The Great Controversy - Righteousness is Love

529CENTURY LONGER, HOWEVER, THE BELIEF IN THEAUTHENTICITY OF THE "DONATION" AND OF THE FALSEDECRETALS WAS KEPT ALIVE. FOR EXAMPLE, MARTIN LUTHERAT FIRST ACCEPTED THE DECRETALS, BUT HE SOON SAID TOECK: "I IMPUGN THESE DECRETALS;" AND TO SPALATIN: "HE[THE POPE] DOES IN HIS DECRETALS CORRUPT AND CRUCIFYCHRIST, THAT IS, THE TRUTH."IT IS DEEMED ESTABLISHED THAT THE "DONATION" IS (1) AFORGERY, (2) THE WORK OF ONE MAN OR PERIOD, (3) THEFORGER HAS MADE USE OF OLDER DOCUMENTS, (4) THEFORGERY ORIGINATED AROUND 752 AND 778. AS FOR THECATHOLICS, THEY ABANDONED THE DEFENSE OF THEAUTHENTICITY OF THE DOCUMENT WITH BARONIUS,ECCLESIASTICAL ANNALS, IN 1592. CONSULT FOR THE BESTTEXT, K. ZEUMER, IN THE FESTGABE FUR RUDOLF VON GNEIST(BERLIN, 1888). TRANSLATED IN COLEMAN'S TREATISE,REFERRED TO ABOVE, AND IN ERNEST F. HENDERSON, SELECTHISTORICAL DOCUMENTS OF THE MIDDLE AGES (NEW YORK,1892), P. 319; BRIEFWECHSEL (WEIMAR ED.), PP. 141, 161. SEEALSO THE NEW SCHAFF-HERZOG ENCYCLOPEDIA OF RELIGIOUSKNOWLEDGE (1950), VOL. 3, P. 484; F. GREGOROVIUS, ROME INTHE MIDDLE AGES, VOL. 2, P. 329; AND JOHANN JOSEPH IGNAZVON DOLLINGER, FABLES RESPECTING THE POPES OF THEMIDDLE AGES (LONDON, 1871).THE "FALSE WRITINGS" REFERRED TO IN THE TEXT INCLUDEALSO THE PSEUDO-ISIDORIAN DECRETALS, TOGETHER WITHOTHER FORGERIES. THE PSEUDO-ISIDORIAN DECRETALS ARECERTAIN FICTITIOUS LETTERS ASCRIBED TO EARLY POPESFROM CLEMENT (A.D. 100) TO GREGORY THE GREAT (A.D. 600),INCORPORATED IN A NINTH CENTURY COLLECTIONPURPORTING TO HAVE BEEN MADE BY "ISIDORE MERCATOR."THE NAME "PSEUDO-ISIDORIAN DECRETALS" HAS BEEN IN USESINCE THE ADVENT OF CRITICISM IN THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY.PSEUDO-ISIDORE TOOK AS THE BASIS OF HIS FORGERIES ACOLLECTION OF VALID CANONS CALLED THE HISPANA GALLICAAUGUSTODUNENSIS, THUS LESSENING THE DANGER OFDETECTION, SINCE COLLECTIONS OF CANONS WERE