Hieronymus Emser was born at Ulm, studied at Tübingen and Basel, and became secretary and chaplain to Duke George of Saxony. A capable humanist, he received Luther at his lodging in Dresden in 1518, and the evening’s argument was reported to the duke to Luther’s harm.

After the Leipzig Debate of 1519, Emser published an open letter claiming to defend Luther from the charge of agreeing with the Hussites, which in fact fastened the charge more firmly on him. Luther replied with a tract addressed “To the Goat Emser,” for a goat appeared on Emser’s coat of arms, and Emser answered “To the Bull of Wittenberg.” When Luther burned the papal bull in December 1520, he threw Emser’s writings into the fire beside it.¹

Emser’s most lasting work answered Luther’s September Testament of 1522. He published a list of what he claimed were some fourteen hundred errors in it, and in 1527 issued his own German New Testament. It was largely Luther’s translation, corrected to agree with the Latin Vulgate, and it even borrowed Cranach’s woodcuts from Luther’s edition.

Emser had published a translation of the Bible in opposition to Luther’s; Eck his Common-places, by way of counterpoise to Melancthon’s.² J. H. Merle d’AubignéHistory of the Reformation, bk. 10, ch. 5

Emser died at Dresden on November 8, 1527. His New Testament was reprinted many times, which means that thousands of Catholic readers in Germany read Luther’s words without knowing it.

Catholic Opponents