d as Paul
says, 2 Thess. 2, 4. Even the Turks or the Tartars, great
enemies of Christians as they are, do not do this, but they
allow whoever wishes to believe in Christ, and take bodily
tribute and obedience from Christians.

The Pope, however, prohibits this faith, saying that to be
saved a person must obey him. This we are unwilling to do,
even though on this account we must die in God s name. This
all proceeds from the fact that the Pope has wished to be
called the supreme head of the Christian Church by divine
right. Accordingly he had to make himself equal and superior
to Christ, and had to cause himself to be proclaimed the head
and then the lord of the Church, and finally of the whole
world, and simply God on earth, until he has dared to issue
commands even to the angels in heaven. And when we distinguish
the Pope s teaching from, or measure and hold it against, Holy
Scripture, it is found [it appears plainly] that the Pope s
teaching, where it is best, has been taken from the imperial
and heathen law and treats of political matters and decisions
or rights, as the Decretals show; furthermore, it teaches of
ceremonies concerning churches, garments, food, persons and
[similar] puerile, theatrical and comical things without
measure, but in all these things nothing at all of Christ,
faith, and the commandments of God. Lastly, it is nothing else
than the devil himself, because above and against God he urges
[and disseminates] his [papal] falsehoods concerning masses,
purgatory, the monastic life, one's own works and [fictitious]
divine worship (for this is the very Papacy [upon each of
which the Papacy is altogether founded and is standing]), and
condemns, murders and tortures all Christians who do not exalt
and honor these abominations [of the Pope] above all things.
Therefore, just as little as we can worship the devil himself
as Lord and God, we can endure his apostle, the Pope, or
Antichrist, in his rule as head or lord. For to lie and to
kill, and to destroy body and soul eternally, that is wherein
his papal government really consists, as I have very clearly
shown in many books.

In these four articles they will have enough to condemn in the
Council. For they cannot and will not concede us even the
least point in one of these articles. Of this we should be
certain, and animate ourselves with [be forewarned and made
firm in] the hope that Christ, our Lord, has attacked His
adversary, and he will press the