Chapter XXIII: Epilogue

With these prattlings of mine, Most Illustrious Prince, in token of my willingness to serve your Lordship to the best of my poor ability, I commend myself to your Illustrious Lordship, being ready to bring a worthier offering, if ever my mental powers shall equal my desires. For I shall always remain a debtor to every neighbor of mine, but most of all to your Lordship, whom may our Lord Jesus Christ, in His merciful kindness, long preserve to us, and at last by a blessed death take home to Himself. Amen.

Your Most Illustrious Lordship's
Intercessor,
Brother Martin Luther,
_Augustinian at Wittenberg._

FOOTNOTES

[1] Written by Luther for the last edition of 1535.

[2] Compare to the Preface to the Complete Works (1545), page 11 of this volume.

[3] _Antilogistae_; the hunters of contradictions and inconsistencies in Luther's writings, such as John Faber, who published, in 1530, his _Antilogiarum Mart. Lutheri Babylonia._ Compare also reference in preceding note.

[4] As over against Christ and the saints in His train, the devil and his followers are represented here, as frequently in Luther, under the figure of a dragon with a scaly tail.

[5] Omitted, through on oversight, from the Latin _editio princeps_. See Introduction, p. 105.

[6] On the political influence of Frederick, as a factor in the German Reformation, see Hermelink, _Reformation und Gegenreformation_ (Krüger's _Handbuch der Kirchengeschicte_, 3. Teil), p. 67.

[7] _Tessaradecas_.

[8] See Introduction, pp. 106 f.

[9] In the body of the work Luther places (6) between (3) and (4).

[10] A reminiscence of Luther's childhood?

[11] Luther has particular reference to the Elector's high rank.

[12] Luther follows the Vulgate numbering of the Psalms, which differs from the Hebrew (and the English and German). As far as Ps. 8 both agree; but the Vulgate (following the Greek version) counts Ps. 9 and 10 as one, thus dropping behind one in the numbering. But it divides Ps. 147 into two; vv. 1-11 being counted as Ps. 146, and vv. 12-20 as Ps. 147; and so both versions agree again from Ps. 148 to 150.

[13] Job calls it a "warfare" (militia).

[14] Luther harks back to his discussion of this point in the Preface, p. 113.

[15] Particular reference to the Elector.

[16] See pp. 147 ff.

[17] _Cypr. de mortal_. c. V.

[18] Vulgate reading.

[19] See pp. 149 f.

[20] From the Vulgate.

[21] Luther is probably thinking of his own experience, when, near Erfurt, he came near bleeding to death from an injury to his ankle. See Köstlin-Kawerau, _Martin Luther_, I, 44.

[22] Luther no longer held this view of "satisfaction" in 1535. See also pp. 150 and 161.

[23] Luther is thinking here specifically of the Elector.

[24] He means the communion of saints. See next chapter.

[25] According to the Vulgate (Douay Version).

[26] August 29th. See Introduction, p. 105.

[27] Cf. _A Discussion of Confession_, above, p. 82.

[28] Luther might have considerably revised this whole paragraph.

[29] This seems to refer to the writers of the Holy Scriptures.

[30] A reference to the threefold baptism, commonly accepted, viz., (1) _fluminia_, (2) _flaminis_, (3) _sanguinis_; that is, (1) the Sacrament of baptism, (2) the baptism of the Spirit, or repentance, (3) the baptism of blood, or martyrdom. Cf. PRE3, XIX, 414.

[31] Frederick the Wise was a pious collector of relics, having 5005 of them in the Castle Church at Wittenberg. They had something to do with Luther's choice of October 31st as the date of the posting of the XCV Theses. See Introduction to the Theses, p. 16 of this volume, note 1.

[32] Cf. Letter to George Leiffer, 15 April, 1516. See M. A. Cueriz, _The Letters of M. Luther_, p. 7.

[33] i. e., The sign of the cross.

[34] As much as, "We are in for a bad hour," and, "A good hour is worth a bad hour."

[35] See p. 134.

[36] In this passage "Wisdom" is the subject.

[37] In the _Sanctus_.

[38] See p. 118.

[39] Luther quotes a verse from Ps. 106, which sums up the contents of Ps. 78.

[40] Luther uses _sensualitas_ the first time, and _sensus_ the second.

[41] See p.115.

[42] _The Confessions of St. Augustine_, Book IX, chapter 1.

[43] Luther is probably thinking of the sin of suicide.

[44] From the Vulgate (Douay Version).

[45] Namely, the hope of the passing evil and the coming of good things. See above.

[46] The last two passages read thus in the Vulgate.

[47] See p. 122.

[48] Cf. p. 127, note.

[49] Thus the Vulgate.

[50] _Ovid, Ars amat._, I, 656.

[51] Cf. _Treatise on Baptism_, above, p. 66.

[52] See pp. 123 ff.

[53] _The Confessions of St. Augustine_, Book I, chap. vi.

[54] Thus the Vulgate.

[55] _Comm. in Ps. xxxix, No. 27_.

[56] Book VIII, chap. xi.

[57] See p. 152.

[58] See pp. 126 ff.

[59] See pp. 126 ff.

[60] _Gregor. dialogorum libri iv_, containing number of examples of the terrible end of the wicked.

[61] One of the passages Luther did not care to correct. Compare p. 127, note.

[62] Luther here unites the mythological figures of chimaera and alren.

[63] An Italian saint whose festival is observed on February 5th, whose worship flourishes especially in South Italy and Sicily, and whose historical existence is doubtful.

[64] See pp. 133 ff.

[65] Luther has mistaken the chapter.

[66] For the various interpretations of the "communion of the saints" among mediæval theologians, See Reinh. Seeberg, _Lehrbuch der Dogmengeschichte_, 1st ed., vol. ii, p.127, note. Luther in the _Sermon von dem hochwürdigen Sacrament des heiligen wahren Leichnams Christi_ (1519), still accepts the phrase as meaning the participation in the Sacrament, and through it the participation in "the spiritual possessions of Christ and His saints." In our treatise, it is taken as the definition of "the holy Catholic Church," in the sense of a communion with the saints. In _The Papacy at Rome_ (later in the same year), it becomes the communion or community (consisting of saints, or believers; as a _Gemeinde oder Sammlung._ Compare the classical passage in the _Large Catechism_ (1529): "nicht _Gemenschaft_, sondern _Gemeine_."

[67] See _A Discussion of Confession_, above, p. 88.

[68] Changed to "Christian" in the Catechisms (1529), although the Latin translations retain _catholocism_.

[69] The Apostle does not say, "one cup."

[70] The translation here follows the reading of the _Jena Ed. (huc feratur intuitus)_, as against that of the _Weimar_ and _Erl. Edd. (huc foratur intutus)._

[71] Thus the Vulgate.

[72] See pp. 137 ff.

[73] Vulgate.

[74] Namely, after His resurrection.

[75] Compare the different form of this verse on p. 112.

[76] He means the sin of Adam.

[77] The germ of _The Liberty of a Christian Man_ (1520).

[78] Cf. Terence's _surdo narrare fabulam. Heauton.,_ 222.

A TREATISE ON GOOD WORKS,

TOGETHER WITH THE LETTER OF DEDICATION

1520