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| The newly invented printing press allowed inexpensive catechisms. Thou shalt not kill. |
VIII. Luther's Efforts at Restoring Catechetical Instruction.
81.
Modern Researches Respecting Luther's Catechisms.
Besides
G. v. Zezschwitz (_System der christlichkirchlichen Katechetik,_
3
volumes, 1862 to 1874) and numerous other contemporary and later
students,
G. Buchwald, F. Cohrs, and O. Albrecht have, since the middle
of the
past century, rendered no mean service by their researches
pertaining
to Luther's Catechisms. Buchwald edited the three series of
sermons
on the Five Chief Parts which Luther delivered in 1528, pointed
out their
important bearing on his Catechisms, and shed new light on
their
origin by discovering and exploiting the Stephan Roth
correspondence.
He published the results of his labors in 1894 under the
title,
"The Origin of the Two Catechisms of Luther and the Foundation of
the Large
Catechism. _Die Entstehung der beiden Katechismen Luthers und
die
Grundlage des Grossen Katechismus._" F. Cohrs enriched this
department
of knowledge by his articles in the third edition of Herzog's
_Realenzyklopaedie,_
and especially by his five-volume work on _The
Evangelical
Catechism; Attempts Prior to Luther's Enchiridion,_ in
_Monumenta
Germaniae Paedagogica,_ 1900 to 1907. In 1905 O. Albrecht was
entrusted
with the preparation of Luther's Catechisms for the Weimar
Critical
Edition of Luther's Complete Works. He also contributed the
extensive
historical sections of the first of the three parts of Vol.
30, where
the Catechisms are treated.
This
first part of 826 pages, which appeared in 1910, represents the
latest
important research work on the origin of Luther's Catechisms. In
its
preface R. Drescher says: "The writings of 1529 to 1530, in their
totality
were a difficult mountain, and it gives us particular joy
finally
to have surmounted it. And the most difficult and laborious part
of the
way, at least in view of the comprehensive treatment it was to
receive,
was the publication of the Large and the Small Catechism,
including
the three series of Catechism Sermons. ... The harvest which
was
garnered fills a large volume of our edition."
82.
Meaning of the Word Catechism.
The term
_catechismus_ (catechism), like its related terms, _catechesis,
catechizari,
catechumeni,_ was common in the ancient Church. In his
_Glossarium,_
Du Cange defines it as "_institutio puerorum etiam recens
natorum,
ante quam baptizentur_--the instruction of children, also those
recently
born, before their baptism." The synonymous expression,
_catechesis,_
he describes as "_institutio primorum fidei Christianae
rudimentorum,
de quibus kateceseis suas scripsit S. Cyrillus
Jerusolymitanus_--instruction
in the first rudiments of the Christian
faith,
about which St. Cyril of Jerusalem wrote his catechizations." (2,
222f.)
Also Luther was acquainted with this usage in the ancient Church.
He began
his Catechism sermon of November 30, 1528, with the words:
"These
parts which you heard me recite the old Fathers called catechism,
_i.e._, a
sermon for children which children should know and all who
desire to
be Christians." (Weimar 30, 1, 57.) At first Luther seems to
have
employed the term but seldom; later on, however, especially after
1526,
more frequently. Evidently he was bent on popularizing it. Between
the
Preface and the Decalog of the first Wittenberg book edition of the
Small
Catechism we find the title, "A Small Catechism or Christian
Training--_Ein
kleiner Katechismus oder christliche Zucht._" No doubt,
Luther
added the explanation "christliche Zucht" because the word
catechism
had not yet become current among the people. May 18, 1528, he
began his
sermon with the explanation: "_Catechismus dicitur instructio_
--Catechism
is instruction"; likewise the sermon of September 14:
"Catechism,
_i.e._, an instruction or Christian teaching," the sermon of
November
30: "Catechism, _i.e._, a sermon for children." In the Preface
to his
Small Catechism he again explains the term as "Christian
doctrine."
Thus Luther endeavored to familiarize the people with the
word
catechism.
The
meaning of this term, however, is not always the same. It may
designate
the act of instructing, the subject-matter or the doctrine
imparted,
a summary thereof, the text of the traditional chief parts, or
a book
containing the catechismal doctrine, text, or text with
explanation.
Luther used the word most frequently and preferably in the
sense of
instruction. This appears from the definitions quoted in the
preceding
paragraph, where catechism is defined as "sermon,"
"instruction,"
"Christian training," etc. "You have the catechism" (the
doctrine),
says Luther, "in small and large books." Bugenhagen defines
thus:
"Katechismus, dat is, christlike underrichtinge ut den teyn
gebaden
Gades." In the Apology, Melanchthon employs the word catechism
as
identical with _kathechesis puerorum,_ instruction of the young in
the
Christian fundamentals. (324, 41.) "Accordingly," says O. Albrecht,
"catechism
means elementary instruction in Christianity, conceived,
first, as
the act; then, as the material for instruction; then, as the
contents
of a book, and finally, as the book itself." This usage must be
borne in
mind also where Luther speaks of his own Catechisms. "German
Catechism"
means instruction in, or preaching on, the traditional chief
parts in
the German language. And while "Enchiridion" signifies a book
of small
compass, the title "Small Catechism" (as appears from the old
subtitle:
"Ein kleiner Katechismus oder christliche Zucht") means
instruction
in the chief parts, proceeding with compact brevity, and, at
the same
time, these parts themselves together with the explanations
added.
(W. 30, 1, 454. 539.) As the title of a book the word catechism
was first
employed by Althamer in 1528, and by Brenz as the subtitle of
his
"Questions" (_Fragestuecke_). A school-book written by John Colet in
the
beginning of the sixteenth century bears the title "_Catechyzon,_
The
Instructor." (456.)
Not every
kind of Christian instruction, however, is called catechism by
Luther.
Whenever he uses the word, he has in mind beginners, children,
and
unlearned people. In his "German Order of Worship, _Deutsche
Messe,_"
of 1526, he writes: "Catechism is an instruction whereby
heathen
who desire to become Christians are taught and shown what they
must
believe, do, not do, and know in Christianity, hence the name
catechumens
was given to pupils who were accepted for such instruction
and who
learned the Creed previous to their baptism." (19, 76.) In his
sermon of
November 30, 1528: "The Catechism is a sermon for children,
which the
children and all who desire to be Christians must know.
