No sober quarrel over removing images; Luther would rather not set them in the temple
No quarrel worth the name has been raised by the Leipzigers, the Rinteln men, or other more sober Lutherans over the images the Reformed have taken down. In most of those churches none appear either.
Luther himself long ago judged it more useful that none stand on altars or in temples — whatever he blamed in the hotheaded iconoclasts first led on by Karlstadt without the magistrate's authority.
"Otherwise," he says, "I do not greatly love images, and I would rather they were not set up in the temple" (Annotations on Deuteronomy, Jena Latin, vol. III, fol. 99).
Wittenberg and Giessen theologians, Nic. Palladius of Copenhagen, David Chytraeus, Martin Chemnitz, and others felt the same. Massonius gathers the testimonies against Matth. Hoe (Universal Anatomy of Germany, Part III, from p. 404).
Latin
NULLA de summotis inter Reformatos Imaginibus, lis mota à Lipsiacis, vel Rintelensibus nec cordatioribus aliis inter Lutheranos. Nullae etiam apparent in plurimis eorum Ecclesiis. Utilius etiam esse, nullas in Altaribus aut Templis collocari, pridem Lutherus statuit, quicquid impetuosos Iconoclastas inductu primo Carolostadii, nulla auctoritate Magistratus, improbaret: Alias, ego (inquit) Imagines non admodum amo, & vellem in Templo non statui, Annot. in Deuter. T. III. Jen. Lat. fol. 99. Idem senserunt Theologi Wittenbergenses, Giessenses, Nic. Palladius Hafniensis Theologus, Dav. Chytraeus, Mart. Chemnitius, &c. Testimonia videsis apud Christoph. Massonium, Anat. Universalis German. contra Matth. Hoë, P. III. à pag. 404.
About this text
Samuel Strimesius — Prefatio through Controversiae Post Lutherum Controv. III-XIII + XV Tolerantia, Hexades Annotationum Prooemium and Annotatio I through Decem Theses / Francus plus Annotatio II §.I-§.VI and Annotatio III §.I–§.VII (through Cassellanum 1661) from Ingenua in Controversias Evangelicorum (Frankfurt an der Oder, 1708). Honest partial; Prefatio silence reasons, Annotatio III §.VIII+ fruits / §.IX+, Hexades theses body, deeper Controversiae / Part II remain.
English follows the locked 1708 Francofurti ad Viadrum Latin of Prefatio §I–II, Crimina defenses through III, Part I Protheoria through Controversiae Obices/Historia/Varii gradus, Formula Discord/Disparitas, Ulterius confirmatur / Classes / Formula protest / triplex differentia, Coena Domini Controversiae Priores through Precariae Hypotheses (Controv. print pp. 34–40), Controversiae Post Lutherum Natae Controv. III–XV tip (providence through De Tolerantia mutua; Controv. print pp. 40–78), Hexades Annotationum Prooemium H.I–§.III (Hexades print pp. 1–4 / PDF ~182–185), and Annotatio I De Augustana Confessione §.I–§.VIII tip (Hexades print pp. 5–24+ / PDF ~186–205+), reconstructed from Google Books PDF page images (ONB copy, id 3epYAAAAcAAJ) with pdftotext as check. No modern English was copied. Sister Halle digitization of Ingenua in Arminianismum (DOI 10.25673/65287) remains Anubis-blocked — skipped; Controversias only. Prefatio silence reasons, Annotatio I §.IX+, Hexades theses body beyond §.VIII, and remainder of Controversiae / folio remain.
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