Free in Christ: Lucas Cranach the Elder and Terry Leu Roni Grad

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1 Free in Christ: Lucas Cranach the Elder and Terry Leu Roni Grad Having just celebrated the 500 th Anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation, we are excited to present to you the second of a series of stories of Reformation-era laypeople who lived out their vocations in Christian freedom, paired with the stories of contemporary laypeople in English District congregations who are doing the same. The second of these vignettes features Lucas Cranach the Elder, best known as an artist but who was also a gifted businessman, and Terry Leu, also a gifted businessman. Like in the last vignette, you will read of two men who lived in different times and circumstances, but whose stories are remarkably similar. Lucas Cranach the Elder Early life and artistic development Every year on April 6, the church remembers Lucas Cranach the Elder, along with Albrecht Dürer, for the grandeur of their works of art, which depict the glory and majesty and the grace and mercy of the Triune God. 1 Although perhaps best known as the Saxon court painter who went on to become the painter of the Reformation, Lucas Cranach the Elder was also a gifted entrepreneur and politician and used these gifts as well to support Dr. Luther and his proclamation of the Gospel. Lucas Cranach the Elder was born in 1472, in or near Kronach, a city in Upper Franconia, which is now part of Bavaria. 2 His father was a painter/craftsman and was appropriately named Hans Maler, or Hans Painter. 3 The name Lucas was derived from St. Luke, the patron saint of artists in and around Kronach, and the name Cranach was derived from the name of the town in which he was born. 4 He likely apprenticed with his father, whose workshop served the church authorities of the Bishopric of Bamberg, who governed the city of Kronach. 5 Thus, Cranach from very early on was heavily exposed to the production of ecclesiastical art. Around 1500, Cranach left Kronach and made his way to Vienna, where he spent three years. During his time there, he honed his craft, developing a Danube style of art influenced by the humanist-christian masters there, which emphasized the interactions between man and nature. Additionally, Cranach was deeply influenced by the work of Dürer. A particular focus of Cranach s work at the time was on scenes of Christ s Passion and Crucifixion set in the lush landscape settings commonly seen in his part of Germany. 6 Portrait of Frederick the Wise painted by Cranach, photographed by Roni Grad at Coburg Castle Arrival and success in Wittenberg Statue of Lucas Cranach the Elder in courtyard of Cranach mansion at Schlossstrasse 1, Wittenberg. Photograph by Roni Grad By 1505, Cranach had gained widespread recognition as a gifted artist and was appointed court painter to the Elector Frederick the Wise in Wittenberg, a position he would retain for the remainder of his life through two of Frederick s successors. 7 Cranach s starting salary was twice that of his predecessor. He also received a horse, an apartment in the Elector s castle, food, clothing and eventually a workshop in the castle. In addition, the materials for Cranach s

2 artwork were paid separately. For his part, Cranach was expected to use his artistic gifts to document the activities of the court and glorify the Saxon regime. Additionally, he was to help put together various court events, including celebrations, jousts and hunts, which in part entailed the crafting of banners and decorations for these events. 8 Meanwhile, Cranach was free to accept commissions from others, of which he received many. He worked with great efficiency, becoming known as a very speedy painter. 9 One of Cranach s great artistic achievements in the years immediately following his arrival in Wittenberg was the development of expertise in producing woodcuts, a skill which would serve him well later on as a printer and publisher. 10 Cranach coat of arms, Wittenberg. Photograph by Roni Grad Recognizing Cranach s artistic contributions, on January 6, 1508, the Elector presented him with a coat-of-arms, which was highly unusual given that the court artist was not born into the nobility. The Cranach emblem consisted of a winged black serpent wearing a red crown and biting on a gold ring containing a ruby. The winged serpent recalls Chronos, the Greek time god, while the ring signifies eternal life; thus, the crest pointed to an artist who could paint quickly and produce works that would last. Over time, the Cranach shield would come to represent his and his workshop s legal signature. 