Page:Luther's correspondence and other contemporary letters 1507-1521.djvu/175

 Aristotle has not even an understanding of natural phenomena. Of like quality are his books on Metaphysics and the Saul, It is unworthy of the mind to wallow in such a slough of folly; if he must be read to fulfil the requirements, he had better be read without comprehension than with.

I send the letter^ of Eck, as boastful as if he were victor at the Olympian games.

John Froben sent me my works printed by him. If you wish to see them I will send them.^

I am too busy to translate my Exposition of the Lord's Prayer^ into Latin. I daily expound to children and the simple the Ten Commandments* and the Lord's Prayer, besides which I preach and am now getting out Paul's Epistle to the Galatians." Moreover, there are orations and lectures to be given on special occasions, so I have not time enough, much less, time to spare. I am planning a sermon on the MeditOr tion of Christ's Holy Passion,^ but know not whether I shall have leisure to write it, but I will try.

I am studying the decrees of the Popes^ for my debate, and (I speak it in your ear), I know not whether the Pope is Antichrist® himself or his apostle, so terribly is Christ, that is, the truth, corrupted and crucified by him in the decretals. I am terribly distressed that the people of Christ should be thus deceived by the semblance of laws and of the Christian name. Sometime I will make you a copy of my notes on the Canon Law, that you too may see what it is to make laws regardless of Scripture, simply from ambition and tyranny,

^Of February 19, Enders, i. 428.


 * Supra, no. 125.

^AusUgung deutsch des Vaterunsers fUr die einfSlliggn Laitn, Weimar* ii. 74.

Luther's Catechism (1529). C/. Weimar, xxx. part i, introduction.
 * Decem Praecepta populo IVittembergensi pragdicata. This was the beginning of


 * Commenlary on Galatians, published by Luther at this time, Weimar, ii. 436.

^Sermon von der Betrachtung des keiligen Leidens Christi, Weimar, ii. 131.

II. e„ the Canon Law. for the Leipsic Debate. Cf. Smith, op. cii,, 6o£F.

8Tbe idea of Antichrist, taken from the Apocalypse, had become quite common by this time, and had been applied to the Pope at least since John Haas's De Ecclesia (circa 1400). Luther did not know this work till a year later, but he probably did know a Buch von des Endtechrists Leben und Regierung, Erfurt, 1 5 16. He later worked the idea out in detail in bis Responsio ad Awt- brosium Catharinum, Weimar, rii. yyyi. (1521). Cf. H. Preuss: Die Vorstellungen vom Antichrist im spdteren Mittelalter, bei Luther unJ im konfessionellen Polemik, Leipsic, 1906. H. Grisar, op, cit,, ii. xi3ff.

�� �