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

Therefore we beg the fanatics not to demand from us a proof of this text, “This is my body.” This is something they might ask seven-year-old boys who are learning to spell these words in school, where they have the Bible in Greek, Latin, and German. But what they ought to have done was to show us a Bible in which was written, “This is a sign of my body.” If they could not do this, they should bridle their mouths and lower their plumes for a while, until they succeeded in producing such a Bible or at least proving with good reasons that this text should be made to read this way. Else they should keep still and not boast, “Where is your Scripture? Where is your Scripture?” unless they scream these words to themselves—as they ought—and not to us. For they are acting against their own conscience. -Martin Luther