Page:Luther's correspondence and other contemporary letters 1507-1521.djvu/211

 ory, Cyprian, Chrysostom, Leo, Bernard and Theopbilus, be repudiated them all without blushing, and said that he alone would oppose all of them, relying only on the text that Christ was the foundation of the Church, and that other foundation no man can lay.* I did away with this by citing Revelatioa xii.* about the twelve foundations. Luther also defended the Greeks and schismatics, saying that they would be saved even if they are not under the obedience of the Pope.

Of the articles of the Bohemians, he says that some of those condemned by the Council of Constance are most ChristiaJ^ and evangelic; by which rash error he frightened many, and alienated those who had previously supported him.

Among other things I said to him : If the primacy of ihc Pope is merely a matter of human law and of the agreement of the faithful, where does he (Luther) get the dress he wears? where does he get the power of preaching and of hearing the confessions of his parishioners, etc.? He answered that he wished there were no mendicant orders, and many other scandalous and absurd things, as that a council, con- sisting of men, could err» and that purgatory was not proved by the Bible, as you may see by reading our debate, which was taken down by faithful notaries. . ..

There were many of them; besides the two doctors, there was their Vicar Lang, two licentiates in theology,* a nephew* of Reuchlin who assumes a good deal, three doctors of law, several professors, who aided him privately and publicly even in the course of the debate. But I alone, with nothing but right on my side, withstood them.

To brothers of your order I committed the care of copy- ing the debate and sending it to you as soon as possible. Wherefore I pray you by him whom I serve, zealously to defend the faith as you long ago undertook to do. I do not wish you to involve yourself or make either your person or your order odious, but please aid me with your advice and learning. The Wittenbergers hesitated to debate ; in fact, they

ii Corinthians, iii. 11. 3 Rather, xxL 14.

'A number of professors and two hundred students accompanied Lather to Leipsic; cf. supra, no. i6o. ^Melanchthon.

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