thought that killing was nothing else than someone killing another with his own hand.
Thus they have falsified the commandments of God, just as our scholastic theologians have made counsels out of the clear commandments of Christ. Because Lyra has given me cause to speak of this, I have here casually wanted to say something about it and inculcate it, so that you may have an abomination of this godless scholastic teaching. Christ expressly says and commands in clear words to all the godly, he does not merely give counsel [Matth. 5, 20.]: I say to you: "Unless 1) your righteousness is better than that of the scribes" etc. Likewise [v. 19]: Whoever dissolves one of these least commandments etc. Likewise [v. 44 ff.], "Love your enemies etc. that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven. For if ye love them that love you, what reward shall ye have? Do not the publicans do the same? etc. Therefore be ye perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."
241 Are these not quite clear commandments? And yet the lovely people have taught the opposite, namely, that men could be saved even though they were not perfect, because Christ commanded them not to all men, but only to the perfect, that is, to the monks. Surely Christ speaks these words to his disciples, that is, to all believers, with whom he reminds them that their righteousness should be better.
1) Erlanger: niüit instead of: nisi.
The Pharisees and scribes thought, as I said, that they were keeping this commandment and were righteous if they did not kill anyone with their hands. They did not think that in this commandment, "Thou shalt not kill," it is commanded not only with the hand, but also with the mouth, with the tongue, and with the heart, to abstain from striking death. Therefore, since Christ exhorts His own to be perfect, He takes the Pharisees and Talmudists to task, who distinguish the commandments according to works, according to the heart, and according to the tongue. And they say: One does not sin by hatred, envy and malicious gossip against the commandment: Thou shalt not kill, but when you put your hand to it, and kill someone with the sword or projectile. Thus they interpret the commandments of the Lord as they please.
They do the same in many other things. And they are not ashamed to approve even such shameful deeds, which are against nature and should be cursed, with their blasphemous glosses. The rabbis read: Vir habet potestatem in concubitibus mulieris. Because the word concubitibus is plural, these impure and shameful people interpret it thus: Husbands have power to abuse their wives, according to nature and against nature. Who should doubt that these kind of people have been completely taken in and driven by the devils themselves, who have not been ashamed to deal with such abominable shameful deeds even in writings? I wish that the Fortalicium Fidei would be printed again, in which such things are collected more. Likewise, as they hold that one does not sin against the fifth commandment if one does not strike death with the fist; so they also say that one does not sin against the sixth commandment if one sleeps with an adulteress or a stranger's wife, and does not enjoy the pleasure demanded etc. So also our theologians, or rather useless chatterers (mataeologi), the lovely people, have begun to teach that simple fornication is not a sin, because Terence said: It is not an offence for a young person to commit fornication. O, what a godless, shameful, shameless and cursed word is this, that fornication should be
which is publicly condemned by the Holy Spirit who clearly says [1 Cor. 6, 9. 10.] that fornicators will not inherit the kingdom of God; likewise Hebr. 13, 4. that God will judge them etc.
These are excellent counsels, namely of the pabstics, by which they have introduced detestable sins and vices. And since the false interpretation of Lyra gave me the opportunity to speak about these counsels, I have, as I said, only wanted to point out this error above, in order to remind you to curse it seriously and to shut the mouths of the adversaries, who have introduced this abominable and ungodly error into the church, and yet do not want to confess their error or acknowledge their guilt, although they have nothing to answer and with which they can excuse themselves or defend this abominable error. Through this teaching, the gospel together with the law has been abolished and transferred to the monks, who, God willing, could only keep the counsels. Thus they crucified the Word of God and took away the sun, Christ the Savior, from the world. This shameful deed should be brought before them when they boast of their impure perfection. And this is not a minor offense, but an outrage so terrible and beyond measure that the Turk has not committed nor can commit a more serious sin against Christ, and that a Turk is better than those who have introduced this abominable error from the evangelical counsels.
