Sunday, July 27, 2014

"Away then with all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, 'Peace, peace,' and there is no peace! [Jer. 6:14] Blessed be all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, 'Cross, cross,' and there is no cross!"

     Martin Luther, Theses 92 and 93 (of the 95 of 31 October 1517), LW 31:33 (17-33).  I was put onto this by Timothy J. Wengert, "Timothy J. Wengert, “Peace, peace . . . cross, cross’:  reflections on how Martin Luther relates the theology of the cross to suffering,” Theology today 59 (2002):  194 (190-205).

WA 1, 238:

17 [(fourth =92)] Valeant itaque omnes illi prophete, qui dicunt populo Christi 'Pax pax', et non est pax.

18 [(fourth =93)] Bene agant omnes illi prophete, qui dicunt populo Christi 'Crux crux', et non est crux.


     Wow.  Rupp & Drewery (Martin Luther, ed. E. G. Rupp & Benjamin Drewery, Documents of modern history (London:  Edward Arnold, 1970), 25) translate "Bene agant" ("Doing well") as "Good riddance"!

92 Away, then, with those prophets who say to Christ's people, 'Peace, peace!' when there is no peace. 
93 Good riddance to all of those prophets who say to Christ's people, 'The cross, the cross!' when there is no cross.
     Luther's 1518 Explanations of the Disputation concerning the value of indulgences (the power and efficacy of indulgences, or the ninety-five theses) are to be found at LW 31:77-252.  But Luther has only this to say of theses 92-95:  "Enough has been said previously about cross and punishments.  Rarely do you hear a sermon about it today" (252).

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