Whoever
does not know it cannot be numbered among the Christians. For if
he does
not know these things, it is evident that God and Christ mean
nothing
to him." (30, 1, 57.) In his sermon of September 14: "This
[catechism]
is preaching for children, or, the Bible of the laity, which
serves
the plain people. Whoever, then, does not know these things, and
is unable
to recite them and understand them, cannot be considered a
Christian.
It is for this reason, too, that it bears the name catechism,
_i.e._,
instruction and Christian teaching, since all Christians at the
very
least should know this much. Afterward they ought to learn more of
the
Scriptures. Hence, let all children govern themselves accordingly,
and see
that they learn it." (27.) May 18 Luther began his sermon thus:
"The
preaching of the Catechism was begun that it might serve as an
instruction
for children and the unlearned. ... For every Christian must
necessarily
know the Catechism. Whoever does not know it cannot be
numbered
among the Christians." (2.) In the short Preface to the Large
Catechism:
"This sermon is designed and undertaken that it might be an
instruction
for children and the simpleminded. Hence, of old it was
called in
Greek catechism, _i.e._, instruction for children, what every
Christian
must needs know, so that he who does not know this could not
be
numbered with the Christians nor be admitted to any Sacrament."
(CONC.
TRIGL., 575, 1; 535, 11.)
83. Chief
Parts of Catechism.
In
Luther's opinion the elementary doctrines which form the subject-
matter of
the Catechism are comprised in the three traditional parts:
Decalog,
Creed, and Lord's Prayer. These he considered to be the gist of
the
doctrine every one must learn if he would be regarded and treated as
a
Christian. "Those who are unwilling to learn it," says Luther,
"should
be told
that they deny Christ and are no Christians; neither should they
be
admitted to the Sacraments, accepted as sponsors at Baptism, nor
exercise
any part of Christian liberty." (CONC. TRIGL. 535, 11.) Of
course,
Luther considered these three parts only a minimum, which,
however,
Christians who partake of the Lord's Supper should strive to
exceed,
but still sufficient for children and plain people. (575, 5.)
Even in
his later years, Luther speaks of the first three parts as the
Catechism
proper.
However,
probably in consequence of the controversy with the
Enthusiasts,
which began in 1524, Luther soon added as supplements the
parts
treating of Baptism, the Lord's Supper, and Confession. In the
Large
Catechism, where Baptism and the Lord's Supper appear as
appendices,
Luther emphasizes the fact that the first three parts form
the
kernel of the Catechism, but that instruction in Baptism and the
Lord's
Supper must also be imparted. "These" (first three), says he,
"are
the most necessary parts, which one should first learn to repeat
word for
word. ... Now, when these three parts are apprehended, it
behooves
a person also to know what to say concerning our Sacraments,
which
Christ Himself instituted, Baptism and the holy body and blood of
Christ,
namely, the text which Matthew and Mark record at the close of
their
gospels, when Christ said farewell to His disciples and sent them
forth."
(579, 20.) Luther regarded a correct knowledge of Baptism and
the
Lord's Supper not only as useful, but as necessary. Beginning his
explanation
of the Fourth Chief Part, he remarks: "We have now finished
the three
chief parts of the common Christian doctrine. Besides these we
have yet
to speak of our two Sacraments instituted by Christ, of which
also
every Christian ought to have at least an ordinary, brief
instruction,
because without them there can be no Christian; although,
alas!
hitherto no instruction concerning them has been given." (733, 1.)
Thus
Luther materially enlarged the Catechism. True, several prayer- and
confession-books,
which appeared in the late Middle Ages, also treat of
the
Sacraments. As for the people, however, it was considered sufficient
for
laymen to be able to recite the names of the seven Roman sacraments.
Hence
Luther, in the passage cited from the Large Catechism, declares
that in
Popery practically nothing of Baptism and the Lord's Supper was
taught,
certainly nothing worth while or wholesome.
84. Parts
Inherited from Ancient Church.
The text
of the first three chief parts, Luther considered a sacred
heirloom
from the ancient Church. "For," says he in his Large Catechism,
"the
holy Fathers or apostles have thus embraced in a summary the
doctrine
life, wisdom, and art of Christians, of which they speak and
treat,
and with which they are occupied." (579, 19.) Thus Luther, always
conservative,
did not reject the traditional catechism, both bag and
baggage,
but carefully distinguished between the good, which he
retained,
and the worthless, which he discarded. In fact, he no more
dreamt of
foisting a new doctrine or catechism on the Christian Church
than he
ever thought of founding a new church. On the contrary, his sole
object
was to restore the ancient Apostolic Church, and his catechetical
endeavors
were bent on bringing to light once more, purifying,
explaining,
and restoring, the old catechism of the fathers.
In his
book _Wider Hans Worst,_ 1541, Luther says: "We have remained
faithful
to the true and ancient Church; aye, we are the true and
ancient
Church. You Papists, however, have apostatized from us, _i.e._,
from the
ancient Church, and have set up a new church in opposition to
the
ancient Church." In harmony with this view, Luther repeatedly and
emphatically
asserted that in his Catechism he was merely protecting and
guarding
an inheritance of the fathers, which he had preserved to the
Church by
his correct explanation. In his _German Order of Worship_ we
read:
"I know of no simpler nor better arrangement of this instruction
or
doctrine than the arrangement which has existed since the beginning
of
Christendom, _viz._, the three parts, Ten Commandments, Creed, and
the
Lord's Prayer." (W. 19, 76.) In the ancient Church the original
parts for
catechumens and sponsors were the _Symbolum_ and the
_Paternoster,_
the Apostles' Creed and the Lord's Prayer. To these the
Ten
Commandments were added as a formal part of doctrine only since the
thirteenth
century. (30, 1, 434.) The usual sequence of these parts was:
Lord's
Prayer, Apostles' Creed, and, wherever it was not supplanted by
other
matter, the Decalog. It was with deliberation then, that Luther
substituted
his own objective, logical order.
In his
_Short Form of the Ten Commandments, the Creed, and the Lord's
Prayer,_
1520 Luther speaks as follows of the three traditional parts,
which God
preserved to the Church in spite of the Papacy: "It did not
come to
pass without the special providence of God, that, with reference
to the
common Christian, who cannot read the Scriptures, it was
commanded
to teach and to know the Ten Commandments, Creed, and Lord's
Prayer
which three parts indeed thoroughly and completely embrace all
that is
contained in the Scripture and may ever be preached, all also
that a
Christian needs to know, and this, too, in a form so brief and
simple
that no one can complain or offer the excuse that it is too much,
and that
it is too hard for him to remember what is essential to his
salvation.