So Christ is not called "Counsel" here because he gave the twelve counsels, as Lyra interprets it, who is completely wrong, but he is called "Wonderful" and "Counsel" because of his wonderful, exceedingly good, high, excellent and salutary counsels, with which he helps his members. For after a person is miraculously saved from the power of the devil through the Word and baptism, and becomes a Christian (which is the miraculous work of Christ), much strife and struggle immediately follows, many and varied difficulties arise, we are confronted with many
We are plagued by temptations, which are sometimes of such a nature that they wear down the heart and are so hard on us that we even want to get tired of life. And especially bishops and pastors who are in the public teaching office have to endure a lot of these difficulties and temptations. They are forced to take upon themselves the heaviest burdens; they are often so attacked and afflicted that they are not far from despair, and that there is no help and counsel left for them anywhere in the world. Then this "counsel" of ours, Christ, is immediately present, and gives counsel.
The Arians, Pelagians, and similar people are rising up, and they are disturbing and shaking the church so terribly that it seems as if everything will fall over the heap. But Christ, this council, lives. He is present with the power of the Holy Spirit, and through it sustains his own, helps them, and through it gives them divine wisdom, exceedingly salutary counsel, the most cogent and insurmountable grounds of proof, the most powerful solutiones against all the gates of hell, so that the heretics and the fools are put to shame; and he does not cease to cast out the devil, to crush his head, and to give him up to laughter. Thus he stands by his own with his counsel, and preserves his church when it seems to run the greatest danger and is already close to ruin.
246 But also the temptations of each individual cause us no little trouble. I am speaking especially of the temptations of the spirit, namely of mistrust and despair, where the godly are challenged to the point of death and hell. When we have to struggle with these temptations, special counsel and help is needed. Then one cries out, and should cry out: Now help me, O Lord Christ, with your powerful counsel and help! When we struggle in this way, he does not leave us, but stands by us as a counselor. Then the Holy Spirit gives us counsel either through a brother or by holding up a word of Scripture. I have had unspeakable trials in which no creature could advise me. But although I have been deprived of all human counsel and
I was not abandoned by this council, which found ways and means in all adversities and assisted me in all difficult cases with its powerful and wonderful counsel.
Just as I have said that the first name, "Wonderful," refers to faith and to the new creation through which we become Christians through His miracles, so this name, "Counsel," refers to suffering and to the cross, which teaches us to pray and to approach God for help and counsel. For the cross itself teaches us that this child is the counselor, or that he alone can advise us in all our needs. Thus it is said in the 16th Psalm, v. 7: "I praise the Lord, who has given me knowledge"; in Hebrew it is written: "who has given me counsel. Thus we learn from experience that he alone can advise. And when he has given us counsel, we praise and extol him, according to the example of David.
So many temptations befall a man who is redeemed and born again through the miracles of Christ that it is impossible for him to endure if he is not always strengthened by new counsel from this Counselor. This could be illustrated very nicely by our own examples. And, not to say anything about our own person (privatis), with how many and how bitter pains, with how heavy temptations, and with what great sorrows do you think that our hearts have been martyred because of the disturbances and upsets which have been aroused in the church by the Sacramentans, by the Anabaptists and rebellious peasants in our times. But also in this this true council has stood by us with its advice. He has also stood by his church at all times. When Arius, Pelagius and others troubled and disturbed the church to such an extent that everything seemed to be lost and to be finished, this son of God, this one and only councilor, found miraculous counsels that the church rose again, and the godly, since they cried out to him and asked him for counsel and help, were saved from all distress.
249. so this name "counsel", as I have said, refers to the tribulations and to the cross, which teaches us to pray, and to call upon this our King, counsel and help from
ask him. When it comes to the point that everything seems to be lost, when we are surrounded by such great dangers and difficulties that we think it is all over, we should not despair; but we should lift up our eyes to the mountains, as the 121st Psalm, v. 1, teaches; from there counsel and help will come to us quickly.
I have many examples of this experience, both public and particular. My affairs have often come to this, more than once my troops have been driven into such a tight corner, to use the words of the comic poet; I have been surrounded by such great hardships that it now seemed to be over; that it seemed as if, since things were so bad, no counsel, no help could help and advise: nevertheless, this most excellent counsel has found the most excellent advice. I have had temptations that I thought no man on earth had, and I have debated with St. Paul (and I still enjoy this debate) what his stake or thorn in the flesh was, with which he was crucified, and the blows with which he was beaten by the devil. [And I have sometimes been so arrogant that I thought I could dispute with him about it, or that I had endured as great, as severe and as manifold trials as he himself had endured (because it is thought that the stake in the flesh and the blows were temptations to despair). In such great difficulties, in such severe temptations, there would never have been a remedy nor counsel if Christ had not come and opened the Bible to me and counseled me with His word and comforted me. Thus (as Paul says in 2 Cor. 1:3, 4) God comforts us in all our tribulations, that we may comfort them also which are in all tribulations.
