Martin Luther to the City of Ratisbon; Wittenberg, 27 November 1542 (Stadtarchiv Regensburg, Reichsstadt Regensburg Ecclesiastica I)

In October 1542, the Ratisbon council decided to introduce the Reformation in the city. With the present letter, Martin Luther (1483–1546) informed the council at its request that Magister Hieronymus Nopp (d. 1551) did not want to accept the pastor’s position in Ratisbon for reason of his humility.

Only when Philip Melanchthon (1497–1560) and Luther had persuaded him that he was duty-bound to apply his great knowledge of Holy Scripture to the performance of the service of God, did he agree. Luther added that Nopp did not want to take up the position until next year’s carnival, since he wanted to practise the art of preaching in Wittenberg until then. Afterwards, he would undergo the judgement of the Ratisbon council in a trial sermon.

As a local chaplain at the Neupfarrkirche (New Parish Church) of Ratisbon, Nopp finally reformed the system of worship of the imperial city. He was born in Herzogenaurach, studied at the University of Wittenberg and worked as a schoolmaster in electoral Saxony.

Probably later, but still during the early modern period, on the letter was added a note with a subject line underneath the recipient’s address. The latter expressly points out that this is Martin Luther’s “own handwriting”. This is evidence of the special attention already paid to the reformer’s writings by his contemporaries.

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