# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1852 05 11_S147
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

147

So we left Munich again that same day, to be sure with an empty purse, but also with a light, cheerful conscience, and that was naturally dearer to us than if the opposite had been the case. For what blessing would a support in earthly means have been able to bring to our institution and to our Synod generally, if it had been purchased by concealment, yes, by open denial of the truth?

(To be continued.)

Neither — Nor; they had namely declared that they could neither give up the conditions which they had attached to their remaining in the State church, nor themselves lay down their offices. In a letter recently received, of the 9th of March of this year, from the hand of Pastor Löhe, he writes me that the matter still stands as before, except that in a more recent consistorial rescript the threat of suspension has been pronounced. The great number of laymen who, together with the petition for the full right of Lutheran separation and constitution, addressed it also to the Oberconsistorium, have been summoned by order of the consistories (from Neuendettelsau, however, only the elders), in order to be instructed better. Pastor L. adds: "With the exception of one college of church elders, everything has remained faithful." Professor Dr. Delitzsch is zealously endeavoring to bring together in spirit those standing near Pastor Löhe for the furtherance of his cause. "Prof. Delitzsch," Pastor Löhe writes further, "has written on communion at the Lord's Supper, almost quite correctly." The latter also reports to me the following: "Harleß wrote me shortly after your departure that he was reading your writing in the advance sheets and found it true to the symbols and to Scripture; but remarked in a later letter that he had heard strange things from North America about your views! —!—" We can well imagine that we have friends here who would with pleasure render us such a friendly service, to report much "strange" about our views to Germany. But we hope with God that the "strange" will soon clear up and probably remain sitting on the officious reporters. God has given us a calling which has required us, already for a series of years, to express our faith publicly, orally and in writing (and of this faith publicly expressed by us we are not ashamed, but are rather resolved, with God's help and grace, to remain by it and to die upon it): whoever therefore loves the truth, ought in fairness, when he wishes to report of our faith, to set forth that to which we ourselves have publicly confessed, and to stay at home with his views about our possible "views." — Then, however, to be sure, the "pious purpose" which the Christian reporter connects with his reports would, above all with a Harleß, remain more than unattained.

Brief History and Characterization
of all Complete Editions
of
Dr. M. Luther's Works
with special regard to the Erlangen
edition by Carl Heider 1826—49.

(From the Zeitschrift für Protestantismus und Kirche, N. F. Volume XIX.)

Preliminary Remark of the Editor:

One chief cause why in the Lutheran church the original type of doctrine of the same has been departed from so soon, and little by little even much papistic leaven, often precisely under the appearance and pretext of especially strict orthodoxy, has penetrated into it, is without doubt this, that through the deceit of the devil the writings of Luther have gradually almost wholly gone out of the hands of the Lutherans. This is undoubtedly also a chief cause why here in America so little clear knowledge is to be found of what is really Lutheran, and why many even honest men, who gladly wish to be true to their Lutheran church, are so easily deceived by false teachers, who proclaim and extol their false doctrine, whether papistic, or Reformed, or fanatical, with great confidence, yes, quite with the most audacious anathemas against those who teach otherwise than they, as the only genuinely Lutheran (who, however, do not therefore fail, here and there, to be sure with the most innocent mien in the world, to cast a stone at the dear Luther and the doctrine led by him, and so seek to undermine confidence in Luther and to weaken the desire for his writings. †) If it is now to become better again, there is no other way than that preachers and laymen, next to the Word of God itself and next to the public Confessions, procure Luther's works and study diligently therein. Yes, that is the really proper specific against the sickness of our poor church and against the destructive, pernicious influence of her deceitful workers. For those to whom thorough knowledge of the true Lutheran doctrine lies at heart, and who have not already come to the point of wishing that precisely what they find good be regarded eo ipso as genuinely Lutheran, we therefore communicate here the following comparative survey concerning the various editions of the complete works of Luther. May many thereby be made attentive to these writings, almost indispensable at least to every Lutheran preacher, but in these seductive times also so necessary to every layman who will not be tossed about by every wind of doctrine, and may they be moved to let themselves go without a convenience and refreshment rather than to remain longer without this treasure, which more than replaces a great library. We hope the more that quite many will soon be found who do not shun the cost of procuring this work, since we have received from the Heider bookhouse in Erlangen the assurance that everyone who obtains directly from here the excellent new edition provided by the same shall receive the whole work, at present consisting of 70 volumes, for 31 gulden 30 kreuzer (that is, for 13 American dollars).

†) A proof how all hierarchs in particular cannot conceal their secret enmity against the honest Luther and his writings, which annihilate pope and popelings, is furnished by the Buffalo Informatorium.

* * *

Luther's complete works have in all been printed not more than six times, namely 1. at Wittenberg in 19 folio volumes, from 1539 — 1558; — 2. at Jena in 12 folio volumes, from 1555 — 1558; — 3. at Altenburg in 10 folio volumes, from 1661 — 1664; — 4. at Leipzig in 23 folio volumes, from 1729 — 1740; — 5. at Halle in 24 quarto volumes, from 1740 — 1753; — 6. at Erlangen from 1826 — 1849 in 66 octavo volumes. These editions, however, are of very unequal value, and we hope therefore to do nothing superfluous if we briefly characterize them here, with regard to the history of their origin.

1. The Wittenberg Edition.

1539 — 1558.

At the desire of the Elector John Frederick, Luther's writings were to be collected and printed together already in Luther's lifetime. Luther did not like to see this, but wished rather that all his books had "remained behind and perished." But since he could not hinder their collection, he comforted himself at least with the thought "that his books would in time remain in the dust and be forgotten, especially where he had written something good by God's grace." The editing of the collection he himself committed to M. George Rörer, who, with the assistance of Casp. Creuziger, who died soon afterwards, took charge of the first four German volumes, until he followed a call to Denmark, whereupon George Major took his place. As long as Luther lived, he always read the last printing himself; but immediately after his death crypto-Calvinistic alterations of the text and omissions were allowed to be perpetrated. The whole collection consists of 12 German and 7 Latin volumes in folio. Of the German the first appeared in 1539 with Luther's preface at the press of Hans Lufft. The second was indeed begun still in Luther's lifetime in the printing house of Nic. Schirlenz, but on account of the disturbances of war and especially on account of the capture of the Elector, was completed only in 1548 in another printing house. It has indeed also a preface of Luther's, with an addition by George Rörer, but this seems not so much to have been written by Luther himself as rather merely compiled from his writings. The 3rd — 12th volume appeared in the years 1550 — 58. The index to these 12 volumes was prepared by the corrector of the Lufft printing house, George Walther, and published in 1558 by Hans Lufft in 4to. The individual volumes of this edition were afterwards frequently printed again in various printing houses, so that one may assume three to four complete editions from 1539 — 1600, of which, however, none was arranged according to plan as a whole.

Of the 7 Latin volumes the first appeared in 1545 from H. Lufft, with two prefaces, by Luther and Melanchthon. Herein Luther confesses that in his first books he had, out of humility, still conceded to the Pope many and great articles, which he later condemned as the highest blasphemies and abominations, wherefore he begs that one might such writings with