Page:Thirty-five years of Luther research.djvu/88

52 solved, through the reading of Augustine, whose earlier writings, tinged with New-platonic ideas, Luther at that time preferred. The mysticism that he gained from these, together with that complete metaphysical ethical dualism that has its origin in ancient philosophy, he brought into full play in his exegesis on the Psalter. A further means of consolation is the fides incarnationis that is found in Augustine, i. e., the stress laid on the importance for salvation of Christ's life and passion. This is emphasized even more through the study of Anselm and Bernhard (the 'happy trade' of sin and grace between Christ and the soul). Finally, his opposition against the moralism of his time that tended toward Pelagianism was another chain that bound Luther to Augustine."

"What Augustine wrought in the mind of Luther was immeasurably intensified through the study of Pauline ideas and Paul's opposition against nomism and ergism in every form. In the Pauline idea of ΣΑΡΞ Luther finds his experience with concupiscence confirmed. Now, 1, justificatio=absolutio=non imputatio peccatorum; 2, gratia is identified as justificatio=misericordia dei= nova nativitas, quæ dat novum esse. Semper adhuc justificamur et in justificatione sumus. Simul sum peccator et Justus; 3, fides==fides evangelii=relativa promissioni, per quam solam deus justificat. Synergistic statements are still to be found in the lectures on the Psalms, and more rarely in the commentary on Romans. German mysticism, Tauler and Theologia Deutsch especially (new edition by Mandel), helped strongly to overcome this. The pantheistic conclusions of mysticism were completely crowded into the background through Occam's idea of God, intensified through the Gospel. The last link in the chain, not the first — as was formerly supposed from state-