Therefore, this second name "council" is a very appropriate name for this child, and it is a name of office, which belongs to him alone, truly and peculiarly. For no one can assist the church with a more powerful and better council, even in the most difficult needs, than this council.
252 The faithful often fall into various temptations from which they cannot escape, where there seems to be no salvation or hope left. But in these troubles they are not abandoned by their counsel. He finds remedies for all ills, gives good counsel everywhere, and makes the temptation come to an end in such a way that they can bear it [1 Cor. 10:13]. And he stands by them, so that they do not succumb, but that they wriggle out of all difficulties, and, gloriously saved, triumph. If he did not do this, the faith that was produced and awakened in man by these miracles would be shaken and would have to succumb. Therefore he finds counsel in all dangers and temptations, and such a wonderful counsel that the saved must say: I would not have thought that it would turn out like this; neither I nor any man's wisdom could have found this counsel. This is what we must always confess when we have experienced God's counsel. And that is why God sometimes allows us to be involved in such great difficulties and to be besieged with such great temptations, in which no human wisdom can advise or help, so that He may show that His wisdom is far greater than all wisdom, cunning, cunning and power, even of the gates of hell.
Therefore you have no reason to despair of help and counsel in any difficulty or challenge, no matter how difficult it is. He has wanted to be called counselor; he has the name from the deed, and wants to and can counsel alone in all tribulations, dangers and miseries. Nor must you think that you alone have suffered such things as no one else has suffered. "Know," says Peter, "that these same afflictions are upon your brethren," 1 Pet. 5:9. Therefore, always remember that similar afflictions, no less severe than yours, have been suffered by other godly people. I have often been plagued with these temptations, so that I thought no one had endured such severe ones, and yet I was mistaken in this, although I believe that few have to struggle with such hard temptations.
254. certainly suffer the pope and the
Bishops have none of these temptations with which the godly are plagued. The reason they rely on is their wealth, power and glory. And because they are not afflicted by any hard and true temptations, they can therefore bear no true desire for the counsel and help of this counsel etc. So when God deprives us of the foundation of our wisdom and trust, and when He leaves us suspended between heaven and earth, then we learn to pray in truth, and to take refuge in this counsel. Then we cry out: O JEsu Christe, thou counsel of thy church, stand by us, create help for us etc.
And we also experience the counsel of this advice, and have already experienced it at these times, also often in physical challenges. How often have our adversaries, now for more than twenty years, thought to suppress us completely? But all their attempts and undertakings have been in vain, which we have to thank to our counsel, who has advised us in this, and has frustrated the attempts and undertakings of the adversaries. Thus we learn in all special and public difficulties and challenges that this child and our king is indeed what he is called, namely the true "council", which is his second name.
Now let us also look at the third name of this child and son, which is El. I do not pretend to be a Hebrew; but it is certain that this word El derives from strength, and it means God Himself, if it is a name, as here. And it is one of the ten names of God. Just as Adonai, Jehovah, Tetragrammaton are names proper to God, so El is nowhere found in the singular except from the true God; as Ps. 42, 3: "My soul thirsts for "El", that is, for the strong one. And Ps. 50, 1.: "God the Lord, the mighty one speaks." But still, if one may say appellatively "the strong one", or "GOtt", one sees that it denotes a proper name of GOtt, and it comes to the same thing. But I would rather have it said: "God", although the word "God" does not express the name of strength.
brings. For we understand by this word nothing else than the Godhead itself, which is over all. But the Hebrew word El in the singular denotes God in such a way that it also indicates the original derivation, namely a strong one. And this strength is not the active strength that is spoken of in the following word Gibbor, but an independent being (substantiva substantia), which by its nature is firmness or strength, as He is called a strong, solid rock, on which one can rely with certainty and security. That is why we have given it "strength" in our German translation. For what is not weak and feeble in itself, but exists in its strength and firmness for itself, that the Hebrews prove with this word "El". And this is actually the meaning of this strength. God is this strong one, that is, the independent firmness, and the insurmountable and lasting strength.
