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'The Voice' Season 16, Episode 5 Blind Auditions Recap: Every Contestant's Performance, Plus Who Made It On The Teams
By Cammy Harbison On 3/11/19 at 7:10 PM EDT
The Voice 2019 Blind Auditions continue tonight during Season 16 episode 5. Check out our complete live-blogged recap and results, here. NBC
Culture The Voice The Voice 2019 The Voice Season 16 The Voice Season 16 Live Blog
The Voice 2019 Blind Auditions continue tonight during Season 16 episode 5. Check out our complete live-blogged recap and results, here.
The Voice 2019 Blind Auditions are winding down. With only 11 spots left to fill across the four judges' teams, there are only two more episodes of Blind Auditions remaining before the Battle rounds begin, we're sure to see some incredible talent showcased during tonight's show. Last week the judges were awed by stunning vocalists like Jej Vinson, LB Crew and Dexter Roberts, who all managed to earn four-chair turns from the judges. Additionally, two new singers got a second chance at the competition via Bebe Rexha's Comeback Stage
How Bebe Rexha's Comeback Stage Works
If performers don't manage to turn any chairs during the Blind Auditions, they still have a chance to be chosen for the digital companion series, The Comeback Stage. This year's Comeback Stage coach is Bebe Rexha. Rexha may choose up to six promising contestants during the Blind Auditions to add to her Comeback Team. These singers will get a second chance to return to the competition for the live shows. Mentored by Rexha, Comeback Stage contestants will compete against each other in the digital companion series, with the winner securing a spot in the Top 13. So far four contestants have been chosen for the Comeback Stage and two have been eliminated ahead of the Battle Rounds. The two remaining Comeback Stage contestants are Kanard Thomas and country duo Nathan and Chesi.
The Voice Season 16 Episode 5 Blind Auditions Recap and Results: Who Made The Teams Tonight?
Who will make it onto the teams tonight? NBC
#1 Beth Griffith-Manley
Up first is 46-year-old Detroit, Michigan native, Beth Griffith-Manley. Beth has been a backup singer for several years. Her father was Motown musician Johnny Griffith. She performs "Til You Come Back To Me That's What I'm Gonna Do" by Aretha Franklin. John and Kelly turn. In the end, she goes with Team Kelly.
#2 Sekii
Up next South African contestant Selkii. Selkii resides in Florida where she's married to a comedian/juggler. The two met while working on a cruise ship. Selkii performs an original version of "I Try" by Macy Gray. She is the first performer of the evening to join Team Blake
#3 - Jae Jin
Up next is 33-year-old Jae Jin from Baltimore, Maryland. The soul singer has recently recovered from a terminal illness that caused his bone marrow to shut down. He underwent chemotherapy and managed to recover. the treatment worked and so Jin decided to get busy living and making music his priority. Jin performs "Hallelujah I Love Her" by Ray Charles. He put in a solid performance, but unfortunately, no chairs were turned.
"I wanted it to feel a little dirtier… you made it too clean and safe," said John.
#4 Denton Arnell
The next performer is 31-year-old Chicago, Illinois native, Denton Arnell. Arnell has been singing and playing the piano since age four. Arnell works with the youth ministry in his church, alongside his girlfriend. Arnell performs, "Hold On We're Going Home," by Drake. John turns quickly but isn't joined by any others.
"You've got an awesome voice man, I love it," said Adam.
"Your tone is wonderful. You took a song that could have been less exciting and made it your own," said John.
As Arnell prepares to join Team Legend, he surprises his girlfriend with an on-stage marriage proposal.
#5 Ciera Dumas
21-year-old Kernersville, NC native, Ciera Dumas. Dumas performs "Tell Me You Love Me" by Demi Moore. It only takes a couple of notes to get Adam and John turning in their chairs. Dumas' voice is a mixture of soul and rock rasp. She'd be a great addition to either team.
"You are spectacular. There is great power in your voice," said Adam.
"I was mesmerized by your voice. It was gorgeous," said John.
Both judges wanted Dumas for their teams, but in the end, she chose Team Adam.
#6 Andrew Sevener
Next up is 22-year-old Alvarado Texas resident, Andrew, Sevener. Andre has been playing music with his family for years but hopes to make a break into professional music on The Voice. Sevener performs "Honky Tonk Women" by The Rolling Stones. Sevener puts a country spin on the song, but it isn't till he breaks out an electric guitar solo that Blake turns around. Not surprisingly, no one else even attempts to turn around.
"You sang your tail off," said Kelly.
"When you hit those high notes, you electrified the whole room," said John.
#7 Mari
The next contestant is a 20-year-old makeup artist from Claremont, Florida. Mari's intro is short, but when she hits the stage though singing "Boo'd Up" by Ella Mai it takes only a few notes for John, Kelly and Adam to turn around. Mari's range and tone are so rich and vast, it's no wonder the chairs flipped so quick.
"You're sound is so cool … it's so fluid," said Kelly.
"You come off as really confident … whatever comes, you will be ready," said John.
"Your tone was great … I turned around because I think you do something no one else here does," said Adam.
Blake has been gunning hard for all talent to go to John tonight but Mari made a move for Team Adam.
#8 Crystal Rose
Next on the stage is 26-year-old Kansas City, Missouri native, Crystal Rose. Rose comes from a large family, but after a tragic home fire, Rose's mother had to give her over to the state for care. Rose threw herself into her music as an escape and a way to express her feelings. Rose performs "Wicked Game," by Chris Isaak. She has a beautiful and sultry tone on the low end, but she struggled at the upper end of her range. Unfortunately, none of the coaches turned.
"You were wonderful, but the song required a level of dexterity and complexity that wasn't there," said John.
"I loved so many things about your voice, I was just looking for the common thread," said Kelly.
All the judges encouraged Crystal to return again in the future and she even earned a hug from John Legend.
As Crystal left the stage, she learned that a second chance could be in her cards, as she was invited to join Bebe Rexha's Comeback Stage. You can watch the latest episode of The Comeback Stage on the official The Voice app.
#9 Abby Kasch
Next up is 30-year-old Palos Park, Illinois native Abby Kasch. According to Kasch, she's been singing in bars since she was age 12. Kasch is a self-proclaimed tomboy and aspires to be a professional country music singer. Kasch performs Gretchen Wilson's, "I'm Here for the Party." Kasch puts on a great show, but both Blake and Kelly wait for the end of the performance to push their buttons.
"I have to turn around out of respect when I love something," said Kelly.
"I was just waiting for the big note at the end … I couldn't wait to press my button once I heard it," said Blake.
Both Blake and Kelly vied hard for Kasch and in the end, Abby chose Team Kelly.
#10 Mikaela Astel
Next on stage is 14-year-old Queens, New York native Mikaela Astel. When Astel isn't hanging out on her aerial silks, she's singing and playing her guitar. Astel started the School of Rock at age 7 and has been performing everywhere she can. She performs Electric Love by Borns. She has one of the more unique voices on the show. Both Kelly and John turn their chairs.
"Your tone cannot be taught … it's so interesting and cool," said Kelly.
"Special voices are hard to find and you have one," said John.
After some thoughtful consideration, Astel chooses Team Kelly.
#11 Anthony Ortiz
Up next is 20-year-old Tampa Florida resident Anthony Ortiz performing "That's What Makes You Beautiful," by One Direction. He joins Team Adam.
#12 Oliv Blu
Next up is R&B performer who Oliv Blu. She performs "On and On" and scores a spot on Team Legend.
#13 Kayla Seeber
Up next is 18-year-old Poplar Grove, Illinois native, Kayla Seeber. Seeber comes from a small farm town and has always stood out from the crowd. At 17, Seeber came out to the world through a song she wrote. Music is the one place Seeber feels that she fits in. Seeber performs "Baby One More Time," by Britney Spears, but the song is almost unrecognizable. Seeber puts a kind of rock/ska twist on it. The performance was unique but unfortunately, none of the judges turned.
"You are so cool," said Kelly. "I loved your take on this song … but I felt it was a little guarded," said Kelly.
Kayla was given a second chance on the show, however, via The Comeback Stage. She will battle against Crystal Rose for a chance to return to the main show. To see the results of the battle, watch The Comeback Stage via the official The Voice app.
#14 Shawn Sounds
The final performer of the evening is Houston, Texas teacher, "Mr. Taylor." Taylor goes by the stage name of Shawn Sounds. Sounds says he's hungry for a win. He performs "All My Life" by K-Ci & JoJo. From the first note, Sounds is on fire. His voice cuts cleanly through the air. His voice is truly lovely. The judges don't have many spots left on their teams and so there a lot of deliberation but towards the end, John, Adam and Blake turn together, soon followed by Kelly. Sounds is the only four-chair turn of the evening.
"You have lit a fire," said Kelly.
"Your tone is beautiful, your range is great … but at the end! That was one of the best ending runs I've ever heard," said John. "You nailed it!"
"You are an artist. You paint with your voice … I think you're a brilliant singer," said Adam.
All the judges were hoping to snag Sounds, but in the end, he joins Team Legend.
When Does The Voice Air Next? Start Time and Channel
The Voice will skip this week's Tuesday night time slot and return on Monday, March 18 at 8 p.m. EDT. You can watch it live on NBC, or catch up the day after it airs via Hulu or NBC.com.


IBJ launched its CFO of the Year recognition program a decade ago to spotlight the crucial role that top financial executives play in helping Indiana companies, government agencies and not-for-profits develop strategy and prosper. This year's class is a diverse group that includes CFOs of an HR firm, a retailer, a hotel developer and a hospital system.
At Second Helpings, Eline has had to carefully weigh every expenditure against the mission of the not-for-profit, which puts out a million meals a year and trains adults for kitchen work.
Unlike others entering the C-suite (who traditionally come from accounting or finance), Harmon arrived with a background in health information management and data analysis.
Ritzler was employee number five at OurHealth, which has grown to 275 employees and annual revenue of more than $35 million since its 2009 founding.
