A Shepherd's Letter is Bo Giertz distilled and served neat. He wrote this book to introduce his theological agenda for the Diocese of Gothenburg to which he was elected bishop in 1949. Here, he takes a straightforward approach to the theological themes that guided his writing of The Hammer of God, Faith Alone: The Heart of Everything, and With My Own Eyes. What he wrote for the sheep of the Gothenburg diocese, has applicability for all Christians everywhere even today, and will enrich their understanding of the "faith once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3).
Faith Alone, written in 1943, is a prequel to Bo Giertz's better-known novel, The Hammer of God. This is Bo Giertz's masterpiece-written with the doctrinal clarity and purpose of G.K. Chesterton and C.S. Lewis, the historical acumen of Bernard Cornwell, and the psychological insight of Kafka. The result is a Scandinavian Noir that cuts open the soul and lays it at the foot of the cross. The novel begins in 1540 and ends in 1543, during which time the largest peasant revolt in the history of Scandinavia occurred under the leadership of Nils Dacke. The Dacke Rebellion, as it is known, started in the county of Små land but bled over into the Ydre district on Ö stergÖ tland's southern border with Små land. The plot follows the story of two brothers, Anders and Martin. It was the wish of their mother that these two brothers would become priests in the Catholic Church, and so they were both sent to study for the priesthood in the town of LinkÖ ping, Sweden, when they were quite young. It was at this time that the Reformation began in Germany, and Sweden fought for independence from Denmark, breaking the Kalmar Union. German mercenaries hired by King Gustav Vasa to fight Danish troops brought Reformation literature with them. So, Martin became a Lutheran and left for Stockholm to work for King Gustav Vasa as a scrivener. His brother Anders continued with his studies and became a Catholic priest. When the king has to pay his debt to Lubeck for the mercenaries he hired for the war, he confiscates the church's land, bells, silver, and gold to do so. With this he firmly declares his cause with the Reformation doctrine of Martin Luther. However, the people of Små land are fond of Roman Catholicism and chafe at Lubeck's measures. So, they rebelled. Anders takes up with their cause and joins with Nils Dacke and his men. Martin stays with the king, before becoming disillusioned and falling in with a group of Schwä rmerei, or pre-Pentecostal legalists. As the war comes to an end both brothers are brought back to the Reformation faith through the patient shepherding of a Lutheran priest named Peder.
This publication of Sasse's RTR articles marks yet another milestone in the continued publication of the works of one of the great Lutheran theologians of the twentieth century. The RTR and Springfielder articles and the many book reviews presented in this volume have been all but inaccessible for decades. All of them bear witness to Sasse's deep knowledge of Church history, the New Testament, Luther, the Reformation, the Eastern Church, and Rome. Though writing as a very convinced confessional Lutheran, Sasse nevertheless affirms the breadth and scope of the Una Sancta. He dispels myths such as the "ancient undivided church" and untangles the riddles of Roman Catholicism with deepest respect and truth.
What treasures of the reformation can pastors, Christians and the church make use of today when trying to navigate burnout and scandal? What should a person look for in a church? Magnus Persson examines his own journey from popular preacher where church was a party, to the Lutheran faith and a pastor in the Church of Sweden where he relishes the liturgy nourished by historic roots using Luther's book "On Council's and the Church" to answer this question and explain his journey. Originally titled Christ's Church, On the Marks of the Church Magnus shows the influence of Bo Giertz but also draws on many different influences from within and without the Lutheran tradition to explain how everything the church does needs to be focused on Christ crucified for you. Church is about communicating the forgiveness of sins Christ won for you on the cross to you. The church does this through the word, the liturgy, and the sacraments. Through these means the soul is nourished and matured to handle the distress and tribulation with which the world harries the church and her people. Here true rest is found for the souls of pastors battered by the pressure to be the next biggest church in town before they burnout and check out with scandal.
These sermons are taken from various stages in Bo Giertz pastoral career, from his time as a parish pastor, his time as a bishop, and his time in retirement. He adapted the homiletical style of Henric Schartau (whose homiletical style informs the novel "The Hammer of God"). Schartau would preach in a manner that expounded on the text before applying it to people who might find themselves in three different spiritual conditions, sometimes this is referred to as an Ordo Salutis. These three would be that of an unbeliever, a newly awakened Christian or young believer, and that of a mature believer. This has met with some controversy over the years as it was often identified with pietism, however Bo Giertz is aware of the pitfalls of this approach and turns the method in a matter that emphasizes the strengths. When it comes to the order of grace, Bo Giertz would say that it is not the order that matters but the grace.
