COLLECTION NAME:
Rylands Collection
Record
Image Number:
EngMS347_198.pdf
Reference Number:
English MS 347/198
Link to Catalogue:
Series Title:
Miscellaneous Autograph Collection
Parent Work Title:
Letter from Martin Luther to Gerhard Vilskamp
Creator:
Luther, Martin, 1483-1546
Creator Role:
Author
Date Created:
1528
Description:
Letter from Martin Luther to Gerhard Vilskamp, Rector of the community of Brethren of the Common Life at Herford in Westphalia. Included is a letter of authentication by William Kunzel to the London bookseller John Waller in 1880.
Keyword:
Reformation; Martin Luther; Letter
Transcription:
Grace and peace in Christ. I have received your most recent letter of consolation, my Gerard, with much pleasure and gratitude. May Christ reward you in eternity. In truth, this temptation was by far the most severe ever, and although it was not unknown to me from my youth, still so troublesome attack as this I had not expected. Nevertheless Christ triumphed, though my life was hanging by a most slender thread. I commend me to your prayers and [those] of your brothers. I have saved others, but I cannot save myself. My blessed Christ, who passed through the depth of despair, death and blasphemy, will enable us to meet in his kingdom. In the meantime we must make sure that we serve Him in word and deed, but it is not in this that we are justified - we are truly useless as servants , but our glory is to live in the world for Christ, forgetting our former evil life. What remains is that Christ is our life and our justification (ah, how hard and unknown to the flesh!), although hidden in God . Now I rejoice that I understand Peter (with you as witness) that we must fullfil the experience of suffering that strikes our brethren in this world, however severe, until the end of this world. Greetings to my Montanus and all the brothers. [Day] of the Circumcision, 1528. Yours Martin Luther
Language Code:
lat
Language:
Latin
Language Code:
eng
Language:
English
Subject:
Reformation
Subject:
Religion
Category of Material:
Manuscripts
Sub-Category:
Correspondence
Technique Used:
Handwriting
Medium:
Ink
Support:
Paper
Time Period Covered:
16th Century CE
People Covered:
Luther, Martin, 1483-1546
Current Repository:
The University of Manchester Library, U.K.
Provenance:
Raffles, Thomas, 1788-1863, former owner
Rights Holder - Image:
The University of Manchester Library
Rights holder - Work:
The University of Manchester Library
Access Rights:
Date Captured (yyyy-mm-dd):
2017-05-30
Image Creation Technique:
Digital capture by The University of Manchester Library
Date Image Added (yyyy-mm):
2017-09
Educational Notes:
The Reformation Exhibition
Metadata Language:
eng-GB
Academic Project Lead:
Julianne Simpson
Collection Code:
Rylands