When the temptation is over, when we are saved by the counsel of this child and counsel, when the temptation, as Paul says, has come to an end, then, I say, he is Elim to us, so that we can endure it [1 Cor. 10:13]. Then we become Elim [strong], that is, Christ is then truly God in us, by virtue of his essential strength, with which he strengthens us, as Paul says; so that as such who are strengthened, invigorated and established [1 Pet. 5, 10.], we can endure all evil etc.
When he works faith through the Word and the Sacraments, he is "Wonderful"; when we are protected and saved by his counsel, he is "Counsel. But he is "El" when he establishes us, makes us firm, strong and sure, like a rock, and fills us with the joy of faith.
Here we see that the benefit of temptations is exceedingly great. For if we are patient in tribulation, and strengthen our courage by steadfastness against all adversity, experience follows from this patience, that is, a man who has been tested becomes certain and firm, that he does not doubt, is not uncertain, does not waver, that he is not sad and uncertain, not fearful and anxious, not as he was before in the fierce temptation; but he himself also becomes altogether El, strong; but
through this child, who strengthens him with his help and counsel, so that he can endure and bear all adversity. Paul says in 2 Cor. 12:7 ff: "I have been given a stake in the flesh, that is, the angel of Satan, who smites me with fists," that is, Satan torments, boils, parches, roasts, torments and tears me to pieces. By these words he indicates that the affliction or temptations with which he has been afflicted have been exceedingly severe and hard. But what is he doing in this struggle and strife? He waits for this counsel. "For this," he says, "I have thrice confessed unto the Lord, that he departed from me. And he said unto me, Let my grace be sufficient for thee: for my power is mighty in the weak."
This is what the prophet says here, that he is El. As if he wanted to say: In this weakness of yours, in which you ask for advice, I give you this comfort: Let it suffice you that you are a dear Paul to me, that I love you, that you have my grace. It is also useful to thee that thou art thus beaten with fists, lest thou exalt thyself. This weakness of yours will not be your undoing, you will not be thrown away from me because of it, that you suffer and are 'crucified'; because of it I do not love you less, because of it you will not run any danger, nor succumb, but through this weakness of yours my power becomes mighty, that is, in this weakness of yours I become El; here I prove that I am in fact what I am called: here I display my power and strength, and make you strong and firm in this way, so that you become stronger and stronger.
261 These are the works of our King in his Church. He wonderfully justifies and reigns in faith; then He gives counsel, comforts and saves the believers in the trials through which He wants to exercise them; then He establishes, strengthens and fortifies them, and also wants to fully prepare, establish, support, strengthen and fortify those who have only suffered a little while (as Peter says, 1 Pet. 5, 10.), so that we will persevere until the end.
Thus also the third word "El" actually refers to the office of the child, although it is also indicated throughout that the person is true God.
Hero.
The fourth name is Gibbor. But Gibbor is actually bravery in war, or warlike bravery, not according to its essence, but an active bravery that shows its strength, attacks the enemy, and tears down, devastates, destroys everything that opposes it and cannot be resisted etc. Gibbor is therefore as much a strong man of war, an excellent commander, an unconquerable hero, a Hercules and Achilles; not through an essential bravery and strength that remains in him, but which bursts forth, and soon here and soon there, into a numerous enemy army that devastates everything around it, throws a fit, drives it into flight, knocks it down, and throws it over the heap. Thus it is said of Nimrod [Gen. 10:9] that he was a strong hunter, that is, a tyrant who devastated everything around and subdued it. Thus Gibborim are called the strong heroes of David, the princes and army leaders.
In short, Gibbor is called one who is gifted with manly and great courage, who proves himself to be a man who is not only brave in and of himself, but who in an active way displays his bravery and strength, who can magnificently avenge himself on his enemies, and subdue and keep in check their will of courage, undertakings, wild nature and insolence, and bravely drive back injustice and violence that have either already been done or are intended.
