Coming….Spring 2013. Here is a sampling of what people are saying about it:

This book paves a path back to the roots of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod which was blocked until now for all those who are not able to read and understand German. But this book is more than just a historical remembrance of what has been long time ago. It also shows that Lutherans of our days sing for a good part the old hymns which have been sung by the forefathers of the 19th century, yes even by the Lutheran Church of the centuries before. Finally this publication is of great value because it enables readers to rediscover hymns which are – for different reasons – not in use anymore. They are now able to join in words and melodies which may sound unfamiliar in the first moment but make accessible experiences and testimonies of Christian faith which may be underemphasized in our days.
—Prof. Dr. Christoph Barnbrock
Professor of Practical Theology, Lutherische Theologische Hochschule Oberursel (Germany)

Walther’s hymnal, originally published in 1847, shaped the theology, graced the liturgy, and fostered the spirituality of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod almost from its beginnings, but did so in the German language. Until now English-speaking Missouri Lutherans have been unable to appreciate the significance of this collection of hymns, which, when it first appeared, was a pioneering anthology that sought to undo layers of editorial re-writing and truncation and give the texts in the language and length their authors gave to them. Matthew Carver has opened the closed door and provided English translations for all the hymns in Walther’s hymnal, and many are translated for the first time.
—Robin A. Leaver
Yale Institute of Sacred

Music Matthew Carver has performed an extraordinary service to the English-speaking spiritual descendants of C.F.W. Walther, the first LCMS president. Through the compilation of existing translations and his original translations of the remaining hymns, Carver has made it possible for us to experience one of the most significant resources that shaped the piety of those first generations of Saxon Lutherans. Walther’s Hymnal will serve not only as a rich devotional resource for our time but also as an impetus for future hymnwriters as they add to our rich heritage.
—Dr. Paul Grime
Concordia Theological Seminary

This resource is a wonderful packet of “Heirloom Seeds” for all who wish to learn more about the spirit and song of the Lutheran confessional revival of the nineteenth century. Those who study and sing the hymns in this collection will be treated to an experience of living theological and liturgical history which give a glimpse into the faith expressions of those who passed a lively confession to us. This will be a welcome addition to the library of all who appreciate the Lutheran chorale, and for composers who are searching for “new” texts to inspire musical settings for use in the church, school and home.
—Rev. Prof. Dennis Marzolf, (MDiv, MM)
Music Department Chair Bethany Lutheran College Mankato, MN.

“Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” The literary productivity of C. F. W. Walther is absolutely astounding. Of all the Missouri Synod presidents, I suspect only Franz Pieper (1899–1911) came anywhere close to Walther. Excluding Pieper, our venerable first president’s output exceeds all the rest combined. That Walther turned his precious time and laser-like attention to the production of a hymnal at the very outset of the Missouri Synod’s life, demonstrates that orthodox Lutheranism has orthodox worship in its very DNA. Thanks to Matthew Carver, we now have Walther’s hymnal, which guided the life of the Synod through its German-speaking period—six decades blessed with exponential growth. And much more than that, the core German hymnody that Walther thought a Lutheran hymnal ought contain has been preserved largely intact to this very day in Lutheran Service Book. That the Synod should have maintained Walther’s deep convictions regarding freedom in matters of worship, while so broadly adopting similar practice through hymnals, is testimony to his Lutheran genius.
—Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison
President, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

I feel so blessed to live at a time when there is a true rebirth of interest in the classic treasures of Lutheran orthodoxy: deeply Biblical, richly satisfying works on theology and beautiful devotional writings. Concordia Publishing House continues to play a major role in making available treasures such as devotional writings from Johann Gerhard and now his great “Theological Topics” series of books on all aspects of Biblical theology. There are new volumes of Luther’s writings coming out, along with a new, fresh edition of his great Church Postil underway [it is fantastic!].

There are new much improved editions of C.F.W. Walther’s classic works on Law and Gospel and Church and Office. The writings of the great 20th century Lutheran theologian, Hermann Sasse, are being translated by President Harrison and we are, at present, working on the complete collection of his Letters to Pastors.

The writings of Martin Chemnitz are available now in English, in a matched set, bringing the great work of “The Second Martin” to life again. His great work on a church order for Braunschweig is underway. We have the beautiful devotional works of the “Jesus Preacher” Herdberger now available and underway. And that’s just a snapshot of what’s going on at Concordia Publishing House. But wait, there’s more! Others are engaged in the noble task of bringing treasures into English.

The challenge/problem here is to make sure work is not being needlessly duplicated, and to that end, my colleague, Rev. Dr. Benjamin Mayes, is maintaining an ever growing list, or catalog, of ongoing translation projects. I encourage you to become familiar with it and if you are aware of projects underway, please make sure the translators concerned add their work to this list. To see the full list of translation projects, click here. The list is organized by the last name of the first writer or editor who created the work. Entries are placed after the author’s name in alphabetical order according to title. When the work is anonymous, it is listed alphabetically according to title. We invite you to email your information to Sarah.Steiner@cph.org.  Information will be updated as available on a quarterly basis.

Our Professional and Academic Book Team has developed a web page to share information about translation of Lutheran materials. We invite translators of Lutheran materials to email information about their projects so that scholars and readers may see what translation work is in progress and what work has been completed. This will allow broader coordination of translation efforts and research. Projects do not have to be published by or under consideration for publication by Concordia Publishing House in order to be added to the list. Please present information about your project as follows:

Author(s) [if multiple]. Source title in original language. Title in English. Precise edition information. Translator(s).

Here are some of the titles currently being translated:

CALOV, ABRAHAM (1612–86)
Exegema Augustanae Confessionis. [Exegesis of the Augsburg Confession.] 2nd Edition, 1665. Dinda, Richard, trans.

HERBERGER, VALERIUS (1562–1627)
Das Himmlische Jerusalem. [The Heavenly Jerusalem.] Leipzig: Ernst Bredt, 1858. Carver, Matthew, trans.

PETERS, ALBRECHT (1924–87)
Kommentar zu Luthers Katechismen, Bd. 5: Die Beichte. Die Haustafel. Das Traubüchlein. Das Taufbüchlein. [Commentary on Luther’s Catechisms, v. 5: Confession and Christian Life.] Peters, Albrecht. Edited by Gottfried Seebass. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1993. Trapp, Thomas H., trans. Concordia: St. Louis, forthcoming 2013.

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