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78 If time and strength permit, the writer will express himself more in detail on Luther and the Scriptures in the near future, in order on his part to preclude the attempt even of theologians of the American Lutheran Church to defend their own lax positions over against the Scriptures by appealing to Luther.

Even though Luther's residence on the Wartburg did not in any way involve a new position of the reformer towards the Scriptures, yet the undisturbed and careful study of the same, which he here could undertake, could only fortify the position which he had already gained.

14. Luther and the German Language

Since the question concerning Luther's influence on the German language is closely related with the question concerning Luther's Bible, and Luther's work on the German Bible began with so much promise on the Wartburg, the most important results of the work done during the past thirty-five years to get a better understanding of this phase of Luther's life work, may be noted at this place.

In 1868 the Catholic V. Hasak published his book: "Der christliche Glaube des deutschen Volkes beim Schlusz des Mittelalters dargestellt in deutschen Sprachdenkmalen." By means of this collection of sources he attempts to show that the claim, Luther is the creator of modern High German, is entirely without foundation in fact. Others, both before and since, for inst. the well known Scherer, and Hasak himself in his later work: "Dr. M. Luther und die religioese Literatur seiner Zeit bis zum Jahre 1520" (Regensburg, 1881) assumed the same position. And, of course, all those writers who think that Luther's Bible translation rests on the pre- Lutheran German versions (compare IV, 12 and foot-