Jensen has overseen multiple acquisitions for The Cellular Connection, the country's largest Verizon Wireless retailer, with more than 1,200 locations.
Schroeder worked for Kimball before college then jumped in full time after she got her degree. She rose steadily through the company before landing her current post in 2014.


Say Yes to Dollies and No to Frustrating Moves!
Oh, these Dollies will bring you much joy with their ability to move small and large items easily in various directions whether you're indoors or outdoors. Not only are they compact and portable, these 4 wheel dollies are sold as seasoned solid wood dollies with open deck rubber or carpet ends. Available in various sizes and in popular load capacities such as 900 lbs. and 1,200 lbs., these dollies can be used as a furniture dolly, appliance dolly, heavy-duty machine dolly, drum dolly, and more. Objects may at times be stacked on top one of another to make this small investment worth it for your business or home!


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How to Sync OneNote With iPhone
By David Weedmark
••• Justin Sullivan/Getty Images News/Getty Images
If you use Microsoft OneNote to keep track of your notes, projects and to-do lists, you can automatically sync these with the OneNote app on your iPhone. All you need to do is to ensure your notes are on SkyDrive, Microsoft's cloud storage service, where the OneNote for iPhone can access them. Once you have done this and then signed into the iPhone app with the same account, the syncing is done automatically.
Making Notes Accessible
There are several ways to get your notes onto Skydrive. You can create a notebook on SkyDrive using the OneNote Web App on your computer or tablet. You can share your notebooks to SkyDrive using OneNote 2010 on your computer. You can also use OneNote Mobile. Any notes that you create on OneNote app on any other mobile device are also uploaded to SkyDrive.
Syncing With OneNote for iPhone
As soon as you launch the OneNote for iPhone app, you are prompted to enter your SkyDrive username and password. As soon as you log in, the app syncs with the OneNote notebooks already on SkyDrive. When you add or change a note on the iPhone they are automatically resynced. When you make changes to notes or add a note from a computer or other device, these are synced to the iPhone the next time you launch the OneNote for iPhone app.
Information in this article applies to Microsoft OneNote for iPhone version 2.1.3 on an iPhone with iOS 7. It may vary slightly or significantly with other versions or products.
Microsoft Office: Welcome to OneNote Mobile 1.3
Apple: iTunes Preview: Microsoft OneNote for iPhone
A published author and professional speaker, David Weedmark has advised businesses and governments on technology, media and marketing for more than 20 years. He has taught computer science at Algonquin College, has started three successful businesses, and has written hundreds of articles for newspapers and magazines throughout Canada and the United States.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The Midwest Health Journalism Program completed another year with the graduation in June of its second class of fellows.
The selection of Kansas and Missouri journalists for a third class of fellows is under way. Read more about the program.
The program was launched in 2007 through funding by a consortium of six Missouri and Kansas health foundations. The program is a cooperative effort of AHCJ, the Kansas Health Institute and the University of Kansas School of Journalism. Its aim is to provide established journalists with the tools needed to improve the depth and amount of coverage focused on critical state and local health issues. Each annual fellowship class takes part in workshops and other events several times throughout the year for training. The fellows use a private electronic discussion group to share story regional ideas and resources, and they are offered mentors experienced in health reporting specialties to help them with a variety of stories and projects.
"The fellowship sessions, experts and discussions opened my mind to a more sophisticated level of reporting," said Kathleen O'Dell, a reporter for The Springfield News-Leader.
Wichita Eagle reporter Jeanine Koranda initially wondered how the training would impact her work, as a Kansas statehouse correspondent not covering health exclusively. "I have found the training invaluable," she said. "It has helped me know how to quickly find data that has added depth to my stories."
The funding group for the program includes The Kansas Health Foundation, Wichita, Kan.; The Sunflower Foundation, Topeka, Kan.; The United Methodist Health Ministry Fund, Hutchinson, Kan.; the REACH Healthcare Foundation, Merriam, Kan.; the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City, Kansas City, Mo.; and the Missouri Foundation for Health, St. Louis.


An employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) is a retirement plan option that offers even greater tax advantages than many other retirement plans. However, for the small business owner, ESOPs have another significant advantage: in the right situation, an ESOP can be an extraordinarily useful estate and business succession planning tool.
The Internal Revenue Code offers great benefits for tax-qualified retirement plans such as ESOPs. Employers can get a tax deduction for contributions made on employee's behalf to the plan, while employees do not have to pay immediate income tax on these contributions. An employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) is a very specialized type of qualified retirement plan that offers even greater tax advantages than many other retirement plans. However, for the small business owner, ESOPs have another significant advantage: in the right situation, an ESOP can be an extraordinarily useful estate and business succession planning tool.
Unfortunately, it is all too common for owners of closely held businesses to approach retirement age without having an adequate business succession plan in place that will allow them to comfortably retire and enjoy the fruits of their labor. In many cases, these businesses may be very successful but not readily marketable due to heavy dependence on the input from the business owners on an ongoing basis. In these situations, the owner may find it very difficult to sell the business for its full value and due to inadequate planning, may have to sell the business for a fraction of its worth at retirement.
If you are a business owner considering selling your business at retirement and are concerned about getting the full fair market value for your business, the answer may be right in front of you. In many cases, the most logical buyers for your business may be your key employees. These key employees are familiar with your business including customers, vendors, and processes as well as your long-term vision for the business. They have an excellent chance to continue fostering the success of your business after your departure.
However, in many circumstances, your employees will not have the cash to buy your business outright and therefore, the business must, in one way or another, provide them with the means to pay the purchase price. This is a situation when an ESOP can be used as an effective planning tool to "save the day" by providing a financially effective way to help fund the sale of your business to your key employees at full market value.
Have your employees pay for the stock while the business pays back the ESOP loan using (a) deductible and enhanced contributions to the ESOP, and (b) tax deductible dividends.
These benefits mean that by using an ESOP, you can sell your business tax-free and at full value (as determined by an appraiser) to your employees who are more able to pay because they can deduct the purchase price. These tax benefits provide a mechanism for you to receive maximum value for your business in cases where there may not be any other way to accomplish this.
Providing business succession to key employees through an ESOP may not only give you adequate funds on which to retire, but also can leave your family with a portfolio of liquid investments in the form of the proceeds from the tax-free stock sale of your stock back to the ESOP, instead of a business that your family may have not know-how to run nor have any desire to run. Further, an ESOP can also help if you have one or more children that want to remain active in the business, while others want to receive an equal share of the your estate and do not want to be required to remain involved in the operation of the business.
Subchapter S corporations have been permitted to establish an ESOP for the last couple of years. If you are operating as an S corporation and are interested in establishing an ESOP, it is important to be aware of the differences between ESOPs that can be established for standard corporations and S corporations.
An ESOP is an extremely specialized type of profit sharing or stock bonus plan and must comply with all of the requirements for any other tax-qualified retirement plan that are imposed under the Internal Revenue Code and the supporting Treasury regulations. However, an ESOP is only slightly more complicated to establish than a profit sharing or 401(k) plan. For more information about how an ESOP can be used in your business succession plans, please contact the office to schedule a consultation.
For homeowners, the exclusion of all or a portion of the gain on the sale of their principal residence is an important tax break.
For homeowners, the exclusion of all or a portion of the gain on the sale of their principal residence is an important tax break. The maximum amount of gain from the sale or exchange of a principal residence that may be excluded from income is generally $250,000 ($500,000 for joint filers).
Reduced homesale exclusion. The Housing Assistance Tax Act of 2008 modifies the exclusion of gain from the sale of a principal residence, providing that gain from the sale of principal residence will no longer be excluded from income for periods that the home was not used as a principal residence. For example, if you used the residence as a vacation home prior to using it as a principal residence. These periods are referred to as "nonqualifying use." This income inclusion rule applies to home sales after December 31, 2008 and is based on nonqualified use periods beginning on or after January 1, 2009, under a generous transition rule. A specific formula is used to determine the amount of gain allocated to nonqualifying use periods.
Use and ownership. Moreover, in order to qualify for the $250,000/$500,000 exclusion, your home must be used and owned by you as your principal residence for at least 2 out of the last 5 years of ownership before sale. Moving into a new house early, or delaying the move, may cost you the right to exclude any and all gain on the home sale from tax.
Incapacitated taxpayers. If you become physically or mentally incapable of self-care, the rules provide that you are deemed to use a residence as a principal residence during the time in which you own the residence and reside in a licensed care facility (e.g., a nursing home), as long as at least a one-year period of use (under the regular rules) is already met. Moving in with an adult child, even if professional health care workers are hired, will not lower the use time period to one year since care is not in a "licensed care facility." In addition, some "assisted-living" arrangements may not qualify as well.
Pro-rata sales. Under an exception, a sale of a residence more frequently than once every two years is allowed, with a pro-rata allocation of the $500,000/$250,000 exclusion based on time, if the sale is by reason of a change in place of employment, health, or other unforeseen circumstances to be specified under pending IRS rules. Needless to say, it is very important that you make certain that you take steps to make sure that you qualify for this exception, because no tax break is otherwise allowed. For example, health in this circumstance does not require moving into a licensed care facility, but the extent of the health reason for moving must be substantiated.
Tax basis. Under the old rules, you were advised to keep receipts of any capital improvements made to your house so that the cost basis of your residence, for purposes of determining the amount of gain, may be computed properly. In a rapidly appreciating real estate market, you should continue to keep these receipts. Death or divorce may unexpectedly reduce the $500,000 exclusion of gain for joint returns to the $250,000 level reserved for single filers. Even if the $500,000 level is obtained, if you have held your home for years, you may find that the exclusion may fall short of covering all the gain realized unless receipts for improvements are added to provide for an increased basis when making this computation.
