Another . . .
yeres. Cf. CWM 8/2.675/12–26.
This . . .
yeres. Repeated in slightly abbreviated form at CWM
8/2.679/5–8.
Iewes. The Jews
are an important topic to Tyndale as a translator of the
Pentateuch through 2 Chronicles from the Hebrew Bible (Mozley 173–86;
Daniell 283–315, 333–57). In Prelates Tyndale assigns guilt for
Christ's death to the leaders of the Jews (A2r—v), but in Obedience he rejects the legitimacy of killing
religious opponents, whether Jews, Turks, or heretics (C7v).
His chief
objection to the Jews is that they, like Turks
and papists, supposedly believe in justification by works.
Tyndale repeats this charge numerous times in Answer and once in Matthew
(o6). Jews openly profess their faith although they are outnumbered by
Christians in contemporary Europe (Matthew 02).
For the expulsion of the Jews from England,
cf. [F2v, “how Englonde was once full” and commentary note].
Tyndale and Erasmus both oppose the Jews for "works-righteousness ";Tyndale focuses on their lack of faith in Christ and Erasmus
on their supposed trust in religious ceremonies. In the pivotal Fifth
Rule of the Enchiridion (1503), Erasmus warns
Christians "that we do not attempt to win God's favour like the Jews
through certain observances as if they were magic rites . . ." (Holborn
80/3–5; CWE 66.76). In the Afterword to Markish (152),
Cohen summarizes Erasmus' position on the Jews: "His is always an
anti-Semitism of letters and literatures, of sources and origins, of
languages and texts, and never an anti-Semitism of policy." Although More was proud of his prosecution of heretics, Marius (8)
notes that "we find no hostile remark or metaphor about contemporary Jews in all the works of Thomas More."
Confident that the Jews would be converted to a reformed Christianity , Luther first showed a positive attitude toward them in That Jesus Christ was born a Jew, 1523 (WA
11.314–36; LW 45.199–229). After the Jews themselves began to
proselytize, his attitude began to change as seen in Against the Sabbatarians, 1538 (WA 50.312–37; LW 47.65–98).
The comparatively moderate tract Von den letzten Worten Davids, 1543 (WA 54.28–100; not
in LW), was followed by the harsh On the Jews and
their Lies, 1543 (WA 53.417–552; LW 47.137–306) and Vom Schem Hamphoras, 1543 (WA 53.579–648; not in
LW). On 15 February 1547, three days before his death, Luther added an
admonition, "Eine vermanung wider die Juden," to
his last sermon (WA 51.195–96; not in LW). Cf. Oberman, Luther 35on73,292–97.
And this . . .
obstinacie. CWM 8/2.681/4–5.
their auctorite is
greater then the scripture. In 1525 Johann
Eck (1486–1543) compiled a handbook against
Lutheran teachings which went through more than a hundred editions (OER
2.17–19). In Ch. 1 of his Enchiridion, "On the
Church and
Her Authority," Eck states the priority of the
church over Scripture and argues that consequently the church
authenticates Scripture (Fraenkel 27; Battles 12–13). Thus,
one taking up the arms of biblical argument against ecclesiastical
institutions gets entangled in an implicit acknowledgment of the church
as the guarantor of the books he wants to cite.
And when . . .
scripture. CWM 8/2.685/31–37.