11 Later, in 1508, Elector Frederick sent Cranach as a delegate to the court of Margaret of Austria, daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, in the Netherlands town of Mechelen, in the hope of a marriage compact with the Hapsburgs. While the hoped-for royal wedding was not to happen, Cranach did meet the eight-year-old Archduke Charles, who was later to become the Emperor Charles V, thus establishing a connection which would later be very beneficial following the defeat of the Schmalkaldic League in Additionally, he was able to spend time studying the work of the Flemish masters, whose style he later integrated into his own work. 12 Cranach the businessman and politician As Cranach became increasingly busy and financially successful, he became one of Wittenberg s major employers, hiring a growing number of artist assistants at various stages of training, as well as ancillary craftsmen, to keep up with production demands. Finding his quarters in the Castle increasingly cramped, by 1512 Cranach had purchased two properties on Market Square in the high-rent district in the very center of Wittenberg, into which he moved his home and workshop. Both properties were fixer-uppers, which Cranach had renovated, and his house was Wittenberg s largest residence. Cranach also acquired a house in Gotha through marriage and additionally owned several small properties and plots of land, renting out some of these. By 1528, he owned more real estate than anyone else in Wittenberg and was one of the three richest men in the city. 13 The Cranach house at Markt 4, Wittenberg. Cranach lived here while his mansion at Schlossstrasse 1 was being renovated. This building was the original site of the Cranach pharmacy. Photograph by Roni Grad Having been wildly successful as an artist-entrepreneur and real estate mogul, Cranach began to further diversify his business interests, which would add a level of security through the iconoclastic threats of the early post-reformation years and add to the family fortunes over the ensuing generations. One of Cranach s properties contained a very lucrative pharmacy. After the original owner died, Cranach negotiated the inheritance of the pharmacy license, which was eventually granted to him and Christian Döring, the

3 Cranach pharmacy, now located at what was the Cranach mansion at Schlossstrasse 1, Wittenberg. Photograph by Roni Grad goldsmith who was to become his business partner on December 12, With this license the owners were given a monopoly on the sale of medications, sugar, sealing wax, rat poison, beer and fresh wine, a veritable jackpot! Jealous merchants accused Cranach, who was not a university-trained pharmacist and was slow to hire one, of selling impure medications and price gouging. Finally, the city, with the intervention of the Elector, gave the pharmacy a clean bill of health. Eventually, Cranach hired the pharmacist Caspar Pfreundt, the husband of his youngest daughter Anna; following the exile of the senior Cranach in 1550 in the wake of military defeat, the couple ran the pharmacy until 1577, eventually passing it down to their heirs. The pharmacy continues to operate to this day in the Cranach mansion at Schlossstraße In late 1519, Cranach and Döring entered the printing industry. Cranach at the time also bought a paper mill, facilitating the production of books and broadsheets. Conveniently, Döring owned a shipping business, which facilitated the distribution of the published materials. The printing press was located with the art workshop in the Cranach mansion. Cranach s ongoing work in the development of the woodcut technique dramatically transformed the book publishing industry as he developed the single woodcut title page frame, with a blank central panel into which the title of the text could be added. This allowed Cranach to adapt many of his artistic motifs, the Biblical and theological, the ancient classics and the landscape scenes, to his book printing projects. Printers elsewhere quickly copied Cranach s designs, as the printing industry as a whole took a giant leap forward in quality. 15 When Dr. Luther was ready to publish his German translation of the New Testament during the summer of 1522, he assigned the complex task to Cranach and Döring, as they were the only printing group in Wittenberg capable of taking this on and having the book ready and delivered to Frankfurt in time for the September book fair. 16 The German New Testament was a huge commercial success, resulting in tremendous profits for Cranach and Döring. The Cranach print shop greatly assisted in the spread of the Reformation through the publication of broadsheets and, in addition to Dr. Luther s German New Testament, many of the writings of the Reformer. Cranach used the central panel of the title pages of Dr. Luther s books to prominently highlight the Luther name, as well as the name of the city of Wittenberg, thus cementing the brand identity, Martin Luther of Wittenberg. The surrounding woodcut art on these title pages was used by Cranach to convey the idea that the message of the Reformation, Luther s message, deserved to be arrayed in magnificence. 17 Over time though, the quality of the workmanship suffered as they lost their gifted employee Melchior Lotter the Title page of Dr. Luther's 1520 treatise On the Freedom of a Christian Man, printed in the Cranach printshop, one of two Wittenberg printers to publish this seminal work. Photographed by Roni Grad at the Concordia Historical Institute Museum in the LCMS International Center, St. Louis Cranach printshop, part of the Cranach mansion complex at Schlossstrasse 1, Wittenberg. Photograph by Roni Grad Younger. Adding insult, in the chaos of the Peasants War in the mid 1520s, a popular Latin Bible printed by Cranach and Döring was pirated and widely distributed. The cumulative stress took a toll, and by 1528, Cranach had largely withdrawn from the printing business. 18

