Text in Latin: WA, Br 11,285–286.3
To the most distinguished man, Mr. Philip Melanchthon, a faithful servant of God, my dearest brother Grace and peace! We are sitting and lying around here, idle and busy, my Philip; idle, because we accomplish nothing, busy because we are enduring endless torture since Satan harasses us with his wickedness. Among so many ways we finally found one which showed hope; [but] Satan blocked that one again. Then we turned into another way where we thought that all problems were already settled; [but]
Satan blocked that one too. Now we have picked a third route which looks as if it is absolutely safe and as if it cannot fail; but the end of the road will show the result.4
I would like—and I am asking you for this—you and Doctor Brück5 to negotiate with the Sovereign6 so that he will call me home with a letter for some necessary business; perhaps in this way I can force them7 to speed up the settlement. For I feel that they could not tolerate my departure without the affair having been settled. Therefore I shall give them this one week, and thereafter I intend to threaten them with [this] letter of the sovereign.
Today is about the tenth day8 that we have started to regulate [the affairs of] Newtown9 properly. I think it was much easier to establish Newtown than it is for us to regulate its affairs. Mistrust on both sides is so great that they suspect poison is being served to them in each syllable. You may say this [whole business] is a word-war or a word-insanity, a pleasure one owes to the jurists,10 They have taught the whole world so many ambiguities, sophistries, and chicaneries—and are still doing so—that [their] jargon is certainly more confusing than all the tongues of Babylon. For as no one there was able to understand the other,11 so here no one is willing to understand the other. Woe to those parasites, woe to those sophists, those plagues of the human race. I am writing in anger; I do not know whether I would speak more appropriately if I were more composed. But the wrath of God looks at our sins. The Lord will judge his people, but may he have more compassion on his servants.12 If this is the art of the jurists, then there is no reason for jurists to be as proud as they all are.13 Isaiah 3 [:1] declares: "The Lord is taking away from Judah and Jerusalem the man," etc.
Farewell, and pray for me!
MARTIN LUTHER, DOCTOR To Mrs. Martin Luther [Eisleben,]1 February 6, 1546 In this hastily written note Luther informs his wife that he will not be able to come home for the next eight days, that their sons are still in Mansfeld, and that he himself could have a good time in Eisleben were it not for the negotiations among the counts. This affair both disgusts and tortures him, says Luther, but pastoral considerations compel him to stay. He also suggests that his wife tell Melanchthon to correct the interpretation of Luke 8:14 in the Postil.
Text in German: WA, Br 11,284.2
To the highly-learned woman, Catherine Lüther,3 my gracious mistress at the house at Wittenberg Grace and peace! Dear Katie! We are sitting here allowing ourselves to be tortured. Though we want to leave, it will not be possible for us to do so for eight days (as it looks to me).4 You might tell Master5
Philip6 to correct his Postil, for he has not understood why in the gospel the Lord calls riches "thorns."7
Here8 is the school where one learns to understand this. But I am horrified that everywhere in Scripture the thorns are threatened with fire.9 Therefore I am even more patient that with God's help I might accomplish something worthwhile. Your little sons are still at Mansteld.10 Except [for this, nothing is new]; we have enough to eat and drink,11 and could have a good time, were it not for this disgusting business. It looks to me as if the devil mocks us; may God mock him in return.12 Amen. Pray for us. The messenger was in a great hurry.
To Mrs. Martin Luther [Eisleben,]1 February 7, 1546 Luther, realizing his wife is worried about him, tries to give her some comfort by urging her to read the writings of St. lorn and the Small Catechism. He tells her to stop worrying about him since he has Jesus
Christ, who can care for him better than she and all the angels. Then Luther muses about the situation in which he finds himself: All the devils seem to have congregated at Eisleben; many Jews are living in Eisleben and Rissdorf, and though they have been outlawed, no one does any harm to them; "today"
Luther voiced his opinion on the Jews bluntly; he was angry enough that he almost left for home today; he has become a jurist, and intends to attack vigorously the haughtiness that the jurists demonstrate in the present negotiations; though busy (so that he is unable to write to Melanchthon, a fact which Luther hopes
Melanchthon will take in good spirit), Luther is living well, and the beer and wine agree with him (though he thinks that the beer from Naumburg congests his chest). In closing Luther assures his wife that all her letters, and those of Melanchthon, have reached him.
Text in German: WA, Br 11, 286–287.2
To my dear mistress of the house, Catherine Ludher, a doctor, the lady of the pig market3 at Wittenberg— placed into the hands of, and at the feet of, my gracious lady4
Grace and peace in the Lord! You, dear Katie, read John5 and the Small6 Catechism, about which you once said: Everything in this book has been said about me. For you prefer to worry about me instead of letting
God worry, as if he were not almighty and could not create ten Doctor Martins, should7 the old one8 drown in the Saale,9 or burn in the oven,10 or perish in Wolfgang's bird trap.11 Free me from your worries. I have a caretaker who is better than you and all the angels; he lies in the cradle and rests on a virgin's bosom, and yet, nevertheless, he sits at the right hand of God, the almighty Father. Therefore be at peace. Amen.
I think that hell and the whole world must now be empty of all devils, who, perhaps for my sake, have congregated here at Eisleben, so hard has this affair12 run aground. There are also Jews here, about fifty in one house,13 as I have written to you previously.14 Now it is said that in Rissdorf—close to Eisleben, where
I became iii during my journey15—there are supposedly about four hundred Jews living and working.16
Count Albrecht, who owns all the area around Eisleben, has declared that the Jews who are caught on his property are outlaws.17 But as yet no one wants to do them any harm. The Countess of Mansfeld, the widow of Solms,18 is considered to be the protector of the Jews. I do not know whether this is true. Today
I made my opinion known in a sufficiently blunt way if anyone wishes to pay attention to it.19 Otherwise it might not do any good at all. You people pray, pray, pray, and help us that we do all things properly, for today in my anger I had made up my mind to grease the carriage. But the misery of my fatherland, which carne to my mind, has stopped me.20
I have also now become a jurist,21 but this will not be to their22 advantage. It would have been better had they let me remain a theologian, for if I meddle with them, should I live, I will turn out to be a goblin who by God's grace will attack vigorously23 their haughtiness. They behave as if they were God; certainly they had better abandon this attitude soon, before their god turns into a demon,24 as happened to Lucifer, who because of his haughtiness simply was unable to remain in heaven. Well, God's will be done.
Please let Master25 Philip26 read this letter, for I have no time to write to him. [Instead I wrote to you, however,] so that you could comfort yourself with the knowledge that I would love you if I could, as you know, and as Melanchthon perhaps also knows as far as his wife is concerned, and as he well understands.
We are living well here; for each meal the city council gives me one half Stübig27 of Italian wine28 which is very good.29 Sometimes I drink it with my companions. The native wine is also good, and the beer of Naumburg is very good, except I think that because of its pitch30 it congests my chest. In all the world the devil has spoiled the beer for us with pitch, and among you people [he has spoiled] the wine with sulphur.31 But here the wine is pure, if one disregards the particular quality of the native wine.
So that you do not get confused, you should know that all the letters32 you had written have arrived here; today those have arrived which you wrote last Friday33 and sent along with Master Philip's letters.34
MARTIN LUTHER, DOCTOR