1. Establishing Secular Law and the Sword
THE TREATISE
SECULAR AUTHORITY –
PART ONE: TO WHAT EXTENT IT SHOULD BE OBEYED.
Formerly I addressed a booklet to the German nobility, setting forth their Christian office and functions. But how they have carried out my suggestions is very plain to see. Hence I must change my tactics and write them, this time, what they should omit and not do. I fear this writing will have just as little effect on them as the former one had— they will by all means remain princes, and by no means become Christians. For God Almighty has made our rulers mad. They actually think they have the power to do and command their subjects to do, whatever they please. And the subjects are led astray and believe they are bound to obey them in everything. It has gone so far that the rulers have ordered the people to put away books, and to believe and keep what they prescribe. In this way they presumptuously set themselves in God's place, lord it over men's conscience and faith, and put the Holy Spirit to school according to their mad brains. They let it be known, at the same time, that they are not to be contradicted, but called gracious lords into the bargain.
They issue public proclamations, saying that this is the emperor's command,1 and they desire to be Christian and obedient princes, as though they were in earnest about it, and one did not see the knave behind the mask. If the emperor took a castle or a city from them, or commanded some other injustice, we should see how quickly they would find themselves obliged to resist the emperor and disobey him.
But when it comes to fleecing the poor, and doing what they please with God's Word, it must be called obedience to the imperial command. Such people were formerly called knaves; now they must be addressed as Christian and loyal princes. Yet they will not permit anyone to appear before them for a hearing, or to defend himself, no matter how humbly he may petition. If the emperor or anyone else were to do the same to them, they would regard it as most intolerable. These are the princes who rule the empire in German lands today; hence also there must be such prosperity in all lands, as we see.
Because the raving of such fools tends to suppress Christian faith, deny the divine Word, and blaspheme the divine Majesty, I can and will no longer look upon my ungracious lords and angry nobles, but must resist them at least with words. And since I have not been in terror of their idol, the pope, who threatens to deprive me of soul and of heaven, I must show that I am not in terror of his scales and bubbles2 which threaten to deprive me of body and of earth. God grant that they may have to rage until grey habits3 perish, and that we not die of their threatenings. Amen.
1. Establishing Secular Law and the Sword We must firmly establish secular law and the sword, so that no one may doubt that it is in the world by God's will and ordinance. The passages which establish this are the following:
Rom 13:1, "Let every soul be subject to power and authority, for there is no power but from God. The power that is everywhere is ordained by God. He then who resists the power, resists God's ordinance. But he who resists God's ordinance shall bring himself under
1 Reference to the proclamation of Duke George printed and posted at various places in his realm. GESS, Akten und Briefe, i, 386 f.
2 Luther finds the pope pictured as leviathan in Job 41:15. "Bulla," bull, may be translated bubble (in German,
"Wasserblase").
3 The Grey Friars — the Franciscans.