4 During the same year that he began in the printing business, Cranach assumed a position on the Wittenberg city council, beginning a thirty-year vocation in local politics. He immediately served in the office of the city treasury, later serving two more terms. Additionally, Cranach eventually served three terms as Bürgermeister (mayor), in 1537, 1540 and During his first term, he established his reputation as a strict enforcer and ordered the execution of criminals and accused witches on three separate occasions! 19 Cranach and Luther By 1518, Cranach and Dr. Luther had begun collaborating, and their relationship quickly grew to be symbiotic. 20 Cranach and Georg Spalatin, secretary and librarian to the Elector and friend of Luther from 1512, served as the Reformer s intermediaries and advocates to the court. 21 When in 1519 Dr. Luther s popularity was quickly rising, the Elector commissioned Cranach to produce a portrait of the Reformer to allow the people of Saxony and elsewhere to put a face to his name. The final product, approved in 1522, would be one of many that Cranach would paint of Luther, giving us to this day a beautiful glimpse into the man and his life. Cranach soon followed this with his famous portrait of Dr. Luther in his Wartburg disguise of Junker Jörg. 22 Cranach's 1516 work The Ten Commandments. Some scholars believe that Cranach collaborated with Dr. Luther on this project. Photographed by Roni Grad at the Lutherhaus Museum, Wittenberg Cranach and Luther quickly became confidants to each other. In a famous letter written April 28, 1521, during a stop in Frankfurt following his departure from the Worms Reichstag (where he had declared, Here I stand in response to the demand of Emperor Charles V that he recant his teachings and writings), Dr. Luther revealed to Cranach his frustration at not having been given the opportunity to defend himself in a theological debate. In the same letter, he foreshadowed his imminent protective kidnapping though giving no details as to where he would be held. 23 Cranach in turn wrote to Dr. Luther during his time at the Wartburg Castle, to alert him to the radical iconoclasm of Andres Bodenstein von Karlstadt and the three Zwickau Prophets who had stepped into the vacuum left by his internment and were stripping the Wittenberg churches bare of all decorative arts. This prompted Luther to return to Wittenberg and begin the process to have Karlstadt removed. 24 Dr. Luther's study at Wartburg Castle with the Cranach painting depicting the reformer in his disguise. Photograph by Roni Grad The Cranach and Luther families were very close. In 1521, Dr. Luther was godfather to the Cranachs daughter Anna 25. Following her escape from the Nimbschen Cloister, Katharina von Bora lived in the Cranach mansion, where she served as a maid but was treated as a daughter. 26 Dr. Luther courted von Bora at the Cranach mansion, and Lucas and Barbara Cranach were present at the wedding, which was noted for the absence of Philipp Melanchthon, Dr. Luther s colleague at the University. 27 Among Luther s close friends,

5 Cranach was the only one who had experience in married life, as well as in commerce, and was able to offer the Reformer practical guidance as he worked through his theology on the three estates and the central role of the estate of marriage as the underpinning of society. In that context, Cranach was a great support to Dr. Luther in his own marriage as well. 28 Barbara and Lucas Cranach were the godparents for the Luthers first child Hans, and Mrs. Cranach and Mrs. Luther were good supports for each other. 29 Cranach was one of the regular guests at the Tischreden (Table Talk) events at the Lutherhaus. 30 It is likely that Dr. Luther made a pastoral visit to Cranach on the occasion of the death of his son Hans. 31 Finally, Cranach was one of the dignitaries who marched in Dr. Luther s funeral procession in February Cranach the artist Photographed at the Lutherhaus Museum by Roni Grad Cranach was first and foremost an artist, and his gifts were invaluable to Dr. Luther, who understood that humans by nature create images in their minds, and that good Christian art helps individuals to receive and keep the faith. The two thus collaborated on art that would reinforce the Reformation message, making ample use of oil paint and woodcut in producing images for altar panels, church walls and various publications. Cranach artwork illustrated the 1534 Lutherbibel, the first complete German Bible. 33 Among Cranach s great pieces are several worth highlighting. Cranach s 1529 painting Law and Gospel is a poignant illustration of the anthropologic reality and a rebuttal of the Roman Catholic theology of worksrighteousness. 34 A series of Cranach paintings, which Cranach's 1547 Wittenberg Altar at the Stadtkirche, Wittenberg. Photograph by Roni Grad appeared during the 1530s addressing the theme, Christ Blessing the Children, depicted a group of infants and older children brought by their mothers to Christ over the objection of His disciples, so that He might lay His hands on them and pray. This Biblical motif had been largely ignored in Christian art until Cranach s work, one that served to affirm the Scriptural basis of infant baptism against the attacks of the Anabaptists. 