141 - Theology.- Luther, M. Ordering of a common chest. Advice on how the ecclesiastical goods are to be handled. (Wittenberg, L. Cranach and Ch. Döring), 1523. 16 leaves. With title border from the Cranach workshop. 4°. Paper binding with 19th-century brocade paper covering. (Spine with a small tear).

Theology.- Luther, M. Ordering of a common chest. Advice on how the ecclesiastical goods are to be handled. (Wittenberg, L. Cranach and Ch. Döring), 1523. 16 leaves. With title border from the Cranach workshop. 4°. Paper binding with 19th-century brocade paper covering. (Spine with a small tear). VD16 L 5564; Benzing 1610; STC 557.- First edition. 'One of the first attempts to make church assets available to municipal needs; a highly significant document of early Reformation history in social and economic terms.' The income from church and monastery estates should flow into a 'common chest' to cover the expenses for churches, schools, and the needy (Stuttgart Luther Catalog, No. 152). - Last blank page inscribed in an old hand with a curse against book theft: 'Beware... that the ravens and the thieves may not devour you. ... You shall pass by and leave my book standing there, even after grapes, and I will hatch you, you will willingly dangle at the gallows.' - Mostly only slightly stained or browned in the wide white margin.