The “war-mad” Luther? Pieper proves false (100 years ago)

      100 years ago, in 1921, the world was still recovering from the First World War (World War I, or WWI).  Tensions were still high, and we see that Martin Luther was the object of charges regarding war itself.  Franz Pieper describes one of the charges made, and then demonstrates, from Luther's own words, that the charge was false:

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Lehre und Wehre, vol 67 (1921), p. 92-93; translation by BackToLuther

The “war-mad” Luther. Some years ago, during an occasional stay in New York, we read an article in a New York newspaper in which Luther was also referred to as the cause of the World War. [World War I] The reason given was that Luther had given the advice to suppress the peasant uprising by force of arms. A few weeks ago we were confronted with the same claim, albeit on different grounds. Well, Luther's judgment on revolutions is well known. He sees every revolution as a sin against Rom.13:1 ff. At the same time, Luther occasionally reads the text to the superiors of the peasant revolt because of tyrannical oppression of the peasants in such a way that one must come to the conviction that God's hand protected him from violence on the part of the spiritual and secular superiors. Luther's position on war in general is also known. On the one hand, Luther firmly condemns every unjust war, on the other hand, he teaches that a just war, waged not for the sake of conquest but for the necessary defense of the country, is not sinful, but a work pleasing to God. But Luther is not “war-mad,” but the great peace-man who advises “arbitration” before one takes up arms, and declares “the lust for war,” whether it be out of lordship or for other selfish reasons, to be the work of the devil and frenzy. At this point Luther also turns against the "classical" poets, such as Homer and Virgil, who glorify the "glory of war", and warns Christians not to let themselves be infected by the lust for war by reading these poets. Luther says on Ps. 14:2: 

“Do they,” the depraved men, “not praise most highly among all things that which is the very worst? For who does not make the glory of war (bellorum gloriam), that is the shedding of human blood, the epitome of virtue among men? What are Homer, Virgil and the other poets of heroic songs other than the most blood-soaked and cruel instigators, inciters and eulogists of murderers, tyrants and the most terrible enemies of human blood and race? so that there is danger for a Christian man, when he reads their books, he may want to soak up the inclination to this bloody fame, or, tickled by the honeyed eloquence, or rather, corrupted by the innate thirst for human blood, to delight in such great murder of the human race. Therefore, to say nothing of dirty poets and love poems: if men were intact in all other things, would not the desire to acquire (belli libido) [lust for war] alone prove with full right that they are all quite nonsensical (insanissimos) to the last man? Dear ones, how great is this anger! What a darkness it is that one can even rejoice, sing and praise the slaughter, defeat, blood, murder and all the misfortune that war brings with it, when it would be fitting to weep tears of blood over them all, especially when war is not waged on God's command, but out of senseless lust for dominion, as the heathen have done and still do and today, unfortunately of God, even the Christians, the people of peace, the children of God, do even more cruelly than all the heathen. So leave this praise to Homer [page 93] and similar people, where Horace speaks: Post quos insignis Homerus Tyrtaeusque mares animos in Martia bella versibus exacuit (after these the excellent Homer and Tyrtaeus inspired mens’ hearts with verses to the wars sacred to Mars) [Mars: Roman god of war]. A Christian should know, however, that this angry praise from angry people is excellent in the eyes of the children of men, but an extreme abomination in the eyes of God. And so it happens that the poets, the eulogists of the sins of men, do so, as all confess, that the lines of poetry flow to them much more fully and better when they are about the works of Mars or Venus [war or “love”] than when they are about works of peace or chastity or of any divine thing.” (St. L. IV, 893 f.) [not in Am. Ed. vol. 10]  

Even now after the war [WWI] we still see the world full of “lust for war”, which continues to try all means not to let peace come. How great patience God has for Christ's sake toward us men that He is still holding back with His great Judgment Day!    F. P. [Franz Pieper]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

      I was struck by Luther's characterization of war as the devil's work.  No one has deplored war more than… Martin Luther. No one was more a man of peace than… Martin Luther. — It gives me some comfort in today's world to read that Luther was under attack even in the “good old days”. Franz Pieper knew Luther well, and properly defended him with a quote that negates the false charge. — And so, just like 100 years ago, Lutherans and all Christians are to remain resolute in the Truth, that is the One who said “I am the way, the truth, and the life”, John 14:6.