Page:Thirty-five years of Luther research.djvu/110

68 Groessler, and later Spitta, have again broken a lance in behalf of the belief that Luther composed his hymn "Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott" on his way to Worms — cf. what follows.

The reports concerning the treating with Luther here can be found in the "Reichstagsakten" by Wrede, with which the work of Kalkoff is to be compared.

As is known, Luther defined his decisive answer as one "without horns and without teeth" a responsum neque cornutum neque dentatum. Meissinger directs close attention to this answer in a special article. He is entirely convinced that Luther formulated his answer in Latin. Whether he repeated it in German we, according to Meissinger, do not know; at all events we have no German text. Luther thought in Latin when he used th expression, "neque cornutum neque dentatum." The official of the Emperor's court had required of Luther a "responsum non cornutum," having in mind with this an old word used in Logic, an expression of a "syllogismus cornutus"; therefore he wanted an answer that was devoid of ambiguity and sophistry.59 Luther accepts this word and says: "Yes, I shall give you a responsum nocornutum, as you demand it." But because this expression cornutus reminds Luther of the student who, according to their initiation ceremony, had horns placed upon his head and then again taken off, when he lost his position, and because that student was also represented as a monster with huge teeth, Luther enlarges upon the words of the official of the court, saying: "I shall not only give you an answer devoid of ambiguity and sophistry, but one that is also lacking in the horns and teeth, known from the students' ceremonial." It seems, as if suddenly a mood of spirited recklessness possessed Luther. This explana-