Dr. Martin has seen the memorial of our Dr. Reuchlin^ on destroying the books of the Jews. If he has not read it, I beg nothing more at present than that he shall read it and give me his opinion on it. Although I doubt not that we all know how good and learned is Reuchlin, yet it is profitable to be on guard. . . .
d LUTHER TO GEORGE SPALATIN. Enders, i. 14. WrrrENBERC (January or February, 1514).
Peace be with you, Reverend Spalatin ! Brother John Lang has just asked me what I think of the innocent and learned John Reuchlin and his prosecutors at Cologne, and whether he is in danger of heresy. You know that I greatly esteem and like the man, and perchance my judgment will be suspected, because, as I say, I am not free and neutral; nevertheless as you wish it I will give my opinion, namely that in all his writ- ings there appears to me absolutely nothing dangerous.
I much wonder at the men of Cologne ferreting out such an obscure perplexity, worse tangled than the Gordian knot as they say, in a case as plain as day. Reuchlin himself has often protested his innocence, and solemnly asserts he is only proposing questions for debate, not laying down articles of faith, which alone, in my opinion, absolves him, so that had he the dregs of all known heresies in his memorial, I should believe him sound and pure of faith. For if such protests and expressions of opinion are not free from danger, we must needs fear that these inquisitors, who strain at gnats though they swallow camels, should at their own pleasure pronounce
^Lather probably did not know Reuchlin personally, but knew his works, and especially had used his De Rudimentis Hebraecis (1506) a grammar and dictionary in one. He mentions this in his marginal notes on Lombard's Sentences (1509), fVerke, Weimar» ix. 3a.
John Reuchlin (Feb. 22, 1455- June 30, 1522) of Pfortzheim, matriculated at Freiburg 1470, went soon to Paris, then, 1474, to Basle, where he took his B. A. 1475 and M. A. i477» then returned to Paris, studied law, took LL. B. at Orleans 1479, became licentiate at Poitiers 1481, and doctor at Tubingen same year. 1483-90 he spent in Italy under patronage of Eberhard of Wurtemberg. Made a noble 1492. About the same time began to study Hebrew; went to Heidelberg 1496, and under patronage of Philip Count Palatine to Rome 1498. He returned to Stuttgart 1499* where he spent twenty years, serving as Triumvir of the Swabian League 1503-13. He retired before the armies of the League to Ingol- stadt, where he spent 1519-ai with Eck, after which he returned to Stuttgart. See his life by Geiger, Realencyclopddie and Stokes, op. cit. introduction.
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