Introduction by Ulrich Bubenheimer (English)

The Passional Christi und Antichristi and the Antithesis figurata Christi et Antichristi¹

Content – Sources – Reception

Ulrich Bubenheimer

1. Structure and Content

In the year 1521 a juxtaposition of Christ and Antichrist, i.e. Christ and the Pope, was produced in the form of an image-text combination that was published anonymously in Latin as well as in German – Antithesis figurata vitae Christi et Antichristi und Passional Christi und Antichristi. None of the contributors to this production –creators of the images, artists, authors of the texts and publishers—revealed their names. In the Wittenberg version, the polemic satire consists of 13 antitheses (numbered here in Roman numerals I-XIII), each depicted in woodcut images. Below each of the total 26 woodcuts (numbered here in Arabic numberals 1-26) is a printed commentary consisting of several lines.

Below is a summary of the image sequence and of the themes depicted in the woodcuts (table 1). With the theme of each individual image I list the sources—Bible and Canon Law—cited in the printed text. Since the individual woodcuts often refer to several biblical passages, I have marked in bold the relevant scene from the life of Christ or in two cases also the Antichrist scene.

Table 1: Image themes, sources and antithetical symbolism in the Passional

Antithesis	Image	Image Theme	Citation (Bible, Canon Law)	Antithetic Symbolism
I	01	Christ refuses the offer of a royal crown	John 6:12 John 18:16Luke 22:25-6	Rejection of crown by Christ / Crowned Pope as secular ruler
02	The Pope weating a crown (tiara) meets princes with canons and soldiers	2 Pet. 2:1-10
II	03	Christ received a crown of thorns	John 19:2	Christ crowned with thorns / Pope crowned with jewels
04	The Pope is crown with the tiara	Dist. 116 c. Constantinus
III	05	Christ washes and kisses his disciples’ feet	John 13:4-17	Christ kisses the feet of others / Pope has others kiss his own feet
06	Pope has his feet kissed	Rev. 13:15De priv. cler., c. Cum olim ##De sent. excom., c. Si summus pontifex ##
IV	07	Christ and Peter paying taxes	Matt. 17:24-27 Rom. 13:4-7	Christ pays taxes / Pope demands freedom from tax for clergy
08	Pope places ban on rulers who tax clergy	Sextus, De immunita-te eccl., c. 1 ##
V	09	Christ with lepers, the lame and the blind	Phil 2:6-8	Humility of Christ / Pride of the Pope
10	Pope enjoys a knights tournament	Dist. 26 c. Quando ##;Glossa ordinaria ##
VI	11	Christ carries his cross	John 4:6Matt. 16:24[John]
# 2 19:17	Christ carries his own cross / Pope has himself carried by others
12	The Pope is carried in a litter	[…]2
c. Si quis suadente
VII	13	Christ is preaching to the people	Luke 4:42-44	Christ is preaching / Pope is hosting a banquet (instead of preaching)
14	The Pope is feasting	De officio ordina., c. Inter cetera ##
VIII	15	Christ is born in a stable	Luke 9:582 Cor. 8:9	Christ in poverty / Pope wages war for wealth
16	Pope dressed in armour and wearing the tiara is waging war	C. 15 q. 6 c.Auctoritatem ##C. 23 q 5 c. Omnium#C. […]3
q. 8 c. Omni ##
IX	17	Entry in Jerusalem: Christ is riding a donkey, accompanied by common people	Matt. 21:1-11 John 12:14-15, 47	Riding on a donkey in poverty / riding on a horse in wealthDestination: Jerusalem / hell
18	Procession to hell: The pope is riding a horse, accompanies by soldiers and high clergy	C. 12 q. 1 c. duo ##dist. 96 c. Constantinus ##Extravag. Joh., c. Super gentes ##
X	19	Sending his disciples, Christ demands poverty	Matt. 10:9-10 Acts 3:6	Call for poverty / Pope bestows wealth
20	The Pope shows a bishop a castle	dist. 80 c. Episcopi ##dist. 70 c. Sanctorum
XI	21	The disciples do not wash their hands before eating	Luke 17:20-21 Matt. 15:1-3 (Isa. 21?)4
(Text: The kingdom of God is internal / the kingdom of the Antichrist is external)
22	The Pope is worshipped by clergy and people	1 Tim. 4:1-3
XII	23	Christ is driving the merchants from the temple	John 2:14-16 Matt 10:8Acts 8:20	Expulsion from the temple / Commerce inside the temple
24	The Pope is selling sealed letters inside the temple	2 Thess 2:4 Dan 11:36-37dist. 19 c. Sic omnis #C. 17. q. 4 c. Nemini #
XIII	25	Christ is ascending to heaven	Acts 1:9-11 Luke 1:33John 12:26	Ascension into heaven / downfall into hell
26	The Pope is cast down into to hell	Rev. 19: 11,15, 20 2 Thess 2:8

