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 30a LUTHER TO GUNTHER VON BUNAU, CANON OF

MERSEBURG.

Enders, ii. 481. Wittenberg, September 28, 152a

A Giinther von Biinau, of Elsterberg, was in 1523 Church visitor in Meissen and Voigtland. He seems to have written Luther about a rumor which circulated about a debate held at Wittenberg.

Greeting. Excellent Sir, I read with joy and wonder the letter testifying your great faith in me. What lies will that poisonous old serpent not vent?* The debate was as fol- lows: Carlstadt presided; I argued with others in the usual way. The question was whether Christ in the passion opposed the will of the Father? For he prayed that the cup might be taken from him, which was tantamount to not wanting it and refusing it. Then the argument showed that not wishing was equivalent to hating and rebelling. This was denied and not proved. Nothing was asserted, but only talked over familiarly. What, pray, do we not say in argument, even against orthodox belief? Are we not accustomed to impugn even articles of faith? Why then do those men rave and lie about my asser- tions, when I only argued for the sake of argument, asserting nothing, and rather openly confessing that I did not under- stand the mysteries of Christ? I know not whether we treated that saying of the apostle, "he that knew no sin was made to be sin,"^ and other sayings which attribute to Christ sin, a curse and despair; as do Paul and the prophets. As we do not grasp these things, it is right that we should assert nothing about them. I never debated publicly on this matter of Christ's sorrows, and I know nothing about it except what I said above. If anyone says otherwise you can convict him of falsehood on the testimony of our whole audience. Let these virulent men cease to criminate one who argues, or else let them first condemn their own Aquinas, who upsets all Christian doc- trines, arguing pro and contra. Do they wish to forbid us to question articles of faith simply in argument and for the sake of learning? I am ashamed that even you should be moved by these nonsensical fictions. Here you have the facts and my opinion.

^Revelation, xii. 9. •a CorinthianB, ▼. ai.

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