our letter^ about the debate allowed by us to be held at our Jniversity of Leipsic, between Drs. Eck and Carlstadt, and ontaining your excuses, all of which we have noted. Since )r. Eck wrote us that he had agreed on the debate with Dr. Carlstadt and prayed for permission to hold it at Leipsic, sre did not wish to refuse him. If now you agree among rourselves to debate, and then make a further request to us, ^e will then, as beseems us, consider your petition and give irou a prudent and gracious answer. This in answer to your letter.
133. LUTHER TO GEORGE SPALATIN AT ALTENBURG. Inders, i. 446. (Wittenberg), March 5, 1519.
Greeting. Dear Spalatin, you have twice urged me to lake mention of faith and works and of obedience to the Oman Church in my German apology.* I think that I have >iie so, although it was published before your warnings uine. It was never my intention to secede from the apostolic .Oman see; indeed, I am content that the Pope should be ailed, or even should be, the lord of all. What business is t of mine? For I know that we must honor and tolerate even the Turk because of his power, and because I know, as Peter says,* that there is no power save what is ordained oi God. But I act for my faith in Christ, that they may oot treat his Word as they please, and contaminate it. Let
- hc Roman decretals leave me the pure gospel and take away
^i else, I will not move a hair. What more can I or ought
- ^ do? Moreover, most willingly shall I abide by the agree-
^tat* for I hope this debate will be a debate for the learned ^ly, and my instruction will be sufficient for the laity, farewell.
You desire to know who were the men who requested the Sector to change the course of studies.* They were the
'FebrtMiy 19, supra, no. 128.
^Uuttrrichi auf ettiche Artikel, Weimar, H. 66, This was a paper drawn np at ^ request of Miltitz, cf. Smith, 56f. Perhaps Spalatin had been influenced by lie letter of Beckmann, supra, no. 131.
•C/. I Peter, li. 13, thou{?h Luther probably meant Paul's Epistle to the SoBunSy xiii. i.
'/. s., with Miltitz to keep silence, cf. Smith, ssf.
- For some time Luther and his friends had been desirous of reforming the
iorrlcaltim by curtailing the lectures on Aristotle's Physics and on Aquinas's
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