For in order to be saved, a man must know three things:
First, he
must know what he is to do and leave undone. Secondly, when he
realizes
that by his own strength he is unable to do it and leave it
undone,
he must know where he may take, seek, and find that which will
enable
him to do and to refrain. Thirdly, he must know how he may seek
and
obtain it. Even as a sick man needs first of all to know what
disease
he has, what he may or may not do, or leave undone. Thereupon he
needs to
know where the medicine is which will help him, that he may do
and leave
undone like a healthy person. Fourthly, he must desire it,
seek and
get it, or have it brought to him. In like manner the
commandments
teach a man to know his disease, that he may see and
perceive
what he can do and not do, leave and not leave, and thus
perceive
that he is a sinner and a wicked man. Thereupon the Creed holds
before
his eyes and teaches him where to find the medicine, the grace
which
will help him become pious, that he may keep the commandments, and
shows him
God and His mercy as revealed and offered in Christ. Fifthly,
the
Lord's Prayer teaches him how to ask for, get and obtain it, namely,
by
proper, humble, and comforting prayer. These three things comprise
the
entire Scriptures." (W. 7, 204.) It was things such as the chief
parts of
the Catechism that Luther had in mind when he wrote against the
fanatics,
1528: "We confess that even under the Papacy there are many
Christian
blessings aye, all Christian blessings, and thence they have
come to
us: the true Holy Scriptures, true Baptism, the true Sacrament
of the
Altar, true keys for the forgiveness of sins, the true office of
the
ministry, the true catechism, such as the Lord's Prayer, the Ten
Commandments
the Articles of Faith, etc." (26, 147.) Luther's meaning
is, that
in the midst of antichristendom and despite the Pope, the text
of the
three chief parts was, among other things, preserved to the
Church.
85.
Service Rendered Catechism by Luther.
The fact
that the text of the three chief parts existed long before
Luther
does not detract from the service which he rendered the
Catechism.
Luther's work, moreover, consisted in this, 1. that he
brought
about a general revival of the instruction in the Catechism of
the
ancient Church; 2. that he completed it by adding the parts treating
of Baptism,
Confession, and the Lord's Supper; 3. that he purged its
material
from all manner of papal ballast; 4. that he eliminated the
Romish
interpretation and adulteration in the interest of
work-righteousness;
5. that he refilled the ancient forms with their
genuine
Evangelical and Scriptural meaning. Before Luther's time the
study of
the Catechism had everywhere fallen into decay. There were but
few who
knew its text, and when able to recite it, they did not
understand
it. The soul of all Christian truths, the Gospel of God's
free
pardon for Christ's sake, had departed. Concerning "the three parts
which
have remained in Christendom from of old" Luther said that "little
of it had
been taught and treated correctly." (CONC. TRIGL. 575, 6.)
In his
_Warning to My Dear Germans,_ of 1531, he enlarges on the same
thought
as follows; "Thanks to God, our Gospel has produced much and
great
good. Formerly no one knew what was Gospel, what Christ, what
Baptism,
what Confession, what Sacrament, what faith, what spirit, what
flesh,
what good works, what the Ten Commandments, what the Lord's
Prayer,
what praying, what suffering, what comfort, what civil
government,
what matrimony, what parents, what children, what lords,
what
servant, what mistress what maid, what devil, what angel, what
world,
what life, what death, what sin, what right, what forgiveness of
sin, what
God, what bishop, what pastor, what Church, what a Christian,
what the
cross. Sum, we knew nothing of what a Christian should know.
Everything
was obscured and suppressed by the papal asses. For in
Christian
matters they are asses indeed, aye, great, coarse, unlearned
asses.
For I also was one of them and know that in this I am speaking
the
truth. And all pious hearts who were captive under the Pope, even as
I, will
bear me out that they would fain have known one of these things,
yet were
not able nor permitted to know it. We knew no better than that
the
priests and monks alone were everything; on their works we based our
hope of
salvation and not on Christ. Thanks to God, however, it has now
come to
pass that man and woman, young and old, know the Catechism, and
how to
believe, live, pray, suffer, and die; and that is indeed a
splendid
instruction for consciences, teaching them how to be a
Christian
and to know Christ." (W. 30, 3, 317.)
Thus
Luther extols it as the great achievement of his day that now every
one knew
the Catechism, whereas formerly Christian doctrine was unknown
or at
least not understood aright. And this achievement is preeminently
a service
which Luther rendered. He revived once more the ancient
catechetical
parts of doctrine, placed them in the proper Biblical
light,
permeated them with the Evangelical spirit, and explained them in
conformity
with the understanding of the Gospel which he had gained
anew,
stressing especially the _finis historiae_ (the divine purpose of
the
historical facts of Christianity, as recorded in the Second
Article),
the forgiveness of sins not by works of our own, but by grace,
for
Christ's sake.
86.
Catechetical Instruction before Luther.
In the
Middle Ages the Lord's Prayer and the Creed were called the chief
parts for
sponsors (_Patenhauptstuecke_), since the canons required
sponsors
to know them, and at Baptism they were obligated to teach these
parts to
their godchildren. The children, then, were to learn the Creed
and the
Lord's Prayer from their parents and sponsors. Since the
Carolingian
Epoch these regulations of the Church were often repeated,
as, for
example, in the _Exhortation to the Christian Laity_ of the
ninth
century. From the same century dates the regulation that an
explanation
of the Creed and the Lord's Prayer should be found in every
parish,
self-evidently to facilitate preaching and the examination in
confession.
In confession, which, according to the Lateran Council,
1215,
everybody was required to make at least once a year, the priests
were to
inquire also regarding this instruction and have the chief parts
recited.
Since the middle of the thirteenth century the Creed, the
Lord's
Prayer, together with the Benedicite, Gratias, Ave Maria, Psalms,
and other
matter, were taught also in the Latin schools, where probably
Luther,
too, learned them. In the _Instruction for Visitors,_
Melanchthon
still mentions "der Kinder Handbuechlein, darin das
Alphabet,
Vaterunser, Glaub' und andere Gebet' innen stehen--Manual for
Children,
containing the alphabet, the Lord's Prayer, the Creed, and
other
prayers," as the first schoolbook. (W. 26, 237.) After the
invention
of printing, chart-impressions with pictures illustrating the
Creed,
the Lord's Prayer, and the Ten Commandments came into the
possession
also of some laymen. The poorer classes, however, had to
content
themselves with the charts in the churches, which especially
Nicolaus
of Cusa endeavored to introduce everywhere. (Herzog's
_Realenzyklopaedie_
10, 138.) They were followed by confessional
booklets,
prayer-booklets, and also by voluminous books of devotion.
