The oldest intact book in Europe, a copy of the Gospel of John, from 687 A.D., purchased by the British Library for $14.5 million dollars (!).

British Library buys oldest intact book in Europe

It is interesting to notice that that German editions of the BOC are somewhat few and far between after the 1580s and 1590s. This is a German Book of Concord from 1739, with a companion document. I’m asking $300, and this includes shipping via USPS Priority Mail (2 day). I will only ship to addresses in the continental USA. If you want insurance and delivery notification, that’s $5 extra. I’ll take PayPal but add 3% to the payment. Money order and check are fine. I’ll hold the check until it clears. Here are photos. It is in good shape, was rebound once. The pages are nice and tight in the binding.

My experience with e-books and e-readers has been … interesting. I’m still undecided if I enjoy reading a book on a Kindle more than holding the actual book. I can say for sure I enjoy being able to take a portable library with me wherever I go, reading it wherever I am, and I enjoy the reading experience every bit as much as turning pages. It’s taken me a while to be able to say that, but with the Kindle, I am drawn as much into the text as I am when it is printed on paper. Though, I like to own a book, as opposed to only owning a right to read my “book” on my gizmo, when it really exists “out there” in a cloud on some servers, somewhere, which download it to my device. My gizmo will grow old and I’ll have to buy a new gizmo and the book in some new format…once I own a book, it’s there. I don’t have to upgrade it, or update it, or buy a new one in order to read it.

My colleague, Laura Lane, sent me this interesting article declaring that the book will remain the better reading experience because of the “non-linear thinking” it encourages.

Here’s the link to the article.

Here’s a snippet from the article:

But if we stop reading on paper, we should keep in mind what we’re sacrificing: that nonlinear experience, which is unique to the codex. You don’t get it from any other medium — not movies, or TV, or music or video games. The codex won out over the scroll because it did what good technologies are supposed to do: It gave readers a power they never had before, power over the flow of their own reading experience. And until I hear God personally say to me, “Boot up and read,” I won’t be giving it up.

My colleague, Dr. Benjamin Mayes, brought me his new book to look at: Counsel and Conscience: Lutheran Casuistry and Moral Reasoning after the Reformation (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2011). It is available on Amazon.com now. Most people are not even aware that there was such a thing as “Lutheran casuistry.”

What is “casuistry”? Casuistry is the attempt to apply general moral principles in particular circumstances, particularly when two otherwise valid principles conflict or when we are unsure of what to do. It is truly where the rubber hits the road when it comes to real-life ministry.

Dr. Mayes has researched and shed light on a branch of Lutheran ethics that has been almost completely ignored for centuries. Besides the historical value of this book, I think it will be of great help in really establishing what the Lutheran doctrine of the conscience is and is not, and in helping us sort through the difficult issues surrounding the ethics of divorce and remarriage. Here is a summary of his book:

In Lutheran Germany of the post-Reformation era (ca. 1580–1750), there was a genre of pastoral/ethical writings consisting in casuistry (i.e., cases of conscience, the hard questions of faith and practice) and in topically or thematically related theological counsels, aimed at instructing and comforting the consciences of Christians. An extensive example from this genre is Georg Dedekenn/Johann Ernst Gerhard (son of Johann Gerhard) (ed.), Thesaurus Consiliorum Et Decisionum [Treasury of Counsels and Decisions], 4 vol. (Jena: Zacharias Hertel, 1671). Lutheran casuistry, related to but also distinct from Roman Catholic and Reformed counterparts, arose especially as pastors looked within Holy Scripture, the medieval tradition, and the writings of Martin Luther and other Lutheran authorities for answers to ethical problems and doctrinal disputes. Dedekenn’s Treasury was an anthology, addressing a wide range of dogmatic as well as practical matters. Dedekenn and the other editors of the Treasury did not view their counsels as necessarily obligating to a Christian’s conscience. Instead, they viewed the counsels as wise advice, and they encouraged readers to avoid individualistic ethical choices and instead to engage in an “aristocratic” process of moral decision making in which one would consult the wise men of the past and present. The counsels included in the Treasury address inter-confessional disputes, intra-Lutheran disputes, sacraments, church government, pastoral ministry, social ethics, marriage, sexual ethics, and many other topics. By examining the cases and counsels on divorce and remarriage, Mayes sees various arguments being made, and several sources of authority aside from Scripture being used, including medieval canon law and ancient Roman imperial law. Usually, a high degree of uniformity can be seen in the answers given in the Treasury. Yet an irreconcilable diversity in the cases on marriage presents a picture of the condition of marital practice in seventeenth-century Germany, a condition which was of concern to the editors of the Treasury and their friends.

