To the highly-honorable man,Herr Peter Hackenberg, Christ's servant, his brother in the LOrd.
Grace and peace in Christ! You are not alone, my dear brother in the Lord, Peter, in being deceived by this hope in the Diet. The whole world had looked thereto and sighed for peace and see! instead of bread they received a stone. And so now moreso it is just for you to intend to leave this torture-chamber and to forsake the flesh-devouring monk's-estate (religione). And if your conscience requires counsel I will assist you richly when you depart and whatever I am able to do I will gladly extend it to you. And I think it is just that you have decided to take a little compensation with you when you leave. That is owed to you and Christ presents it to you with joy from the resources of these Egyptian tyrants, thieves and robbers. Further do not have concern about any sort of parish or service of the Word. Everywhere there is a great shortage of shepherds so it is about to happen that we will be required to ordain or install preachers according to our own ceremony without tonsure, mitre,anointing,without glove, shepherd's staff, without incense and without this bishop. The LOrd Jesus who has begun His Word of grace in you continue it until the Day of His glory, Amen. Wittenberg, on the Friday after Lucia (Dec.16) 1530.
NOTES: No location of the addresse and no signature on this one.
2 comments:
I'm not so good with the chronology--are we still talking about Augsburg?
What's the reference to "Egyptians" about? I have a faint memory that you might have said before...but if so, I forgot...
Oh, oh! There's usually no comments so haven't been. ML left Coburg in October. Now back in Wittenberg. Diet of Augsburg has ended.
Egyptians held Israel in slavery Egyptians = powers that be = papacy-emperor. Israel = evangelicals.
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