#1826-To the Council in Braunschweig

To the honorable and wise Lords,Mayor and Council in Braunschweig,my favored Lords and good friends.
Grace and peace. Honorable, wise, dear Lords! I have no delight in learning of the split among your preachers. Because the one, Mr Johann Kopmann has set himself against all the others and also against the Gospel, Mr Johan Pomer and all of our beliefs, the most direct approach is that E.W. (you wise ones) order the above named Mr. Kopmann to be silent, and not to suffer such a split; also because his opinion has no basis nor Scripture and he has not indicated any basis or Scripture in his list of particulars.To me his spirit is suspect in that he has so falsely perverted and pointed to my words as his list proves, since my words in my pamphlet give a much different opinion and for that reason I can attribute little good to him. The other preachers have spoken completely right and well. We also know well that one must in a spiritual way eat the Body of Christ and drink His blood, that is, believing on Him; he (Kopmann) doesn't have to teach us that. However, nevertheless, the Words of Christ are not thereby falsified when He says: "Take and eat, this is My Body", and calls the bread which he distributes, His Body. One cannot go beyond these words and there is just as much faith here in the physical eating as in Baptism and the Gospel. Otherwise one must not attribute anything to Baptism as there can be faith without Baptism. However, just there is spiritual faith in bodily baptism and bodily baptism is not denied by faith, but rather established; also so through the bodily eating of the Body of Christ faith (or spiritual eating) is not
denied but rather established; as also one can read about this further in the pamphlet of Mr Johann Pomer and myself. E.(your) Wisdom should see to it that neither disharmony nor
nor contrary doctrines should arise and out of a spark a fire develops and that would change the order you have received and teach the same and that would silence and take it away. This matter now has so long been pressed and tested that (praise God) it has been found to be pure and firm and now again brought to the fore after previously being much opposed by Martin Bucer and the city of Strassburg et al. Therefore it would be terrible if it would rise again anew in other states having originated anew in your city; all our opposition should be given that it should fail as in the first instance. Christ our LOrd protect and strengthen you in His Word which He so purely and richly revealed to you, Amen. It is not necessary for you to give any gifts as your devoted will and favor to our beloved Gospel is for me the highest consolation and treasure. Herewith be commended to God, Amen. Sunday after Laurentius (13 August) 1531. Martinus Luther. M.pp/