A Year of Grace Vol. 2 is a collection of Bo Giertz's sermons from the second half of the liturgical calendar following the day of Pentecost. He preached the earlier sermons in his ten years as a parish pastor at Torpa, a small rural town in Sweden where he began his pastoral career and wrote such books as The Hammer of God and With My Own Eyes. These early sermons are strongly influenced by the ordo salutis (order of salvation) that he took over from Henric Schartau, yet always with an emphasis on salvation by grace rather than the order. His later sermons were preached as the Bishop of Gothenburg throughout his diocese and as a guest preacher elsewhere. These retain the influence of Henric Schartau in that they seek to directly address the "three hearers"--unbelievers, those awakened to the law, and mature Christians--yet his style takes on more subtlety in when, where and how these hearers are addressed in the context of the sermon. The result is a collection of sermons that provide both great weekly devotions (as the collection was intended) and a program of study for pastors and others wanting to learn how to "rightly handle the word of truth." (2 Tim. 2:15)
On any given Sunday the Christian approaches Christ who is present in Word and Meal. The songs, movements, and prayers that surround this Word and Meal are called the Divine Service. It is God's (divine) service to us and our proclamation of Christ' s life, death, and resurrection to ourselves and anybody that enters the church on that Sunday. One way to appreciate the traditional divine service is to see the life of Christ on display. The major events in the life of Christ are hinted at or explicitly mentioned in the classic order of service. We rightly plead for God' s mercy when we enter his presence. God' s answer is Christ. Traditionally Christians have sung the Christmas song "Gloria to God in the highest" after pleading, “ Lord, have mercy!” With this reminder of Christ' s birth we begin the story of Christ. Soon we wave our palm branches and sing “ Hosanna!” on Palm Sunday. We cry the Good Friday prayer, “ Lamb of God” . We eat with our resurrected Lord as did the Emmaus disciples, and we receive a blessing as we enter the same crazy world the disciples did after Jesus blessed them as he ascended into heaven. This volume aims to teach the Divine Service to both the lifelong worshipper who was never taught why the church does the things the church does on Sunday mornings and the curious observer of this ancient tradition. It is divided into two parts. Part One: A Story of the Divine Service is a story of a young married couple encountering Christ' s forgiveness at a church service and finding the ability to forgive each other. Part Two: The Life of Christ in Poetry and Prose explains the life of Christ as told in the classic Divine Service. It is the hope that this book helps teach this beautiful but under-appreciated jewel of our Christian heritage.
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the Law? How do you read it?" (Luke 10:25-26) Eternal life is found within the pages of Holy Scripture, both in the Old Testament Torah referred to as "the Law" in this exchange between Jesus and the lawyer, and in the New Testament written in the wake of Christ's resurrection. But as Jesus points out, it matters how you read Holy Scripture, and this is where the art of hermeneutics, the study of interpretation, makes its entrance. In Hermeneutics in Romans, Dr. Timo Laato returns to the old Lutheran maxim that scripture interprets scripture. Usually this maxim meant that portions of scripture that were clear should be used to shed light on portions of scripture that are unclear. Dr. Laato takes it even one step further. He turns to Romans to study the hermeneutical principles that Paul used to interpret the Old Testament in that epistle. This results in a dynamic view of the Bible, rescuing hermeneutics from the dead atheistic presumptions that have governed academic hermeneutical research since Kant. Not only does Dr. Laato's approach make immanent sense on the face of it, it breathes life into the study of scripture and delivers eternal life to the reader in Jesus Christ who proves to be the ultimate hermeneutical key.
Bo Giertz wrote this book drawing upon the exegetical insights that he received from his mentor Anton Fridrichsen before, during and after his trip to Palestine in the early 1930's. The book is a third-person retelling of the gospels that brings into account various Old Testament references and the contemporary interpretations of those passages by the Jews of Jesus' day as well as contemporary events throughout the Roman Empire, but most especially those directly affecting the Jewish people of Israel at the time, so that the gospel stories take on new life and meaning for the reader. It's both a harmonization of the gospels, and a commentary on them, but much richer. The perspectives change depending on the episode. Sometimes the perspective is from that of a disciple, sometimes from that of a person being healed or a bystander observing. The Christmas story is told from the perspective of Shepherds, the crucifixion scene dwells on the perspective of Simon of Cyrene.