Some gain may be taxed. Even if you move into a new house that costs more than the selling price of the old home, a tax on gain will be due (usually 20%) to the extent the gain exceeds the $500,000/$250,000 exclusion. Under the old rules, no gain would have been due.
Home office deduction. The home office deduction may have a significant impact on your home sale exclusion. The gain on the portion of the home that has been written off for depreciation, utilities and other costs as an office at home may not be excluded upon the sale of the residence. One way around this trap is to cease home office use of the residence sufficiently before the sale to comply with the rule that all gain (except attributable to recaptured home office depreciation) is excluded to the extent the taxpayer has not used a home office for two out of the five years prior to sale.
Vacation homes. As mentioned, in order to qualify for the $250,000/$500,000 exclusion, the home must be used and owned by you or your spouse (in the case of a joint return) as your principal residence for at least 2 out of the last 5 years of ownership before sale. Because of this rule, some vacation homeowners who have seen their resort properties increase in value over the years are moving into these homes when they retire and living in them for the 2 years necessary before selling in order to take full advantage of the gain exclusion. For example, doing this on a vacation home that has increased $200,000 in value over the years can save you $40,000 in capital gains tax. However, keep in mind the reduced homesale exclusion for periods of nonqualifying use.
As you can see, there is more to the sale of residence gain exclusion than meets the eye. Before you make any decisions regarding buying or selling any real property, please consider contacting the office for additional information and guidance.
Q. The recent upturn in home values has left me with quite a bit of equity in my home. I would like to tap into this equity to pay off my credit cards and make some major home improvements. If I get a home equity loan, will the interest I pay be fully deductible on my tax return?
A. For most people, all interest paid on a home equity loan would be fully deductible as an itemized deduction on their personal tax returns. However, due to changes made to tax laws governing home mortgage interest deduction in 1987, there are limitations and special circumstances that must be considered when determining how much of your home mortgage interest expense is deductible.
Mortgages secured by your qualified home generally fall under one of three classifications for purposes of determining the home mortgage interest deduction: grandfathered debt, home acquisition debt, and home equity debt. Grandfathered debt is simply home mortgage debt taken out prior to October 14, 1987 (including subsequent refinancing of that debt). The other two types of mortgage debt are discussed below. A "qualified home" is your main or second home and, in addition to a house or condominium, can include any property with sleeping, cooking and toilet facilities (e.g., boat, trailer).
Home acquisition debt is a mortgage (including a refinanced loan) taken out after October 13, 1987 that is secured by a qualified home and where the proceeds were used to buy, build, or substantially improve that qualified home. "Substantial improvements" are home improvements that add to the value of your home, prolong the useful life of your home, or adapt your home to new uses.
In general, interest expense on home acquisition debt of up to $1 million ($500,000 if married filing separately) is fully deductible. Keep in mind, though, that to the extent that the mortgage debt exceeds the cost of the home plus any substantial improvements, your mortgage interest will be limited. Mortgage interest expense on this excess debt may be deductible as home equity debt (see below).
Example: You have a home worth $400,000 with a first mortgage of $200,000. If you get a home equity loan of $125,000 to build a new addition to your home, your mortgage interest would be fully deductible.
Home equity debt is debt that is secured by your qualified home and that does not qualify as home acquisition debt. There are generally no limits on the use of the proceeds of this type of loan to retain interest deductibility.
The amount of mortgage debt that can be treated as home equity debt for purposes of the mortgage interest deduction is the smaller of a) $100,000 ($50,000 if married filing separately) or b) the total of each qualified home's fair market value (FMV) reduced by home acquisition debt & debt secured prior to October 14, 1987. Mortgage debt in excess of these limits would be treated as non-deductible personal interest.
Example: You have a home worth $400,000 with a first mortgage of $200,000. If you get a home equity loan of $125,000 to pay off your credit cards (you really like to shop!), your mortgage interest deduction would be limited to the amount paid on only $100,000 of the home equity debt.
Part of your home is not a "qualified home"
You used any part of the loan proceeds to invest in tax-exempt securities.
As illustrated above, determining your deduction for mortgage interest paid can be more complex than it appears. Before you obtain a home equity loan, please feel free to contact the office for advice on how it may affect your potential home mortgage interest deduction.
Q. My wife and I are both retired and are what you might call "social gamblers". We like to play bingo and buy lottery tickets, and take an occasional trip to Las Vegas to play the slot machines. Are we required to report all of our winnings on our tax return? Can we deduct our losses?
Q. My wife and I are both retired and are what you might call "social gamblers." We like to play bingo and buy lottery tickets, and take an occasional trip to Las Vegas to play the slot machines. Are we required to report all of our winnings on our tax return? Can we deduct our losses?
A. The technical answers to your questions are "yes" and "maybe," respectively. However, does it make much practical sense to report your $50 jackpot from the Sunday afternoon bingo game at the church? Probably not. In most circumstances, the taxpayer's cumulative gambling losses far exceed any winnings he may have had.
Gambling winnings are taxable income and should be reported on your income tax return. In addition to cash winnings, you are required to report the fair market value (FMV) of all non-cash prizes you receive. For the most part, you are on the honor system when it comes to reporting small winnings to the IRS. Large payouts, on the other hand, will most likely be accompanied by IRS Form W-2G and a substantial amount will be deducted for withholding. Gambling winnings should be reported as "Other income" on the front page of Form 1040.
Gambling losses may only be included on your tax return if you itemize your deductions and then they are only deductible up to the amount of your gambling winnings. If you do itemize, those losses would be included as a miscellaneous itemized deduction not subject to the 2% of adjusted gross income (AGI) limit on Form 1040, Schedule A. However, keep in mind that if your AGI exceeds a certain amount, your total itemized deductions may be limited, reducing the likelihood of a direct offset of gambling income and losses.
Retain documentation. As with any item of income or deduction claimed on your return, the IRS requires adequate documentation be kept to substantiate the amount claimed. Acceptable documentation to substantiate gambling winnings and losses can come in many different forms, depending on what type of activity you are engaging in. Examples include lottery tickets, canceled checks, wagering tickets, credit records, bank withdrawals and statements of actual winnings or payment slips provided by the gaming establishment.
Although it may seem difficult to keep track of your gambling activity at the time, it is obvious that keeping good records can benefit you if you ever "hit the jackpot". If you have any further questions on this matter, please contact the office for assistance.


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"Saw II" Movie Review
Essay by austinm22, College, Undergraduate, A+, August 2006
download word file, 3 pages download word file, 3 pages4.0 2 votes 1 reviews
Keywords Violence, victim, audiences, sadly, predecessor
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The movie Saw captivated audiences with its gruesome violence and surprising plot twists. It was a rare film that completely shook up the horror genre. As with most successful horror movies, a sequel always seems to follow, however, most of the time the sequel never quite lives up to the first movie. Saw II makes a bold attempt at standing up to its predecessor, at which I feel it succeeds.
"Saw II" is a sequel to original movie Saw that was shown in early part of 2004, is a full force suspense horror movie that has a slightly different twist than the regular horror flicks. When the movie begins, you automatically see that it is not your typical horror film where the victim is taunted and tormented by an outside force. Instead, the victims instead are placed in situations where their death is an option left up to them alone.
MATTHEW WADE
American actor Tobin Bell at the 2007 Scream Award...
saw IV
Sadly, most don't overcome the horrible tests that they are forced to go through.
In many ways, "Saw II" is a step up from the first in the franchise. The acting and budget seem to have improved greatly and it features a first time director, Darren Lynn Bousman, adding a fresh perspective to the film. Donnie Wahlberg stars as a burnt out detective named Eric Matthews who is looking to catch the serial killer known as Jigsaw, played by Tobin Bell, who preys on victims that do not appreciate the life that they have been given. Jigsaw leaves many clues behind, and in little to no time, Matthews finds him.
Jigsaw has captured eight victims and kept them hostage in a house where a deadly nerve gas is slowly entering their systems. The killer leaves it up to Detective Matthews and those in the house to save themselves. They...
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Reviews of: ""Saw II" Movie Review" :
Great Analysis
by ushistory on 27/Jul/2009
This paper helped provide great explanations and analysis of the movie, "Saw II." The paper gave a fine introduction as well conclusion to what the paper was about.
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Today we are really excited to present our listeners with this excellent interview with Dr. Andy McIntosh (and his Wikipedia page here) Dr. McIntosh earned his PhD in Aeronautics from Cranfield, and is now a retired professor from the University of Leeds in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, where he continues as a visiting research professor in combustion theory and thermodynamics.
He is a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, the Institute of Energy, the Institute of Physics and the Royal Aeronautical Society. He is a charted mathematician and engineer, and author of over 180 papers and articles, his research has been in combustion in fluids and solids. His research in biomimetics with the minute combustion chamber of the bombardier beetle has led to technological advances and earned him the 2010 Times Higher Education award for Outstanding Contribution to Innovation and Technology.
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Luther Visualized 19 – In Decline
Luther's Decline in Old Age
Left: Luther's most infamous work, On the Jews and Their Lies (Wittenberg: Hans Lufft, 1543). Right: Luther's probably second-most infamous work, Against the Papacy in Rome, Instituted by the Devil (Wittenberg: Hans Lufft, 1545). For more on the accompanying woodcut by Lucas Cranach, see #8 below.
Luther historians like Martin Brecht would have us "guard against too hastily explaining Luther's actions in the last years of his life as the grumpiness of an old man." But those who think this is too easy or simple an explanation have not fought the fight Luther had to fight or experienced his frustrations and disappointments. (Rf. Daniel Deutschlander's brilliant treatment of the Christian's struggles in the so-called golden years in The Theology of the Cross, pp. 187-193. Luther's struggles were compounded many times over.) In a letter to Jakob Probst, bishop of Bremen, dated March 26, 1542, he wrote, "I am exhausted by age and work, 'old, cold, and sorry to behold' (as they say)." He closed by saying, "I have had enough of this life, or more accurately, of this extremely bitter death."