Apart
from other trash, these contained confessional and communion
prayers
instructions on Repentance, Confession, and the Sacrament of
the
Altar; above all, however, a mirror of sins, intended as a guide for
self-examination,
on the basis of various lists of sins and catalogs of
virtues,
which supplanting the Decalog were to be memorized.
Self-evidently,
all this was not intended as a schoolmaster to bring
them to
Christ and to faith in the free grace of God, but merely to
serve the
interest of the Romish penances, satisfactions, and
work-righteousness.
Says Luther in the Smalcald Articles: "Here, too,
there was
no faith nor Christ, and the virtue of the absolution was not
declared
to him, but upon his enumeration of sins and his self-abasement
depended
his consolation. What torture, rascality, and idolatry such
confession
has produced is more than can be related." (485, 20.) The
chief
parts of Christian doctrine but little taught and nowhere
correctly
taught,--such was the chief hurt of the Church under the
Papacy.
In the
course of time, however, even this deficient and false
instruction
gradually fell into decay. The influence of the Latin
schools
was not very far-reaching, their number being very small in
proportion
to the young. Public schools for the people did not exist in
the
Middle Ages. As a matter of fact not a single synod concerned itself
specifically
with the instruction of the young. (_H. R._ 10, 137.) At
home,
parents and sponsors became increasingly indifferent and
incompetent
for teaching. True, the reformers of the fourteenth and
fifteenth
centuries did attempt to elevate the instruction also in the
Catechism.
Geiler's sermons on the Lord's Prayer were published. Gerson
admonished:
"The reformation of the Church must begin with the young,"
and
published sermons on the Decalog as models for the use of the
clergy.
John Wolf also urged that the young be instructed, and
endeavored
to substitute the Decalog for the prevalent catalogs of sins.
The
Humanists John Wimpheling, Erasmus, and John Colet (who wrote the
_Catechyzon,_
which Erasmus rendered into Latin hexameters) urged the
same
thing. Peter Tritonius Athesinus wrote a similar book of
instruction
for the Latin schools. However, all of these attempts proved
ineffectual,
and even if successful, they would have accomplished little
for truly
Christian instruction, such as Luther advocated, since the
real
essence of Christianity, the doctrine of justification, was unknown
to these
reformers.
Thus in
the course of time the people, and especially the young, grew
more and
more deficient in the knowledge of even the simplest Christian
truths
and facts. And bishops and priests, unconcerned about the ancient
canons,
stolidly looked on while Christendom was sinking deeper and
deeper
into the quagmire of total religious ignorance and indifference.
Without
fearing contradiction, Melanchthon declared in his Apology:
"Among
the adversaries there is no catechization of the children
whatever,
concerning which even the canons give commands. ... Among the
adversaries,
in many regions [as in Italy and Spain], during the entire
year no
sermons are delivered, except in Lent." (325, 41.)
87.
Medieval Books of Prayer and Instruction.
Concerning
the aforementioned Catholic books of prayer and edification
which,
during the Middle Ages, served the people as catechisms, Luther,
in his
Prayer-Booklet of 1522 (which was intended to supplant the Romish
prayer-books),
writes as follows: "Among many other harmful doctrines
and
booklets which have seduced and deceived Christians and given rise
to
countless superstitions, I do not consider as the least the
prayer-booklets,
by which so much distress of confessing and enumerating
sins,
such unchristian folly in the prayers to God and His saints was
inculcated
upon the unlearned, and which, nevertheless, were highly
puffed
with indulgences and red titles, and, in addition, bore precious
names,
one being called _Hortulus Animae,_ the other _Paradisus Animae,_
and so
forth. They are in sore need of a thorough and sound reformation,
or to be
eradicated entirely, a sentence which I also pass on the
Passional
or Legend books, to which also a great deal has been added by
the
devil." (W. 10, 1, 375.)
The
_Hortulus Animae,_ which is mentioned even before 1500, was widely
circulated
at the beginning of the sixteenth century. It embraced all
forms of
edifying literature. Sebastian Brandt and Jacob Wimpheling
helped to
compile it. The _Paradisus Animae_ had the same contents, but
was
probably spread in Latin only. The _Hortulus Animae_ contains very
complete
rosters of sins and catalogs of virtues for "confessing and
enumerating
sins." Among the virtues are listed the bodily works of
mercy
(Matt. 25, 35) and the seven spiritual works of mercy: to instruct
the
ignorant, give counsel to the doubtful, comfort the afflicted,
admonish
sinners, pardon adversaries suffer wrong, and forgive the
enemies.
Among the virtues were counted the seven gifts of the Holy
Ghost:
wisdom, understanding, ability, kindness, counsel, strength, and
fear.
Furthermore the three divine virtues: faith, hope and charity. The
four
cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. The
eight
beatitudes according to Matt. 5, 3ff. The twelve counsels:
poverty,
obedience, chastity, love of enemies, meekness, abundant mercy,
simplicity
of words, not too much care for temporal things, correct
purpose
and simplicity of deeds, harmony of doctrine and works, fleeing
the cause
of sin, brotherly admonition. Finally also the seven
sacraments.
The list of sins contains the nine foreign sins, the six
sins
against the Holy Ghost, the four sins that cry to God for
vengeance,
the five senses the Ten Commandments, and the seven mortal
sins:
pride, covetousness, unchastity, anger, gluttony, envy, and sloth.
Each of
these mortal sins is again analyzed extensively. The Weimar
edition
of Luther's Works remarks: "If these catalogs were employed for
self-examination,
confusion, endless torment, or complete
externalization
of the consciousness of sin was bound to result. We can
therefore
understand why the Reformer inveighs against this 'enumerating
of
sins.'" (10, 2, 336.)
The
_Hortulus Animae_ also shows how Luther was obliged to purge the
Catechism
from all manner of "unchristian follies," as he calls them.
For the
entire book is pervaded by idolatrous adoration of the saints.