35 Finally, Cranach s 1547 Wittenberg Altar poignantly depicts the Marks of the Church, with powerful emphases again on infant baptism, as well as confession/absolution, Christ s real presence in the Lord s Supper, with the proclamation of Christ and Him crucified (Romans 2:2) at the foundation; a beautiful expression of thanks to God for all He had done through His servant Dr. Luther, whom He had called home just the year prior. 36 Later years In the run-up to the Schmalkaldic War ( ), the Cranach workshop, mostly working from Torgau, was heavily involved in the preparations, crafting banners and coats of arms, and helping prepare the weapons for the Lutheran troops. 37 Following the defeat of the Schmalkaldic League at Mühlberg on April 24, 1547, and the subsequent occupation of Wittenberg on May 19, 1547, the Elector John Frederick was removed from his office and placed under house arrest. Cranach was similarly stripped of his title as court painter and along with that lost his salary and benefits. 38 Cranach initially remained in Wittenberg, maintaining contact with John Frederick and also trying to maintain cash-flow, which had become quite difficult in the aftermath of defeat! 39 Cranach met privately with the

6 victorious Emperor Charles V, who had fondly remembered his meeting with the artist in the Netherlands back when he was 8 years of age. After reminiscing about the event, Cranach was able to extract a pledge of clemency from the Emperor toward John Frederick. 40 Cranach continued to maintain close contact with John Frederick and in 1550, when he decided to leave Wittenberg, benefited from the offer of a carriage from the former Elector, to facilitate his travels. Prior to his departure, Cranach transferred ownership of the workshop to his son Lucas Jr. and resigned his position on the city council. Cranach went first to Weimar to be with his daughter Barbara and her husband Christian Brück, Jr. From there, he traveled to Augsburg to be reunited on July 23, 1550 with John Frederick. During his time in Augsburg, Cranach produced a number of artworks. In 1552, Cranach accompanied John Frederick to Innsbruck, where the former Elector received an imperial pardon and the title of Duke. Cranach once again became an employee of John Frederick, serving him from Weimar, where he finally settled. Cranach died at the home of his daughter and son-in-law on October 16, 1553 and was buried in St. Jacob s cemetery. 41 In 1555, Cranach s son Lucas Jr. painted the Weimar Altarpiece, depicting the senior artist wedged between St. John the Baptist and Dr. Luther and being covered by a stream of blood flowing from the body of Christ on the Cross, a fitting tribute to a man who was to Dr. Luther what Aaron and Hur were to Moses (Exodus 17:8-13) and Barnabas was to St. Paul (Acts 13:2). 42 Terry Leu Board of Directors, English District and member, Prince of Peace Evangelical Lutheran Church, Medina, OH Describe your faith journey: I was born an LCMS Lutheran, even at Lutheran Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio! I have been raised in the Lutheran faith all my life. I was baptized on Fathers Day 1956 at Messiah Lutheran Church, Fairview Park, OH, and confirmed at Prince of Peace on May 17, My father was Ohio District Walther League President and my mother was a Lutheran pre-school teacher. My father and uncle were two of the founding fathers of Prince of Peace, and I was able to observe Church Council meetings in our family room before we had a church building! Church was never a Sunday morning option; it was a given! God and faith have always been important to me. I considered a career as a DCE but my father talked me out of it by asking, What will you do when you outgrow the kids? The funny part of that is that I am now a bit over 60 and still have a passion for youth, having led groups to ten National Youth Gatherings, and am planning on being in Minneapolis in 2019! Describe your congregation: Prince of Peace is a congregation akin to a person at mid life trying to figure out what comes next. Sunday morning attendance is about 225 divided between two services, one contemporary and one traditional. Over the course of our history, we have had six pastors. Our first two were called by the English District to serve as missionaries-at-large to the Medina community, two served over 20 years each, and two were called first as Associates and moved on to calls at our congregation as sole pastors. We are financially healthy by the

