LUTHERAN THEOLOGICAL REVIEW - Brock University

38 LUTHERAN THEOLOGICAL REVIEW IX
his listeners by insisting that the will of the evil one is far superior to our
created powers, that the Devil “is cleverer than all the saints”, and that he is
a more competent exegete than the scholastic theologians of Paris and
Cologne. 24 The fact of his not bringing about the downfall of the whole
world
is due to the protection and office of the dear angels, which restrains him.
For the Lord God has ordered them to stand and fight against the Devil in
much the same way as a prince commands his officials to rule a territory
and its people against the depredations of street robbers. 25
The Reformer is at one with the foregoing tradition in confessing on the
strength of Mt. 18:10 that each Christian has been assigned his own
guardian angel: “Thus each prince, townsman, house father, in short, each
Christian has his angel who waits on him.” 26 Without going into detail,
however, Luther indicates a certain distaste with scholastic treatment of
angelology. 27 His own presentation of this topic is concrete, not abstract, his
thinking operating not conceptually, but on the level of stark imagery.
Agreeing that angels are created spirits 28 described as “messengers” on
account of their office towards mankind, 29 the Reformer paints the subjects
of this liturgical commemoration with the same folksy colours which he had
used to explain I Pet. 5:8.
If you want to paint the Devil aright before your eyes, imagine a wicked,
poisonous person with an evil mind and will who is also a whopping
trickster that likes to harm and plague people. If you can grasp how such
a heart operates, then you can glimpse a little of the Devil. An angel,
conversely, this is a fine friendly heart, as when you find a man with a
thoroughly sweet heart and a completely gentle will, not tricky and yet
reasonable, wise, and simple. Whoever could see such a heart has the
right colour to paint an angel. 30
24 WA 32:115.24-27.
25 WA 32:115.30-34: “Das er aber das nicht thut und volbringt, das ist der lieben
Engeln schutz und ampt, das wehret, Denn unser Herr Gott hat sie da zu geordnet, das sie
widder den Teuffel sollen stehen und fechten, und gleich wie ein Furst seinen amptleuten
befilht land und leute zu regirn widder die strassenreuber … .”
26 WA 32:116.6-7: “So hat nu ein iglicher Furst, burger, hausvater, Ynn summa ein
iglicher Christ seinen Engel, der auff yhn warte … .”
27 WA 32:118.15-21.
28 WA 32:118.32.
29 WA 32:118.34-119.1.
30 WA 32:118.21-29: “Und wilt den Teufel recht abgemalet sehen, so fasse dir fur einen
bosen gifftigen menschen, der ein bosen synn und willen hat und dazu tueckisch ist, gern die
leute schedigt und plagt: wenn du dir ein solches hertz kanst fassen, wie es geschickt ist, so
sihestu ein stucke vom Teufel. Herwidderumb ein Engel, das ist ein feines freundliches hertz,