his handwriting. The work was finally completed in either October or November, and the plague in Wittenberg ended in the last part of November. Luther’s response was thoroughly pragmatic. It focused on Christians’ responsibility to care for the sick and to use the means that God gives to limit the plague’s destruction. He lauded those who can face the plague without fear of death, but he emphasized that those with “weak faith” can flee in good conscience as long as they are not needed to care for