Here is the table of contents, and here is where you can order it.

I’m thrilled to tell you that my good friend, Mr. Timothy Goeglein, with whom I have enjoyed working closely over the years, has written a book: The Man in the Middle: An Inside Account of Faith and Politics in the George W. Bush Era. You can place an order for it via Amazon. Be sure to watch the video preview below. Tim’s book will be available starting on September 15.

Timothy S. Goeglein is vice president of External Relations for Focus on the Family, lobbying for the Colorado-based organization’s pro-family causes in Washington, D.C. He served as deputy director of the White House Office of Public Liaison under President George W. Bush for nearly eight years. Goeglein and his wife have two sons. I would be remiss if I did not also point out that Tim was a key leader in the President’s Commission on the Sanctify of Human Life for many years, under the LCMS Presidency of Dr. A.L. Barry and was instrumental in obtaining for us a talented writer to help us draft what I believe to be, to this day, one of the very finest statements on the sanctity of life produced for English speaker: That They May Have Life. That writer was Michael Gerson, who went on to become President Bush’s speech writer.

Tim has served our nation in many capacities, and weathered a personal crisis in a way that was so admirable for the manner in which he dealt with a failure in an honest and open manner, a very Christian manner. Read the first chapter of his book and you will understand what I’m talking about. Link here.

Here is the publisher’s description of Tim’s book.

Timothy Goeglein spent nearly eight years in the White House as President George W. Bush’s key point of contact to American conservatives and the faith-based world and was frequently profiled in the national news media. But when a plagiarism scandal prompted his resignation, Goeglein chose not to dodge it but confront it, and was shown remarkable grace by the president. In fact, Bush showed more concern for Goeglein and his family than any personal political standing. So begins The Man in the Middle, Goeglein’s unique insider account of why he believes most of the 43rd president’s in-office decisions were made for the greater good, and how many of those decisions could serve as a blueprint for the emergence of a thoughtful, confident conservatism. From a fresh perspective, Goeglein gives behind-the-scenes accounts of key events during that historic two-term administration, reflecting on what was right and best about the Bush years. He was in Florida for the 2000 election recount, at the White House on 9/11, and watched Bush become a reluctant but effective wartime president.

Goeglein, now the vice president with Focus on the Family, also looks back at how Bush handled matters like stem cell research, faith-based initiatives, the emergence of the Values Voters, the nominations of both Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito-in which Goeglein had a direct role-and debates over the definition of marriage.

In all, The Man in the Middlebacks historians who view the legacy of President George W. Bush in a favorable light, recognizing his conservative ideas worth upholding in order to better shape our nation and change the world.

I like all the books Lars Walker has written….here’s his latest, and a cool trailer to go along with it now.

President Matthew Harrison wrote a great book in 2009 titled A Little Book on Joy: The Secret of Living a Good News Life in a Bad News World. It proved extremely popular and after he was elected president of The LCMS, Pastor Harrison asked Concordia Publishing House to pick up the title and reprint. I’m happy to tell you that it is now in stock and available for immediate shipping from Concordia Publishing House. If you are unfamiliar with the book, you can download and take a look at a sample from the book. Simply put, it is a great book. I promise you that if you start reading it, you won’t be able to stop. Here’s the information from our CPH web site about the book. You can order it online, for $12.99, plus shipping and handling. Another book by President Harrison, At Home in the House of My Fathers, will be out in a few months also.

