Today, in the mail, I received Sacred Meditations by Johann Gerhard; translated from the Latin by the Rev. C. W. Heisler; reprint (Malone, Texas: Repristination Press, 1998). This translation originally published at Philadelphia: Luthern Publication Society, 1896. Latin original published in 1606. Repristination Press's reprint is, as of 2006, in its third printing.

Gerhard (October 17, 1582 - August 20, 1637) was a Luthern theologian, and a professor at the University of Jena (1616-1637).

This collection of 51 meditations was published when Gerhard was only 24.

I'm looking forward to it.

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Richard T. Zuelch, M.Div
Ruling Elder, OPC (not currently serving)
Westminster Presbyterian Church, CA (OPC)
www.reiterations.wordpress.com
www.foft.wordpress.com

"When I cease to preach salvation by faith in Jesus, put me into a lunatic asylum, for you may be sure that my mind is gone." - Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892)

Very nice, enjoy!

It's also available online here:

Links and Downloads Manager - Christian Walk Links - Sacred Meditations -- Johann Gerhard - The PuritanBoard

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Andrew Myers
Husband of Jessica, Father of Jackson, Katie and Samuel
Member, Presbyterian Reformed Church of Northern Virginia
Warrenton, VA USA
Editor, The Matthew Poole Project

"Let your Morning Thoughts, and your last Evening Thoughts, be what shall become of you to all Eternity." -- Matthew Poole

This is an amazing piece of doctrinal and devotional literature. Enjoy!

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Rev. Daniel R. Hyde
Pastor, Oceanside United Reformed Church, Carlsbad/Oceanside, California
Th.M. candidate, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary

Anybody know anything about Repristination Press of Malone, Texas? Who's behind it, etc.?

Can you tell me who publishes this newer translation? It doesn't seem to be listed, unless I missed it.

This 2003/2004 translation by Wade R. Johnston is only available from the Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church (Saginaw, MI) website, so far as I know.

I've just noticed that the link (and the church website) contains a second commandment violation. My apologies for that. If a mod wishes to delete this link, please feel free.

And he expresses contempt repeatedly for the views of Calvinists in his Theological Commonplaces.

DTK

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Sola Scriptura est norma normans non normata
David T. King, pastor
Christ Presbyterian Church (OPC)
Elkton, Maryland
Augustine (354-430): Therefore what He [i.e., Christ] has deigned to speak to us, we ought to believe that He meant us to understand. But if we do not understand He, being asked, gives understanding, who gave His Word unasked. NPNF1: Vol. VII, Tractates on John, Tractate XXII, §1.

Of course he does. This was par for the course in the 17th century polemics. Gerhard's Meditations should be read by all Calvinists as an example of Christ-centered devotion.

I am not the least surprised by the felt need to respond with this kind of remark. It simply underscores and reinforces the impression I've come to expect from a certain "Reformed" quarter today for "things" Lutheran. It is an impression that is being repeatedly made and confirmed. One could just as easily assert that there are many other works which "should be read by all Calvinists as an example of Christ-centered devotion." For the record, I am not opposed to reading any such work that is profitable (after all, I bought a copy of a recently published volume of Gerhard's Theological Commonplaces to read for profit, and have as well Chemnitz's volumes, An Examination of Trent, the first of which I've read thoroughly), but it is rather interesting how quickly this remark was made in rush to counter a comment of which others may have been unaware.

DTK

I'm not sure Danny is responding with all of this going on in his mind. Don't you think it is possible that he is merely setting forth the historical context for Gerhard's polemics? Reformed folk did the same thing against Lutherans. Danny's point is not that the distinctively Lutheran anti-Calvinist agenda of Gerhard should be followed, but that allowances should be made for the historical context in which everyone did this sort of thing.

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Rev. Lane Keister
Teaching Elder, PCA, North Dakota (working out of bounds in a CRC and an RCA church)
http://greenbaggins.wordpress.com
http://brahmsgreenglove.blogspot.com
http://accenttranslation.blogspot.com
Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

Thanks, Lane. I'm not quite sure what the problem is in making an historical comment. All I was doing was following the line of comments, commending the work as the original post did and then adding a line about history. What is interesting is how much 16th and 17th century Christians, whether Roman, Reformed, or Lutheran, read across their confessional lines not only for polemics, but also for edification. For example, Quenstadt, an ardent Lutheran, bashes Ramus for being "anti-Aristotelian" all the while using Ramus' simplification for rhetorical and structural purposes in his The Nature and Character of Theology. I wouldn't commend that the average Calvinist parishioner read Gerhard's works in which his anti-Calvinist polemic comes to the fore, but a work such as his Meditations, written while he thought he was on his deathbed, is a wonderful example of devotion in the historic line of devotional literature such as Augustine's Confessions.

The man behind Repristination Press is Rev. James Heiser of Salem Lutheran Church in Malone, TX.

Rt. Rev. James Heiser

Hmmm. Hope I didn't inadvertently contribute money to the Birchers by buying Gerhard's book.

His bio seems normal enough. Wonder why he's connected to the Eisenhower-was-a-Commie crowd...