This book of Zwingli is much sharper than his former writings on the subject. He abstains
indeed from abusive language, and says that God’s Word must decide the controversy, and not
opprobrious terms, as fanatic, devil, murderer, heretic, hypocrite, which Luther deals out so freely.^844
But he and his friends applied also very unjust terms against the Lutherans, such as Capernaites,
flesh-eaters, blood-drinkers, and called their communion bread a baked God.^845 Moreover, Zwingli
assumes an offensive and provoking tone of superiority, which cut to the quick of Luther’s
sensibilities. Take the opening sentence: "To Martin Luther, Huldrych Zwingli wishes grace and
peace from God through Jesus Christ the living Son of God, who, for our salvation, suffered death,
and then left this world in his body and ascended to heaven, where he sits until he shall return on
the last day, according to his own word, so that you may know that he dwells in our hearts by faith
(Eph. 3:17), and not by bodily eating through the mouth, as thou wouldest teach without God’s
Word." Towards the end he says, with reference to Luther’s attack upon Bucer: "Christ teaches us
to return good for evil. Antichrist reverses the maxim, and you have followed him by abusing the
pious and learned Bucer for translating and spreading your books .... Dear Luther, I humbly beseech
you not to be so furious in this matter as heretofore. If you are Christ’s, so are we. It behooves us
to contend only with the Word of God, and to observe Christian self-control. We must not fight
against God, nor cloak our errors by his Word. God grant unto you the knowledge of truth, and of
thyself, that you may remain Luther, and not become louvtrion.^846 The truth will prevail. Amen."
Oecolampadius wrote likewise a book in self-defense.^847 Luther now came out, in March,
1528, with his Great "Confession on the Lord’s Supper," which he intended to be his last word in
this controversy.^848 It is his most elaborate treatise on the eucharist, full of force and depth, but also
full of wrath. He begins again with the Devil, and rejoices that he had provoked his fury by the
defense of the holy sacrament. He compares the writings of his opponents to venomous adders. I
shall waste, he says, no more paper on their mad lies and nonsense, lest the Devil might be made
still more furious. May the merciful God convert them, and deliver them from the bonds of Satan!
I can do no more. A heretic we must reject, after the first and second admonition (Tit. 3:10).
Nevertheless, he proceeds to an elaborate assault on the Devil and his fanatical crew.
The "Confession" is divided into three parts. The first is a refutation of the arguments of
Zwingli and Oecolampadius; the second, an explanation of the passages which treat of the Lord’s
Supper; the third, a statement of all the articles of his faith, against old and new heresies.
(^844) "Es wirt hie Gottes Wort Oberhand gwünnen, nit ’Schwärmer, Tüfel, Schalk, Ketzer, Mörder, Ufrührer, Glychsner [Gleissner] oder
Hüchler, trotz, potz, plotz, blitz, donder [Donner], Po, pu, pa, plump,’ und derglychen Schelt-, Schmütz-, und Schänzelwort."Werke, II.
Part II. 29.
(^845) Fleischfresser, Blutsäufer, Anthropophagos, Capernaiten, brödern Gott, gebratener Gott. Luther indignantly protests against these
opprobrious epithets in his Short Confession, "als wären wir solche tolle, unsinnige, rasende Leute, die Christum im Sacrament localiter
hielten, und stückweise zerfrässen, wie der Wolf ein Schaaf, und Blut söffen, wie eine Kuh das Wasser." But in the same breath he pays
the opponents back with interest, and calls them "Brotfresser, Weinsäufer, Seelenfresser, Seelenmörder, eingeteufelt, durchteufelt,
überteufelt." Erl. ed. XXXII. 402-404.
(^846) Water that has been used in washing.
(^847) Secunda, justa et aequa responsio ad Mart. Lutherum. The book is mentioned by Hospinian, but must be very rare, since neither
Löscher nor Walch nor Planck has seen it.
(^848) It was afterwards called the "Great" Confession, to distinguish it from the "Small" Confession which he published sixteen years later
(1544). Erl. ed. XXX. 151-373; Walch, XX. 11 18 sqq. In a letter dated March 28, 1528 (De Wette, III. 296), he informs Link that he sent
copies of his Confession through John Hofmann to Nürnberg, and speaks with his usual contempt of the Sacramentarians. "Zwingel," he
says, "est tam rudis, ut asino queat comparari."