Bulla Contra Errores Martini Lutheri Et Sequacium

Latin Learning Latin
1

Bannandrohungsbulle Leo X. “Exsurge Domine”, 15. Juni 1520

Bannandrohungsbulle – a noun of some sort. I would have expected nominative, but that does not agree with bulla below, which appears to be a 1st-decl fem. I suppose that I recognize “bann,” (weddings banns), “andro” (man), and “bulla” (papal bull).

Exsurge Domine – “Rise/Take action, Lord.” Exsurge is imp., act., ind. from exsurgō, surrēxi [3]. Domine is vocative, 2nd-decl. dominus.

BULLA CONTRA ERRORES MARTINI LUTHERI ET SEQUACIUM

“Bull against the errors of Martin Luther and of his followers”

BULLA – nom. fem. 1st decl
ERRORES – acc because of contra, so it must be 3rd or 5th decl. In fact m. error, ōris, m. 3rd-decl.
MARTINI LUTHERI – gen. masc. 2nd. decl.
SEQUACIUM – pl. gen. 3rd. decl. sequāx, sequācis adj.

Leo Episcopus Servus Servorum Dei

“Bishop Leo Servant of the Servants of God”

Ad perpetuam rei memoriam.

“For the memory of the thing forever.”

I’m not sure if “ad” can be translated “for”. “rei” could also be dative, but I don’t see how that would make sense.

Vorwort. Der Papst ruft Gott, den Heiligen Petrus und den Heiligen Paulus und alle anderen Heiligen gegen die neuen Feinde der Kirche an.

Forward. The Pope calls on God, Saint Peter, Saint Paul, and all of the other saints, against the new enemy of the Church.

(If only Latin and Greek were that easy.)

2

Bannandrohungsbulle is German. Papal bull (Bulle) with a warning (An-drohung) of excommunication (Bann). When Luther defied it (he publicly burnt it), he was duly excommunicated.

Ad perpetuam rei memoriam just puts the matter on permanent record. rei genitive.

3

Of course! Bannandrohungsbulle makes much more sense when I read it in German. How strange.

Also, here is Erasmus on Luther and the Pope (letter 1195).

I’ve only read Froude’s translation of the above, but I hope to know Latin well enough to read Erasmus’ letters one day.

It is strange to see how the two factions goad each other on, as if they were in collusion. Luther has hurt himself more than he has hurt his opponents by his last effusions, while the attacks on him are so absurd that many think the Pope wrong in spite of themselves.

4

Only one small thing: German Vorwort is ‘foreword’, of course. But I wonder if this is no genuine mistake from your part, if you merely wrote foreword phonetically and it appeared typed as “forward”.

I hope you don’t mind my saying, but the mix-up on Bannandrohungsbulle was wonderful and put a smile on my face (not of derisive kind!). Don’t worry, everyone makes mistakes of that sort every now and then. I know I do.

And I really hope you continue with this and the Luther one. I’m willing to comment, as are others I’m sure.

5

Thanks for posting this. For some reason I had never read it although I read quite a few others of Erasmus’ letters.

:smiley: