On Justus Jonas, see LW 48, 275, n. 3.
Text in Latin: WA, Br 8, 22–23.6
Grace and peace in Christ!
Even though I think that these lines might come to you too late,7 excellent Jonas, yet I wished to inform you that we hope that at this hour you have finally recuperated from the stone, and that our prayers have been heard. Here we hear the rumor that the most sacred legate, that is, the man from Acqui,8 comes straight from Nürnberg to our Sovereign.9 This is being written from Coburg to the Sovereign, who has replied to the people in Coburg that, should the legate come, they should instruct him to go to Smalcald.10
There he will be awaited, if he really comes. If, I say, he really comes, then no doubt he does not come because of reverence,11 but because of the Turks,12 to seek help, etc. For what else are the Lutherans than sheep for the slaughter,13 except when per chance those furious murderers might be in need of the help of the Lutherans. But we shall see. The chancellor of the Emperor, Doctor Matthias Held, also will be present;14 perhaps this meeting will be of greater importance than both sides have assumed. May God grant it to be a legitimate council.
A canon from Zeitz is here, but he is an apostate from his order since he has married;15 he is a distinguished man, who swears and states16 that in this meeting there will be men more learned than even at the council of Mantua (should this ever come about). I write this in order to console you, for your desire is marvelous.17
Farewell, and visit my family, and also the Pomeranian Rome18 and his little Quirites.19 We are healthy and happy; indeed, we are treated magnificently as guests of the Sovereign, and are excellently cared for in his castles at Grimma and Altenburg.20 We had expected to be guests of the old Pylades and Theseus.21
Therefore, as is our custom (known to you), we have played a game with him in verses. I am including mine; Master22 Philip,23 that is Homer, sends his too; but here are those verses of mine, that is, of As to Christ your deeds, George, are most pleasing.
So let this crew of strangers be pleasing to you.
To famous Chalcis25 we are traveling for our meeting.
God's great cause forces us to travel there.
You too, excellent man, have an important part in such great affairs.
You, leader and companion on the way, come with us.26
February 1, at Altenburg, at 8:00 P.M.
MARTIN LUTHER, DOCTOR To Elector John Frederick1 [Smalcald, about February 9, 1537] On February 7 the Luther party arrived in Smalcald.2 On February 9 Luther preached in the City
Church,3 and on February 10 the meeting of the Smalcaldic League, to which Luther had been summoned, was officially opened with an address by the Electoral Saxon chancellor emeritus Gregory Brück.4 Many items were on the agenda of this meeting; the most pressing one dealt with a joint policy regarding acknowledgment of, and attendance at, the council summoned by Pope Paul III to Mantua.5 On this topic
Luther issued the following opinion. No details about background, possible addressee, or date of this document could be established, though it is clear that it is part of the negotiations about the council. It is commonly assumed that, while in Smalcald, Luther issued this opinion for Elector John Frederick and that he wrote this document in the days immediately preceding the official beginning of the meeting.6 The tone of the document is critical. Luther chastises the "Roman scoundrels" for their intention of manipulating the council to their own advantage, so that the issues (Luther's own case, the Gravamina) would not be freely debated. He sees in the council a forum designed to condemn the evangelicals and to justify the spilling of innocent blood; consequently, Luther argues, in the eyes of all impartial people the council will
- 52 turn out to be a farce. Above all, Luther is not convinced that the papists are at all serious about the council, but feels that they would rather cancel it for any possible reason. Since the refusal of the evangelicals to attend the council would provide such a reason and thus would do great damage to the cause of the evangelicals, Luther affirms his readiness to attend the council. Yet he also underscores that he would in no way feel bound by this readiness.7
On Elector John Frederick, see LW 48, 181 f.
Text in German: WA, Br 8, 35–38.8
These are my thoughts:
I definitely see and fear that it will finally come to a fight. One must not be terrified, etc., by this, for God is and is called almighty,9 and until now has arranged many things differently than we thought.
I have no doubt that the pope10 or his followers are afraid [of this council] and would rather see this council thwarted.11 Yet they would like this to come about in such a way that they could boast—and do so with seeming justice—that [this failure] was in no way their fault, since they had summoned the council, sent out messengers, and called the Estates, as they certainly would underscore.
In an abominable way they have therefore presented us with a devil's head, so that we should be frightened and retreat; that is, they have summoned a council for which they announce [as agenda] nothing pertaining to matters of the church, nothing pertaining to a hearing, nothing pertaining to other matters, etc., but only that which pertains to the extirpation and eradication of the poisonous Lutheran heresy12 as they interpret it for themselves in the bull De reformatione curiae.13
Thus we have not only already received the judgment on our case which is to be pronounced against us in the council, but in addition the appeal with a hearing, answer, and discussion of all matters has been moved to the background;14 further, the papists have scared away all godly, honorable people who might perhaps have been selected as mediators. These accursed scoundrels of the devil wish to act as they please, not only to condemn us (for they are certain of this on the basis of previous bulls15 issued against us) but also immediately to command and start the execution and eradication [of us all]. And this notwithstanding the fact that we have not yet been heard16 (as all laws require), and that they, the cardinals, etc., have not yet studied our writings nor understood [the point of our] teaching since our books are everywhere prohibited. They have only read the false writers and listened to the lying mouths, while in contrast to this they have not listened to us. Yet both bishops and sovereigns in the German territories, even if they belong
[to the pope's] party, know that the authors in whom the pope, Italy, and other nations, etc., believe are liars17 and scoundrels.
For18 at Wittenberg we heard from the pope's orator, Pietro Paolo Vergerio,19 that he thought and had been informed quite differently about many things among us than he finds them actually to be. Doctor
Gervasius, the envoy of the King of France,20 also publicly admitted to us that his King had been talked into believing21 that among us Lutherans there is no matrimony, governmental authority, church, or anything else. One may easily figure out from where the King, the pope, and the other nations got such an opinion. The wicked one at Halle22 and those similar to him have permitted these [evil] books, and perhaps also [other] writings, to be distributed23 while obstructing our books. But God is not fettered,24 etc. Since in some matters the pope and his followers have been too quick to believe such shameful and abominable lies, they owe it to us to listen25 to us. I am silent about the matters which their own party will raise against them,26 such as the facts that the pope and the Cardinal (!)27 confiscate and lay waste (!) to monasteries and collegiate chapters, that the Bishop at Halle has three dioceses,28 and that some similar to him [and some] canons have many benefices, etc., and many [other] innumerable matters which, even regardless of the Luther case, are certainly in need of concil[iar action].29 But the bull30 is conveniently silent about all these matters, [for the papists] are afraid that during a council these issues might be stirred up.
Therefore they would like to frighten us31 into refusing [to attend the council]. Then they would feel safe and could say that we obstructed the council, etc. Thus not only would the legal disadvantage hang over