Such a Gibbor is Christ, this child and our King in the Church. Where he is miraculous, counsel, strength to the godly, he also becomes Gibbor, "a warrior", a very strong and unconquerable warrior and fighter, a Hercules and Achilles. For he fights and wages wars against the vile parties, against the heretics, against the devils, against the tyrants, and against all the vices of the flesh, with which Christians have to contend daily. For even though I do not quarrel with heretics, I am not in deep peace because of it: Peace, but I feel another law, which is contrary to the law in my mind, and takes me captive [Rom. 7:23]. Here there must certainly be a dispute, and a sharp one at that. For this is not a war of men asleep and idle.
and who do not feel the ministry of the law, and the terror of sin and death, but it is a war of such people who fight against doubt in faith, against the weakness of hope, against the fiery darts of the devil, against the guile of heretics. These are not easy meetings or contemptible fights. Now when we fight here, our Gibbor stands by us. He fights in us by his spirit for us, and puts our enemies to flight, and destroys them etc. So this king is also an almighty fighter.
266 And as he is the greatest and most powerful king and hero, so he has not contemptible enemies against him, but the most ferocious and fierce, namely great and innumerable heaps of devils, heretics, wicked men, tyrants and persecutors, and the great armies of our vices.
Furthermore, this child and this son in his own are not only contending against the flesh, but he is also contending with the wisdom of the world, 2 Cor. 10:5, and against the wisdom of our flesh, which contends against the Spirit, that it may deprive us of the faith, that it may put the teachers to sleep and make them secure, until Satan subdues them. Against this wisdom of the flesh and of the world, and against the other enemies of the church, this king and this child contend. And this he does not once or twice, but forever. For from the beginning and forever his name is Gibbor.
Eternal Father.
The fifth name is Abi-Ad [XXXXXX], that is, an eternal father, or rather EwigVater. The Hebrew little word Ad does not actually mean aeternum, but Ultra Ultra, in German: "fort und fort". So in Latin it could actually be given: Perpetuo Pater.
But he calls him so, so that he shows that the kingdom of Christ is not only established for one human life or age, but perpetual, and which would last forever, "which will go on and on". Accordingly, this king and child is an everlasting father in this life, that is, he is always begetting children and multiplying them, not like David, Solomon, or any other worldly king who had children for about twenty years.
which is a very short time, after which they die. But this king of ours is such a father, who begets children, not for twenty, thirty, or a hundred years, but forever, even to the end of the world.
And this father begets such children, who live forever. Therefore, his kingdom is a different kingdom from earthly things and a different power from earthly things. From the beginning of the world he has had his children, from that time until the end of the world his church will always be preserved. In the New Testament, children are baptized daily and believers are born through the gospel. Thus, this Father begets His children through the Word and the Holy Spirit from Holy Baptism, Absolution and the Sacrament of the Altar. And these his children do not die. They fall asleep in faith in this Child and in this Son, and are consumed by worms; but they do not remain in death, but rise again, are gathered to the elect people, and live forever.
The Jews dream that the King Messiah, like King Solomon, will die with his children. And also by this their frightening blindness is revealed, and how 1) they do not understand anything in the prophets. Even from this word, Abi-Ad, they could understand that this king would be eternal, if they were not completely blinded, hardened, and given over to a wrong mind. But if he will be father forever, it follows that he will remain father forever, begetting children forever, until that day of the return of all things; and his children, like the father, will also remain forever etc. Likewise, since his kingdom is a kingdom of liberty, and not of bondage, he begets no servants, as Moses begat them under the law, but he is a father above and apart from the law, and consequently his children are not servants, but free, and heirs of God, and joint heirs with this king and this child. Therefore Paul says Gal. 3, 28: Here is no servant etc.
272. Thus the Misrah [reign] of our King is a kingdom of the children and of the
1) Erlanger: liuanaanam instead of: Hunnius.
highest and eternal salvation, because he broke the yoke of their burden, the rod of the shoulder, and the rod of the driver. So there is a kingdom or dominion over sin, death and hell etc. And this kingdom endures forever. For though they die which are begotten of this Father, as I have said, and depart from this life according to the body, yet in his time they shall be raised again from the dead, that they may live for ever, and be the children and heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ. Thus Christ says Joh. 11, 25: "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live" etc.
Friede-Prince.
This is the sixth name. But it speaks of a peace that shall have no end. For if the father is everlasting, if the children are everlasting, and if the kingdom is everlasting, peace must also be everlasting. Certainly the king Hezekiah was not such a king, of whom the Jews understand these words. His kingdom was not like that. For what kind of peace was there under King Hezekiah? Either none at all, or a very small one. Therefore, it cannot be understood by anyone other than this child born to us and Christ the King, who alone reigns in peace.
