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I've always wondered whether such stories were apocryphal creations within Catholic traditions because I've usually encountered them as reports of Luther's defense of his addition of the word "allein" in his translation of Romans 3:28 as part of the "sola fidei" argument, eg When asked why he was adding the word "alone" to St. Paul in Romans 3:28, Martin Luther said, "It is so. And I will have it so. And my will is reason enough. It is so because I, Dr. Martin Luther, say it is so. But such paraphrases do rather capture the tone of Ein sendbrief D. M. Luthers. Von Dolmetzschen und Fürbit der heiligenn"in *Dr. Martin Luthers Werke*, (Weimar: Hermann Boehlaus Nachfolger, 1909), Band 30, Teil II, pp. 632-646. But I will return to the subject at hand. If your papist wishes to make a great fuss about the word *sola* (alone), say this to him: "Dr. Martin Luther will have it so, and he says that a papist and a donkey are the same thing." *Sic volo, sic iubeo, sit pro ratione voluntas*. (2) <http://www.bible-researcher.com/luther01.html#note2> For we are not going to be students and disciples of the papists. Rather, we will become their teachers and judges. For once, we also are going to be proud and brag, with these blockheads; and just as Paul brags against his mad raving saints, I will brag against these donkeys of mine! Are they doctors? So am I. Are they scholars? So am I. Are they preachers? So am I. Are they theologians? So am I. Are they debaters? So am I. Are they philosophers? So am I. Are they logicians? So am I. Do they lecture? So do I. Do they write books? So do Und das ich widder zur sachen kome / Wenn ewer Papist sich viel unnütze machen wil mit dem wort (Sola / Allein) so sagt ihm flugs also / Doctor Martinus Luther wils also haben / und spricht / Papist und Esel sey ein ding / Sic volo / sic iubeo / sit pro ratione voluntas. Denn wir wöllen nicht der Papisten schuler noch iünger / sondern ihre meister und richter sein / Wöllen auch ein mal stoltzieren un pochen mit den Esels köpffen / Und wie Paulus widder seine tollen heiligen sich rhümet / so wil ich mich auch wider diese meine Esel rhümen / Sie sind Doctores? Ich auch. Sie sind gelert? Ich auch. Sie sind Prediger? Ich auch. Sie sind Theologi? Ich auch. Sie sind Disputatores? Ich auch. Sie sind Philosophi? Ich auch. Sie sind Dialectici? Ich auch. Sie sind Legenten? Ich auch. Sie schreiben bücher? Ich auch. http://www.bible-researcher.com/luther01.html On Tue, Apr 14, 2015 at 3:28 PM, Neel Smith <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > "The story about Luther is true because Greg Crane says it is!" > > > On Apr 14, 2015, at 10:06 AM, Gregory Crane <[log in to unmask]> > wrote: > > > > Dear List, > > > > I am preparing a talk about authority, data and scholarship and I would > like to see if anyone can give me the source for a story that I heard > decades ago and never forgot. > > > > When I was in high school, one of my teachers -- an English Benedictine > -- told us the following story. Martin Luther was arguing with someone -- I > think it may have been Erasmus -- about the text of the Greek New > Testament. The argument turned over whether a particular verb was in the > indicative or the subjunctive and thus whether to read omega or omicron. > The argument went on for some time and whatever unfortunately soul was > arguing with Martin Luther had the audacity to rely upon philological > argumentation. In the end, an exasperated Luther had had enough and > declared: "It is an omega, because Martin Luther says it is!" > > > > Does anyone have a source for that? > > > > Greg >