Nevertheless, increasing cantankerousness in advancing age is an explanation, not an excuse. Two of his mounting frustrations in particular got the better of him in these years.
That Jesus Christ Was Born a Jew (Wittenberg: Lucas Cranach and Christian Döring, 1523).
Luther and the Jews
In 1523 Luther had written That Jesus Christ Was Born a Jew. In addition to defending himself against false rumors in it, he also attempted to win the Jews of his day as converts to the Christian gospel. He suspected that the reason more Jews hadn't converted to Christianity up to that point was because the only Christianity they had been able to convert to was that of the pope and his followers. "[T]hey have dealt with the Jews as if they were dogs and not humans; they have afforded them nothing more than to insult them and take their property. … I hope that, if we deal with the Jews in a friendly way and give them careful instruction from Holy Scripture, many of them will become true Christians and return to the faith of their fathers, the prophets and patriarchs."
Luther then went on to demonstrate patiently and thoroughly that the Christian faith was indeed the faith of the Old Testament prophets and patriarchs. He thought it enough to convince the Jews that Jesus was the promised Messiah; the teaching of Jesus' divinity could wait for the time being. "For they have been led astray so badly and for such a long time that we must proceed cautiously with them… If we want to help them, then we must not practice the pope's law with them but the law of Christian love, receiving them cordially and permitting them to trade and work with us. That way they will acquire the occasion and opportunity to be with us and around us and to hear and witness our Christian teaching and living." He even joked that the papists might now begin to denounce him as a Jew as a result of the book.
Judensau, sandstone relief on the exterior of the parish church chancel in Wittenberg, c. 1304 (© Red Brick Parsonage, 2013).
Indeed, this book is remarkable when placed in the context of Luther's thoroughly anti-Semitic culture. To this day you can visit the parish church in Wittenberg and see an anti-Semitic sandstone relief on the southeast corner of the building, called the Judensau or Jewish Sow, which preceded Luther's arrival in Wittenberg by more than 200 years. It depicts Jewish boys suckling from a sow – an unclean animal in the Jewish religion (rf. Leviticus 11:1-8) – and a Jewish rabbi looking into the sow's rear end to read the Talmud. This characterizes the world in which Luther grew up, lived, and worked.
But Luther's hopes for the conversion of many Jews – hopes he also expressed in a letter he wrote to his friend Bernhard, a baptized Jew, in May or June 1523 – were not realized, and he grew increasingly frustrated with them on the whole. In part, his disappointments were fueled by reports and rumors about the Jews originating with Jewish converts to Christianity. After receiving and reading an unidentified treatise containing a dialogue between a Jew and a Christian in an attempt to convert Christians to Judaism, Luther penned On the Jews and Their Lies (pictured at the head) at the end of 1542. The first two sections were relatively tame, but the third section is now infamous. In view of the frightful rumors surrounding their activity and their supposedly negative effect on the economy, Luther advised the following (directly quoted from the book):
to set fire to their synagogues or schools and to bury and cover with dirt whatever will not burn…
that their houses also be razed and destroyed. … Instead they might be lodged under a roof or in a barn, like the gypsies.
that all their prayer books and Talmudic writings…be taken from them.
that their rabbis be forbidden to teach henceforth on pain of loss of life and limb.
that safe-conduct on the highways be abolished completely for the Jews.
that usury be prohibited to them, and that all cash and treasure of silver and gold be taken from them and put aside for safekeeping. … Whenever a Jew is sincerely converted, he should be handed one hundred, two hundred, or three hundred florins, as personal circumstances may suggest.
putting a flail, an ax, a hoe, a spade, a distaff, or a spindle into the hands of young, strong Jews and Jewesses and letting them earn their bread in the sweat of their brow… But if we are afraid that they might harm us or our wives, children, servants, cattle, etc., if they had to serve and work for us…then let us emulate the common sense of other nations such as France, Spain, Bohemia, etc. [further proof of the anti-Semitic world in which Luther lived], compute with them how much their usury has extorted from us, divide this amicably, but then eject them forever from the country.
Martin Sasse, Regional Bishop of Thuringia, ed., Martin Luther on the Jews: Away with Them!, a 1938 pamphlet defending the events of the Night of Broken Glass (Kristallnacht).
Not surprisingly, this work was later utilized by Hitler and the Nazis to try and attract Christians to their cause.
On the one hand, it is folly merely to equate Luther's religious post-judice (frustration resulting from the Jews' rejection of the gospel) with Hitler and the Nazi leaders' racial prejudice (fundamental disdain for the Jewish ethnicity). On the other hand, especially if we are Lutheran, we must acknowledge two things:
The deep contradiction in Luther's own theology, not only when compared to what he condemned and advocated in his earlier and better 1523 work, but also when compared to his previous assertions about the distinction between Church and State and the roles of each. For example, in his Admonition to Peace (1525) he had written that "no ruler ought to prevent anyone from teaching or believing what he pleases, whether it is the gospel or lies. It is enough if he prevents the teaching of sedition and rebellion." But in On the Jews and Their Lies Luther tries to defend and advance Christ's kingdom using the power of worldly government, even though Christ himself said his kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36).
Even supposing that it were biblical to enlist the power of the State in defending and advancing Christ's kingdom, Luther's advice in this work would still be unchristian and abominable. How could such treatment ever win hearts, which is what Christianity is always after?
Luther and the Pope
This series has already covered Luther's biblical conviction of the papacy as the Antichrist. In February and March 1545 Luther gave full, unrestrained vent to his pent-up frustrations with the pope, who had already convoked the Council of Trent (rf. woodcut #3 below). The result was Against the Papacy in Rome, Instituted by the Devil (pictured at the head), printed at the end of March.
While he was working on this book, he also designed a series of ten depictions of the papacy—not in the sense of drawing them himself, but in the sense of describing what he wanted artist Lucas Cranach to produce for him. He also composed a short poem, consisting of two distichs, to accompany each one. Cranach then created the woodcuts according to Luther's designs and had them published with a Latin title at the top and Luther's poem at the bottom of each. Today this collection of woodcuts is called Abbildung des Papsttums, or Portrayal of the Papacy. They consist of the following, with Luther's corresponding poem as the caption of each:
1. Birth and Origin of the Pope – A she-devil gives birth to the pope and cardinals. In the background on the right Megaera, one of the Furies in Greek mythology (the Furies executed the curses pronounced on criminals), serves as the baby pope's wet-nurse. Alecto, another of the Furies, serves as his nursemaid, rocking him and feeding him honey. Tisiphone, the last of the Furies, teaches the toddler pope to walk. Luther himself criticized Cranach for depicting the pope's birth so crudely, saying that he should have been more considerate of the female sex.
Hier wird geborn der Widerchrist
Megera sein Seugamme ist:
Alecto sein Kindermegdlin
Tisiphone die gengelt jn.
2. The Monster of Rome, Found Dead in the Tiber River in 1496 – This was actually a reprint of a 1523 woodcut by Cranach. The births of freaks or "monsters" in Luther's day were viewed as evil omens or signs (informative post on this here). So when Melanchthon found out about an alleged monster that had been found dead in the Tiber River in 1496 with head of a donkey, the body of a woman, the skin of a fish, different kinds of feet, and so on (see all the details in the woodcut), and shared it with Luther, Luther of course took it as a sign that God was telling people what the bishop of Rome had become. This depiction was commonly called der Papstesel, the pope-ass, which also unfortunately became the common way not a few German evangelicals referred to the pope.
Was Gott selbs von dem Bapstum helt
Zeigt dis schrecklich bild hie gestelt:
Dafür jederman grawen solt
Wenn ers zu hertzen nemen wolt.
3. The Pope Gives a Council in Germany – The council initially announced in 1536 (the announcement that prompted the Smalcald Articles of 1537) was finally convened by the pope in Trento—a city at the time in the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation—in December 1545, the now infamous Council of Trent. However by that time Luther and his followers had given up all hope of a council correcting Roman doctrine and practice and restoring the relationship between the Roman Church and the Lutherans. Here the pope giving a council is depicted as him riding a sow with a handful of his own waste in his hand, which the sow sniffs at greedily and to which the pope gives his paternal blessing. Basically Luther is saying that the pope views Germany as a sow which he can ride as he wishes and to which he can feed his waste—namely whatever decisions the council would render—and the pope expects Germany to be happy with all of it.
Saw du must dich lassen reiten.
Und wol sporen zu beiden seiten.
Du wilt han ein Concilium
Ja dafür hab dir mein merdrum:
4. The Pope as Doctor of Theology and Master of the Faith – Luther's own biting poem beneath this woodcut says it all: "The pope alone can interpret the Scriptures and sweep out error—just as much as the ass alone can play the pipes and understand the notes correctly."
Der Bapst kan allein auslegen
Die schrifft: und jrthum ausfegen
Wie der Esel allein pfeiffen
Kan: und die noten recht greiffen.
5. The Pope Thanks the Emperors for the Immense Benefits He Has Received – Pope Clement IV is depicted as beheading Conradin of Hohenstaufen (1252-1268), King of Sicily and Naples. Clement doubtless did not perform the execution himself, but was responsible for it. Luther used this as a metaphor for the pope's ingratitude for all the benefits that had been given to the papacy by the emperors over the years.
Gros gut die Kaiser han gethan
Dem Bapst: und ubel gelegt an.
Dafür jm der Bapst gedanckt hat
Wie dis bild dir die warheit sagt.
6. Here the Pope, Obedient to St. Peter, Pays Honor to the King – This woodcut, not pictured here, also was not included in some editions of the collection. It shows the pope placing his foot on the neck of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, and so the title is clearly sarcastic. The apostle Peter says to submit to kings and honor them (1 Peter 2:13,17), but the pope, who is the supposed successor of St. Peter, does the opposite. Luther's accompanying poem reads: "Here the pope openly shows by his deeds that he is the enemy of God and men. What God creates and wants to have honored, the most holy man tramples with his feet."