An
acrostic prayer to Mary addresses her as _mediatrix, auxiliatrix,
reparatrix,
illuminatrix, advocatrix._ In English the prayer would read
as
follows: "O Mary, thou mediator between God and men, make of thyself
the
medium between the righteous God and me, a poor sinner! O Mary, thou
helper in
all anguish and need, come to my assistance in all
sufferrings,
and help me resist and strive against the evil spirits and
overcome
all my temptations and afflictions. O Mary, thou restorer of
lost
grace to all men, restore unto me my lost time, my sinful and
wasted
life! O Mary, thou illuminator, who didst give birth to the
eternal
Light of the whole world, illumine my blindness and ignorance,
lest I,
poor sinner that I am, enter the darkness of eternal death. O
Mary,
thou advocate of all miserable men, be thou my advocate at my last
end
before the stern judgment of God, and obtain for me the grace and
the fruit
of thy womb, Jesus Christ! Amen." Another prayer calls Mary
the
"mighty queen of heaven, the holy empress of the angels, the one who
stays
divine wrath." A prayer to the eleven thousand virgins reads as
follows:
"O ye, adorned with chastity, crowned with humility, clad with
patience,
covered with the blossoms of virtue, well polished with
moderation--O
ye precious pearls and chosen virgin maids, help us in the
hour of
death!"
With this
idolatry and saint-worship silly superstition was combined. In
order to
be efficacious, a certain prayer prescribed in the _Hortulus_
must be
spoken not only with "true contrition and pure confession," but
also
"before a figure which had appeared to St. Gregory." Whoever offers
a certain
prayer "before the image of Our Lady in the Sun" "will not
depart
this life unshriven, and thirty days before his death will see
the very
adorable Virgin Mary prepared to help him." Another prayer is
good
"for pestilence" when spoken "before the image of St. Ann;"
another
prayer to
St. Margaret profits "every woman in travail;" still another
preserves
him who says it from "a sudden death." All of these promises
however,
are far surpassed by the indulgences assured. The prayer before
the
apparition of St. Gregory obtains 24,600 years and 24 days of
indulgence:
another promises "indulgence for as many days as our Lord
Jesus
Christ received wounds during His passion, _viz._ 5,475." Whoever
prays the
Bridget-prayers not only obtains indulgence for himself, but
15 souls
of his kin are thereby delivered from purgatory, 15 sinners
converted,
and 15 righteous "confirmed and established in their good
standing."
(W. 10, 2, 334.)
Also in
the chart booklets for the Latin schools of the Middle Ages the
Ave Maria
and Salve Regina played an important part.--Such were the
books
which, before Luther, were to serve the people as catechisms, or
books of
instruction and prayer. In them, everything, even what was
right and
good in itself, such as the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the
Decalog,
was made to serve Romish superstition and work-righteousness.
Hence one
can easily understand why Luther demanded that they be either
thoroughly
reformed or eradicated.
Indeed,
the dire need of the Church in this respect was felt and
lamented
by none sooner and more deeply than Luther. Already in his
tract _To
the Christian Nobility of the German Nation,_ 1520, he
complained
that Christian instruction of the young was being neglected.
He
writes: "Above all, the chief and most common lesson in the higher
and lower
schools ought to be the Holy Scriptures and for the young
boys, the
Gospel. Would to God every city had also a school for girls,
where the
little maids might daily hear the Gospel for an hour, either
in German
or in Latin! Truly, in the past the schools and convents for
men and
women were founded for this purpose, with very laudable
Christian
intention, as we read of St. Agnes and other saints. There
grew up
holy virgins and martyrs, and Christendom fared very well. But
now it
amounts to nothing more than praying and singing. Ought not,
indeed,
every Christian at the age of nine or ten years know the entire
holy
Gospel, in which his name and life is written? Does not the spinner
and the
seamstress teach the same handicraft to her daughter when she is
still
young? But now even the great men, the learned prelates and
bishops,
do not know the Gospel. How unjustly do we deal with the poor
youth
entrusted to us, failing, as we do, to govern and instruct them!
What a
severe reckoning will be required of us because we do not set
before
them the Word of God! For unto them is done as Jeremiah says,
Lam. 2,
11. 12: 'Mine eyes do fail with tears, my bowels are troubled,
my liver
is poured upon the earth, for the destruction of the daughter
of my
people; because the children and the sucklings swoon in the
streets
of the city. They say to their mothers, Where is corn and wine?
when they
swooned as the wounded in the streets of the city, when their
soul was poured
out into their mothers' bosom.' But we do not see the
wretched
misery, how the young people, in the midst of Christendom, now
also
languish and perish miserably for lack of the Gospel, in which they
should
always be instructed and drilled." (W. 6, 461; E. 21, 349.)
88.
Church Visitation Reveals Deplorable Ignorance.
The Saxon
Visitation brought to light such a total decay of all
Christian
knowledge and of Christian instruction as even Luther had not
anticipated.
Aside from other evils (clergymen cohabiting with their
cooks,
addicted to drink, or even conducting taverns, etc.), the people,
especially
in the villages, were found to be grossly ignorant of even
the
simplest rudiments of Christian doctrine and most unwilling to learn
anything,
while many pastors were utterly incompetent to teach.
According
to the official records, one priest, who enjoyed a great
reputation
as an exorcist, could not even recite the Lord's Prayer and
the Creed
fluently. (Koestlin, _Martin Luther,_ 2, 41.) Luther took part
in the
visitation of the Electoral circuit from the end of October till
after the
middle of November, 1528, and again from the end of December,
1528,
till January, 1529, and on April 26, 1529, at Torgau, he, too,
signed
the report on visitation. When Luther therefore describes the
decay of
instruction in Popery, he speaks from personal experience.
About the
middle of January, 1529, he wrote to Spalatin: "Moreover,
conditions
in the congregations everywhere are pitiable, inasmuch as the
peasants
learn nothing, know nothing, never pray, do nothing but abuse
their
liberty, make no confession, receive no communion, as if they had
been
altogether emancipated from religion. They have neglected their
papistical
affairs (ours they despise) to such extent that it is
terrible
to contemplate the administration of the papal bishops."
(Enders
7, 45.) The intense heartache and mingled feelings which came
over
Luther when he thought of the ignorance which he found during the
visitation,
are described in the Preface to the Small Catechism as
follows:
"The deplorable miserable condition which I discovered lately
when I,
too, was a visitor, has forced and urged me to prepare this
Catechism,
or Christian doctrine, in this small, plain, simple form.
Mercy!
Good God! what manifold misery I beheld! The common people,
especially
in the villages, have no knowledge whatever of Christian
doctrine,
and, alas! many pastors are altogether incapable, and
incompetent
to teach. Nevertheless, all maintain that they are
Christians,
all have been baptized and receive the holy Sacrament. Yet
they
cannot recite either the Lord's Prayer, or the Creed, or the Ten
Commandments,
they live like dumb brutes and irrational swine; and yet
now that
the Gospel has come, they have nicely learned to abuse all
liberty
like experts. O ye bishops! what will ye ever answer to Christ
for
having so shamefully neglected the people and never for a moment
discharged
your office? May all misfortune flee you! You command the
Sacrament
in one form and insist on your human laws, and yet at the same
time you
do not care in the least whether the people know the Lord's
Prayer,
the Creed, the Ten Commandments, or any part of the Word of God.