Looking at the relation between the illustrations and the sources cited in the text, the following image emerges: only one of the Christ-motifs—Christ is born in a stable (VIII 15)—is not based on one of the cited Bible passages. The motifs for the Antichrist/Pope-scenes are chosed so that they serve as a foil to the corresponding Christ-scenes. In four instances, the Antichrist images are paired with Bible passages (I 2; III 6; XII 24; XIII 26). In these citations, either warnings of false prophets are applied to the Pope (1 Pet. 2:1,10 in I 2) or figures in the book of Revelation are identified as the Pope. Apocalyptic motifs from the Bible have also influenced the depiction of the final two Pope-images (XI 24; XIII 26). However, the texts accompanying the Pope-images do not focus on biblical passages, but rather on the sources of Canon Law, in particular the Decretum Gratiani and the papal decretals. The juxtapisition of biblical texts with Canon Law represents in itself an antithesis: Bible vs. Canon Law. The influence of the legal source texts on the illustrations requires further research. ##[to be continued]

1. Latin Antithesis and German Passional

Martin Luther (1483-1546) first mentions the idea of an “antithesis in images” in a letter on March 7, 1521 to his friend Georg Spalatin (1484-1545), secretary to the Elector Frederick the Wise (1463-1525): Iam paratur Antithesis figurata Christi (et) pap(a)e, bonus pro laicis liber.⁵ (“At the moment an antithesis in images of Christ and the Pope is being prepared, a good work the laity”). The expression chosen here by Luther for the work that is being prepared—Antithesis figurata Christi et papae—is so close to the Latin title of the work—Antithesis figurata vitae Christi et Antichristi—that it may suggest that the version with Latin texts may have been the original, followed next by a translation of the texts for a German edition. To settle this question, a complete comparison of the Latin text version (Antithesis figurata) with the German (Passional) was conducted. For the comparison, the following Wittenberg printings were used:

ANTITHESIS FIGVRATA VITAE

CHRISTI ET ANTHICHRISTI.

AD LECTOREM

Eusebius.

Qua[m] male co[n]ueniant cum Christi pectore Iesu:

[…]. [Wittenberg: Johann Grunenberg, 1521].6

Passional Christi vnd

Antichristi. [Wittenberg: Johann Grunenberg, 1521].7

A comparison of the two confirmed that the Geman text is a translation of the Latin. There are occasional remainders of Latin expressions in the German text, which would not have been understood by laypeople with knowledge of Latin. The most notable example is as follows: On the tenth antithesis (woodcut 19: Christ demands poverty, Matt. 10:10-11) the Antithesis figurata reads:

S. Petrus dixit: Aurum et argumentum non habeo. Actuum. iij. Vbi est ergo patrimonium Petri?⁸

The Wittenberg printing of the Passional has:

Sanct Peter sagt/ Ich habe wyder golt nach silber act. 3.⁹ Vbi ist dan Patrimonium Petri?”¹⁰

