Peter Mosellanus’ vivid portrait of Martin Luther:
“Luther is of medium size, his body thin, and so worn out by burdens of responsibility and study, that you can almost count all his bones. He is in the full maturity of his powers. His voice is clear and beautiful. His learning, and his knowledge of Scripture, are so extraordinary, that he can quote anything perfectly from memory. He understands Greek and Hebrew well enough to give his own judgment on what words and phrases mean. When he speaks, he has a rich store of subjects at his command, and a huge forest of thoughts and words at his disposal. There is nothing lofty or proud about him; he knows how to adapt himself to different people and circumstances. He is always fresh, cheerful and relaxed, with a pleasant expression on his face, no matter how hard his enemies press him—you just cannot help believing that heaven is with him in his mighty labour. However, most people criticise him for not being moderate enough when he argues against his foes; he lacks prudence, and is more cutting in speech than a theologian and reformer ought to be. During the debate he carried a bunch of flowers in his hand, and whenever the argument became heated, he looked at his flowers and smelled them.”
(Peter chaired the Leipzig disputation in July 1519)
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npub12e…c2mlz
2025-01-10 22:07:49
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npub12ey5hqatvdg57z0et9pdg5sjkglzmcjpxmmx90e8l7ry82542ydsdc2mlzPublished at
2025-01-10 22:07:49Event JSON
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"content": "Peter Mosellanus’ vivid portrait of Martin Luther:\n\n“Luther is of medium size, his body thin, and so worn out by burdens of responsibility and study, that you can almost count all his bones. He is in the full maturity of his powers. His voice is clear and beautiful. His learning, and his knowledge of Scripture, are so extraordinary, that he can quote anything perfectly from memory. He understands Greek and Hebrew well enough to give his own judgment on what words and phrases mean. When he speaks, he has a rich store of subjects at his command, and a huge forest of thoughts and words at his disposal. There is nothing lofty or proud about him; he knows how to adapt himself to different people and circumstances. He is always fresh, cheerful and relaxed, with a pleasant expression on his face, no matter how hard his enemies press him—you just cannot help believing that heaven is with him in his mighty labour. However, most people criticise him for not being moderate enough when he argues against his foes; he lacks prudence, and is more cutting in speech than a theologian and reformer ought to be. During the debate he carried a bunch of flowers in his hand, and whenever the argument became heated, he looked at his flowers and smelled them.”\n\n(Peter chaired the Leipzig disputation in July 1519) \n",
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