7 grace of God! Like many congregations, though, our leadership core is aging and tiring and younger people are struggling to find time to serve in leadership positions. Our building is showing signs of aging and a greater portion of our budget is being used to maintain what we have. Our Youth Program is our pride and joy! We have sent our youth on mission trips both near (Gary, WV) and far (Lummi Nation Indian Reservation in Bellingham, WA) for at least 15 years in a row! We recently called a DCE to lead this program, and I am excited to be able to help him. We share God s love locally through a program called Operation Homes, through which we house homeless people in our county one week every two months. Describe your vocational callings/how God is using you: 1. in your home: I met my wonderful wife Carolyn at the 1988 English District Convention. She was the delegate from Mt. Olive, Cleveland Heights, while I was the delegate from Prince of Peace. God blessed us with a son, who was born with anencephaly and lived eight hours and is now in Heaven. God also blessed us with a son whom we adopted at the age of five weeks and who is a senior at Lutheran High School West in the Cleveland suburb of Rocky River. 2. in your church: At Prince of Peace, I have held just about every existing elected position, including Executive Director, Assistant Director, Head Elder and Trustee. Currently, I am serving on the Board of Education and Youth. I also serve as Confirmation teacher, Senior High Sunday School teacher, and Youth Group advisor. I share responsibility for our Second Sunday Family Sunday School openings. At the District level, I am serving my second term as a member of the Board of Directors (BoD), a position which I enjoy very much as it gives me a chance to see God at work throughout our District. I am the BoD representative on the English District Endowment Fund Board of Managers. I am also active in the Cleveland Combined Circuits. 3. in your community: I am now retired from owning my own business retailing chicken for 25 years as the Chicken King of Cleveland in the city s West Side Market. What joys have you experienced in your vocational callings? While I was working, I served customers from across the economic spectrum and was able to share my faith with them on numerous occasions. One of my greatest joys was having been able to serve the poor. I will never forget October 5, 2012, when President Obama visited the Market! Unsurprisingly, I lost business that day, but did have the opportunity to briefly visit with the President, an encounter which was carried in the local paper. Perhaps my most poignant memory was praying for a customer whose husband lay dying in the hospital. What challenges have you experienced in your vocational callings? My biggest challenge came as I was preparing to retire and the City Manager mocked me for wanting to spend my time, doing that silly church stuff. This still raises my blood pressure as I think of this! What advice do you have for the youth and young adults of our church? Be yourself! Don t try to be somebody else or what you think somebody wants you to be. God has made each of us unique and has given us different gifts; USE THEM! He knows why He gave them to you!

8 What is your favorite Bible verse? Matthew 28:16-20, The Great Commission. Mostly the ending, And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. What better comfort than knowing He is with me always! What is your favorite hymn? I m but a Stranger Here. (LSB 748) Why? The next line, Heaven is my home. Summary These two Lutheran laymen may be separated in time by 500 years, but, like the two in our first profile, they are united in their focus on Christ and Him crucified as the source and focal point of their work, putting Him first in all things, in the realms of both His Right and Left Hand Kingdoms. Both Lucas Cranach the Elder and Terry Leu were very successful businessmen who used their gifts to support the work of the church, transmitting the Gospel to others. Reading about them points us all to Christ! Lucas Cranach the Elder was, and Terry Leu is, truly free in Him to serve in their homes, their churches and their communities! End Notes 1. Scot A. Kinnaman, gen ed, Treasury of Daily Prayer (St Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2008), Upper Franconia is in northeastern Bavaria and is designated Upper due to its location on the Main River. Kronach is 30 miles east of Coburg. 3. Steven Ozment, The Serpent and the Lamb. Cranach, Luther and the Making of the Reformation (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2011), Ozment, Serpent, Ozment, Serpent, Extensively discussed in Ozment, Serpent, A nice brief statement on the Danube style can be found in the profile of Lucas Cranach on the Concordia Seminary Reformation 500 webpage, (downloaded April 24, 2017). While Lucas Cranach met Albrecht Dürer in person in Nürnberg in 1524, historians suspect that Cranach had likely spent some time in Dürer s workshop during the early formative period in his career around the turn of the century; see (accessed April 28, 2017), also Ozment, Serpent, Andrew Pettegree, Brand Luther (New York: Penguin Books, 2015), What attracted the Elector to the works of Cranach was his close approximation to Dürer s style. Dürer may have been one of the individuals who recommended Cranach to the Elector, the others may have been Conrad Celtis, Viennese poet and friend to both Cranach and the Elector, and Konrad Mutian, a humanist scholar who lived in Gotha, see Ozment, Serpent, It is important to note the possibility that Cranach may have been previously employed by the Elector in Coburg, between 1495 and 1500, possibly recommended at the time by the Elector s brother Johann, see Sam Wellman, Frederick the Wise, Seen and Unseen Lives of Martin Luther s Protector (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2015), 98.