The mixture of German and Latin in the second sentence is a clear indication that the translator was working with the text of the Antithesis figurata. While the version of the translation cited here was kept in all Wittenberg and Erfurt reprints, only the Strasbourg imprints, which generally offer an edited and expanded version of the pamphlet, have corrected this linguistic error:

Sant Peter sagt. Ich hab weder goldt noch silber. Act.3. Wa ist dann Patrimonium vnd erbgu(o)t¹¹ Petri.¹²

The confirmation of the priority of the Latin version of the pamphlet shows that the expression Passional was not used in the original form, but that the image sequence was referred to as “Antithesis in images from the life of Christ and of the Antichrist” In fact, the selected scenes are by no means taken only from the biblical tradition of the Passion of Christ, but present a sequence of scenes from the life of Jesus or Christ, of which some, according to iconographic tradition,¹³ naturally relate to the Passion of Christ. The larger thematic scope, which is not limited to the Passion story, is explained by the objective of the image sequence, a juxtaposition of the actions of Christ with the actions of the Antichrist. This presupposed an identification of the Antichrist with the Pope, as Luther wrote in his letter on March 7, 1521 to Spalatin of a planned “antithesis in images of Christ and the Pope”¹⁴

1. Tradition History

The scenes depicted in the Passional tie into an existing tradition and prompt at the same time a new process of tradition. The images and texts of the Latin as well as the German version must be placed within this stream of tradition. The question of the tradition history must therefore be twofold: 1. Which traditions did the Wittenberg contributors—the creators and developers of the images and the authors of the texts? 2. How was the Wittenberg production received and continued in light of later printings and of marks of provenance left by readers on the printed works?

1. The Copy of the Passional in the Pitts Theology Library

The copy of the Passional held by the Pitts Theology Library, printed in Erfurt by Matthäus Maler,¹⁵ has the highest number of manuscript notes of all copies I have examined so far. The engagement of the anonymous reader with the work is first reflected in the rudimentary colorization of the woodcuts. While the inscriber used an ink that appears grey today¹⁶ he used a brown ink for the colorization, which can be seen already on the title page in a ornamentation within the title border.¹⁷ This poses the question whether the colorizations of the woodcuts go beyond the intent of ornamentation. ### [to be continued] ###

The verbal remarks of the reader are summarized in the overview below.¹⁸

Table 2: Overview of the manuscript notes in the copy held by the Pitts Theology Library.

| Nr. of image / fol. | Transcription | Modern German traslation | English translation | | — | — | — | — | | II 4A3r | [1] setzet dem Bapst die kron auff vnd schneidet ihm die Hoden aus. [2] Bischoff vnd munche kuckt ihm in hintern hinnauf | Setzt dem Papst die Krone auf und schneidet ihm die Hoden ab. Bischof und Mönche, guckt ihm in den Hintern hinauf! | Place the crown on the Pope’s head, then cut off his testicles. Bishops and monks, look up into his backside. | | — | — | — | — | | V 9B1v | [3] 6 opera Christi die Blinden sehen die lamen gehn/ die stumen reden die Tauben hören die aussetzigen rein die Totten stehn auff Vnd den Armen wird das Euangelium gepredigt. | 6 Werke Christi: Die Blinden sehen, die Lahmen gehen, die Stummen reden, die Tauben hören, die Aussätzigen [sind] rein, die Toten stehen auf und den Armen wird das Evangelium gepredigt. [Mt 11, 5] | 6 works of Christ: The blind see, the lame walk, the mute speak, the deaf hear, the lepers [are] clean, the dead rise and the Gospel is preached to the poor. [Mt 11, 5] | | V 10B2r | [4] Diese stechen umbs Bapsthum. Babstum wirt vergan. [5] Stecht lieben Hern stecht/ vnd das Bapsthum zur brecht. [6] Das ist waer bey den Narren. Gestreng vber die Deutzschen Narren Regieren | Diese stechen um das Papsttum. Papsttum wird vergehen. Stecht, liebe Herrn, stecht, und das Papstthum zerbrecht!

