Lutheran Theological Review published jointly by the faculties of Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary St. Catharines, Ontario and Concordia Lutheran Seminary Edmonton, Alberta Editors Edward G. Kettner Thomas M. Winger Technical Editor Thomas M. Winger Faculties St. Catharines Edmonton Thomas M. Winger, Th.D., Manfred Zeuch, B.D., Ph.D., Acting President President James E. Keller, M.A., M.Div. Stephen L. Chambers, Ph.D. William F. Mundt, Dr.Theol. Edward G. Kettner, Th.D. John R. Stephenson, Ph.D. Jonathan W. Kraemer, M.Div. Lutheran Theological Review is published by the seminary faculties of Lutheran Church–Canada. The periodical exists for the discussion of theo- logical issues within the frame of reference of confessional Lutheranism, but the views represented by the individual writers are not necessarily those of the faculties. Guidelines for Contributors are available upon request. Changes of address, paid subscriptions, and other business matters should be addressed to: Lutheran Theological Review c/o Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary 470 Glenridge Avenue St. Catharines, ON L2T 4C3 Canada Annual subscription rate: $10.00 (Canada); $15.00 (International) Copyright © The Faculties of Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary, St. Catharines, and Concordia Lutheran Seminary, Edmonton. Permission is granted to reproduce individual articles without alteration for non-profit, educational use, so long as no charge is levied beyond the cost of reproduction and full citation is given. Contact Information: Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary Concordia Lutheran Seminary 470 Glenridge Avenue 7040 Ada Boulevard St. Catharines, ON L2T 4C3 Edmonton AB T5B 4E3 Canada Canada +1 (905) 688-2362 +1 (780) 474-1468 www.brocku.ca/concordiaseminary www.concordiasem.ab.ca [email protected] [email protected] Lutheran Theological Review Volume 20 Academic Year 2007-08 Contents Standard Abbreviations ............................................................................ 4 Editorial Foreword................................................................................... 5 Short Studies Hymn to Homily: Reflections on Writing a Sermon Based on Paul Gerhardt’s “Now Rest beneath Night’s Shadow” ...................................... 8 Kurt A. Lantz Articles From Paul Gerhardt to Johann Scheffler (Angelus Silesius): Poetry and Polemic in the Baroque Era....................................................11 Peter C. Erb What’s So Special about Paul Gerhardt? ..................................................26 Joseph Herl Paul Gerhardt as a Teacher of Lutheran Spirituality, pt 1 .........................37 John W. Kleinig Paul Gerhardt as a Teacher of Lutheran Spirituality, pt 2 .........................55 John W. Kleinig Paul Gerhardt’s Confession of Christ in Song...........................................67 Gerald Krispin Sermons Now Rest beneath Night’s Shadow........................................................113 Kurt A. Lantz 4 Standard Abbreviations AE Luther’s Works, American edition, 55 vols (St. Louis: Concordia, and Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1958- ). Bauer, Walter, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press). BAG 1st ed., edited by William F. Arndt and F. Wilbur Gingrich, 1957. BAGD 2nd ed., edited by F. Wilbur Gingrich and Frederick W. Danker, BDAG 1979. 3rd ed., edited by Frederick W. Danker, 2000. BELK Die Bekenntnisschriften der evangelisch-lutherischen Kirche, 12 editions [cite edition used] (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1930- ). BHS Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1984). LSB Lutheran Service Book (St. Louis: Concordia, 2006). LW Lutheran Worship (St. Louis: Concordia, 1982). NA27 Novum Testamentum Graece, ed. Kurt and Barbara Aland, et al. (Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1993). TDNT Kittel, Gerhard, and Gerhard Friedrich, eds. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, trans. Geoffrey W. Bromiley, 10 vols (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964- ). TLH The Lutheran Hymnal (St. Louis: Concordia, 1941). W2 Walch, Johann Georg, ed. D. Martin Luthers sämtlichen Schriften, 2nd [“St. Louis”] ed., 23 vols (St. Louis: Concordia, 1880-1910). WA D. Martin Luthers Werke: Kritische Gesamtausgabe, Weimarer Ausgabe [“Weimar ed.”] (Weimar: Hermann Böhlau, 1883- ). WA DB Weimarer Ausgabe Deutsche Bibel [German Bible] WA Br Weimarer Ausgabe Briefe [Letters] WA Tr Weimarer Ausgabe Tischreden [Table talk] Abbreviations for the Lutheran confessional writings: AC Augsburg Confession Ap Apology of the Augsburg Confession SA Smalcald Articles Tr Tractate/Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope SC Small Catechism LC Large Catechism FC Ep Formula of Concord, Epitome FC SD Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration Copyright notice: BWHEBB [Hebrew] and BWGRKL [Greek] TrueType™ fonts Copyright © 1994-2002 BibleWorks, LLC. All rights reserved. These Biblical Greek and Hebrew fonts are used with permission and are from BibleWorks, software for Biblical exegesis and research. 