Dr. Martin Luther's Complete Writings, according to Dr. J. G. Walch, re-edited on behalf of the Ministry of the German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, etc. Nineteenth volume. Dogmatic-polemical writings against the papists. (Continuation.)
It gives us great pleasure to announce the publication of the 19th volume of our [St. Louis] Luther edition. Prof. Hoppe has done the same diligent work in this volume as he did in the earlier volumes for which he was responsible. In this volume, too, a considerable part of the writings (e.g. the important writings "Of the Babylonian Captivity", "Against Henry, King of England", "Judgment of the Spiritual and Monastic Vows”, furthermore very important theological disputations, e.g. of Justification, of the Power of Councils, etc.) has been newly translated from the Latin. In the writings originally written in German, the text could be improved in very many cases. The 65-page introduction has been rewritten with great care and not only provides information about the historical context of the individual writings, but also offers excellent individual notes that serve the understanding of the writings. Thus, for example, p. 15, the accusation that Luther wrote too harshly against his opponents, especially against his opponents among the princes, is discussed. It says here, among other things:
%20cropped.jpg "Prof. A. F. Hoppe")
“The accusation that Luther wrote too harshly against the enemies of the Gospel appears again and again. We are of the opinion that this accusation cannot be countered more effectively than by pointing out how Luther's opponents reviled and blasphemed the Lord Jesus Christ and His Church in Him 1).
1) This is how Luther himself justified his harsh letter against Henry VIII. of England: “If a king of England may impudently spout fine lies, I may cheerfully thrust them back down his throat, for in doing so he blasphemes all my Christian teachings and smears fine dirt on the crown of my King of honor, namely Christ, whose teachings I have.”
Therefore we leave here a more extensive excerpt from this characteristic writing of his bitter enemy” (Duke George) “and believe thereby once and for all to be relieved of the duty to take Luther also further in defense against said reproach. What believing Christian's heart should not burn with righteous anger at such invective against the Church of Christ, as Duke George here mendaciously brings forward? Luther could not have been a Reformer if he had treated such a man gently and mildly."
.jpg "Prof. Christoph Sonntag (portraitindex.de)")
In order to encourage the purchase and reading of this volume of Luther's writings, we would like to remind you of two things. Once of the dictum of the Altorf Professor [Christoph] Sonntag: "Quo propior Luthero, eo melior theologus." ["The closer to Luther, the better the theologian"] —
Secondly, to a pronouncement of the blessed Dr. Walther:
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"After the apostles and prophets, Luther has no equal in the Church. Name only one doctrine which Luther did not expound in the clearest and most glorious way. Would it not now be unspeakable ingratitude to God, who sent us this man, if we did not want to listen to his voice? Then we would not have recognized the time in which God has afflicted us. . . . God holds Christianity responsible if it does not recognize this man as the Reformer of the Church. We must not think in relation to Luther: 'So can we; as well as Luther found the truth, so well shall we find it by diligent study.' No, when God fills his prophets with spirit and light, he does so for the common benefit of the church; and woe to the church if it does not use God's instrument but passes it by. A church in which Luther's writings are not studied first by the pastors and then, at their instigation, by the common Christians, certainly does not have Luther's spirit, and Luther's spirit is the pure evangelical spirit of faith, humility and simplicity.” (L. und W. 1887, p. 305 f.)
In the present volume are found, among others, the following important writings: "Of the Babylonian Captivity," "Answer to the Book by King Henry of England," "On Avoiding the Doctrines of Men," "Of the Keys," "Of the Freedom of a Christian Man," "Of the Abuse of the Mass," "Of the Private Mass and the Consecration of Priests," "Of Both Forms of the Sacrament," "Judgment of the Spiritual and Monastic Vows," etc. The volume includes 74 pages of introduction and table of contents and 1967 columns of text and costs $4.50. F. P. [Franz Pieper]
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