"You ask whether an expedition against the Turks can be defended and commended by me on biblical grounds. Even supposing the war is undertaken for pious reasons rather than for gain, I
confess that I cannot promise what you ask, but rather the opposite. ... It is foolish to wage
wars in foreign lands, while at home we are losing spiritual battles ...Now that the Roman
Curia is more tyrannical than any Turk... there is no hope of successful war or victory. As far
as I can see, God fights against us; first, we must conquer him with tears, pure prayers, holy
and pure faith."
Martin Luther, letter to the chaplain of an elector of the German states, 1518