Lehre und Wehre St. Louis, Missouri — August 1911, Seite 369

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Literatur. 369

as well as by the prexious statement in the Babylonian Captivity of the
same opinion. That his Liews were shared by ea large number of his con-
temporary divines, both Protestant and Catholie, has been demonstrated
in a very careful study by Dr. Rockwell“ (196. 373 f.). Was Luther über
Tanz und Thearer sagt, wird von Smith verallgemeinert und somit falsch aus⸗
gedeutet (350). Von anderm abgesehen, vermissen wir in dem Kapitel „Charac-
ter and Habits“ insonderheit die Betonung der Tarsache, daß, obwohl Luther
gar manches sagte und schrieb und zu seiner Zeit auch sagen und schreiben konnte,
was man in unserer Zeit nicht mehr sagen und schreiben kann, dies von Luther
nie in schlüpfriger Weise und im Interesse der Lüsternheit geschah. Auch sonst
geht Smith in diesem Abschnitt über Maß und Billigkeit hinaus. Von Me⸗
lanchthons abweichender Stellung mit Bezug auf die in den Schmalkaldischen
Artikeln vorgetragene Ansicht Luthers über den Primat des Papstes schreibt
Smith: Alelanchthon modified this statement by nadding that if the Pope
jeft the Protestants to rule themsSelves, they would not interfere with his
de facto supremacy in other parts“ (307). Daß Smith sich hier irrt, geht her⸗
vor aus Melanchthons Unterschrift zu den Schmalkaldischen Artikeln (Müller,
S. 326). Zum Schluß lassen wir noch etliche Aussprachen aus dem Buche Smiths
als Proben folgen. Über Luthers Römerbrief-Kommentar von 1515/16: Luther
was one of theé first to show what Paul réally felt, thought, and taught,
though some others, like Lefevre and Colet, had preceded him by à few
vears in applying the new learning to theé elucidation of Scripture“ (23).
Von Luther in Worms: When he reéached his lodgings. he joyfully ex-
claimed: Jam through! Iam througb!“ He had indeed done the great
deed heé had set out to do, and spoken the words which will ring through
ages' (118). Luthers Aufenthalt in der Wartburg betreffend: In all his let-
ters from the Warthurg, Lutber néver once mentions any supernatural
experience, nor even in his work On the Abuse of thé Mass, where he makes
special mention of such apparitions in geneéral. doas he say one word of
his ever having séen anv himself. That he occasionally spoke of them
long afterwards is due rather to an hallucination of memorâ³ than of the
senses at the time. Hée heard some noises in the old spooky castle, so
slight that he hardly noticed them, but they gradually grew in memory,
so that he could say, just ten years later: Satan has often vexed mewith
visions, especially at the Wartburg. One night while vas there, he tooł
some walnuts from the table and keépt snapping tbem at the ceiling all
night'“ (125). Üüber Luthers Stellung im Bauernkrieg: No government in
the world could have allowed rebellion to go unpunisheéd; no sane man
could believe that any argument but arms would bave availed. Luther
first tried the way of peace, he then risked his life Dreaching against the
rising; finally he urged tbe vse of thesword as the uαιιπ vαιι¹½2, He was
right to do so, though he put himself in the Wrong by his immoderate
zeal. It would have been more becoming for Luther, theé péeusant and the
hero of the peasants, had be shown gréater sympathy with their cause
and more mercy. Had he done so, his name would have escapec the charge
of cruelty with which it is now stained“ (166). Hier wird Smith ungerecht
gegen Luther und läßt sich in seinem Urteil von seinen Gefühlen leiten. Luthers
wegwerfendes Verhalten gegen Erasmus und andere Gegner rechtfertigt Smith
also: Every great leader of a new and struggling movement must feel
that he Who is not with him is against him. and that be who gathereth
not, scattereth. The citizen who refuses to take arms in wartime is a pub-
lic enemy. His scruples may be honorable, but oné can hardly blame the
geneéral for expelling bim from the ranks. In the American Civil War
no character was so much detested as the copper-head.“ the Northern man
who refused to fight for the Union“ (212). Den Widerstand gegen den Kaiser
betreffend: The proposition that one might resist the empéror only when
and because he himself commanded it, is not really quitée so absurd as it
seems when thus baldly stated. The sisteenth century had no word for
the idea constitution, so familiar to us. Had Luther written four hun-
dred years later, he would have said thiat. the imperial laws might be re-
sisted when they were unconstitutional. for it must be remembered that
the Holy Roman Empire had a constitution, mostly unwritten, like that

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