February or March 1530.
To the Most Serene, Highborn Prince and Lord, Lord John Frederick, Duke of Saxony, Landgrave of Thuringia, and Margrave of Meissen, my gracious Lord,
Grace and peace in Christ our Lord! The world is running and hastening to its end in such an excellent way that strong thoughts often occur to me, as if the last day should break before we could even interpret the holy scriptures. For this is certain, that we have nothing more temporal to wait for in the Holy Scriptures, it is
Everything is over and done with. The Roman Empire is at its end, the Turk is at its highest, the splendor of the papacy is falling away, and the world is cracking at all ends almost as if it were about to break and fall. For the fact that the same Roman Empire under our Emperor Carolo is now rising a little and becoming more powerful than it has been for a long time, methinks it is the last one, and before God it is just as if a light or straw that has burned out wants to go out now, it gives off a flame as if it wanted to burn at first, and with it it goes out;
*) This writing appeared under the title: "The Prophet Daniel Deudsch. Marti. Luther. Wittemberge. 1530." At the end: "Printed at Wittemberg, by Hans Lufft." Like Walch, we have added the interpretation of the twelfth chapter. In the approximate time determinations we have given above, we have been guided by the following. On January 3, 1530, Luther wrote to Nicolaus Hausmann (De Wette, Vol. Ill p. 539): "We have corrected the New Testament to the end and in print it is more than half finished. After that, we will get back to the translation of the prophets." The first prophet Luther took in hand and finished before his departure to Coburg (Köstlin, Martin Luther [3], Vol. II, p. 161) was Daniel. On February 25, he wrote to Hausmann (De Wette, vol. Ill, p. 553): "We are now working on the publication of Daniel for comfort in this last time." We have omitted the translation of the prophet himself, which follows the preface in the original, because it does not differ much from that found in our Bible. Therefore, immediately after the preface, we bring the interpretation of the 12th chapter, most of which was worked out later. We are not able to give a reasonably precise time determination for this interpretation. All we know is this: in the first complete Bible edition of 1534, just as in the edition of the translation of 1530, only the beginning and the end of the interpretation of the 12th chapter is found; it is completely inserted in later Bible editions. Johann Freder translated it into Latin together with the preface. This translation was published in 1544 at Frankfurt am Main (von der Hardt, autoAr. ImtUsri, tom. II, pa.]. 255) under the title: 6omm6ntariu8 D. Doot. Älartinl ImtUsrl in Oamslsm proptmtam, and included in the Latin Wittenberg edition (1552), tom. IV, col. 324. A complete German single edition did not come out until 1546 under the title: "Das zwelfste Capitel Danielis, mit der Auslegung D. Martini Lutheri, seer nützlich und tröstlich zu lesen zu diesen fehrlichen Zeiten. Witteberg: Gedruckt durch Hans Lufft, 1546." In the German Gesammtansgaben, our writing (complete as we give it) is found only in the Leipziger, vol. XII, p. 21, by Walch, and in the Erlanger, vol. 41, p. 232. Altern the letter to Duke Johann Friedrich: in the Wittenberger (1569), vol. IX, bl. 543; in the Jenaer (1566), vol. V, p. 1 and in theAltenburger, vol. V, p. 1. Also in De Wette, vol. Ill, p. 554 and (duplicate) in the Erlanger, vol. 54, p. 134. Also in several Bible editions the preface and the interpretation of the 12th chapter is complete, e.g. in the Weimarsche Bibel and in the Altenburger Bibel. We give the preface according to the later redaction and indicate the deviations of the first edition in notes.
Just as Christianity is doing now with such a bright gospel.
(2) All the prophets, besides and apart from the Scriptures, write that after this time, namely after the present thirtieth year, all will be well again. Which, if they are right and true, I hope will be the last day, which will deliver us from all evil and help us to eternal joy. So that I do not count this time of the bright gospel differently than the time in which God shortens and controls the tribulation through the gospel; since Christ says of Matth. 24, 22: "If the Lord did not shorten these days, no man would be saved. For if the world had stood longer as it stood before, all the world would certainly have become mahometic or epicurean, and no Christian would have remained, as Christ says [Luc. 18:8], "Thinkest thou, when the Son of man cometh, that he also shall find faith on the earth?" There was already no real understanding or teaching of the Christian faith, but only error, darkness and superstition with countless heaps.
(3) There has certainly been no greater tribulation on earth, nor will there be, that has gone further, lasted longer, and raged more horribly than the abominations of Mahomet and Pabst, which have corrupted all the world with blood and murder without ceasing in the flesh, but much more horribly with the destruction of souls and murder, as the third woe of Revelation 12:12 ff. shows. 12, 12. ff. also shows that one must say that the devil is loose and reigns bodily within, according to all fury and will of courage. These and similar thoughts have caused us to omit this prophet Daniel from the others who are still behind, so that he may come to light before everything is destroyed, and he may fulfill his ministry and comfort the wretched Christians, for whose sake he was written and saved for this last time.
