THAT THESE WORDS OF CHRIST, “THIS IS MY BODY,” ETC., STILL STAND FIRM AGAINST THE FANATICS 1527

Should it be the Luther who asserts that Moses says, “In the beginning the cuckoo ate the hedge sparrow,” or the person who asserts that Moses says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”? I hope the decision would be that Luther ought to prove his text, since in no language does “God” mean the same as “cuckoo.” Well, away creeps Luther to the cross, grieved that he cannot prove that “God” means “cuckoo.” For anyone who ventures to interpret words in the Scriptures any other way than what they say, is under obligation to prove this contention out of the text of the very same passage or by an article of faith. But who will enable the fanatics to prove that “body” is the equivalent of “sign of the body,” and “is” the equivalent of “represents”? No one has brought them to this point up to now. They rant and rave, “Where is your Scripture? Where is your Scripture?” and press us to prove that the gospel says, “This is my body,” though the whole world reads it and must read it. That it also says, however, “This represents my body,” or, “This is a sign of my body”—O that is so certain that they defy God’s judgment over it, even though no man has ever read this in the gospel, nor ever will! -Martin Luther