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108 arising from the new material as well as connected with Luther's Bible in general.85 Compare chapter 14.

26. The Last Years of Luther's Life-Work

For the years 1541 and 1542 Brandenburg published an investigation in which he shows how Luther was by no means afraid to step into the path of the Elector. When the Elector, in his political dealings with the Archbishop Albrecht of Mainz, patron of Halle, in regard to Halle impetuously pursued his own advantage, Luther called his attention to the sacredness of his given word.86

It had been popularly supposed that Luther's well-known hymn, Erhalt uns Herr bei deinem Wort, had been composed in 1541; but Albrecht proved that it must have been existent already at least in 1537, because he found it in the index for hymns in the church constitution of Naumburg of 1537. Kolde has especially followed the history of this hymn in "Beitraege z. bayrischen Kirchen-geschichte."87

Because Luther in 1542 once more took up his issue with the infidel and heart-hardened Jews, we here refer to Buchwald's and Lewin's work concerning Luther's position toward the Jews.88 Lewin distinguishes four periods in Luther's stand toward the Jews. Before the diet at Worms Luther did not come in personal contact with the Jews; what he now and then said about them is based entirely on the literature of his time concerning this people and on his reading of the Bible. At Worms he became acquainted with two Jews who argued with him about Is. 7, 14. Other Jews enter in connection with him, and he believes in the possibility of their conversion. In 1523 he published his writing, "Dass Jesus Christus ein geborner Jude sei," and favors the endeavor to con-