I mentioned last week that I was not planning to work serially through the Lutheran confessions, but would dive in and out wherever whim leads. Today, I’m zooming in to one particular passages in Luther’s Large Catechism.
The Book of Concord contains two catechisms, the large and the small. The small catechism was written and published on broadsheets so heads of household could use them at home. The large catechism, though written for everyone, was especially for clergy. Given that many clergy were themselves only marginally literate, and especially not in Latin, a German-language catechism on the basics of the faith was designed to assist new Lutheran pastors in their preaching and teaching, not to mention their own devotional life.
Both catechisms begin with an explanation of the 10 commandments. Luther introduces an innovation in the catechism here, restating each of the commands (which are mostly negative injunctions) into positive statements. For example, the Small Catechism on the 7th commandment reads (I’ve italicized the positive reframing of the negative commandment):
Thou shalt not steal.
What does this mean?
–Answer: We should fear and love God that we may not take our neighbor's money or property, nor get them by false ware or dealing, but help them to improve and protect their property and business [that their means are preserved and their condition is improved].
In the large catechism, Luther writes far more colloquially, in the colorful, breezy language with which regular readers of Luther have grown familiar.
Therefore they are also called swivel-chair robbers, land- and highway-robbers, not pick-locks and sneak-thieves who snatch away the ready cash, but who sit on the chair [at home] and are styled great nobles, and honorable, pious citizens, and yet rob and steal under a good pretext.
Yes, here we might be silent about the trifling individual thieves if we were to attack the great, powerful arch-thieves with whom lords and princes keep company, who daily plunder not only a city or two, but all Germany…
This is, in short, the course of the world: whoever can steal and rob openly goes free and secure, unmolested by any one, and even demands that they be honored. Meanwhile the little sneak-thieves, who have once trespassed, must bear the shame and punishment to render the former godly and honorable. But let them know that in the sight of God they are the greatest thieves, and that God will punish them as they are worthy and deserve.
Compare this text to the economic situation we’re living in today. In the last three years, the mega-rich made a massive cash grab, the ten richest billionaires seizing as much wealth as, by some estimates, the poorest 3 billion people on the planet combined.
These same billionaires then demand honor and recognition for distributing a pittance of their wealth in the form of grants and gifts. A thief at Walmart is likely to get arrested by the cop providing pro bono security for a local Superstore, but in the meantime the heirs of Walmart buy 100 million dollar paintings using the wealth that has been skimmed over decades from small communities across the world. And they get accolades for doing so.
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