704 THE EEFOKMATION" IN FRENCH SWITZERLAND.
even without a previous hearing before the spiritual judges.^ The Elector of Saxony considered it his duty to execute this decree, and put a number of Anabaptists to death in his dominions. His neighbor, Philip of Hesse, who had more liberal instincts than the contemporary princes of Germany, could not find it in his conscience to use the sword against differences of belief.^ But the theologians of Wittenberg, on being consulted by the Elector John Frederick about 1540 or 1541, gave their judgment in favor of putting the Anabaptists to death, according to the laws of the empire. Luther approved of this judgment under his own name, adding that it was cruel to punish them by the sword, but more cruel that they should damn the ministry of the Word and suppress the true doctrine, and attempt to destroy the kingdoms of the world. ^
1 " Dass alle und jede Widertdnffer iind Widergetaufte, Mann und Weibspersonen verstdndlgs Alters vom natiirlichen Le.hen ziim Tode mit Feuer, Schivert oder den/leichen nach Gelegenheit der Personen ohne vorgehende der geistlichen Richter Inquisition gerichtet oder gebracht werden." Tliis was the same Diet in which the Lutheran Protestants entered their protest against the decision of the majority (Iience their name) ; but they assented to the cruel decree against the Anabaptists, and also to the exclusion of the Zwinglians from toleration, witli the exception of the Landgrave of Hesse, wlio protested also against this intolerance.
2 In 1540 lie boasted that no Anabaptist had been executed for opinion's sake by him, whereas in otlier German lands the number of such martyrdoms was, up to 1530, hard upon two thousand. " Wir konnen in unserem Getvissen nicht Jinden," he said to the elector, "jenianden des Glaubens halben, wo wir nicht sonst genngsam Ursache der Vericirkung haben nwgen, mit dem Schivert richten zu lassen. Denn so es die Meinung haben sollte, miissten wir keinen Juden nock Papisten, die Christum am hochsten blasphemiren, bei uns dulden und sie derqestalt richten lassen." G. L. Schmidt, Justus Menius, der Reformator Thiiringens (Gotiia, 1867), vol. I. 144. Comp. Corpus Reform. IX. 757.
3 He wrote beneath the judgment of the Wittenberg theologians : "Placet MiHi Martino Luthero. Wiewol es crudele anzusehen, dass man sie mit dem Schwert straft, so isls doch crudelius, dass sie ininisterium verbi damniren und keine gewisse Lehre treiben, und rechte Lehre tinterdriicken, und dazu regna mundi zerstoren wollen." The last sentence refers to tlie chiliastic views held by many of the Anabaptists, for which tliey are condemned in tlie Augsburg Confession. Seidemann, in the sixth vol. of De Wette's " Correspondence of Luther," p. 291. He assigns this document to the year 1541. Comp. Corp. Bef. IV. 737-740.
§ 139. PROTESTANT INTOLERANCE. 705
If we put a strict construction on this sentence, Luther must be counted with the advocates of the death-penalty for heresy. But he made a distinction between two cLasses of Anabaptists — those who were seditious or revolutionary, and those who were mere fanatics. The former should be put to death, the latter should be banished.^ In a letter to Philip of Hesse, dated November 20, 1538, he urgently requested him to expel from his territory the Anabaptists, whom he characterizes as children of the devil, but says nothing of using the sword.^ We should give him, therefore, the benefit of a liberal construction. -^
At the same time, the distinction was not always strictly observed, and fanatics were easily turned into criminals, especially after the excesses of Miinster, in 1535, which were greatly exaggerated and made the pretext for punishing innocent men and women.* The whole history of the Ana-
1 " Anaba/UistcE occidendi. D. dixit : Diiplices sunt. Quidam aperte sediotiose docent contra magistratus ; eos jure occidit elector. Reliqui habent fanaticas opiniones, ii plerumque relegantur." G. Loesche, Anahcta Lutherana et Melanchthoniann. Tischreden Luthers und Ausspriiche Melancht/ions, Gotlia, 1892, p. 137.
2 " Es ist niclit allein mein Bedenken, sondern audi demiithiges Bitten, E. F. G. wollten sie [e?/e Wiedertdujer^ ernstlic/i des Landes verweisen, denn est ist gleichtvol des TeufeJs Samen," etc. Lutlier's Briefe, Sendschreiben und Bedenken, vol. VI. by Joli. Karl Seidemann (Berlin, 1856), p. 21G.
^ This is the conc-lusion of my friend, Dr. Kiistlin, of Halle, the distinguished biographer of Luther. In reply to a letter, March 12, 1892, he communicated to me his careful opinion as follows : " Nirgends, auch nicht in seiner spateren Zeit, that Luther Aeusserungen, in welchen er den Grundsatz des dumaligen allgemeinen llechts (auch der Carolina), dass z. B. Bestreitung der Trinitdtslehie oder andere bloss dogmatische Irrlehre schon ah solche mit dem Tod bestraft werden sollte, sich angeeignet hiitte. So iceit wir sehen, hat er darin doch immer sehr von Calvin und auch von Melanchthon, ja von alien anderen Hauptlehrern der Beformation sick unterschieden. Insbesondere beschrankt er sich, z. B. einem Antitrinitarter wie Joh. Campan gegenuber ('Jilium Satana; aduersariuin Dei, quern plus etiam quam Arius blasphemat' ), doch auf den Wunsch, dass die Obrigleit 'tales farias non vocatas ' nicht zulassen moge. Brieje v. De Wette IV. 321. Auch die schdrfsten Ausserungen der Tischreaen (rf. auch die Colloquien ed. Bindseil) gehen nie iveiter, soweit sie dogmatische Trrlehren betreffen."
* See L. Keller : Geschichte der Wiedertdnfer und ihres Eeichs zu Miinster, Munster, 1880, and his D'e Reformation, p. 451, where he speaks of new sources discovered since 1880.