History of the Great Reformation Part 14

Great agitation prevailed in the Knights' Hall. The roughness of the Swiss and the obstinacy of the Saxon had come into collision. The Landgrave, fearing to behold the failure of his project of conciliation, nodded a.s.sent to Zwingle's explanation. "Doctor," said he to Luther, "you should not be offended at such common expressions."

It was in vain: the agitated sea could not again be calmed. The prince therefore arose, and they all repaired to the banqueting hall. After dinner they resumed their tasks.

"I believe," said Luther, "that Christ's body is in heaven, but I also believe that it is in the sacrament. It concerns me little whether that be against nature, provided that it is not against faith.[240]

Christ is substantially in the sacrament, such as he was born of the Virgin."

[240] Non curo quod sit contra naturam, modo non contra fidem.--(Zw.

Opp. iv. p. 178.)

[Sidenote: METAPHOR.]

COLAMPADIUS, quoting a pa.s.sage from St. Paul: "We know not Jesus Christ after the flesh."[241]

[241] 2 Cor. v. 16.

LUTHER.--"After the flesh means, in this pa.s.sage, after our carnal affections."[242]

[242] Pro carnalibus affectibus.--(Zw. Opp. iv. p. 202.)

COLAMPADIUS.--"You will not allow that there is a metaphor in these words, _This is my body_, and yet you admit a synecdoche."

LUTHER.--"Metaphor permits the existence of a sign only; but it is not so with synecdoche. If a man says he wishes to drink a bottle, we understand that he means the beer in the bottle. Christ's body is in the bread, as a sword in the scabbard,[243] or as the Holy Ghost in the dove."

[243] Corpus est in pane sicut gladius in v.a.g.i.n.a.--(Ibid.)

The discussion was proceeding in this manner, when Osiander, pastor of Nuremberg, Stephen Agricola, pastor of Augsburg, and Brenz, pastor of Halle in Swabia, author of the famous Syngramma, entered the hall.

These also had been invited by the Landgrave. But Brenz, to whom Luther had written that he should take care not to appear, had no doubt by his indecision r.e.t.a.r.ded his own departure as well as that of his friends. Places were a.s.signed them near Luther and Melancthon.

"Listen, and speak if necessary," they were told. They took but little advantage of this permission. "All of us, except Luther," said Melancthon, "were silent personages."[244]

[244] Fuimus ??fa p??s?pa.--(Corp. Ref. i. p. 1098.)

The struggle continued.

When Zwingle saw that exegesis was not sufficient for Luther, he added dogmatical theology to it, and, subsidiarily, natural philosophy.

[Sidenote: CHRIST'S HUMANITY FINITE.]

"I oppose you," said he, "with this article of our faith: _Ascendit in caelum_--he ascended into heaven. If Christ is in heaven as regards his body, how can he be in the bread? The Word of G.o.d teaches us that he was like his brethren in all things (Heb. ii. 17). He therefore cannot be in several places at once."

LUTHER.--"Were I desirous of reasoning thus, I would undertake to prove that Jesus Christ had a wife; that he had black eyes,[245] and lived in our good country of Germany.[246] I care little about mathematics."

[245] Quod uxorem et nigros oculos habuisset.--(Scultet. p. 225.)

[246] In Germania diuturnum contubernium egisse.--(Zw. Opp. iv. p.

202.)

"There is no question of mathematics here," said Zwingle, "but of St.

Paul, who writes to the Philippians, ??f?? d????? ?a??."

[247]

[247] Having taken the form of a servant.--(Phil. ii. 7.)

LUTHER, interrupting him.--"Read it to us in Latin or in German, not in Greek."

ZWINGLE (in Latin).--"Pardon me: for twelve years past I have made use of the Greek Testament only." Then continuing to read the pa.s.sage, he concluded from it that Christ's humanity is of a finite nature like our own.

LUTHER, pointing to the words written before him.--"Most dear sirs, since my Lord Jesus Christ says, _Hoc est corpus meum_, I believe that his body is really there."

Here the scene grew animated. Zwingle started from his chair, sprung towards Luther, and striking the table before him, said to him:[248]

[248] Ibi Zwinglius illico prosiliens.--(Scultet. p. 225.)

"You maintain then, doctor, that Christ's body is locally in the Eucharist; for you say Christ's body is really _there_--_there_--_there_," repeated Zwingle. "_There_ is an adverb of place.[249] Christ's body is then of such a nature as to exist in a place. If it is in a place, it is in heaven, whence it follows that it is not in the bread."

[249] Da, da, da. _Ibi_ est adverbium loci.--(Scultet. p. 225.)

LUTHER.--"I repeat that I have nothing to do with mathematical proofs.

As soon as the words of consecration are p.r.o.nounced over the bread, the body is there, however wicked be the priest who p.r.o.nounces them."

[Sidenote: PRESENCE OF CHRIST'S BODY.]

ZWINGLE.--"You are thus re-establishing Popery.[250]"

[250] Damit richtend ir das papstum uf.--(Zw. Opp. iii. p. 57.)

LUTHER.--"This is not done through the priest's merits, but because of Christ's ordinance. I will not, when Christ's body is in question, hear speak of a particular place. I absolutely will not."

ZWINGLE.--"Must every thing, then, exist precisely as you will it?"

The Landgrave perceived that the discussion was growing hot; and as the repast was waiting, he broke off the contest.[251]

[251] Cna instabat et diremit certamen.--(Ibid. iv. p. 179.)

The next day was Sunday, the 3d October. The conference was continued, perhaps because of an epidemic (the Sweating Sickness) that had just broken out at Marburg, and did not allow of the conference being prolonged. Luther, returning to the discussion of the previous evening, said:

"Christ's body is in the sacrament, but it is not there as in a place."

ZWINGLE.--"Then it is not there at all."

LUTHER.--"Sophists say that a body may very well be in several places at once. The universe is a body, and yet we cannot a.s.sert that it is in a particular place."

ZWINGLE.--"Ah! you speak of sophists, doctor: really you are, after all, obliged to return to the onions and flesh-pots of Egypt.[252] As for what you say, that the universe is in no particular place, I beg all intelligent men to weigh this proof." Then Zwingle, who, whatever Luther said, had more than one arrow in his quiver, after having established his proposition by exegesis and philosophy, resolved on confirming it by the testimony of the Fathers of the Church.

[252] Ad caepas at ollas aegyptiacas.--(Zw. Opp. ii. part 3, p. 57.)

[Sidenote: TESTIMONY OF AUGUSTIN.]

"Listen," said he, "to what Fulgentius, bishop of Ruspa, in Numidia, said, in the fifth century, to Trasamond, king of the Vandals: 'The Son of G.o.d took the attributes of true humanity, and did not lose those of true Divinity. Born in time, according to his mother, he lives in eternity according to the Divinity that he holds from the Father: coming from man, he is man, and consequently in a place; proceeding from the Father, he is G.o.d, and consequently present in every place. According to his human nature, he was absent from heaven while he was upon earth, and he quitted the earth when he ascended into heaven; but, according to his Divine nature, he remained in heaven when he came down thence, and he did not abandon the earth when he returned thither.'"[253]