LUTHER ADMITS THE AUTHORITY OF THE DEVIL.

The following excerpt is from the book called “Luther’s Own Statements Concerning His Teaching and it’s Results” TAKEN EXCLUSIVELY FROM THE EARLIEST AND BEST EDITIONS , OF Luther ’S Ger man and Latin Works. By Fr. HENRY O’CONNOR, S.J. All of the sources are in the PDF attached. Here is a dialogue Luther writes in his own words between himself and the Devil:

“I (Luther) will begin with myself, and make a little confession to you, holy Fathers ; give me a good absolution, that will also do you no harm. I once awoke at midnight, when the Devil began to dispute with me in my heart after the following manner (as he is able to make many a night of mine bitter and miserable enough):

‘Listen [it is the Devil who speaks to Luther], listen, you learned man, do you know that for fifteen years you have almost daily said Mass privately ? How will it be if, in such Masses, you have merely been practising idolatry, and have adored, and held up for the adoration of others, not the Body and Blood of Christ, but merely bread and wine?’ I (Luther) answered: ‘I am a consecrated Priest, have received chrism and ordination from the Bishop, moreover, I did all that according to order and obedience, why then should I not have consecrated, since I repeated the words seriously, and said Mass with all possible devotion? You (the Devil) certainly know that.’

‘Yes,’ he replied, ‘it is true. But Turks and heathens also do everything in their churches according to order and earnest obedience. The Priests of Jeroboam at Dan and Bethel did everything with perhaps greater devotion than the true Priests in Jerusalem. What, if your ordination, chrism and consecration were also unchristian and false, like that of the Turks and of the Samaritans ?’

Here indeed the sweat broke forth and my heart began to tremble and to beat. The Devil knows well how to put his argument, and to push it further, and he has a deep, powerful voice. In suchlike disputations there are no frequent nor long pauses; but in the twinkling of an eye answer follows answer. And from my own experience I can well understand how it is, that in the morning people may be found dead in bed. He (the Devil) can strangle the body. That is one way. But he can likewise so frighten the soul in disputing with it, that in an instant it is forced to depart, as many a time almost happened to me . Well, he (the Devil) had attacked me in this disputation. And, in the sight of God, I did not wish to leave such an endless list of abominations lying on myself, but to defend my innocence.

Immediately after this Luther continues : “ Listen to the reasons which he (the Devil) alleged against my ordination and consecration. “ For the first,’ he (the Devil) said : ‘You know that you did not believe properly in Christ, and that concerning faith you have been as good as a Turk. For the Turk , yes , even I , with all the Devils , also believe all that is written about Christ (James 2), that is , how He was born , died , ascended into Heaven . Yet none of us rejoice or trust in Him as in a Saviour . But we fear Him as a severe Judge .Such a faith you also had, and no other , when you were ordained and said Mass ; and all the others, both the ordaining Bishop, - and those whom he ordained, also believed the same. Therefore , you also all went over from Christ to Mary and the Saints; they had to be your consolation and your helpers against Christ. This neither you, nor any other Papist, can deny. Therefore, you were ordained and have said Mass as heathens, and not as Christians. How, then, have you been able to consecrate (to change bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ)? For you have not been the persons who should consecrate.’”15 6.

The Devil then gives several further reasons against Private Mass. At the end of the second reason he exclaims, “ What an ordination and consecration is that ! ....... Christ knows nothing of such an ordination. That is certain.”16 7. T

he Devil sums up his reasons against Private Mass with the following words : “Here you see that in your Mass, there is, first of all, not the person who ought to consecrate, and is able to do so, namely, a man of Christian faith. Secondly, you have not the person before you, for whom you ought to consecrate and to whom you ought to give it (the Sacrament), namely, the Christian congregation or people. But you, impious, unbelieving Priest, stand there alone, and you think that Christ has ordained it for your sake.........Thirdly, the final intention (die endlich meinung), and the fruit or use desired by Christ are wanting. For it (the Sacrament) is instituted in order to feed and strengthen the Christian people (gemeine), and to preach and praise Christ. Now’, the Christian congregation knows nothing about your Maes, hears nothing from you, receives nothing from you. But you are silent there ..in the corner, and you swallow it alone, although you are an unbeliever and unworthy, and you feed nobody with it, but you sell it, as you do your other good works...... Therefore your ordination and also your consecration are nothing but blasphemy, and a tempting of God, and neither are you a Priest, nor is the bread in your Mass the Body of Christ.”17 8.

