Ulrich Bubenheimer: “Ad fontes – back to the original sources! Getting behind the Editions to the Manuscripts.”
Celebratory Lecture in the Paulinerkirche, Göttingen on 21 November 2022.
Johann Schwertfeger (c.1488–10.5.1524), who attended Karlstadt’s lectures on Augustine as a mature law student, noted on his copy of the “Libellus de aeterna executione” by Staupitz that it was a gift from Luther. Schwertfeger enclosed in a letter of November 1519 to Spalatin theses critical of the Church, he had released them to the public and intended to defend them in a disputation if Spalatin had no objections. By identifying hand-written notes like these allows Schwertfeger to emerge as an active member of the Wittenberg movement engaged in discussion and action. The notes Schwertfeger took of Karlstadt’s lectures on Augustine appear in a new light given this back story.
In the copy of Andreas Karlstadt’s lectures on Augustine which was identified long ago in Edinburgh (cf. Karlstadt-Edition Nr. 64 – Divinae graciae defensione. Sanctissimi Augustini de spiritu et litera liber 1518-1519) marginal notes by Luther are to be found. Thanks to Bubenheimer’s expert knowledge of the handwriting of the young Luther we can confirm that he attended Karlstadt’s lectures on occasion.
This festive lecture was held in honour of Bubenheimer’s 80th birthday.
A collection of Bubenheimer’s articles, entitled Wittenberg 1517–1522. Diskussions-, Aktionsgemeinschaft und Stadtreformation has been edited by Thomas Kaufman and Alejandro Zorzin.