Thursday, March 22, 2007

#2072-Recommendation-writing for an Oriental Ecclesiastic

There is with us in Germany Herr Michael Aethiops (an Ethiopian?, an Arab?), Deacon, whom we have have confidentially conversed with himon Christian doctrine and have heard him and , with the confession of faith (symbolo)of the Occidental Church,he agrees as true and also has no different opinion on the Holy Trinity than that of the Occidental Church. Therfore we commend him to good people as much as we can. Although the Eastern Church has several deviant ceremonies he judges that the dissimilarity does not nullify the unity of the Church and does not strive against the faith because the kingdom of Christ is the spiritual righteousness of the heart, the fear of God and the security through Christ. We think this opinion is right also. We have also learned from that regarding the administration of the Lord's Supper (Abendmahl)and the Mass,as observed by us,we are in agreement with the Eastern Church. We wish however, that all peoples would confess Christ and obey in true trust on His mercy and in love for the neighbor. For this reason we pray that good people demonstrate Christian love also to this guest. Given at Wittenberg on the 7th of July 1534.Martin Luther.
NOTE: Really, not fellowship with the Eastern Orthodox Christians? The Editors think this is the Arab whom Melanchton talked about with Benedict Pauli on 31 May. Question? Is Aethipos a name or meaning an Ethiopian?

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