Bo Giertz wrote these commentaries in retirement after a lifetime of studying the Greek New Testament. These accompanied his own translations of the New Testament. This volume covers the Gospel of John through to Second Corinthians. Many have previously enjoyed Giertz's Romans commentary that is also included here, and they will not be disappointed with his treatment of the other texts. Giertz' s views were heavily shaped by his mentor Anton Fridrichsen who wanted to counter both the liberalism of men like his friend Rudolph Bultmann, and the neo-orthodoxy of Karl Barth with Biblical Realism. Biblical Realism sought to avoid the pitfalls of biblicism by allowing for academic freedom while studying scriptures, while also maintaining that the events of the Bible were true events that happened in our history all centered upon the death and resurrection of Christ. The scriptures are therefore a salvation history meant to "declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and your household" (Acts 11:14).
Bo Giertz was a serious biblical scholar who avoided the ivory tower. He studied classics in undergrad before taking up theology in preparation for the ministry. In 1930 he spent time on an archeological dig in Palestine and travelled the country with his exegetical professor Anton Fridrichsen who insisted on "Biblical Realism," which avoided fundamentalism and yet refused to succumb to higher criticism. In these commentaries, Bo Giertz takes what he learned from a lifetime of such study and application in in sermons and visits with people to open Scripture to anyone who wants to grow in their faith. He never avoids the hard questions concerning the texts, and yet tackles them in such a way as to restore confidence in God's word. Here, he is concerned with what the text meant to those who first wrote it and heard it so he can deliver the same goods to us today.
Fans of The Hammer of God and With My Own Eyes will enjoy this devotional commentary on Romans from Pastor, Bo Giertz. The beloved 20th-century bishop takes readers through Paul's letter to the Romans; pointing to God's grace in Christ and forgiveness for the sinner at every turn. Known as the "C.S. Lewis of Sweden," Bo Giertz, unerringly reveals the fountain of good news in every Romans passage. Giertz delivers part commentary by thoroughly dissecting each passage, and part devotional as he keenly directs readers to comforts won for them by Christ crucified in all His saving glory.
A Shepherd's Letter is Bo Giertz distilled and served neat. He wrote this book to introduce his theological agenda for the Diocese of Gothenburg to which he was elected bishop in 1949. Here, he takes a straightforward approach to the theological themes that guided his writing of The Hammer of God, Faith Alone: The Heart of Everything, and With My Own Eyes. What he wrote for the sheep of the Gothenburg diocese, has applicability for all Christians everywhere even today, and will enrich their understanding of the "faith once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3).
Bo Giertz was a serious biblical scholar who avoided the ivory tower. He studied classics in undergrad before taking up theology in preparation for the ministry. In 1930 he spent time on an archeological dig in Palestine and travelled the country with his exegetical professor Anton Fridrichsen who insisted on "Biblical Realism," which avoided fundamentalism and yet refused to succumb to higher criticism. In these commentaries, Bo Giertz takes what he learned from a lifetime of such study and application in in sermons and visits with people to open Scripture to anyone who wants to grow in their faith. He never avoids the hard questions concerning the texts, and yet tackles them in such a way as to restore confidence in God's word. Here, he is concerned with what the text meant to those who first wrote it and heard it so he can deliver the same goods to us today.
