the mystical theology of valentin weigel - DataSpace at Princeton ...

than submit (he even references the torments of the early martyrs, who were thrown to
the lions, or burned to death). 123 However, Weigel then details the Christian’s obligation
to be obedient and humble, as God commands in the Bible, an obedience that is mandated
only for what he terms the outer man, who must submit to rulers in matters that do not
concern the soul.
The practical implications of this obligation to obedience depend entirely on how
much is classified as “outer” and how much as “inner”—and Weigel is unusual in
assigning all physical actions to the outer man, even those that concern religious practice.
Luther, for instance, believed that actions concerning matters of religion and salvation,
such as monastic exercises, indulgences and offering masses for the dead could be
considered “external” insofar as they actually did not affect the soul as the Roman
Church claimed. But these practices ultimately fall under the ambit of the inner man
because performing these actions would jeopardize the health of the soul, because doing
so would cause the faithful to neglect the true basis of salvation. For example, Luther
fought long and hard against the sale of papal indulgences because they misled the
faithful into thinking that the indulgence itself caused sins to be forgiven. 124 Insofar as
123 “GOtt ist allein in Christo HErr uber die Gläubigen, unnd kein Keyser, Fürst nocht Regent auff Erden, er
setzet keinen Stadthalter, er lehret den Glauben selbst.” Should a worldly ruler demand conformity of belief
(“darumb gläube wie ich und mein gantzes Land glübet”), it is better to let one’s outer body die as the early
martyrs did as a way of proving that one’s internal faith cannot be affected by any earthly force: “So aber
der gläubig innere Mensche sich unterwürffe der Gewalt, und wolte gehorsam seyn, er liesse ehe seinen
eussern Menschen in den Graben für die Lewen, oder in den fewrigen Ofen werffen, anzuzeigen, daß sein
innerlicher Mensche niemands untherthan were auff Erden.” Valentin Weigel, Kirchen- oder Hauspostille,
ed. Horst Pfefferl, Vol. 12, Part 1 (Stuttgart, Bad Cannstatt: Frommann-Holzboog, 2010), 88.
124 As Luther writes in his Disputatio pro declaratione virtutis indulgentiarum from 1517 (the so-called 95
Theses): “Opinari venias papales tantas esse, ut solvere possint hominem, etiam si quis per imposibile dei
genitricem violasset, Est insanire.” Luther argues instead: “Dicimus contra, quod venie papales nec
minimum venialium peccatorum tollere possint quo ad culpam.” WA1, 237:7-10.
44