Woe, woe,
unto you forever!" (533, 1ff.)
To these
experiences made during the visitation, Luther also refers when
he says
in the Short Preface to the Large Catechism: "For I well
remember
the time, indeed, even now it is a daily occurrence that one
finds
rude old persons who knew nothing and still know nothing of these
things,
and who, nevertheless, go to Baptism and the Lord's Supper, and
use
everything belonging to Christians, notwithstanding that those who
come to
the Lord's Supper ought to know more and have a fuller
understanding
of all Christian doctrine than children and new scholars."
(575, 5.)
In his "Admonition to the Clergy" of 1530, Luther describes
the
conditions before the Reformation as follows: "In brief, preaching
and
teaching were in a wretched and heart-rending state. Still all the
bishops
kept silence and saw nothing new, although they are now able to
see a
gnat in the sun. Hence all things were so confused and wild, owing
to the
discordant teaching and the strange new opinions, that no one was
any
longer able to know what was certain or uncertain, what was a
Christian
or an unchristian. The old doctrine of faith in Christ, of
love, of
prayer, of cross, of comfort in tribulation was entirely
trodden
down. Aye, there was in all the world no doctor who knew the
entire
Catechism, that is, the Lord's Prayer, the Ten Commandments, and
the
Creed, to say nothing of understanding and teaching it, as now, God
be
praised, it is being taught and learned, even by young children. In
support
of this statement I appeal to all their books, both of
theologians
and jurists. If a single part of the Catechism can be
correctly
learned therefrom, I am ready to be broken upon the wheel and
to have
my veins opened." (W. 30, 1, 301.)
Melanchthon,
Jonas, Brenz, George of Anhalt, Mathesius, and many others
draw a
similar picture of the religious conditions prevailing in
Germany,
England, and other lands immediately prior to the Reformation.
To be
sure, Papists, particularly Jesuits, have disputed the accuracy
and truth
of these descriptions from the pen of Luther and his
contemporaries.
But arrayed against these Romish apologetes is also the
testimony
of Papists themselves. In his _Catholicus Catechismus,_
published
at Cologne, 1543, Nausea writes: "I endeavored to renew the
instruction,
once well known among all churches, which, however, not
only
recently, but long ago (I do not know to whose stupidity,
negligence,
or ignorance this was due) was altogether forgotten, not
without
lamentable loss to the catholic religion. _Veterem illam
catechesin,
per omnes quondam ecclesias percelebrem non modo tum, sed et
ante
pridem, nescio quorum vel socordia vel negligentia vel ignorantia,
non sine
poenitenda catholicae religionis iactura prorsus in oblivionem
coeptam
repetere coepi_." (W. 30, 1, 467.) Moreover, when Romanists
dispute
Luther's assertions, they refer to the one point only, that
religious
instruction (as conceived by Catholics) had not declined in
the
measure claimed by Luther. As to the chief point in Luther's
assertion,
however, _viz._, the correct Evangelical explanation of the
Catechism,
which, in Luther's opinion, is essential to all truly
Christian
instruction, the Catholic Church has always been utterly
devoid of
it not only prior to the Reformation, but also after it, and
down to
the present day. True, even during the Reformation some Papists
were incited
to greater zeal in preaching and teaching. It was a
reaction
against the Reformation of Luther, who must be regarded as the
indirect
cause also of the formal improvement in the instruction of the
young
among the Romanists. To maintain their power, bishops and priests
were
compelled to resume and cultivate it. This revival, however, meant
only an
intensified instruction in the old work-righteousness, and
therefore
was the very opposite of the instruction which Luther desired
and
advocated. In the Apology, Melanchthon, after charging the Papists
with
totally neglecting the instruction of the young, continues: "A few
among
them now also begin to preach of good works. But of the knowledge
of
Christ, of faith, of the consolation of consciences they are unable
to preach
anything, moreover, this blessed doctrine, the precious holy
Gospel,
they call Lutheran." (326, 44.)
89.
Luther Devising Measures to Restore Catechism.
Fully
realizing the general decay of Christian training, Luther at once
directed
all his efforts toward bringing about a change for the better.
And well
aware of the fact that the future belongs to the rising
generation,
the instruction of the common people, and particularly of
the
young, became increasingly an object of his especial concern. If the
Church,
said he, is to be helped, if the Gospel is to be victorious, if
the
Reformation is to succeed, if Satan and Antichrist are to be dealt a
mortal
blow, a blow from which they will not recover, it must be done
through
the young. For every cause which is not, or cannot be made, the
cause of
the rising generation, is doomed from the very outset. "This is
the total
ruin of the Church," said Luther as early as 1516; "for if
ever it
is to flourish again, one must begin by instructing the young.
_Haec est
enim ecclesiae ruina tota; si enim unquam debet reflorere,
necesse
est ut a puerorum institutione exordium fiat._" (W. 1, 494.)
For,
apart from being incapable of much improvement, the old people
would
soon disappear from the scene. Hence, if Christianity and its
saving
truths were to be preserved to the Church, the children must
learn
them from earliest youth.
In his
Large Catechism Luther gave utterance to these thoughts as
follows:
"Let this, then, be said for exhortation, not only for those of
us who
are old and grown, but also for the young people, who ought to be
brought
up in the Christian doctrine and understanding. For thereby the
Ten
Commandments, the Creed, and the Lord's Prayer might be the more
easily
inculcated upon our youth, so that they would receive them with
pleasure
and earnestness, and thus would practise them from their youth
and
accustom themselves to them. For the old are now well-nigh done for,
so that
these and other things cannot be attained, unless we train the
people
who are to come after us and succeed us in our office and work,
in order
that they also may bring up their children successfully, that
the Word
of God and the Christian Church may be preserved. Therefore let
every
father of a family know that it is his duty, by the injunction and
command
of God, to teach these things to his children, or have them
learn
what they ought to know." (773, 85.)
A
thorough and lasting revival of the Catechism can be hoped for only
through
the young--such were Luther's convictions. Accordingly he
implored
and adjured pastors and parents not to refuse their help in
this
matter. In the Preface to his Small Catechism we read: "Therefore I
entreat
you all for God's sake, my dear sirs and brethren, who are
pastors
or preachers, to devote yourselves heartily to your office, to
have pity
on the people who are entrusted to you, and to help us
inculcate
the Catechism upon the people, especially upon the young."