7. The Just Rewards of the Most Satanic Pope and His Cardinals – In his poem, Luther said that if the pope and cardinals were to receive what they deserved in the form of earthly punishment (and not just the eternal punishment they can anticipate), this is what it would look like. The pope (on the far right) and three cardinals hang from a gallows. Because of their blasphemies against God and his word, their tongues are nailed to the gallows next to their heads (the hangman is in the process of nailing the pope's tongue to the crosspiece). Demons receive their souls and carry them away.
Wenn zeitlich gestrafft solt werden:
Bapst und Cardinel auff erden,
Jr lesterzung verdienet het:
Wie jr recht hie gemalet steht.
8. The Kingdom of Satan and the Pope (2 Thessalonians 2) – This is by far the most famous of the woodcuts, since it was also used for the title page of Against the Papacy in Rome, Instituted by the Devil. The pope, with long donkey ears, sits enthroned in the jaws of hell and is waited on by various demons.
Jn aller Teufel namen sitzt
Alhie der Bapst: offenbart jtzt:
Das er sey der recht Widerchrist
So in der schrift verkündigt ist:
9. Here the Kissing of the Pope's Feet Is Taunted – The pope is holding his ban or excommunication, which is emanating rays. In order to avoid having the ban fall upon them, these two peasants have been summoned to kiss the pope's feet in repentance. Instead they curse his ban ("Maledetta" is Italian for "damned or accursed thing"), turn around to leave, moon him (in his poem, Luther calls this showing the pope the "Bel vedere," Italian for "beautiful sight"), and pass gas at him as they go.
Nicht Bapst: nicht schreck uns mit deim bann
Und sey nicht so zorniger man.
Wir thun sonst ein gegen wehre
Und zeigen dirs Bel vedere.
10. The Pope Is Worshipped As an Earthly God – On a podium (altar?) decorated with the papal keys (which, however, are mere skeleton keys, showing that they have no power, because the pope does not use them according to Christ's institution) sits an inverted papal tiara or crown. A peasant is defecating into it, while another one gets ready to do so. Luther's poem for this woodcut reads: "The pope has done to Christ's kingdom as they are treating his crown here. 'Pay her back double,' says the Spirit [in Revelation 18:6]. 'Go ahead and fill it up' [a play on his own translation of Rev 18:7]—it is God who says so." To paraphrase: After all the "crap" the pope, as fallen Babylon, has given you true Christians, put twice as much crap in his crown for him to wear.
Bapst hat dem reich Christi gethon
Wie man hie handelt seine Cron. (Apo. 18)
Machts jr zweifeltig. spricht der geist
Schenkt getrost ein: Got ists ders heist
It will come as no surprise that, as went the woodcuts, so went the book. Luther speaks the truth, but he does so in such incredibly crude and indefensible ways that he must fall under the apostle Paul's judgment of being "only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal" (1 Corinthians 13:1). Here is a characteristic excerpt:
This, this, this is how one should lie and blaspheme if he wants to be a real pope. Dear God, what a completely and exceedingly brazen and blasphemous lying yapper the pope is. He speaks just as though there were no one on earth who knew that the four chief councils, and many others besides, were held without the Roman Church. Instead he thinks this way: "Since I am an uncivilized ass and do not read books, then there must not be anyone in the world who reads them. But when I sound out my assy braying – Hee-aw! Hee-aw! [German: Chika, Chika] – or if I just let out an ass fart, then they had better regard it all as an article of faith. If not, then Saints Peter and Paul, yes, God himself will be angry with them." For God is not God anymore; there is only the Ass-God in Rome, where the great, uncivilized asses (the pope and the cardinals) ride on asses that are better than they.
It should go without saying that no Lutheran wears that badge because he worships Luther or thinks he was inspired by the Holy Spirit or without sin. Lutherans wear that badge because of Luther's Christo-centric theology with its emphasis on grace, faith in Christ, and the authority of Holy Scripture.
Dr. Wilhelm Martin Leberecht de Wette, ed., Dr. Martin Luthers Briefe, Sendschreiben und Bedenken, fünfter Theil (Berlin: G. Reimer, 1828), pp. 450-452 (no. 2056)
Woodcuts and distichs from Abbildung des Papsttums in Ein Buch allerlei Rüstung von der Hand darein zu schreiben geistlich und weltlich, pp. 42-59
Helmar Junghans, Wittenberg als Lutherstadt, 2nd ed. (Union Verlag Berlin, 1982), picture #10
Helmut T. Lehmann and Eric W. Gritsch, eds., Luther's Works (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1966), 41:257ff
Helmut T. Lehmann and Walther I. Brandt, eds., Luther's Works (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1962), 45:195ff
Helmut T. Lehmann and Robert C. Schultz, eds., Luther's Works (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1967), 46:22
Helmut T. Lehmann and Franklin Sherman, eds., Luther's Works, trans. Martin H. Bertram (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1971), 47:121ff, esp. pp. 137,268ff
Martin Brecht, Martin Luther: Shaping and Defining the Reformation (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1990), pp. 112-113
Martin Brecht, Martin Luther: The Preservation of the Church (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1993), pp. 229-235, 333-351, 357-367
Martin Luther, Das Jhesus Christus eyn geborner Jude sey (Wittenberg: Lucas Cranach and Christian Döring, 1523)
Martin Luther, Wider das Bapstum zu Rom vom Teuffel gestifft (Wittenberg: Hans Lufft, 1545)
St. Louis Edition of Luther's Works 20:1822-1825
Filed under Arts, History, Luther Visualized Tagged with 1 Corinthians 13, 1496, 1523, 1525, 1542, 1543, 1545, 2 Thessalonians 2, Abbildung des Papsttums, Adoratur Papa Deus Terrenus, Against the Papacy in Rome Instituted by the Devil, anti-Semitic, anti-Semitism, Antichrist, art, ass, ban, Bel vedere, Bernhard, Bernhard the Jew, Birth and Origin of the Pope, blasphemies, bulletin covers, calluses on the soul, cantankerous, church and state, Clement IV, Conradin of Hohenstaufen, contradictions, Council of Trent, crude, Daniel Deutschlander, Das Jhesus Christus eyn geborner Jude sey, decline, demons, Digna Merces Papae Satanissimi et Cardinalium Suorum, donkey, evangelism, excommunication, freak, Frederick Barbarossa, frustration, Furies, gallows, gas, Grobianism, grumpiness, hell, Here the Kissing of the Pope's Feet Is Taunted, Hic Oscula Pedibus Papae Figuntur, Hic Papa Obediens S. Petro Honorificat Regem, Hitler, Jakob Probst, jaws of hell, Jesus the Messiah, Jewish Sow, Judensau, Kristallnacht, Lucas Cranach, Luther and the Jews, Luther and the pope, Luther Visualized, Lutheran, Lutheran Reformation 500th anniversary, Martin Brecht, Martin Luther, Martin Sasse, Monstrum Romae Inventum Mortuum in Tiberi, Nazi Party, Nazis, Night of Broken Glass, old age, On the Jews and Their Lies, Ortus et Origo Papae, Papa Agit Gratias Caesaribus pro Immensis Beneficiis, Papa Dat Concilium in Germania, Papa Doctor Theologiae et Magister Fidei, papal bull, papal tiara, Papstesel, Parish Church, Paul III, pipes, Portrayal of the Papacy, postjudice, prejudice, rant, Reformation anniversary, Regnum Satanae et Papae, Revelation 18, service folders, skeleton keys, sow, St. Mary's Church, That Jesus Christ Was Born a Jew, The Just Rewards of the Most Satanic Pope and His Cardinals, The Kingdom of Satan and the Pope, The Monster of Rome, The Pope as Doctor of Theology and Master of the Faith, The Pope Gives a Council in Germany, The Pope Is Worshipped As an Earthly God, The Pope Thanks the Emperors for the Immense Benefits He Has Received, tongues, vent, Von den Jüden und jren Lügen, waste, Wider das Bapstum zu Rom vom Teuffel gestifft, Wittenberg, woodcut
Luther Visualized 17 – Smalcald Articles
The Smalcald Articles
MS (employed in Lucas Cranach's studio), The Eighteenth Figure, woodcut, 1534.
This figure was printed immediately above Revelation 13 in the first edition of Luther's translation of the entire Bible (1534). That chapter first describes a seven-headed beast coming out of the sea, representing civil government in its antichristian aspect, and then a beast coming out of the earth with two horns like the Lamb but speaking like the Dragon, representing the Antichrist himself. About the second beast, the apostle John says, "He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast… And he performs great signs so that he even makes fire come down from heaven to earth in the sight of men" (Rev 13:12,13). Notice that the artist portrayed the beast out of the earth wearing a monk's cowl and cloak, as Lucas Cranach had in the 1522 New Testament.
At first Martin Luther was befuddled and frustrated about the refusal of the pope and his legates to hear him out and to join him in reforming the church on the basis of clear testimonies of Holy Scripture. But as he continued to study Scripture, he gradually came to a realization of what or whom he was actually up against. This growing suspicion was confirmed for him when on October 10, 1520, he received the pope's bull (official decree) threatening his excommunication if he did not retract his teachings. The next day he wrote to his friend Georg Spalatin, the elector's court secretary: "I feel much more free now that I am made certain that the pope is the Antichrist."
Luther most clearly articulated his views on the Antichrist in the articles of faith he prepared in 1536 in preparation for a council that Pope Paul III had convoked, to be held in Mantua, Italy, in May 1537. Elector John Frederick had asked Luther to compose the articles on the Lutherans' behalf. He wanted Luther to distinguish between articles of faith in which they could not yield anything without committing treason against God and his Word and articles in which they could perhaps yield something for the sake of Christian love without violating God's word. But he also asked Luther for a confession that was clearer than the Augsburg Confession with respect to the pope.
