Works Of Martin Luther - Volume Iv

WORKS OF MARTIN LUTHER TRANSLATED WITH INTRODUCTIONS AND NOTES VOLUME IV A. J. HOLMAN COMPANY AND THE CASTLE PRESS PHILADELPHIA PENNSYLVANIA CONTENTS ON TRADING AND USURY 1524 and PAGE A TREATISE ON USURY 1520 INTRODUCTION C. M. JACOBS 9 TRANSLATION C. M, JACOBS 12 THE RIGHT AND POWER OF A CHRISTIAN CON GREGATION OR COMMUNITY TO JUDGE ALL TEACHING AND TO CALL, APPOINT, AND DIS MISS TEACHERS, ESTABLISHED AND PROVED FROM SCRIPTURE 1523 INTRODUCTION A, T. W. STEINHAEUSER, f 73 TRANSLATION A, T. W, STEINHAEUSER, f 75 PREFACE TO AN ORDINANCE OF A COMMON CHEST 1523 INTRODUCTION A. T, W. STEINHAEUSER, f 89 TRANSLATION A. T. W. STEIN HAEUSER, t 92 TO THE COUNCILMEN OF ALL CITIES IN GERMANY THAT THEY ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN CHRIS TIAN SCHOOLS 1524 INTRODUCTION A, T. W. STEINHAEUSER, t 101 TRANSLATION A. T. W. STEINHAEUSER, t 103 A SERMON ON KEEPING CHILDREN IN SCHOOL 1530 INTRODUCTION C. M. JACOBS 133 TRANSLATION C M. JACOBS 135 THE BURNING OF FRIAR HENRY 1525 INTRODUCTION A. T. W, STBINKABUSJOR, t 18 TlANStATTON A. T. W. STKHSTHABUSKR, f 184 ADMONITION TO PEACE A REPLY TO THE TWELVE ARTICLES OF THE PEASANTS IN SWABIA 1525 INT WCTXON C M, JACOBS 205 Ta TWELVE A rxauB . . . 210 OP THE ADMONITION C M, JACOBS .. 219 6 Contents AGAINST THE ROBBING AND MURDERING HORDES OF PEASANTS 1525 PAGE INTRODUCTION G M. JACOBS 247 TRANSLATION C M. JACOBS, 248 AN. OPEN LETTER CONCERNING THE HARD BOOK AGAINST THE PEASANTS 1525 INTRODUCTION C. M. JACOBS 257 TRANSLATION C M. JACOBS, 259 AN EXPOSITION OF THE EIGHTY-SECOND PSALM 1530 INTRODUCTION C M, JACOBS, . . . 285 TRANSLATION C. M. JACOBS 287 AN EXHORTATION TO THE CLERGY ASSEMBLED AT THE DIET AT AUGSBURG 1530 INTRODUCTION C. M. JACOBS . . . . ..-., 327 TRANSLATIONC. M JACOBS 329 INDEXSCRIPTURE REFERENCES 383 ON TRADING AND USURY 1524 INCLUDING THE TREATISE ON USURY 1519 AND 1520 INTRODUCTION Luthers work On Trading and Usury Von Kauffshandlung und Wucher was published some time before the end of June, 1524. 1 In the beginning of the treatise he says that he has been urged and begged to expose some of the financial doings of the time, and has yielded to the request, though he knows that things have gone too far to be checked by his writing. Concerning the source of the requests we are not in formed but it is not unlikely that they arose out of the discussion of monopolies and the best means for suppressing them, which occurred at the Diet of Nuremberg, January to April, 1524. Complaints were made in many quarters about the operations of the trading companies, which were taking a commanding position in certain lines of trade, and seeking to create monopolies. Similar complaints were made about the steady advance in commodity prices, which was general throughout Germany and which worked great hardship on some classes. The rise of the companies and the phenomenal profits that they were making were, not unnaturally, con nected in many minds with the advance in prices. The subject of regulation had been under discussion at more than one previous diet, especially at the Diet of Nuremberg in 1523, which went into the matter at greater length than any of its predecessors. The Diet of 1524 renewed the consideration of the matter and drastic action was proposed. The proposals were not adopted, however, either because of the influence of the great Augsburg companies in the diet itself, or because of the pressure which they were able to exert at the court ofCharles V. 3 The recess of the diet provided for a mild kind of regulation that was sure to be abortive. It was, perhaps, in view of this failure that Luther was asked by friends to speak his mind on this matter He had already spoken. In the Autumn of 1519 he had published a brief tract On Usury. A month or so later December, 1519 he completed a revision and expansion of it, which was pub- S WeJmur Ed, XV, 279 ff. Ttws latter view Is that taken by Pietach, In Weimar Ed., XV, 281...