True Invention: On the Highly Useful and Splendid Inventions and Arts of the German Nation

Thus Invented by Germans

but has been propagated to his following successors original: Successorn and heirs down to the present day. However, so that they might also maintain such absurd and false opinions of theirs, they even know how to misuse the Holy Divine Scripture for this purpose. Wherever they can find even the slightest appearance of a pretext original: Farbschein; literally a "color-shining," meaning a superficial justification or veneer for their opinion—even if it is with great lack of foundation, in a forced manner, and as if "dragged in by the hair" An idiom meaning the argument is extremely far-fetched or unnatural—they will use it.

For neither the "two swords" they allege in this matter—which the Apostle Peter displayed—nor the fabricated Donation of Emperor Constantine The Donatio Constantini, a forged Roman imperial decree by which the 4th-century emperor Constantine the Great supposedly transferred authority over Rome and the western part of the Roman Empire to the Pope. It was proven a forgery by Lorenzo Valla in the 15th century can provide any proof here. These are directly contested by the clear example and life of the LORD Christ, as well as His Apostles, and are refuted in both deed and the testimony of doctrine.

However, since this matter has been sufficiently dealt with in other places, we will let it rest for now and only conclude this: that anyone who wishes to defend the claim that authority over the Roman Empire was given to Emperor Charlemagne original: Carolo Magno by the Roman Pope, acts in such a way against all reason, experience, and the course of history and justice itself. Indeed, they also act against GOD the Almighty, the sole dispenser and author of all governments, who...