Johann Gerhard's Sacred Meditations, first published in 1606 when the author was only twenty-two years old, is perhaps his best-known work. This volume is considered a classic of Christian devotion, and has been translated into numerous languages over the last four centuries. While Gerhard is often considered the most influential dogmatician of the Lutheran church, this book demonstrates that he is also among the greatest devotional writers.This book is divided into a series of fifty-one devotions. These short chapters cover a breadth of topics in both theology and the Christian's daily life. He begins with meditations on the cross and repentance, and brings the reader throughout the Christian life, ending with a treatment of the eternal bliss which awaits the saints.

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Meditate on these classic devotional prayers. A prolific writer, professor, and pastor, Johann Gerhard is regarded as one of the greatest theologians and thinkers of his time. This book is a translation of a book of prayers that Gerhard wrote prior to 1612. Now newly translated, Meditations on Divine Mercy is available for English readers to enjoy and appreciate. A chapter on the purpose and benefits of prayer is also included as well as an explanation of the aspects of daily meditation. The prayers are divided into four sections: sin, God's gifts, personal needs, and others' needs.

As the most significant theologian of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the 17th century, the life and work of Johann Gerhard are known throughout the Western Church. Whether through writing weighty works such as his "Loci Theologici" or devotional books such as his "Daily Exercise of Piety," Gerhard's significance as a theologian has endured across the centuries.Johann Gerhard's concern as a theologian was, above all, pastoral, and this concern is reflected in his numerous devotional books and sermon collections. Gerhard's "An Explanation of the History of the Suffering and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ" leads the reader through the prototypes and prophesies of the Old Testament pointing forward to Christ's suffering and death.The work is divided into two introductory sermons and five 'acts' (I. In the Garden, II. At the Home of Caiaphas, III. Before Pilate, IV. Christ's Crucifixion, and V. Christ's Burial) for a total of 24 sermons. However, readers will find that this books is far from "just another book of sermons"-Gerhard's profound depth of knowledge of Holy Scripture and his ability to draw together the Old Testament prototypes with their fulfillment in Christ combine to make this work a true blessing.

Johann Gerhard (1582-1637) was one of the leading dogmatic theologians of his time and was the authoritative voice of seventeenth-century Lutheran Orthodoxy. Yet, he also published numerous devotional works and meditations that were meant to be used in the daily lives of ordinary believers. The Handbook of Consolations sought to provide comfort and encouragement not only to those approaching death, but also to those who provided care for the sick and dying. Gerhard himself was no stranger to sickness and death, having lost his infant son and young wife, and faced numerous life-threatening illnesses throughout his life. In this pastoral work, which is the first complete English translation based on Gerhard's original Latin to be published since the seventeenth century, Gerhard brings together his extensive understanding of Scripture, theology, and church history in a practical and easy-to-understand manual that is as relevant and meaningful in the twenty-first century as it was in Gerhard's day.

Galvanized by Erasmus' teaching on free will, Martin Luther wrote "De servo arbitrio", or "The Bondage of the Will", insisting that the sinful human will could not turn itself to God. In this first study to investigate the sixteenth-century reception of "De servo", Robert Kolb unpacks Luther's theology and recounts his followers' ensuing disputes until their resolution in the Lutheran churches' 1577 "Formula of Concord".