9 8. Ozment, Serpent, 62-63, also Pettegree, Brand Luther, Of note, one of the features of the humanism was a revival of interest in Greek and Roman thought, possibly bolstered in Germany by the rediscovery of Tacitus Germania in One of Cranach s tasks was to create works, which told the story of Saxon society rooted in ancient Greece and Rome, and also in Scripture. 9. Pettegree, Brand Luther, Pettegree, Brand Luther, One of Cranach s major tasks was the crafting of the 1509 Wittenberger Heiltumsbuch, the catalogue of the 117 gold and silver reliquaries holding a total of 5,005 relics owned by the Elector. Worshippers could visit the Schlosskirche (Castle Church) on the Monday following Misericordias Domini (the third Sunday in Easter) to view all of the relics, for which the Pope rewarded them with generous indulgences. See Wellman, Frederick, , also Ozment, Serpent, 81-82, and Pettegree, Brand Luther, Ozment and Pettegree point out the display of the relics in the Castle Church yearly on All Saints Day, which meant that many pilgrims were in Wittenberg when Dr. Luther posted his theses. 11. Ozment, Serpent, Ozment, Serpent, 73-75, also Pettegree, Brand Luther, Ozment, Serpent, 89-93, also Pettegree, Brand Luther, The quote is from Ozment, Ozment, Serpent, 92, 101, , also Pettegree, Brand Luther, 152. An interesting anecdote from Cranach s work in the pharmacy was his link to Valerius Cordus ( ), who taught at the University of Wittenberg and was eventually to publish the Nürnberg Dispensatorium, the first modern pharmacopoeia (text of official standards for prescriptions), see Teresa Huguet-Termes, Standarising drug therapy in Renaissance Europe? The Florence (1499) and Nuremberg pharmacopoeia (1546) Medicina & Storia, Volume 11, Supplement 1 (December 2011), p Available at: < (accessed May 9, 2017) 15. Pettegree, Brand Luther, Pettegree, Brand Luther, The book became known as the September Testament; a 1918 reprint of the text is digitized on-line and can be found at (accessed May 12, 2017) 17. Pettegree, Brand Luther, The quote is from page Ozment, Serpent, , 115, also Pettegree, Brand Luther, 195. For a brief description of the Peasants War see (accessed May 12, 2017) 19. Ozment, Serpent, 103, Pettegree, Brand Luther, Ozment, Serpent, 120, 297(n). There is some suggestion that Cranach and Luther may have collaborated on the 1516 panel The Ten Commandments, which at the time was crafted for the Wittenberg Town Hall and now resides in the Lutherhaus museum. By 1518, Cranach was illustrating Luther s writings. 21. Ozment, Serpent, 122, also Pettegree, Brand Luther, 39. The relationship between the Elector and Dr. Luther was complex. There is actually no evidence that Dr. Luther ever met and interacted with the Elector in person. Frederick certainly admired Dr. Luther s intellectual prowess. Further, he recognized that the combination of Luther and Philipp Melanchthon on the faculty lent tremendous prestige to the university he had founded in 1502, thus drawing in many students. The Elector s response to Dr. Luther s attack on indulgences was nuanced; while he was irritated at the Reformer s attack on the veneration of relics, which threatened a

10 major source of income for the electoral court, he encouraged Luther in his attack on Tetzel s indulgence collection, which was diverting money away from Saxony. As Dr. Luther was very popular in Saxony, had Frederick attacked him or turned him over to Rome, he would have lost the support of a sizeable portion of the population with attendant consequences in his maneuverings with the Holy Roman Empire and with Rome. The Elector thus defended and protected his subject: notable examples including during Luther s travel to the Augustinian meeting at Heidelberg in 1518, in a letter to the Roman Curia in the aftermath of the Reformer s defense of his Theses to Cardinal Cajetan at the 1518 Augsburg Reichstag, and again following his powerful refusal to recant at the 1521 Worms Reichstag. Dr. Luther, for his part, wrote words of comfort to the Elector, soothing him in a time of ill health and melancholy following the death of two of his close friends. Frederick