(533, 6.)
And as he earnestly admonished the pastors, so he also
tenderly
invited them to be faithful in this work. He was firmly
convinced
that nothing except the Gospel, as rediscovered and preached
by
himself, was able to save men. How, then, could he remain silent or
abandon
this work because of the hatred and ungratefulness of men! It
was this
new frame of mind, produced by the Gospel, to which Luther
appealed
in the interest of the Catechism. "Therefore look to it, ye
pastors
and preachers," says he, concluding the Preface to his Small
Catechism.
"Our office is now become a different thing from what it was
under the
Pope; it is now become serious and salutary. Accordingly it
now
involves much more trouble and labor, danger and trials, and in
addition
thereto secures but little reward and gratitude in the world.
But
Christ Himself will be our reward if we labor faithfully." (539,
26.)
At the
same time Luther also took proper steps toward giving the
preachers
frequent opportunity for Catechism-work. Since 1525 Wittenberg
had a
regulation prescribing quarterly instruction in the Catechism by
means of
special sermons. The _Instruction for Visitors,_ of 1527,
demanded
"that the Ten Commandments, the Articles of Faith, and the
Lord's
Prayer be steadily preached and expounded on Sunday afternoons.
... And
when the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer and the Creed have
been
preached on Sundays in succession, matrimony, and the sacraments of
Baptism
and the Lord's Supper shall also be preached diligently. In this
interest
the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer, and the Articles of
Faith
shall be recited word for word, for the sake of the children and
other
simple and ignorant folk." (W. 26, 230.) November 29, 1528, in an
admonition
to attend these Catechism-sermons, Luther proclaimed from the
pulpit:
"We have ordered, as hitherto has been customary with us, that
the first
principles and the fundamentals of Christian knowledge and
life be
preached four times each year, two weeks in each quarter four
days per
week, at 10 A.M." (W. 27, 444; 29, 146.) In Luther's sermon of
November
27, 1530, we read: "It is our custom to preach the Catechism
four
times a year. Therefore attend these services, and let the children
and the
rest of the household come." (32, 209.) September 10, 1531,
Luther
concluded his sermon with the following admonition: "It is the
custom,
and the time of the Catechism-sermons is at hand. I admonish you
to give
these eight days to your Lord and permit your household and
children
to attend, and you yourself may also come and profit by this
instruction.
No one knows as much as he ought to know. For I myself am
constrained
to drill it every day. You know that we did not have it
under the
Papacy. Buy while the market is at the door; some day you will
behold
the fruit. We would, indeed, rather escape the burden, but we do
it for
your sakes." (34, 2, 195.)
90.
Cooperation of Parents Urged by Luther.
In order
to bring the instruction of the young into vogue, Luther saw
that
church, school, and home must needs cooperate. The home especially
must not
fail in this. Accordingly, in his admonitions, he endeavored to
interest
the fathers and mothers in this work. He was convinced that
without
their vigorous cooperation he could achieve but little. In his
_German
Order of Worship,_ 1526, we read: "For if the parents and
guardians
of the young are unwilling to take such pains with the young,
either
personally or through others, Catechism [catechetical
instruction]
will never be established." (W. 19, 76.) In this he was
confirmed
by the experiences he had while on his tour of visitation. If
the
children were to memorize the Catechism and learn to understand it,
they must
be instructed and questioned individually, a task to which the
Church
was unequal, and for the accomplishment of which also the small
number of
schools was altogether inadequate. Parents, however, were able
to reach
the children individually. They had the time and opportunity,
too,
morning, noon, and evening, at the table, etc. Furthermore, they
had the
greatest interest in this matter, the children being their own
flesh and
blood. And they, in the first place, were commanded by God to
provide
for the proper training of their children. The fathers and
mothers,
therefore, these natural and divinely appointed teachers of the
children,
Luther was at great pains to enlist for the urgent work of
instructing
the young. They should see that the children and servants
did not
only attend the Catechism-sermons in church, but also memorized
the text
and learned to understand it. The Christian homes should again
become
home-churches, home-schools, where the house-fathers were both
house-priests
and house-teachers performing the office of the ministry
there
just as the pastors did in the churches.
With
ever-increasing energy Luther, therefore, urged the parents to
study the
Catechism in order to be able to teach it to their children.
In his
sermons on the Ten Commandments, 1516, he admonishes them to
bring up
their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. "But
alas,"
he exclaims, "how has not all this been corrupted! Nor is it to
be
wondered at, since the parents themselves have not been trained and
educated."
In a sermon of 1526: "Here are two doctrines, Law and Gospel.
Of them
we preach frequently, but very few there are who take it to
heart. I
hear that many are still so ignorant that they do not know the
Ten
Commandments nor are able to pray. It plainly shows that they are
altogether
careless. Parents ought to see what their children and family
are
doing. In the school at home they should learn these three. I hear
that in
the city, too, there are wicked people. We cannot enter the
homes;
parents, masters, and mistresses ought to be sufficiently skilled
to
require their children and servants to say the prayers before
retiring.
But they do not know any themselves. What, then, avails it
that we
do a great deal of preaching concerning the kingdom of Christ? I
thought
conditions had improved. I admonish you master--for it is your
duty--to
instruct the servants, the mistress, the maids, and the
children;
and it is publicly preached in church for the purpose that it
may be
preached at home." (W. 20 485.)
In his
sermon of September 14, 1528, Luther declares that the Catechism
is the
laymen's Bible, which every one must know who wishes to be
considered
a Christian and to be admitted to the Lord's Supper. He then
proceeds:
"Hence all children should behave accordingly, and learn. And
you
parents are bound to have your children learn these things. Likewise
you
lords, take pains that your family, etc. Whoever does not know these
things
does not deserve any food. These five points are a brief summary
of the
Christian doctrine. When the question is put, 'What is the First
Commandment?'
every one should be able to recite: 'Namely this,'" etc.
(W. 30,
1, 27.) Exhorting the people to attend the Catechism-services,
Luther
declared November 29, 1528: "Think not, ye housefathers, that you
are freed
from the care of your household when you say: 'Oh, if they are
unwilling
to go [to Catechism instruction], why should I force them? I
am not in
need of it.' You have been appointed their bishop and
house-pastor;
beware lest you neglect your duty toward them!" (27, 444.)