Luther finished the rough draft in December 1536 and submitted it to seven other theologians. With very few changes it was unanimously adopted (though Melanchthon gave it a somewhat qualified subscription), and the elector was also pleased with it. The council never took place during Luther's lifetime, but the confession Luther composed still gained widespread acceptance among Lutheran theologians in the following years. It became known as the Smalcald Articles because it was circulated and read at Schmalkalden by the large number of theologians and scholars that assembled there in February 1537. Even though it was never officially discussed or accepted there due to Melanchthon's intrigues and Luther's illness, Johannes Bugenhagen did present it to them for their voluntary, personal subscription after official business had been concluded, and 44 men signed it in all. It received official confessional status when it was included in the Book of Concord of 1580. (You can read it online here.)
MS (employed in Cranach's studio), The Twenty-First Figure, woodcut, 1534. This image is based on Revelation 17. The great prostitute of Babylon, representing the unfaithful element within the visible Christian church, sits upon the seven-headed, ten-horned beast (Rev 13:1-10). In her left hand she holds "a golden cup…full of abominations and the filth of her adulteries" (17:4). Note also the triple-tiered papal tiara on her head.
The Smalcald Articles stand out in at least three ways. First, Luther presents the doctrine of justification by God's grace alone through faith in Christ alone as the core of Scripture from which all other scriptural doctrine emanates and radiates. Second, he also gave a clearer confession about the Lord's Supper than even the Augsburg Confession did. And third, he also gave a clear confession about the bishop of Rome. He wrote:
[T]here stand all [the pope's] bulls and books, in which he roars like a lion…that no Christian can be saved without being obedient and subject to him in all that he wishes, all that he says, all that he does. … All of this powerfully demonstrates that he is the true christ of the end times or Antichrist, who has opposed and exalted himself over Christ [cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:4]. For he will not permit Christians to be saved apart from his power, even though his power is nothing, neither established nor commanded by God. … Finally, it is nothing but the devil himself at work when [the pope] pushes his lies about masses, purgatory, the monastic life, and human works and worship [cf. Mark 7:6-8] (which is in fact the essence of the papacy) over and against God, and condemns, kills, and harasses all Christians who do not exalt and honor this abomination of his above all things.
Lucas Cranach's Studio, woodcut opposite Chapter 11 of Revelation in the September 1522 edition of Luther's translation of the New Testament (left) and the December 1522 edition (right). Note the difference between the beast's crown in each.
Once Luther was convinced that the Roman papacy was the Antichrist, he wasted no time making it known in his writings and using the artist at his disposal, Lucas Cranach, to reinforce it visually. He had Cranach portray "the beast that comes up from the Abyss" with the triple-tiered papal tiara to accompany Revelation 11 in the first edition (September 1522) of his translation of the New Testament. Probably at the complaint of the Imperial Council of Regency (Reichsregiment), the papal tiara had to be replaced in the second edition (December 1522) by a simple crown.
MS (employed in Cranach's studio), The Fifteenth Figure, woodcut, 1534. This image corresponds to Cranach's images from 1522 above.
However, when Luther's translation of the entire Bible was being prepared for publication in 1534, and the as-yet-unidentified MS from Cranach's workshop was preparing woodcuts for it based in large part on Cranach's previous woodcuts, the triple-tiered papal tiara was restored. (See image on the right.)
Christoph Walther, a proofreader and typesetter in Hans Lufft's print shop in Wittenberg, confirmed that Luther wasn't just responsible for the translation, but also for much of the artwork:
Luther himself dictated to some extent how the figures in the Wittenberg Bible were supposed to be depicted and portrayed, and demanded that the content of the text be portrayed and depicted in the simplest way, and he would not tolerate anything superfluous or useless that did not benefit the text getting smeared in with the rest.
Lucas Cranach's Studio, woodcut opposite Chapter 17 of Revelation in the September 1522 edition of Luther's translation of the New Testament (left) and the December 1522 edition (right). Note the difference between the prostitute's crown in each. These images were the basis for MS's The Twenty-First Figure above.
Dr. Wilhelm Martin Leberecht de Wette, ed., Dr. Martin Luthers Briefe, Sendschreiben und Bedenken, erster Theil (Berlin: G. Reimer, 1825), pp. 238ff (no. 127), 419f (no. 204), 494f (no. 262)
Friedrich Bente, Historical Introductions to the Lutheran Confessions (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2005), pp. 109-138
Hans Lietzmann, Heinrich Bornkamm, et al., eds., Die Bekenntnisschriften der evangelisch-lutherischen Kirche, 2nd ed. (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1955), pp. xxiv-xxvii
Martin Brecht, Martin Luther: Shaping and Defining the Reformation (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1990), pp. 46-56
Martin Brecht, Martin Luther: The Preservation of the Church (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1993), pp. 95-102,178-185
Stephan Füssel, Die Luther-Bibel von 1534: Ein kulturhistorische Einführung (Cologne: Taschen, 2012), pp. 43-44,61
The September (New) Testament (1522)
The December (New) Testament (1522)
Biblia / das ist / die gantze Heilige Schrifft Deudsch: Das Newe Testament (Wittenberg: Hans Lufft, 1534)
"Die Schmalkaldischen Artikel" in the Weimarer Ausgabe, vol. 50, pp. 160ff, esp. pp. 213ff
Filed under Arts, History, Luther Visualized Tagged with 1534 Luther Bible, 1536, 1537, 2 Thessalonians 2:4, Antichrist, Arts, Babylon, beast from the Abyss, beast out of the earth, beast out of the sea, Bible translations, Biblia, bishop of Rome, bulletin covers, Christoph Walther, civil government, council, December Testament, Die Achtzehend Figur, Die ein und zwenzigste Figur, Die Funffzehend Figur, Die gantze Heilige Schrifft, Duke John Frederick, Elector Johann Friedrich I, Elector John Frederick I, Hans Lufft, Herzog Johann Friedrich, historical, justification, Lord's Supper, Lucas Cranach, Luther Visualized, Lutheran Confessions, Lutheran Reformation 500th anniversary, Martin Luther, MS, papacy, papal tiara, Philipp Melanchthon, pope, prostitute of Babylon, real presence, Reformation anniversary, Revelation 11, Revelation 13, Revelation 17, Schmalkalden, Schmalkaldic League, September Testament, service folders, Smalcald Articles, whore of Babylon, woodcut
Martin Luther's Favorite Christmas Hymn?
This woodcut was printed on the page before the hymns "Dies est laetitiae" and "Der Tag, der ist so freudenreich" in the 1535 edition of Luther's Geistliche Lieder auffs new gebessert.
The final section of the 1535 Wittenberg edition of Martin Luther's Geistliche Lieder auffs new gebessert (Spiritual Songs, Improved Edition), and possibly also of its no-longer-extant 1529 predecessor, was prefaced, "Here follow several hymns composed by the ancients." The next page read:
These songs of old on the following pages we have also compiled as a testament to several pious Christians who lived before our time in the great darkness of false doctrine, so that you can see how there have still been people at all times who have known Christ rightly and quite amazingly persevered in that knowledge by God's grace.
The section opens with the Latin Christmas hymn "Dies est leticiae" (Dies est laetitiae) in four stanzas, immediately followed by a loose German translation of that hymn under the title "Der tag der ist so frewden reich" (Der Tag, der ist so freudenreich). The first two stanzas of the German hymn read as follows:
Der tag der ist so frewden reich
aller creature
Denn Gottes Son von himel reich
uber die nature
Von einer jungfraw ist geporn
Maria du bist aus erkorn
das du mutter werest
was geschach so wunderleich?
Gottes Son von himel reich
der ist mensch geporen.
Ein kindelein so löbelich
ist uns geporen heute
Von einer jungfraw seuberlich
zu trost uns armen leuten
Wer uns das kindlein nicht geporn
so wer wir all zumal verlorn
das heil ist unser alle
Ey du süsser Jhesu Christ
das du mensch geporen bist
behüt uns für der helle.
Even though the hymn includes two more stanzas, these first two are the most significant. Each might have appeared independently of the other, and each was often used as its own hymn at first. The second stanza, for instance, was sung by itself after Luther's sermon on Christmas Eve in 1531.
In fact, one could easily surmise that the second stanza was Luther's favorite Christmas hymn. He quoted it at least five times in his Christmas sermons. He was no doubt responsible for the paragraph above which cited this hymn, among others, as proof of the perpetuation of the correct knowledge of Christ even in the darkness of the papacy. In the just-mentioned 1531 Christmas Eve sermon, the first of a series on Isaiah 9:6, he quoted it and then commented:
But no one knows what's being sung. You should be able to sing this song from the heart and not snore so much while you're singing it, like the world does. It is taken right from the prophet Isaiah.
The following year, in his morning sermon on St. Stephen's Day, December 26, he commented on the hymn more extensively:
Now the angels point to him with their song [like the prophets did in their writings] as the one who does it all and in whom all that we need is found. Their song beats back all the devils who wish to lead people to salvation in a different way. If this newborn child is the Savior, then the Franciscan, Augustinian, and Carthusian orders are most certainly not.
And actually the whole world has cried out against Mary and the priests and monastic orders, and the priests and monks themselves have sung against her at their altars and cried for judgment on their own necks, and we did too. And still today the angel's words, "A Savior has been born to you, who is Christ the Lord," are sung in all the churches in the beautiful song "For Us Today Is Born a Child [Ein Kindelein so löbelich]." For what do we sing? "Were he not born, we all had dwelled In fear and fire, from God expelled— Salvation's ours forever!"
And what does that mean—"we all had dwelled"? Whoever composed this song was a spiritual man, and everyone, both young and old, sings his song. It is a song that glorifies and praises Christ and cries for judgment on all the monks and priests, since when it says "we all had dwelled," it includes them too. Therefore throughout the world a public judgment of condemnation is sung by every mouth against those who lead people away from Christ, yet no one was able to realize this and no one still does. It is sung everywhere.
