# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_September 1861_S273
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

That the Pope at Rome is the Antichrist. 273

...the little horn that grew out of the fourth beast, in the midst of the ten horns: "that is the Pope's dominion, which arose in the midst of the Roman empire, as we have said above." (p. 1854.)

Now this doctrine of Luther's, that the Antichrist foretold by Daniel, Paul, and John is the Pope — a doctrine that indeed already existed before him in the manifold sighs of oppressed saints, but was first set forth at greater length and grounded more deeply by him — this doctrine, in which, incidentally, we distinguish this or that exegetical detail from the total whole, has now been rightly appropriated by the Lutheran church. Not the exegetical details (for instance, whether the little horn of Dan. 7:20 signifies Mohammed or the Pope), but the dogma as a whole is found most clearly in the symbolic books, and from there it passes over to all the old dogmaticians.

In two places in the Apology, Melanchthon speaks of the Roman Antichrist, first in Article 4, on the Church. The Romanists demand: "Necesse est Papam esse Dominum totius orbis terrarum, omnium regnorum mundi, omnium rerum privatarum et publicarum, habere plenitudinem potestatis in temporalibus et spiritualibus, habere utrumque gladium spiritualem et temporalem."*) [It is necessary that the Pope be Lord of the whole world, of all the kingdoms of the world, of all things private and public, and have the fullness of power in temporal and spiritual matters, and hold both the spiritual and the temporal sword.] To this Melanchthon replies: "Haec definitio non ecclesiae Christi, sed regni Pontificii habet auctores non solum canonistas, sed etiam Danielem, Cap. XI, 36."**) (Hase, p. 149.) [This definition has as its authors not the church of Christ but the papal kingdom, and its authors are not only the canonists but Daniel himself, chapter 11:36.] By this the Pope is clearly called Antichrist. Likewise Article 8, on human traditions: "Si hos humanos cultus defendunt adversarii nostri, tamquam promerentes justificationem, gratiam, remissionem peccatorum, simpliciter constituunt regnum Antichristi. Nam regnum Antichristi est novus cultus Dei, exogitatus humana auctoritate, rejiciens Christum, sicut regnum Mohometi habet cultus, habet opera, per quae vult justificari coram Deo, nec sentit homines coram Deo gratis justificari fide propter Christum. Ita et Papatus erit pars regni Antichristi, si sic defendit humanos cultus, quod justificent. — — Daniel capite undecimo significat novos cultus humanos, ipsam formam et πολιτείαν [polity] regni Antichristi fere. Sic enim inquit: Deum Maosim in loco suo colet, et Deum, quem non noverunt patres ejus, colet auro et argento et lapidibus pretiosis. Hic describit novos cultus etc." (Hase, p. 208.)†) Now while this is indeed clear, yet

*) "The Pope must be the most mighty lord in all the world, over all kingdoms, over all lands and peoples, over all goods, spiritual and temporal, and so have in his hand everything, both the temporal and the spiritual sword."

**) "This definition, which does not at all fit the true church but fits well the nature of the Roman Pope, is found not only in the books of the canonists, but Daniel the prophet paints the Antichrist in this same way. Chapter 11:36."

†) "When our adversaries defend these forms of worship as works by which one merits forgiveness of sin and salvation, they thereby set up an openly antichristian doctrine and kingdom, for the kingdom of Antichrist is properly just such a new form of worship, devised by men, whereby Christ is rejected — just as Mohammed's kingdom has self-chosen forms of worship, has its own works, whereby they suppose themselves to become holy and righteous before God, and do not hold that it is by faith in Christ alone