Luther endeavours to defend himself. He says : “In this fear and danger I tried to drive the Devil away. I took hold of the old harness, which I had learnt to put on and to wear in Popery, scilicet intentionem et fidem Ecclesiæ (namely, the intention and the faith of the Church), that is to say, I said those Masses according to the faith and to the intention of the Church. For even if I had not the proper faith and intention, nevertheless, the Church has the proper faith and intention. Therefore, my Mass and ordination must have been valid. Thereupon he (the Devil), attacked me this:

‘Friend, tell me, where is it written that an impious, unbelieving person can step forward and consecrate according to the faith and intention of the Church ? ”’x 8 •

The Devil is evidently not satisfied with the teaching of Catholic Theology. 9. Luther ends by saying : “This is pretty exactly the sum and substance of the disputation.” ^ 10.

The discussion with the Devil covers exactly eleven pages of the Wittenberg edition. As soon as Luther has finished his account of it; he says : “ Here the Holy Papists will make fun of me, and will say, ‘Are you the great Doctor, and don’t know how to answer the Devil ? Do you not know that he is a liar ? ’ ” Luther’s reply to this question shows how fully convinced he felt, that it was really his Satanic Majesty, who had been contending against Private Mass. Luther begins with abusing the Papists, he then tells us, that David and the Prophets complained about such disputations with the Devil, that even Christ suffered from his assaults, and that Emser and Oecolompad most likely died so suddenly through the force of his fiery onslaughts. Luther then Continues : “ He is a liar, that is true. But he can tell lies better than a bad liar can.........For he quotes a truth in his own favour, which you cannot deny, and supports his lies with it, so that you cannot defend yourself. It was the simple truth, when he forced the conviction on the heart of Judas, that he had betrayed innocent blood; Judas could not deny that ; for it was a fact. But it was a lie, when he told him to despair God....... No, dear brother, the Devil tells no lies, when he accuses us of our public evil works and life. There he has two witnesses, that nobody can drive out of court, namely, the commandment of God, and our conscience.”20

11. Luther’s idea therefore is this: The devil told me the perfect truth about my wickedness in saying Mass privately during fifteen years, but he sought to force a lie upon me, when he tried to drive me to despair. 12. I will now make a few remarks about this famous passage. a . The Devil did not appear to Luther in a visible form on this occasion, as is evident from the words : “ In my heart.”

Luther’s conversation with the Devil about justification by faith alone, was, however, not a dream; for Luther writes : “ I once awoke at midnight, when the Devil began....... ”

. Luther’s conference with the Devil was also not a piece of mere imagination . When Satan tempts us, he does not indeed manifest himself in any visible form, yet the temptation is not an effect of simple imagination. On the contrary, his temptation is a very serious reality, and so powerful, that it often leads people into sin, and through sin to everlasting ruin. Now, such a temptation is a work of the Evil Spirit on the heart of a person. The Devil suggests reasons and motives why we should sin. And there is sometimes a disputation in the heart of man with the Devil, man’s reason arguing against the suggestions of Satan. Now, it is in this sense, that I look upon Luther’s celebrated discussion with the Devil. But was it really the Devil? There cannot be the slightest doubt. Listen to Luther’s words : “ I once awoke at midnight, when the Devil began to dispute with me.” This disputation with the Devil was so real that “ the sweat broke forth” from the noble brow of Dr. Martin Luther, who thereupon continues : “ The Devil knows well how to put his argument, and to push it further.” Luther is so thoroughly convinced of the presence of the Devil, that he mentions his ; deep, powerful voice.” Luther says : “ Listen to the ‘reasons which he(the Devil)alleged against my ordination and consecration.” Then the Devil begins to speak : “ ‘For the first,’ he (the Devil) said: ‘Youknow that you did not believe properly in Christ...... For........ even I, with all the d e v ils ^ also believe all that is written about Christ.......Yet none of us ...trust in Him as in a Saviour. But wre fear Him as a severe ’ Judge. Such a faith you also had, and no other, when you were ordained (Priest) and said Mass; and all the others..... .......also believed the same. Therefore, you also all went over from Christ to Mary and to the Saints....... This neither you, nor any other Papist, can deny.’ In 1534 Luther wrote a letter of twenty pages about his work on the Mass. In this letter he says, that he believes in the Real Presence of our Lord and hates Mass, but he does not retract the words that he says about the Devil.

Now, I do not, say that Luther here for the first time learnt the doctrine of justification by faith alone, or that he was taught for the first time on this occasion to do away with Mass, with Mary and the Saints. It is quite possible that some, or all of these doctrines, were preached by Luther before this celebrated disputation. But this I do say, and I say it most distinctly and most emphatically : Luther received the full and unqualified approval of the Devil for these new doctrines. It was the Devil who spoke in favour of the doctrine of justification by faith alone, and against ■ Mass, Mary, and the Saints. Click here to read more