Passion-Book by Friedrich Lochner is the latest offering in translator Matthew Carver’s impressive catalog of historic Lutheran titles available for the first time in English. Lochner’s deep knowledge of the Church’s liturgical treasures and hymnology manifests itself in this collection of Passion devotions, which he first developed for his own private use to meditate upon the sufferings and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. Find a description and detailed information here.

In 2023 we published Carver’s translation of Lochner’s Liturgical Forms, which shows the liturgical life of the early Missouri Synod and particularly the interest in and desire for suitable and historically justifiable rites drawn from old, orthodox Lutheran sources. We are delighted to add Passion-Book to our collection as we at Emmanuel Press continue to make works essential to confessional Lutheran theology available worldwide.
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An endorsement from Pr. Shawn Barnett of Redeemer Lutheran Church – Fort Wayne: 
“If it only satisfied a niche antiquarian interest, Matthew Carver’s translation of Friedrich Lochner’s Passion-Book would still be a significant contribution, revealing the reception in 19th-century American Lutheranism of relatively unknown devotional literature from the age of Lutheran Orthodoxy. But in rendering Lochner’s work into elegant, readable English, Carver has done for our time what Lochner did for his: provide a rich store of devotion that sets forth Christ before our eyes as the Crucified.

“Lochner’s passional is a composite work, an arrangement into daily devotions with hymn stanzas and prayers appended, compiled from the works of various authors from the 16th through 18th centuries, especially from the works of Simon Gediccus and Georg Renaul, names unknown to all save specialists in the arcane. In his private devotion and reading, Lochner had discovered what Carver has now made available to us, namely that ‘the manner and language of the earlier Passion preachers, finally, [gives]…more satisfaction and blessing than the more recent ones.’ Lochner himself read and prayed one of these 66 devotions morning and evening throughout Lent. Anyone who takes hold of this dear book and follows Lochner in this Lenten discipline will find himself transported in spirit to Golgotha where he will find ‘so many doctrines and comforts,’ ‘betimes precious golden grains of the bloody and salutary merit of Christ, now rich veins of the silver of His most holy innocence.'”

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As always, here you will find the best in confessional and liturgical Lutheran theological titles, including Ceremony and Celebration. This book is an essential resource not only for pastors, elders, altar guild members, organists, choir directors, and other congregational leaders, but also and especially for earnest laity who want to better understand the way we worship.

“God is a God of order. He is against disorder, confusion, slovenliness, crudeness, and ugliness. If that is true in every area of our lives, it is particularly true when God is present with us in a special way in the church’s worship. The Old Testament worship which God prescribed was, in every detail of the tabernacle and temple, the sacred vessels and vestments, the rites and ceremonies of the services, orderly and beautiful. We have no such detailed prescriptions in the New Testament, but the principle remains. The rules governing the traditional ceremonies are based on the law of order.” (p. 62)

A recent customer comment: “The book and concept prompted me to listen to Bach’s St. John Passion for the first time and I was deeply moved. I’m considering using this as a Lenten devotion for our entire congregation to follow.”

O Perfect Life of Love allows the reader to become acquainted with or revisit the beloved St. John Passion. What may have seemed inaccessible due to language or musical knowledge is now available at one’s fingertips via a well-established English translation for the chorales and arias, along with the words of Scripture.

Bulk discounts are as follows: 10% off 10-19 books, 20% off 20-29 books, 30% off 30+ books. Contact us for a customized invoice rather than ordering online.