Furthermore, where death, sin and the law remain, there is no peace from the yoke of the burden, from the rod of the shoulder, from the rod of the driver. These do not let the soul and the conscience be quiet. The world has its peace, the carnal and godless people live in the highest security, happiness and peace, but all their supports, on which they rely and put their trust, are uncertain, transient, and last for a moment. Therefore Job speaks Cap. 21, 12: "They grow old in good days, and scarcely for a moment are afraid of hell." On the other hand, the people of this child and this son will enjoy a constant, blissful and everlasting peace, because their king is a prince of peace, and of such peace that there will be no end etc.
But here, and in all passages of the Holy Scriptures, where the kingdom of Christ is proclaimed as an eternal and peaceable kingdom, it must be noted that the future resurrection of the dead and eternal life are also included. And this you have by a palpable inference from these scriptural passages. For if his kingdom is a kingdom of eternal peace and eternal righteousness, it follows by inference from the antithesis (a contrario) that sin, death, and the law will cease, and that those who died in Christ, being buried and eaten by worms and turned to dust, will rise again. This is clearly shown by these words, "There shall be no end of peace." Consequently, those who are children of this Eternal Father will be heirs of the eternal kingdom etc. Likewise: He wonderfully justifies, guides, and counsels those who are challenged; He establishes and fortifies them in the faith; consequently, however miserably they are killed, mangled, burned, torn, they must rise again etc. It is an everlasting kingdom, it is a kingdom of freedom or a free kingdom, without sin and without death; consequently the children of this kingdom will also live, even if they have already died; if they are to live, they must rise again.
Therefore it is proved by this clear conclusion that death, sin and the law must be abolished, and that the rule in this kingdom must be a freedom from sin, from death, from the law, from hell, from the power of the devil etc. Consequently, it cannot be a fleshly kingdom, as the deluded Jews imagined.
These are the six names of the Messiah, which express his offices and his works in the church, although they also include his person at the same time. For this King could not administer these offices, which are expressed in these six names, if he were not truly God and a divine person, who is also truly man, the child born to us of the virgin. Thus, the prophet includes in One Person the true God and man, the King of honors, the eternal
peace, eternal life and righteousness; likewise the Savior, because he broke the yoke of burden etc. and the one who will raise the dead and crown with eternal glory his own who died in faith.
V. 7: That his dominion may be great, and that peace may be without end.
These are the works of the child that is born unto us, the eternal King. His kingdom, which is a kingdom of freedom, will increase and become great throughout the whole world in such a way that it will not remain hidden in Judea alone, but will be propagated far and wide among all generations and peoples to the ends of the earth. This was also foretold in the second Psalm, v. 8: "Cry unto me, and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the end of the world for thine own possession" etc. So we also read Ps. 72:8, 10, 11: "He shall reign from sea to sea, and from the waters even to the end of the world. The kings of the sea and of the isles will bring gifts, the kings of Sheba and of Arabia will bring gifts. All kings will worship him, all nations will serve him." The same testifies the promise that happened to Abraham [Gen. 22, 18.]: "By your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." Therefore, it will not only be an eternal kingdom, but also a widely extended kingdom, and one that extends throughout the whole world. That is, not only the Jews have a share in the glory of this kingdom, but also all the Gentiles scattered throughout the world, who recognize that this child has been born to them and that this Son has been given to them. And herewith the preceding is confirmed, as if he wanted to say: "Many dead will rise and be gathered to eternal life [Joh. 5, 25.], not only from the Jewish country, but from all ends of the whole world. For this kingdom will be great among all the Gentiles until the end of the world.
279. here arises a question about the meme, which is found nowhere else in the Bible but at the end of a word in closed form [X]; but the open meme [X] is either in the middle or at the beginning of a word.
Word. But here in the beginning of the word XXXXX is the closed, against its kind and against the grammar. The Jews interpret it in this way: Mine was therefore closed, because the increase and the liberty, to which they should again reach after the Babylonian captivity, had been hidden for the time, as long as the captivity lasted. But this is not true, because Jeremiah clearly predicted that the captivity would last seventy years.
