Page:Thirty-five years of Luther research.djvu/158

106 24. Luther and Philip's Bigamy, 1539

In 1539 (l0th of December) Luther gave his unfortunate "confessional advice" to Philip the Landgrave of Hesse concerning the latter's bigamy. It will be readily understood that Luther has been much attacked within the last decades because of this, and that the event has been thoroughly aired in order to drag Luther himself into the mire. Lenz, Koldewey, Walther, Kolde, Rockwell, Brieger, N. Mueller, and Koehler have contributed much toward clearing up this episode and toward the correct understanding of Luther's action.84 The last-named especially has directed his attention against the never-dying Roman slander in this connection that Luther, having demanded at the Eisenach Conference (July, 1540) that Philip should silence this happening with a "good, healthy lie," a necessary lie (Nutzluege), was at all events an entirely untrustworthy and prevaricating person. It is exceedingly strange that men have dared to consider just this man guilty of lying who has said, among other things, "No virtue has made us Germans more famous, and, as I believe, has elevated us higher heretofore and has kept us in that position, than the fact that we have been esteemed faithful, trustworthy and steadfast folk, to whom 'no' meant 'no' and 'yes' meant 'yes.' And although foreign and Grecian vices are already becoming native among us, yet thus it has always remained that there can be no graver and uglier word spoken or heard than to call some one else a liar or to be called that oneself."

However, Koehler errs when he traces back this mistake of Luther in the matter with Philip to his theology, i. e., "his extreme supernaturalism." It probably originated in this, that Luther in this case resorted to the