Faith Alone, written in 1943, is a prequel to Bo Giertz's better-known novel, The Hammer of God. This is Bo Giertz's masterpiece-written with the doctrinal clarity and purpose of G.K. Chesterton and C.S. Lewis, the historical acumen of Bernard Cornwell, and the psychological insight of Kafka. The result is a Scandinavian Noir that cuts open the soul and lays it at the foot of the cross. The novel begins in 1540 and ends in 1543, during which time the largest peasant revolt in the history of Scandinavia occurred under the leadership of Nils Dacke. The Dacke Rebellion, as it is known, started in the county of Små land but bled over into the Ydre district on Ö stergÖ tland's southern border with Små land. The plot follows the story of two brothers, Anders and Martin. It was the wish of their mother that these two brothers would become priests in the Catholic Church, and so they were both sent to study for the priesthood in the town of LinkÖ ping, Sweden, when they were quite young. It was at this time that the Reformation began in Germany, and Sweden fought for independence from Denmark, breaking the Kalmar Union. German mercenaries hired by King Gustav Vasa to fight Danish troops brought Reformation literature with them. So, Martin became a Lutheran and left for Stockholm to work for King Gustav Vasa as a scrivener. His brother Anders continued with his studies and became a Catholic priest. When the king has to pay his debt to Lubeck for the mercenaries he hired for the war, he confiscates the church's land, bells, silver, and gold to do so. With this he firmly declares his cause with the Reformation doctrine of Martin Luther. However, the people of Små land are fond of Roman Catholicism and chafe at Lubeck's measures. So, they rebelled. Anders takes up with their cause and joins with Nils Dacke and his men. Martin stays with the king, before becoming disillusioned and falling in with a group of Schwä rmerei, or pre-Pentecostal legalists. As the war comes to an end both brothers are brought back to the Reformation faith through the patient shepherding of a Lutheran priest named Peder.
Bo Giertz wrote these commentaries in retirement after a lifetime of studying the Greek New Testament. These accompanied his own translations of the New Testament. This volume covers the Gospel of John through to Second Corinthians. Many have previously enjoyed Giertz's Romans commentary that is also included here, and they will not be disappointed with his treatment of the other texts. Giertz' s views were heavily shaped by his mentor Anton Fridrichsen who wanted to counter both the liberalism of men like his friend Rudolph Bultmann, and the neo-orthodoxy of Karl Barth with Biblical Realism. Biblical Realism sought to avoid the pitfalls of biblicism by allowing for academic freedom while studying scriptures, while also maintaining that the events of the Bible were true events that happened in our history all centered upon the death and resurrection of Christ. The scriptures are therefore a salvation history meant to "declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and your household" (Acts 11:14).
Fans of The Hammer of God and With My Own Eyes will enjoy this devotional commentary on Romans from Pastor, Bo Giertz. The beloved 20th-century bishop takes readers through Paul's letter to the Romans; pointing to God's grace in Christ and forgiveness for the sinner at every turn. Known as the "C.S. Lewis of Sweden," Bo Giertz, unerringly reveals the fountain of good news in every Romans passage. Giertz delivers part commentary by thoroughly dissecting each passage, and part devotional as he keenly directs readers to comforts won for them by Christ crucified in all His saving glory.
These sermons are taken from various stages in Bo Giertz pastoral career, from his time as a parish pastor, his time as a bishop, and his time in retirement. He adapted the homiletical style of Henric Schartau (whose homiletical style informs the novel "The Hammer of God"). Schartau would preach in a manner that expounded on the text before applying it to people who might find themselves in three different spiritual conditions, sometimes this is referred to as an Ordo Salutis. These three would be that of an unbeliever, a newly awakened Christian or young believer, and that of a mature believer. This has met with some controversy over the years as it was often identified with pietism, however Bo Giertz is aware of the pitfalls of this approach and turns the method in a matter that emphasizes the strengths. When it comes to the order of grace, Bo Giertz would say that it is not the order that matters but the grace.
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the Law? How do you read it?" (Luke 10:25-26) Eternal life is found within the pages of Holy Scripture, both in the Old Testament Torah referred to as "the Law" in this exchange between Jesus and the lawyer, and in the New Testament written in the wake of Christ's resurrection. But as Jesus points out, it matters how you read Holy Scripture, and this is where the art of hermeneutics, the study of interpretation, makes its entrance. In Hermeneutics in Romans, Dr. Timo Laato returns to the old Lutheran maxim that scripture interprets scripture. Usually this maxim meant that portions of scripture that were clear should be used to shed light on portions of scripture that are unclear. Dr. Laato takes it even one step further. He turns to Romans to study the hermeneutical principles that Paul used to interpret the Old Testament in that epistle. This results in a dynamic view of the Bible, rescuing hermeneutics from the dead atheistic presumptions that have governed academic hermeneutical research since Kant. Not only does Dr. Laato's approach make immanent sense on the face of it, it breathes life into the study of scripture and delivers eternal life to the reader in Jesus Christ who proves to be the ultimate hermeneutical key.
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