Das ist wahr bei den Narren: Streng über die deutschen Narren regieren. [Zitat aus dem gedruckten Text.] | These are fighting for the Papacy. The Papacy shall pass. Fight on, good Sirs, fight, and break the Papacy.

This is true for fools: Ruling sternly over the German fools. [Quoted from the printed text.] | | XI 22C4r | [7] Der Bapst lest sich Beten an/ in seinem abgöttischn Cram/ da er ist selber die war. | Der Papst lässt sich anbeten in seinem abgöttischen Kram, in dem er selbst die Ware ist. | The pope lets himself be worshipped in his idolatrous junk shop, where he himself is merchandise. | | XII 24D1r | [8] Zehle auff/ in diesem kauff/ ist gelt die losung/ des Babst soldung. | Zähle auf, in diesem Kauf ist Geld die Lösung, des Papsts Besoldung. | Pay up, in this deal the price is money, the Pope’s recompense. | | XIII 26D2r | [9] der Bapst lernt fliegen in gotz nam zum teufel zu/ | Der Papst lernt, in Gottes Namen zum Teufel hinzufliegen. | The Pope learns to fly to the devil by God’s command. |

The nine annotations in the printed pamphlet consist of a supplement to a Bible passage with one of the Christ scenes (Nr. 3), an emphasis by repetition in the margin of a text passage for a Pope image (Nr. 6) and seven commentary notes for a total of five Pope images. Woodcut V. 9 shows Christ associating with the lame, crippled, blind and leprous, which is seen as a sign of his humility according to the text in Phil. 2:6-8. Although the image does not depict a healing, the inscriber refers to Mt. 11:5 in the margins with the Latin heading 6 Opera Christi (“6 works of Christ”): “The blind see, the lame walk, the mute speak, the deaf hear, the lepers [are] clean, the dead rise and the Gospel is preached to the poor” The picture prompted the reader to note a biblical association that went beyond the image-text arrangement. The authors of the Passional could forgo mentioning the healing miracles, since they intended to use this antitheses to contrast the humility of Christ with the pride of the Pope, who is enjoying a rough knights tournament in the company of courtiers, musicians and women. However, our inscriber understood the tournament scene differently. He interprets the fight of the tournament competitors as knights fighting for the Papacy–“These are fighting for the Papacy. The Papacy shall pass”—and cheers on the fighters—”Fight on, good Sirs, fight, and break the Papacy” The German inscriber also links the fight against the Papacy to nationalist sentiments against the religious leaders in Rome. In strong letters he repeats in the margins what the author of the printed text wrote in reference to gloss about the Gratian decretum: „This is true for fools: Ruling sternly over the German fools” The Pope- Antichrist, who lets himself be worshipped and can be bought for money (notes 7 and 8) is bound to end up in Hell, according to the Passional (XIII 26), which is echoed ironically by the inscriber: “The Pope learns to fly to the devil by God’s command” (Nr. 9).

Remarkable is the oscene language in two of the notes (Nr. 1 and 2) on the coronation of the Pope (Image II 4). The inscriber calls out to the bishops who perform the crowning: “Place the crown on the Pope’s head, then cut off his testicles” and he tells another bishop and two monks who are attending the coronation “Bishop and monks, look up into his [the Pope’s] backside” This style corresponds to the “fecal-erotic” polemic¹⁹ that Luther exhibits in his tract Wider das Papsttum zu Rom vom Teufel gestiftet (“Against the Papacy in Rome, founded by the Devil, 1545). This observation may suggest that our inscriber only entered his notes in the printed work in the 1530s or 40s, when the hardening of denominational divisions brought with it a brutalization of religious polemic. A definitive terminus post quem for the inscriptions by our annotator is the publication of Luther’s translation of the New Testament in September 1522, since the inscriber’s citation of Mt. 11:5 is dependent on Luther’s translation. ## to be continued ##