Because it is not only comforting to the common Christian man, but also useful to kings and princes, as he has to do with kings and princes through and through, and all his prophecy is about kingdoms and princedoms, I have decided to publish it under E. F. G.'s name.
and to throw it among the princes, so that they have something princely to read, if some wanted to ask for its spirit and comfort; 1) for it is also a royal and princely book. The Histories praise the great Alexander that he always had the poet Homerum with him, and at night laid it under his head and slept on it. How much more appropriate it would be that such and even greater honor be done to this Daniel by all kings and princes, that he not only be placed under their head, but also in their heart, because he teaches other and higher things than Homerus could have done.
For in this a prince can learn to fear and trust God, when he sees and recognizes that God loves the righteous princes and so rules graciously, giving them all happiness and salvation. Again, that he hates the wicked princes, wrathfully overthrows them, and savagely deals with them. For here we learn that no ruler should rely on his own power or wisdom, nor defy and insist on it. For there is no kingdom, nor regiment, in human power or wisdom, but it is God alone who gives, sets, holds, governs, protects, preserves, and also takes away. In his hand all things are gathered, and in his power they float, like a ship on the sea, yes, like a cloud under the sky. Again, we learn that no ruler should lose heart or worry too much in his powerlessness or weakness or uselessness. For just as an empire does not stand by man's strength and wits, neither does it fall by man's strength and witticisms, as many examples are found of great and mighty kings being defeated by few people, and often the most clever ones being put to shame; but they remained and triumphed, seeing neither strength nor witticisms.
I mean, in our time the Venetians, Pabst, France should help to witness all this. For God is steadfast in the high ones (says the 93rd Psalm, v. 1. ff.). "He does with kingdoms as He wills" (says Daniel Cap. 6, 26. 27. and Cap. 4, 14. 22.), not as we or mankind wills.
1) So the Wittenbergers and the Jenaers. De Wette and the Erlangeners: "do not want to ask".
and gives them to whom He wills", not to whom we will or think. The heathen did not know this, nor do all unbelievers and godless know it. They have authority and dominion, but they do not know that it is a donum et1 creatura Dei, that is, a gift and creature of God, which he makes out of nothing, and receives out of nothing, and gives for nothing, and yet keeps in his hand to govern it. For this reason, the wicked are not able to get involved, but it becomes vain in their hands, 2) and they have a lot of trouble with it, a lot of worry, and a lot of vain attempts, which they never bring to the half, and they are the most miserable people; before they once become happy with their rule, they die or lose it. That makes them think that it is their own, that God has thrown it out of their hands, and they let themselves rule and master with their wisdom and power. That goes then very finely before itself, like the cancer course.
(7) But Daniel indicates here that even if the strength and wit of men were able (as it is not) to administer a dominion, such strength and wit could do nothing in the face of devils and evil spirits. For every dominion has its princes from hell: the greater the dominion, the greater and more wicked the devils, who lay all plagues on the kings and lords, with hindrances, with provocations to wrath, strife, murder, pride, fornication, and all
1) De Wette: "ete.," instead of: et. This has been reprinted in the Erlangen edition vol. 54, p. 137.
2) In all editions, "vain"; but it is to be taken substantivally, a nothing, as St. Louiser ed. vol. XX, 852. Old ed. vol. V, 44.
vices, that God in turn must also keep good angels and princes from heaven with the kings and lords against the devil, as we read here in Daniel. What then will a poor flesh and blood presume to rule with his power or wit such great angelic and 3) divine things?
I hope, however, that this Daniel should be a dear Daniel, whom also the heavenly princes, the angels themselves, more than once call "dear Daniel", and the dear man, as whom they loved with all their hearts. In the same way, all his lords and kings loved and valued him. This will, if God wills, be done much more by E. F. G., who by God's grace is more abundantly gifted with desire and love for the Holy Scriptures and all wisdom, more than those kings, both at Babylon and in Persia, because at that time the truth did not come forth so brightly and powerfully. So too, praise God! E. F. G. is not so inclined to quarrel and to do harm, with which thoughts now daily deal, which want to give the most princely. Christ, our Lord, graciously willed in E. F. G. to strengthen, increase and preserve the gifts he has begun, reason and wisdom, and to protect him from all the false wiles and cunning of the enemy, together with his followers, for the salvation of all the world, and in honor of his holy name and gospel. This is what we all wish and ask from the bottom of our hearts, amen.
E. F. G.
subservient
Martinus Luther.
3) De bet: "yes" instead of: and.