Others explain it by the holy virgin, the mother of the child, and think that it is hereby implied that this child should be born of a closed mother, and of a pure, untouched, chaste virgin. And this is a godly thought, which pleases me well. I do not reject it. And this opinion is accepted by the godly Jews, 1) as well as by our people who know the Hebrew language.
But how? if what Christ says in Luc. 8, 10, "It is given unto you to know the mystery of the kingdom of God," had also been indicated here, that it means the terrible closure that the Jews have never understood the miraculous government of this kingdom? As if he wanted to say: It will be a miraculous increase, which will be closed to the Jews, which they will not understand, because it is completely spiritual. For they dream and think of a temporal kingdom, and the same would increase temporally. Therefore, this enlargement and whole nature of Christ's kingdom is closed to them. This frightening closure and blindness of the Jews, methinks, was indicated by the closed my in the beginning of the word. This kingdom will be in the world, and yet it is spiritual and hidden. It will not be enlarged in a carnal way, but through the Word, through baptism etc. And the people of this king will be increased and gathered to the kingdom of eternal life, eternal righteousness and freedom, not to the kingdom of death, sin and law.
282. it pleases me that the closed
1) namely the believing Jews before Christ.
Mem. full of the secret, which is hidden from the Jewish synagogue, but revealed to the Christian church, according to the saying [Luc. 8, 10.]: "It is given to you to know" etc.: the foreign children, the blind, rejected people, are furious in their mind. They expect a chochab and a fleshly kingdom, and imagine such a kingdom. Through this imagination and through this dream of a fleshly kingdom, they are prevented from understanding the prophet. Thus the vision (visio) is like a closed book to them, as Isaiah Cap. 29, 11. says: They are blind, they do not see. The ceiling hangs before their hearts, 2 Cor. 3, 15. that they do not understand what has been foretold so clearly, so plainly. This, I believe, is indicated by the closed meme.
There will be no end to peace.
There will be a resurrection of the dead, an eternal kingdom without sin, without death and law; we will be children, we will be heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ in the glory of eternal bliss.
On the throne of David and his kingdom, that he may judge (or order) and strengthen (or uphold) it with judgment and righteousness from henceforth even for ever.
It will not be a kingdom of angels, but a kingdom among men, like those who lived under David. Just as David was a king over the seed of Abraham, and over the children of Israel, so this child will be a king over mortal men, who are born of Israel, of David, and of those who are their descendants. Therefore Abraham, David etc. live with all their descendants. Though they have decayed in their graves, yet in due time they will rise again to eternal life and glory. This is what the prophet says about the Israelites.
But where does that leave us Gentiles? I answer: Above [v. 3.] the prophet has already said, "Thou makest many of the Gentiles." And here he says, "His dominion will become great," and it will be spread all over the face of the earth. Consequently, the Gentiles must become one herd with the Jews, like
one reads about it from time to time in Isaiah and in all the prophets. "Christ," as the apostle Rom. 15, 8. 9. says, "was a minister of the circumcision, for the truth of God, to confirm the promise made to the fathers. But the Gentiles," he says, "praise God nm mercy." Deün the Gentiles have [the blessing not through the promise, as the descendants of the fathers, to whom the blessing is promised. For this cause Matthew begins his Gospel thus: "This is the book of the birth of JEsu Christ, who is the son of David, the son of Abraham." To these the promise has happened. Therefore, the prophet remains in the spelling of the promise, saying, "In the throne of David," etc. Consequently, the children of this king will be immortal and blessed.
But we are called Lemarbeh, that is, multiplication, and associated with those.
According to the saying Gen. 22:18: "Through your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Likewise Ps. 2, 8: "Cry unto me, and I will give thee the heathen for an inheritance, and the end of the world for a possession." Again Ps. 72:8: "He shall reign from sea to sea, and from the waters even unto the end of the world," that is, over all men. And so much may be said of the child that is born unto us, and of the Son that is given unto us.
Now let us give thanks to God for this unspeakable mystery that is revealed to us, and pray to this child and this Son that He, according to His infinite goodness, may make us worthy to be and remain ours according to these six names of His, Amen!
To God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit be praise and glory forever and ever, Amen.
[End of the more expansive explanation of the ninth chapter of Isaiah.]