tried to walk a narrow path between Dr. Luther and Rome and at times did call on the Reformer to restrain himself in his writings. While there is no evidence that Frederick ever recanted his Roman Catholic faith, he did admire Luther s approach to Scripture and on his deathbed in 1525 received the Lord s Supper in both kinds. Drs. Luther and Melanchthon both spoke at his burial service in the Wittenberg Schlosskirche, and the Luther hymn Aus tiefer Not (later translated by Catherine Winkworth, From Depths of Woe I Cry to Thee, LSB 607) was sung. See for example Wellman, Frederick, 126, 157, 159, 163, , , 185, 192, 196, , 227, Ozment, Serpent, 120, , also Pettegree, Brand Luther, The letter is reproduced in D Martin Luthers Werke, Kritische Gesamtausgabe, Briefwechsel, 2 Band (Weimar: Hermann Böhlaus Nachfolger, 1931), 305. In English, the letter can be found at Gottfried G Krodel and Helmut T Lehman, eds. Luther s Works, Volume 48, Letters I (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1963), The letter was written on Jubilate Thursday, and in the foreshadowing of his protective custody away from the limelight, Dr. Luther quoted St John 16:16, from the Jubilate Gospel pericope. Resurrection Sunday that year was April 3, and Jubilate falls on the third Sunday following the Feast. 24. Ozment, Serpent, The Zwickau Prophets were three radical preachers from the city of Zwickau. Karlstadt eventually settled in with Ulrich Zwingli in Zurich. 25. Bonnie Noble, Lucas Cranach the Elder: Art and Devotion in the German Reformation (Lanham: University Press of America, 2009), Rudolf K Markwald and Marilynn Morris Markwald, A Reformation Life, Katharina Von Bora (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2002), Markwald and Markwald, Katharina, Ozment, Serpent, Of note, Cranach s nude figures were, in the words of Steven Ozment, lighter, down to earth, modestly endowed, yet no less engaging than the figures of the Italian and other German masters of the time; Ozment, Serpent, 52. These depictions served to complement Dr. Luther s teaching of the divine purpose of the sex drive within the estate of marriage, in the creation of children and families. 29. Markwald and Markwald, Katharina, Markwald and Markwald, Katharina, Noble, Cranach, Markwald and Markwald, Katharina, Ozment, Serpent, , One early piece resulting from the collaboration between Cranach and Luther was the 1521 pamphlet, The Passion of the Christ and Anti-Christ, contrasting our Lord s Passion with the failings of the Pope.

11 34. Bonnie Noble, "Lucas Cranach the Elder, Law and Gospel (Law and Grace)," in Smarthistory, August 9, 2015, (Accessed June 8, 2017) 35. Christine Ozarowska Kibish, Lucas Cranach s Christ Blessing the Children: A Problem of Lutheran Iconography The Art Bulletin, Volume 37, Number 3 (1955), p The Scripture references for this work are St. Matthew 19:13-15; St. Mark 10:13-16 and St. Luke 18: The Seven Marks of the Church as taught by Dr. Luther are God s Word, Baptism, the Lord s Supper, the Office of the Keys, called Pastors, prayer and Cross bearing. See Eugene FA Klug, Luther s Understanding of Church in His Treatise On the Councils and the Church of 1539 Concordia Theological Quarterly, Volume 44, Number 1 (1980), p Of note, in this altarpiece, one sees the prominent presence of called and ordained men exercising the functions exclusive to the Office of the Holy Ministry, namely Dr. Luther as preacher, the Stadtkirche Pastor, Johannes Bugenhagen, exercising the Office of the Keys, and Christ Himself administering His Supper (in this case to Judas, to his judgment [1 Corinthians 11:29]). Laymen are seen baptizing (Philipp Melanchthon) and assisting with the distribution of the Supper (Cranach offering the Cup to Dr. Luther). An attitude of prayer is apparent in many of the individuals pictured, as is the Cross-bearing (perhaps most notably through the depiction of Dr. Luther in his Junker Jörg disguise). 37. Ozment, Serpent, Ozment, Serpent, 251, Many individuals owed Cranach money and never paid their debts! Ozment Serpent, Ozment, Serpent, Ozment, Serpent, The painting can be seen at (accessed June 9, 2017)