Letter oF HurpREICH ZWINGLI TO THE Most ILLUSTRIOUS PRINCES OF GERMANY ASSEMBLED AT AUGSBURG, REGARD-ING THE INsuLTs or Eck.
(August 27, 1530)
[AD ILLUSTRIS- SIMOS GERMANICAE PRIN- cipes Augustae congregatos, De Conui- tiis Eccij, epistola Huldr. Zwinglij. TIGVRI APVD CHRISTOPHORUM FROSCHOVER, ANNO M.D. XXX. 32 unnumbered quarto pages, signed on p. 31, Tiguri XXVII. die Augusti. Anno M.D. XXX, 4. e., “Zurich, on the 27th of August 1530.” Printed in Opera Zwinglii, Tom. II. fol. 5452-5502; Schuler and Schulthess ed., Vol. IV. pp. 19-41. Finsler, Zwingli Bibliographie, Nos. 96-97. At the same time a German edition appeared entitled: “An die durchlüchtigen Fürsten Tütscher nation zu Oug- sburg versammlot eim sendbrieff Huldrych Zwinglis, die schelck- wort Eggens so er wider die warheyt vssgossen- betreffendt, i. e., “A Letter of Huldreich Zwingli to the illustrious Princes of the German nation, assembled at Augsburg, regarding the calumnies of Eck, which he poured out against the truth.” 40 unnumbered quarto pages. A copy of this edition is in the library of Union Theological Seminary, New York City. The following English translation, based on one by Henry Preble, was revised throughout by the editor.
While Zwingli refused to dignify the scurrillous attack of Eck with an answer, he felt that he owed it to his position to defend more at length the two prineipal points to which Eck had taken exception, that no grace was eonferred by the sacraments and that Christ was not bodily present at the Lord’s Supper. These two points he elaborated in a letter addressed to the princes of Germany. Vadian, who was at Augsburg during the sessions of the Diet, and who was in continual correspondence with Zwingli, notified Zwingli of the appearance of Eck’s answer of the 16th of August. Shortly afterwards Zwingli wrote his reply, which was signed on August 27, 1530.] D JFoN the Most Illustrious Princes of Germany, assembled at the Diet of Augsburg, Huldreich Zwingli implores grace and peace from God the Father and His Son, our Redeemer
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Jesus Christ. As far as 1 am concerned, Most Illustrious Princes, I might have passed by Eck’s insults without any sorrow, both because our Saviour comforts us with the words “Blessed are ye when men revile you,” and because wise men teach that no insult exists except where the recipient so takes it. For if he so strengthens his soul as to make himself invulnerable from such missiles, they will have no more effect upon him than upon a rock. But since Eck sets to work to overturn piety with impunity by lies and to strike down the ancient city of Zurich, I should fail in piety itself if I did not use sling and stone to attack that alien in his proud trampling upon the truth. Furthermore he is certainly either cracked or hide-bound. For whether he brought all those loud insults out of his own mind (a mind stretched so violently to such a monstrous spouting of abuse must be bursting or breaking up mentally) or whether he did not of himself indulge in the debauch, so that no danger threatens him from such an uncommon birth of revilings, each reason is sufficient for my not writing anything to him. For if he is mad, he would tear up and not read the letter, and if he is not mad, but thundering so mightily from hypocrisy, he would, after his fashion, not weigh what I say, but distort my sane words with insane slanders and accusations.
Hence it is that 1 let him go and address myself to Your Highnesses, depending on nothing else than my confidence in your wise fair-mindedness, through which I hope that with true German steadfastness and faithfulness you will lend your ears just as attentively to one setting forth his view and case in sincerity as to the slanderers, however they try to overwhelm you with their din or insinuate themselves into your good graces. For though in themselves, perhaps, the matters in question do not present so very much difficulty, yet through eagerness of contention, they have grown to such proportions that unless you show yourselves to the contentious as unapproachable and just judges who do not pronounce an opinion until the whole case has been examined on all sides, some uproar is likely to be caused by a disagreement of no small extent, though it sprang from small beginnings. And since among all the things in the exposition of my faith which Eck not so much criticises as tramples under foot, running amuck like a wild boar, nothing, please the gods, is so obnoxious to the Romanists as these two:
“That the sacraments do not bestow or dispense grace,” and, “That in the holy supper of our Lord Christ’s natural body is not eaten”—nay, not only to the Romanists but also to some of those who seem to be upon the side of the Gospel—it has seemed to me worth while to send forth a few words upon these points as a sort of reinforcement, in the hope that if anything seems to any one to have been said somewhat obscurely it may become more transparent. I will, therefore, do this, with God’s help, on the understanding that I am not to make answer to the adversary’s raving nor add a spur to it, but to show my view in these matters more and more clearly to Your Highnesses. Thus: —