Rediscover the joy of being a Christian! LCMS president Matthew Harrison has produced a well written exploration of the nature of life in the fallen world and the joy that we have in Christ. Read about the joy of life together in community, marriage, and family, or the joys of humor, worship, the sanctity of life, and the wonders of creation.

Includes:

Study questions at the end of each chapter, perfect for Bible study or small group study.
A Prayer Guide for “The Great Ninety Days of Joy after Joy with texts and prayers from Ash Wednesday through Pentecost.
“Something to Think About” questions are included at the end of each chapter.

What Others are Saying:

Matthew Harrison takes the subject of joy and succinctly brings it into clear view. Something that any “dyed in the wool” Christian—even a staunch German Lutheran—can grasp and embrace. The book provides a fresh and honest look at how and why joy is an integral part of one’s life.”
Cheri Fish
President—Michigan District LWML

“A singular contribution! Matt Harrison’s A Little Book on Joy is a big book in great need today. In his characteristically incisive manner, Matt has given today’s Christian the keys to real joy—the kind the Savior intended, and the kind he created in his life, death, and resurrection. I commend it to all as a healthy antidote to the travails of modern life. Matt continues to be one of the most interesting, topical, and important authors on today’s theological scene.”
Leo Mackay
Vice President—Corporate Business Development
Lockheed Martin Corp.
Past Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Washington D.C.

“Let’s face it: serious Lutherans too often come across as dour sourpusses. A Little Book on Joy shatters that caricature. Matt Harrison leads readers on an exuberant romp through the Scriptures and the multiple facets of unbridled Christian joy.”
Rev. Harold L. Senkbeil, STM, DD
Executive Director, DOXOLOGY: The Lutheran Center
for Spiritual Care and Counsel

Update: Sold, pending delivery of funds.

Here is a Latin edition of the Book of Concord from 1677. For whatever reason, finding copies of the Latin BOC from this time period is not as common as finding them printed after 1700. You can find Latin BOC editions from the 1700s somewhat easily, but finding them printed, in this good a shape, from before 1680 is more difficult.

It is in great shape, tightly bound.

It is yours for $325, including shipping via USPS Priority Mail (2 Day). If you want insurance and delivery confirmation, that’s $5 extra. I will accept discreet Paypal, money order, or check. I will ship only to continental USA addresses.

Here are some pictures:

I’m putting up some books for sale and here are two more. If you want them, let me know by sending me an e-mail to BOC1580@gmail. I’ll take payment via discreet PayPal, but please add 3% to the price. I’ll also accept checks, and will hold books until the check clears, or money order. Shipping via USPS Priority Mail (2 Day mail) is included in the selling price, but if you want delivery confirmation and insurance, add $5 extra. I will ship only to the continental USA.

Here is a Latin BOC from 1847 for sale. I’m asking $75, shipped, for it.

I’m beginning to divest of some of my books so you’ll be seeing “for sale” ads over the coming months.

First, I begin with a set of Walther’s doctrinal textbook that he edited. These are in very good condition. The spine material is wearing, but each of these volumes is nice and tight in the binding and the paper is in very good shape. Baier’s Compendium is in Latin, with extensive citations from Lutheran theologians, in German. This was printed at Concordia Publishing House in 1879. They are yours for $265, which includes shipping via USPS Priority Mail to addresses in the continental USA. These books are from the first printing, first edition.

Here is more information about these books.

Dr. Robert Preus, in his The Theology of Post-Reformation Lutheranism said this about John William Baier:

“John William Baier (1647-95) studied at Jena, where he came under the influence of John Musaeus, who later became his father-in-law. He was called as professor at the University of Jena and later at Halle, where he did not always get along very peaceably with the pietists. However, like many of the later orthodox Lutherans, he was somewhat affected by Pietism. Baier is known primarily for one book, his Compendium Theologiae Positivae (1685). While demonstrating that the Jena theology was not syncretistic but orthodox, this work, which on every page leans on Musaeus, is not wholly free from the latter’s synergism. Baier’s presentation and formulations are very scholastic and indicate a decline in the forcefulness of orthodox Lutheran dogmatics. His theological shorthand, although precise, becomes so abbreviated at times as to be quite bewildering to one who has not read in other theologians of that day. Nevertheless, because of its clarity and convenient size the book was used in many schools and was re-edited in Germany and America in the 19th. century.”