Therefore, as I have often urged you, ask God to provide faithful preachers, otherwise, unless he himself should rouse the people, we will keep on singing and reciting those words, but we will not understand them. They are supposed to be aroused in the sermon, from the Gospel, from the Ten Commandments, the Creed, the sacraments, and the canticles. Even the adversaries have all these things that we have—baptism, the Sacrament of the Altar, the angel's song, and the child in the manger. But since they are lacking a man in the pulpit who will open the people's eyes and make the words in the text clear, so that they know what it says, they consequently have these things in a manner of speaking, but they do not really have them.
Both stanzas date back to at least the early 15th century, and the tune likewise dates to the same century. The Lutheran Hymnal (Concordia Publishing House, 1941) included W. Gustave Polack's 1940 translation "Hail the Day So Rich in Cheer" (#78). The Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary (ELS, 1996) also includes it (#131) with a livelier version of the tune, stanza 1 being an altered version of Polack's translation – "Now Hail the Day So Rich in Cheer" – and stanza 2 an altered version of a translation by C. Døving (1867-1937). The Hymnary's version did have some influence on my translation below.
This hymn deserves to be resurrected in any circles in which it is not currently popularized. The content is rich, and especially the Hymnary's setting of the traditional tune is both very joyful (and thus a fitting reflection of the text) and eminently singable.
This Day! So Filled with High Delight
A new translation of Der Tag, der ist so freudenreich and Ein Kindelein so löbelich
1. This day! So filled with high delight
For ev'ry earthborn creature!
God's Son, from realms of heav'nly light
Beyond the world of nature,
Is born into the human race
Of Mary, God's own choice of grace
To be the virgin mother.
What awesome, wondrous deed is this?
God's Son, from realms of heav'nly bliss,
Came down to be our brother!
2. For us today is born a child,
A perfect son so peerless,
Of Mary, fair maid undefiled,
To cheer mankind so cheerless.
Were he not born, we all had dwelled
In fear and fire, from God expelled—
Salvation's ours forever!
To you, sweet Jesus, glory be
For sharing in humanity!
Let hell subdue us never!
Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary Handbook
The Free Lutheran Chorale-Book
Hoffmann von Fallersleben, Geschichte des Deutschen Kirchenliedes bis auf Luthers Zeit (Hannover: Carl Rümpler, 1854), pp. 196-197
Martin Luther, ed., Geistliche Lieder auffs new gebessert (Wittenberg: Joseph Klug, 1535)
Martin Luther, Luther at the Manger (Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 2017), pp. 8-10
Philipp Wackernagel, Das deutsche Kirchenlied von der ältesten Zeit bis zu Anfang des XVII. Jahrhunderts, vol. 2 (Leipzig: Druck und Verlag von B. G. Teubner, 1867), pp. 520-527
Weimarer Ausgabe 36:399-400; 52:50-51
Filed under Arts, Hymns Tagged with 1529, 1531, 1532, 1535, 15th century, Christmas, Christmas hymn, Christmas sermons, Der Tag der ist so freudenreich, Dies est laetitiae, Ein Kindelein so löbelich, favorite, For Us Today Is Born a Child, Geistliche Lieder auffs new gebessert, Hail the Day So Rich in Cheer, hymn, hymnody, Luther's sermons, Martin Luther, Nativity, Now Hail the Day So Rich in Cheer, This Day! So Filled with High Delight, translation, woodcut
Luther Visualized 14 – Augsburg Confession
The Augsburg Confession
Left: Lucas Cranach the Elder, Elector John the Steadfast of Saxony, oil on panel, c. 1533; housed in the National Gallery of Denmark, Copenhagen. Right: Lucas Cranach's Studio, Philipp Melanchthon, oil on panel, 1532; housed in the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden.
Around 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 25, 1530, Ferdinand, King of Hungary and Bohemia, and all the other electors, princes, and imperial estates assembled before Holy Roman Emperor Charles V "in the large downstairs room" or chapter hall of the episcopal palace in Augsburg, where the emperor was lodging for the duration of the diet he had convened that year. The Saxon chancellor Christian Beyer stepped forward with the German copy of the confession that Philipp Melanchthon (pictured above right) had prepared and that seven princes and representatives of two free imperial cities had signed. The chancellor read it "so clearly, distinctly, deliberately, and with a voice so very strong and rich that he could be clearly heard not only in that very large hall, but also in the courtyard below and the surrounding area." It took him two hours to finish, and his copy and a Latin copy were then handed over to the emperor.
Because of how the Romanists received the confession, its presentation subsequently came to represent the birthday of the Lutheran Church and the official split from the Roman Catholic Church. Confessional Lutheran churches and church bodies still subscribe to its doctrine without qualification today. It covers a wide range of subjects from God to original sin to justification to the sacraments to free will to monastic vows. (You can read it online here.) Martin Luther, writing from the Coburg Fortress, where he stayed for the duration of the diet since he was still an outlaw, commented on an early draft of the confession, "It pleases me quite well and I know nothing to improve or change in it, nor would it work if I did, since I cannot step so gently and softly."
The princes and representatives who signed the confession are as follows:
John, Duke of Saxony, Elector (pictured above left)
George, Margrave of Brandenburg
Ernest, Duke of Lueneberg
Philip, Landgrave of Hesse
John Frederick, Duke of Saxony (the son of Elector John; regarding the high esteem in which he held the confession, see here)
Francis, Duke of Lueneberg
Wolfgang, Prince of Anhalt
The City of Nuremberg
The City of Reutlingen
Georg Coelestin, Historia Comitiorum Anno M. D. XXX. Augustae Celebratorum (Frankfurt an der Oder: Johannes Eichorn, 1577), fol. 141
Dr. Wilhelm Martin Leberecht de Wette, ed., Dr. Martin Luthers Briefe, Sendschreiben und Bedenken, vierter Theil (Berlin: G. Reimer, 1827), p. 17
Carolus Gottlieb Bretschneider, ed., Corpus Reformatorum, vol. 2 (Halle: C. A. Schwetschke and Son, 1835), cols. 139ff, esp. col. 142
Theodor Kolde, Historische Einleitung in die Symbolischen Bücher der evangelisch-lutherischen Kirche (Gütersloh: Druck und Verlag von C. Bertelsmann, 1907), pp. xix-xx
Hans Lietzmann, Heinrich Bornkamm, et al., eds., Die Bekenntnisschriften der evangelisch-lutherischen Kirche, 2nd ed. (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1955)
Augusta iuxta figuram quam hisce temporibus habet delineata, woodcut, 1575 (coloring subsequent), based on Hans Rogel, Des Heiligen Römischen Reichs Statt Augspurg, woodcut, 1563
This famous bird's-eye view woodcut of Augsburg by Hans Rogel was published in Georg Braun's Civitates Orbis Terrarum (Antwerp: Aegidius Radeus, 1575). It is oriented with west on top. #105 marks the palace of the prince-bishop, where the Augsburg Confession was presented, just west of the Cathedral of Our Lady (#32). Only the tower from the original palace remains today, attached to a late-Baroque style building that now houses government offices for the district of Swabia. A single plaque on the outside of this building is the only tribute to the presentation of the Augsburg Confession. It reads:
Hier stand vordem die bischöfliche Pfalz in deren Kapitelsaal am 25. Juni 1530 die CONFESSIO AUGUSTANA verkündet wurde.
This is where the episcopal palace once stood, in whose chapter hall the AUGSBURG CONFESSION was delivered on June 25, 1530.
District Government of Swabia, Augsburg (© Red Brick Parsonage, 2018). Note the small, gray, rectangular plaque near the bottom of the building.
The plaque commemorating the reading of the Augsburg Confession (© Red Brick Parsonage, 2018).
Filed under Arts, History, Luther Visualized Tagged with 1530, Arts, Augsburg, Augsburg Confession, Augustana, birthday of the Lutheran Church, bulletin covers, Charles V, Christian Beyer, Civitates Orbis Terrarum, Confessio Augustana, Diet of Augsburg, Duke Ernest of Lueneberg, Duke Ernst of Lüneberg, Duke Francis of Lüneberg, Duke Francis of Lueneberg, Duke John Frederick, Duke John the Steadfast, Emperor Charles V, Ferdinand I, Georg Braun, Georg Coelestin, Georgius Coelestinus, Hans Rogel, Herzog Johann Friedrich, historical, John the Steadfast, June 25, Landgrave Philip of Hesse, Luther Visualized, Lutheran Confessions, Lutheran Reformation 500th anniversary, Margrave George of Brandenburg, Martin Luther, Nürnberg, Nuremberg, Pfalz, Philip of Hesse, Philipp Melanchthon, Prince Wolfgang of Anhalt, Reformation anniversary, Reutlingen, service folders, U.A.C., Unaltered Augsburg Confession, Wolfgang of Anhalt, woodcut
Luther Visualized 13 – Sacramentarian Controversy
The Sacramentarian Controversy
Left: Hans Asper, Huldrychus Zvinglius (Ulrich Zwingli), woodcut, 1531. Right: Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531) wins the award for longest book title in the Sacramentarian Controversy: That These Words of Jesus Christ, "This Is My Body Which Is Given for You," Will Forever Retain Their Ancient, Single Meaning, and Martin Luther With His Latest Book Has by No Means Proved or Established His Own and the Pope's View: Ulrich Zwingli's Christian Answer (Zurich: Christoffel Froschouer, June 1527).
Martin Luther often cited the German proverb, "Wherever God builds a church, the devil builds a chapel nextdoor." Nowhere was that more noticeably true in Luther's lifetime than in the Sacramentarian Controversy. The two most public opponents of Luther in the controversy were Ulrich Zwingli, a priest in Zurich, Switzerland, and Johannes Oecolampadius, a professor and preacher in Basel, Switzerland. Both of them at first publicly declared their agreement with Luther's teachings, including his teaching on the Lord's Supper. But around 1524 and 1525, they began teaching that Christ was not really present, but only symbolically present in the Supper. When a literature battle between both sides ensued, Luther continually based his sacramental teaching on the clear words of Jesus and the apostle Paul in passages having to do with the Lord's Supper, while Zwingli and Oecolampadius based their sacramental teaching on John 6 (where Jesus' discourse predates his institution of Lord's Supper and speaks of faith, not the Sacrament) and on human reasoning.