On the
following day, beginning the sermons he had announced Luther
said:
"Therefore I have admonished you adults to have your children and
your
servants, attend it [the Catechism-sermon], and also be present
yourselves;
otherwise we shall not admit you to Holy Communion. For if
you
parents and masters will not help us we shall accomplish little by
our
preaching. If I preach an entire year, the household comes, gapes at
the walls
and windows of the church, etc. Whoever is a good citizen is
in duty
bound to urge his people to learn these things; he should refuse
them food
unless, etc. If the servants complain, slam the door on them.
If you
have children, accustom them to learn the Ten Commandments, the
Symbol,
the Paternoster, etc. If you will diligently urge them, they
will
learn much in one year. When they have learned these things, there
are
everywhere in the Scriptures fine passages which they may learn
next; if not
all, at least some. For this reason God has appointed you a
master, a
mistress, that you may urge your household to do this. And
this you
are well able to accomplish: that they pray in the morning and
evening,
before and after meals. In this way they would be brought up in
the fear
of God. I am no idle prattler: I ask you not to cast my words
to the
winds. I would not think you so rude if I did not daily hear it.
Every
housefather is a priest in his own house, every housemother is a
priestess;
therefore see that you help us to perform the office of the
ministry
in your homes as we do in church. If you do, we shall have a
propitious
God, who will defend us from all evil. In the Psalm [78, 5]
it is
written: 'He appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our
fathers,
that they should make them known to their children.'" (30, 1,
57.) In
the same sermon: "Able teachers are necessary because of the
great
need, since parents do not concern themselves about this. But each
master
and mistress must remember that they are priests and priestesses
over Hans
and Gretchen," their sons and daughters.
In the
same way Luther urges this matter in his Catechisms. For here we
read:
"Therefore it is the duty of every father of a family to question
and
examine his children and servants at least once a week and to
ascertain
what they know of it [the Catechism], or are learning, and, if
they do
not know it, to keep them faithfully at it." (575, 4.) "Likewise
every
head of a household is obliged to do the same with respect to his
domestics,
man-servants and maid-servants, and not to keep them in his
house if
they do not know these things and are unwilling to learn them.
For a
person who is so rude and unruly as to be unwilling to learn these
things is
not to be tolerated; for in these three parts everything that
we have
in the Scriptures is comprehended in short, plain and simple
terms."
(577, 17.) "Therefore let every father of a family know that it
is his
duty, by the injunction and command of God, to teach these things
to his children,
or have them learn what they ought to know. For since
they are
baptized and received into the Christian Church, they should
also
enjoy this communion of the Sacrament, in order that they may serve
us and be
useful to us; for they must all indeed help us to believe,
love,
pray, and fight against the devil." (773, 87.)
In
confession and before visitors, housefathers were also to render
account
of the manner in which they discharged these duties. In his
sermon of
July 11, 1529, Luther said: "You will therefore instruct your
children
and servants according to this Catechism.... For you have the
Catechism
in small and large books; therefore study it. You had the
visitors,
and you have furthermore those who will examine you
housefathers
and your household, that they may see how you have
improved....
You should have given money and property for it; yet you
neglect
it when it is offered freely; therefore you housefathers ought
to be
diligent students of this preaching, that as you learn you may
instruct,
_discendo doceatis._" (W. 29, 472; 30, 1, 121.)
91.
German Services with German Catechism.
With
great emphasis Luther advocated diligent Catechism instruction in
his
_Deutsche Messe_ (German Mass, _i.e._, German Service or German
Order of
Worship), which he completed toward the end of 1525 and
published
in 1526. Luther issued this Service "because German masses and
services
are everywhere insisted upon." The demand was made especially
in the
interest of the unlearned and the children, for whose benefit,
according
to Luther, all such measures were adopted. "For," says he, "we
do not at
all establish such orders for those who are already [advanced]
Christians.
... But we are in need of such orders for the sake of those
who are
still to become Christians or to grow stronger. Just as a
Christian
does not need Baptism, the Word, and Sacrament as a Christian,
since he
already has everything, but as a sinner. Chiefly, however, this
is done
for the sake of the unlearned and the young people, who should
and must
be exercised daily and brought up in the Scriptures, the Word
of God,
that they may become accustomed to the Scripture, skilled,
fluent,
and at home in it, in order that they may be able to defend
their
faith, and in time teach others and help to increase the kingdom
of
Christ. For their sake one must read, sing, preach, write, and
compose.
And if it would help and promote this aim, I would have all
bells
rung, all organs played, and everything that is capable of giving
sound to
sound forth. For the Catholic services are so damnable because
they [the
Papists] made laws, works, and merits of them, thereby
smothering
faith, and did not adapt them to the young and unlearned, to
exercise
them in the Scriptures, in the Word of God, but themselves
clung to
them [as works], regarding them as beneficial and necessary for
salvation
to themselves, that is the devil."
While
Luther, in his _German Worship,_ as well as in other places,
favors
also Latin masses, yet he demands that "for the sake of the
unlearned
laity" German services be introduced. And since the unlearned
could be
truly served only by instruction in the fundamental truths of
Christianity,
the Catechism, according to Luther, was to constitute a
chief
part in these services. "Very well," says he, "in God's name!
First of
all a clear, simple plain, good Catechism is needed in the
German
service. Catechism, however, is an instruction whereby heathen
who
desire to become Christians are taught and instructed in what they
must
believe, do, not do, and know concerning Christianity. Pupils who
were
accepted for such instruction and learned the faith before being
baptized
were therefore called catechumens. Nor do I know how to present
this
instruction, or teaching, in a form more simple than it already has
been
presented since the beginning of Christianity, and hitherto
retained,
to wit, the three parts: the Ten Commandments, the Creed, and
the
Lord's Prayer. These three parts contain in simple and brief form
everything
that a Christian must know. And since as yet we have no
special
congregation (_weil man noch keine sonderliche Gemeinde hat_),
this
instruction must proceed in the following manner, by preaching from
the
pulpit at various times or daily, as necessity demands, and by
repeating
and reading it to the children and servants at home in the
houses
morning and evening (if one would make Christians of them). Yet
not only
so that they memorize the words or recite them, as was done
hitherto,
but by questioning them part for part, and having them state
in their
answer what each part means and how they understand it. If all
parts
cannot be asked at one time, take one, the next day another. For
if the
parents or guardians are unwilling to take such pains with the
young,
either personally or through others the Catechism will never be
established."
(19, 76.) German Catechism in German services--such, then,
was the
slogan which Luther now sounded forth with ever-increasing
emphasis.