Apparently from the beginning of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Baier’s Compendium of Positive Theology was used as the basic dogmatic textbook, primarily because it was easy to find. John William Bauer (1647-1695) had been professor at the University of Jena and the University of Halle. Although he wrote a number of other books entitled Compendium (one of historical theology and one of exegetical theology), his Compendium of Positive Theology is his best known work.

In 1865, Dr. C. F. W. Walther wrote that he had been persuaded to try and write his own dogmatic textbook, but this, unfortunately, never happened. Instead, synodical president H. C. Schwan “compelled” Walther to publish an edition of Baier’s Compendium that would include “annotatioins,” and that edition began coming off the press in May 1879. Besides correcting the publishing errors of earlier editions, Walther included copious quotations from sixteenth- and seventeenth-century theologians as elaborations on Baier’s terse comments. In this translation, the major loci and footnotes to them are from Baier. The interspersed quotations from Luther, Chemnitz, Gerhardt, et. al., were added to this edition of Baier by Walther.

Are you, like me, a total bibliophile? You love books. You love having them around. You love reading them. You can never read just one at a time. You have stacks of books with bookmarkers in them at your desk, next to you favorite easy chair at home, next to the bed. You have started reading more books than you have finished. You love how they smell. You get a new book and bury your nose in to catch the wonderful scent of “new book.” Yes, it is that severe an affliction for the true book lover. Do you, like me, have books on the topics of: “the history of books” and “how to read a book” and even “the history of the bookshelf.” Yes, that’s right. I have a book that is devoted to the history of the bookshelf. I am not making this up.

Well, here is a great post sent to me by a friend on the proper care of books. Enjoy.

The incredible Herzog August library in Wolfenbüttel, Germany has a priceless collection of original manuscripts and books, and they are particularly noted for their holdings in Reformation era works. I was browsing through their digitized books, which they offer on their web site for viewing, and even for downloading, for free. Of particular note are the handwritten manuscripts in their holding. Here is a screen shot from a legal document from the 600s A.D.  And following it, a document from Charlemagne’s court. But, wait, there’s more. I found a a handwritten manuscript, illustrated by Albrecht Dürer, and there is a page containing Isaiah 53, handwritten, formed around a Dürer illustration of the crucifixion. Check out their digital collection here.

I received a copy of the new ESV Bible Atlas, and my reaction is, in one word, “Wow!”  You owe it to yourself to check it out. I am particularly impressed by the huge beautiful pictures of the Temple grounds in Jerusalem at the time of Christ and the cut-away images of the Temple itself. Full disclosure: I was given a copy of the ESV Atlas as a gift by Dr. Lane Dennis of Crossway, and what a wonderful gift it is. You can order it now for only $35. An amazingly good value for such a rich book, which comes with a CD and a poster, as well.

Here is Justin Taylor’s description of the Atlas.

The new Crossway ESV Bible Atlas (352 pages) will be shipping soon from Amazon.

The text of the Atlas was written by Professor John Currid (RTS-Charlotte, NC). The maps were done by David Barrett, who also served as the cartographer for the ESV Study Bible. Here’s what it contains:

175 full-color maps
70 full-color photographs
3-D re-creations of biblical objects and sites
indexes
timelines
65,000 words of narrative description.
“The atlas uniquely features regional maps detailing biblically significant areas such as Egypt, Mesopotamia, Italy, and Greece. It also includes a CD with searchable indexes and digital maps, and a removable, 16.5 x 22-inch map of Palestine.”

One of the neat things for me is being able to see the ESVSB illustrations—of the tabernacle, the temples, Jerusalem at various times, etc—in great detail over a two-page spread on glossy paper.

If you want to flip through 40+ pages of the Atlas virtually, click here. Just put your mouse on the right-hand side of the atlas to flip to the next page.

I thought you might enjoy seeing some of the old books I have in my office. I just shot this with my iPhone camera.