5 Editorial Foreword “WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT PAUL GERHARDT?” asks Joseph Herl. Perhaps part of the answer lies not in Gerhardt but in the church in which he served as pastor, poet, and confessor. We Lutherans value him so highly because he is (in our estimation) second only to Luther himself as poet laureate of our confession. But before we value him, we value hymnody. Gerhardt’s hymns epitomize what we seek in congregational song: not pure adoration of either God or man, but true praise that proclaims the saving works of God to Him and to one another. That is to say, we value great hymnody because it is filled with Gospel. We love Gerhardt because we love the Gospel. This volume of LTR contains the most significant essays from a symposium on the life and work of Paul Gerhardt, sponsored by Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary, St. Catharines, and held at Christ Lutheran Church, St. Catharines, 7-9 May 2007. The symposium honoured the 400th anniversary of Gerhardt’s birth. Like the warmly received Hermann Sasse symposium of 1995, it was combined with the LCC East District Pastors’ Conference (now pastors and deacons). In contrast to the C. S. Lewis Symposium, held in conjunction with Brock University in March 2006, the Gerhardt symposium was a distinctly churchly event, and was held in a church building to allow for regular and lively singing of the hymns themselves in the appropriate context of Matins and Vespers. We were grateful for the contribution of Cantor Richard Resch and the Kantorei of Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne, for their offering of a choral Vespers on the first evening. Thanks are due also to Joseph Herl for his virtuosic organ playing, and to a small choir of pastors who showed what the home team can do. Gerald Krispin, newly-installed president of Concordia University College of Alberta in Edmonton, is widely recognized for his expertise on Paul Gerhardt. In a typically lively display, Krispin presented photos, artwork, and texts that brought Gerhardt to life. He focussed on the historical setting of Gerhardt’s life in that moment of confession when the Elector of Brandenburg tried to force his Lutheran pastors to deny the Real Presence and adopt the Reformed position. Gerhardt suffered greatly for his refusal. In this volume of LTR we offer the full text of Krispin’s extensive study of the matter. Though it is somewhat longer than our customary offerings, we present it with the realization that this busy new president may not have the time to bring his long-awaited biography of Gerhardt to print! In characteristic manner, John Kleinig, the keynote speaker, brought together solid scholarship and “spirituality”. That oft-maligned word takes on new meaning as Kleinig roots it in a Lutheran ethos of liturgically- located Word and Sacrament. Though Gerhardt’s hymns are found to be “pious”, they are certainly not “Pietistic”. Kleinig deftly weaves a path 6 through Gerhardt’s hymns that finds the “Christ for me” without degenerating into “me, me, me”. Joseph Herl, who must be acknowledged as one of the greatest living experts on early Lutheran hymnody (witness his doctoral dissertation recently published by Oxford University Press), enlightened the masses on what precisely made Gerhardt’s hymns great. Herl’s essay offers a concise survey of how Gerhardt’s collected hymns came into print, and what we can learn from surveying the mix. Peter Erb was a delightful departure from the usual myopia of Lutheran conferences. A former Mennonite turned Roman Catholic, Erb offered an outsider’s view. While comparing Gerhardt to Silesius, a contemporary who abandoned the Lutheran Church to become Roman Catholic, Erb surprisingly gives superior marks to Gerhardt’s accomplishments. At the same time, Erb shows great theological dexterity in identifying how Silesius’ hymns were modified to make them suitable for use in the Lutheran Church. Finally, Kurt Lantz came off the bench for the home team, demonstrating how well suited good Lutheran hymnody is for preaching. In a short study, he shows how the move from hymn to homily is made, and the sermon is given so the reader can decide how it came off. Our two small seminaries in Lutheran Church–Canada cannot hope to match the resources of larger institutions that can do symposia every year. But we hope to offer the occasional alternative, and are pleased to hear comments from attendees like “That was the best conference I’ve ever attended!” We look forward to the Luther 2017