The controversy culminated at the Marburg Colloquy on October 1-4, 1529. While the in-person meeting did take the vitriol out of the controversy, it also confirmed that an irreparable rupture had divided the evangelical camp. Those present agreed to the first 14 of the so-called Marburg Articles that Luther drew up at the end of the meeting, but the Lutherans and the Zwinglians disagreed on the last point concerning the essence of the Lord's Supper. As a result Luther said the Zwinglians did not have the same spirit, and Luther and his followers refused to acknowledge them as brothers and members of the body of Christ. And as it turned out, the unity on the other 14 articles was not as strong as it first appeared. The sixth, eighth, ninth, and fourteenth of the Marburg Articles affirmed God's word and baptism as means of grace, but in the seventh point of the personal presentation of faith (fidei ratio) that Zwingli drew up for Emperor Charles V the following year, he rejected the concept of any means of grace.
Ulrich Zwingli, Das dise wort Jesu Christi / Das ist min lychnam der für üch hinggeben wirt / ewigklich den alten eynigen sinn haben werdend / vnd M. Luter mit sinem letsten buoch sinen vnd des Bapsts sinn / gar nit gelert noch bewaert hat. Huldrych Zuinglis Christenlich Antwurt. (Zurich: Christoffel Forschouer, June 1527)
"Die Marburger Artikel" in Weimarer Ausgabe 30/3:160-171
Ulrich Zwingli, Ad Carolum Romanorum Imperatorem Germaniae comitia Augustae celebrantem, Fidei Huldrychi Zuinglii ratio (Zurich: Christoffel Froschouer, July 1530)
Woodcut of Marburg from Sebastian Münster's Cosmographiae universalis Lib. VI. (Six Books of Universal Cosmography) (Basel: Henrich Petri, March 1552)
The Marburg Colloquy was held in the Royal Castle, pictured here on a hill in the center background. The city of Marburg is viewed from "Der Leynberg" or the Lahnberge, Striped Mountains, in the foreground (east), with St. Elizabeth Church on the right (north) and St. Mary's Parish Church beneath the castle. The university is to the left (south) of St. Mary's. The hill behind the castle to the southwest is identified as "Der Geyne" (in a 1572 woodcut from a different atlas, "Der Geine"), and the hill to the south of that as "Der Kesselberg" or Copper Mountain.
Filed under Arts, History, Luther Visualized Tagged with 1 Corinthians 11:23-25, 1527, 1529, art, Arts, Basel, book, bulletin covers, Communion, historical, Hoc est corpus meum, Holy Communion, Huldrych Zwingli, Johannes Oecolampadius, Lord's Supper, Luke 22:19-20, Luther Visualized, Lutheran Reformation 500th anniversary, Marburg, Marburg Articles, Marburg Colloquy, Mark 14:22-25, Martin Luther, Matthew 26:26-29, means of grace, real presence, Reformation anniversary, representation, Sacramentarian Controversy, service folders, Swiss theologians, Ulrich Zwingli, woodcut
Luther Visualized 11 – German Peasants' Revolt
German Peasants' Revolt (1524-1525)
Title page of Martin Luther's addendum to Admonition to Peace, titled Against the Murderous and Plundering Peasant Hordes. This is a reprint of just the addendum by Johann Weyßenburger (Landshut, 1525), available from the Bayerische StaatsBibliothek (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).
In early May 1525 Martin Luther returned to Wittenberg from a trip to Thuringia, during which he had seen firsthand the rebelliousness and violence of the protesting peasants. He promptly wrote and published an addendum to his earlier work, Admonition to Peace, entitling it Against the Murderous and Plundering Peasant Hordes. He urged swift and decisive action against the "poisonous" rebels. This woodcut, from the cover page of a Landshut reprinting of the addendum, depicts a peasant with a sword and his plundered goods. The fluttering paper says, "Esteem God." This woodcut is doubtless meant to be an indictment against the rebellious peasants, in harmony with the work itself. They ought to esteem God, not the things of this world. "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Mammon" (Matthew 6:24). The verse beneath the woodcut is Psalm 7:16: "His intrigue will meet up with himself, and his ill-will will be vented on him."
The German Peasants' Revolt and the Sacramentarian Controversy (yet to be covered in this series) hindered the momentum of the Reformation more than anything else. With his Admonition to Peace, Luther strained his relationship with the nobility, and with his addendum Against the Murderous and Plundering Peasant Hordes, he isolated himself from many of the peasants. On the whole Luther, as usual, was simply walking the narrow biblical path: On the one hand, "rulers are not appointed to exploit their subjects for their own profit and advantage, but to be concerned about the welfare of their subjects." On the other hand, God clearly forbids rebellion against the government (Romans 13:1-5; 1 Peter 2:13-17) and arbitrarily taking the law into one's own hands (Matthew 26:52). If Christians are being persecuted by their government, they can either use the legal channels available to address the wrongs (while patiently enduring in the meantime), or they can flee somewhere else (Matthew 10:23). But "rebellion is intolerable." Luther would later accurately describe their attempt to advance the kingdom of God through opposition to the governing authorities as "fishing for the net" (i.e. going about things completely backwards).
However, even though Luther claimed to be writing Admonition to Peace "in a friendly and Christian spirit," he presented his correct biblical position in harsh language in both that work and especially in the addendum. Luther also went too far in the addendum and actually contradicted himself when he advised "everyone who can" to "smite, slay, and stab" the rebellious peasants, "secretly or openly," since he had correctly said in Admonition to Peace that "no one, by his own violence, shall arrogate authority to himself." Even though a dispassionate reading of the rest of the addendum strongly suggests that he is giving this advice to the ruling authorities alone, that is not the impression given at the beginning.
Luther's Works 46:3-55
Martin Brecht, Martin Luther: Shaping and Defining the Reformation (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1990), pp. 172ff
Martin Luther, Luther at the Manger (Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 2017), p. 51
Title page of Johann Fundling's book Demonstration of Luther's Two False Tongues—How He Has Misled the Peasants with the One and Condemned Them with the Other. This is a reprint by Johann Weyßenburger (Landshut, 1526).
In the wake of Luther's Admonition to Peace and Against the Murderous and Plundering Peasant Hordes, Johann Fundling, a Franciscan monk from Mainz, penned a scathing critique of these two works, sometimes also called Fifty-Five Astonishing Things. The woodcut on the cover page portrays Luther on the left attempting to seduce the peasant on the right with his teachings. Above the woodcut Ecclesiasticus 28:13 is cited: "The whisperer and the double-tongued is cursed, for many who have had peace he has troubled and perplexed."
Initially styling himself anonymously as "Admiratus [Latin for astonished] the Wonderer," Fundling attempted to point out all of Luther's contradictions in these two works, both within the works themselves and when compared to his previous works. Fundling called Luther's teachings "mouse crap" and questioned, for instance, how Luther could call Andreas Karlstadt and Thomas Müntzer "prophets of murder" when he had previously spoken highly of them. Perhaps the climax comes when Fundling begins addressing Luther's addendum. First he quotes Luther:
But before I could even inspect the situation, [the peasants] forgot their promise and violently took matters into their own hands and are robbing and raging like mad dogs. … [They] are violently robbing and plundering monasteries and castles which are not theirs.
Then Fundling, speaking as "the Wonderer" astonished at Luther's words, responds:
Listen here, you traitorous and unfaithful Metius Fufetius,* isn't that exactly what you instructed and told not only the peasants but the whole world to do? Long ago, in your propositions on vows (or reproaches of them) that you addressed to the heretical men at Wittenberg that you have made out to be bishops, you said: "This is the sense of the monastic vow: I vow to you, God, that I will lead an irreligious and sacrilegious or God-ignoring life all my days" [#34 of Luther's Theses on Vows of 1521]. Therefore, you say, the monastic vows should not only be shattered and dissolved, but also severely punished, and all the cloisters of the earth likewise, since they are idol temples and Satanic whorehouses of the devil.
To this day, Luther's biblical distinction between the two kingdoms, Church and State, and the means for carrying out God's work in each continue to be misunderstood.
* A general of the army of Alba Longa known for his treachery; he violated a treaty with Rome by withdrawing his troops from a battle between Rome and Fidenae and then waiting to see which side would win.
Filed under Arts, History, Luther Visualized Tagged with 1521, 1524, 1525, Admiratus the Wonderer, Admonition to Peace, Against the Murderous and Plundering Peasant Hordes, Against the Robbing and Murdering Hordes of Peasants, Andreas Karlstadt, Anzaigung zwayer falschen zungen des Luthers, art, Arts, book, bulletin covers, church and state, contradictions, Demonstration of Luther's Two False Tongues, feudalism, Fifty-Five Astonishing Things, German Peasants' Revolt, German Peasants' War, government, historical, Johann Fundling, Johann Weyssenburger, Landshut, Luther Visualized, Luther's Works, Lutheran Reformation 500th anniversary, Martin Luther, Matthew 10:23, Matthew 26:52, Matthew 6:24, Metius Fufetius, monastic vows, obedience, peasants, Peasants' Revolt, Psalm 7:16, rebellion, Reformation anniversary, Romans 13, service folders, Theses on Vows, Thomas Müntzer, Thuringia, Twelve Articles, two kingdoms, woodcut


If you have decided to go for the stylish couture wedding gowns, you should know that fashion houses create them on order. The choice of these bridal gowns comprises high quality gowns made of a great choice of fabrics that are meant to compliment the bridal appearance in a unique manner. The fact that you need a beautifully designed dress for this special day will determine you to go for couture wedding gowns that are impeccably designed.
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