Lutheran Prayer book

[Esdra]

Hi

is there a Lutheran prayer book for lay persons? I am looking for something like the Book of Common Prayer in the Episcopal Church.
Is there also a German edition (from the EKD or SELK)?

Esdra

 

[LilLamb219]

Concordia Publishing House has a Lutheran Book of Prayer. It's on sale right now too

 

[jonathan1971]

I haven't been able to find one online but the closest thing we have in the Evangelical Lutheran Synod is the Hymnary.

 

[Tetzel]

Gesangbuch SELK

 

[Kalevalatar]

Just a little Lutheran tidbit: Mikael Agricola's Prayer Book, Rucouskiria Bibliasta ("A prayer booke from ye Bible"), published in 1544, was the most comprehensive reformation era prayer book. It had nearly 900 pages and 643 prayers and, among other things, 29 hymns, plus a calendar section in the beginning of the book including useful information on astrology, astronomy, natural sciences, medicine and theology. Agricola's sources were the Bible, earlier Catholic prayer books, the Catholic Missale Aboense, works of Luther, Melanchthon, Erasmus, Thomas von Kempen's The Imitation of Christ, Kaspar Schwenckfeld's Passional and Prayer Book. Thus, the prayers were rather Roman Catholic in spirit.

Agricola's Prayer Book is quite a feat, considering that before Agricola, there was no written Finnish language: Agricola was literally the first to write it down!

 

[Kingdom Cross]

Kalevalatar, what an amazing man you've educated us about. I am very much inspired by Agricola! Wow!

As to the O.P., the best Lutheran prayer book is the Word of God.

Sorry for being cheeky, but there really are too many Hymnals out there to make a choice! LilLamb219's suggestion at Concordia looks beautiful, though.

 

[ContraMundum]

Concordia Publishing House has a Lutheran Book of Prayer. It's on sale right now too

It's not very good though. The prayers are dry and seem to be "by the numbers". I have it, got through the first few pages and never picked it up again. Perhaps CPH's "The Treasury of Daily Prayer" is better but it's too hard to get for my part of the world.

For the OP: I prefer the prayers contained in devotional books like CM Zorn's "Manna" or "Reading the Psalms with Luther" (from CPH) or even better "Book of Devotion: The Psalms" by F. Keugele. Bo Giertz's "To Live With Christ" is up there too. Couple these with the lectionary and the daily office over at www.universalis.com or www.oremus.org and you're set.

 

[ContraMundum]

Great article for the OP: https://brericocc.wordpress.com/201...-or-why-i-prefer-the-brotherhood-prayer-book/

 

[LilLamb219]

It's not very good though. The prayers are dry and seem to be "by the numbers". I have it, got through the first few pages and never picked it up again. Perhaps CPH's "The Treasury of Daily Prayer" is better but it's too hard to get for my part of the world.

For the OP: I prefer the prayers contained in devotional books like CM Zorn's "Manna" or "Reading the Psalms with Luther" (from CPH) or even better "Book of Devotion: The Psalms" by F. Keugele. Bo Giertz's "To Live With Christ" is up there too. Couple these with the lectionary and the daily office over at www.universalis.com or www.oremus.org and you're set.

Ah, I don't have it, so thanks for the heads up!!

I like going through the Lord's Prayer personally as it covers so much

 

[filosofer]

Starck’s Prayer Book is a gold mine. It is not easy, nor are the prayers simplisitic, but the depth of the prayers will last a long time. It's on sale for $7.99. Also, an ebook version.

 

[Esdra]

As to the O.P., the best Lutheran prayer book is the Word of God.

Sorry for being cheeky, but there really are too many Hymnals out there to make a choice! LilLamb219's suggestion at Concordia looks beautiful, though.

Yes, I know. I have studied it quite well the past few years.

But since I became interested in the Roman Catholic liturgy and found out about the Schott (the German liturgical Prayer Book of the RCC for laypeople), and the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal/Anglican Church I was wondering if something like that also exists in the ELCA/LSCMS and/or their German counterparts (EKD/SELK).

 

[Esdra]

Gesangbuch SELK

Thank you for the link. I know about the Song/Hymnal Books of the EKD and SELK.
The one of the EKD is good. But not really like the Book of Common Prayer or the German Schott.

 

[Esdra]

It's not very good though. The prayers are dry and seem to be "by the numbers". I have it, got through the first few pages and never picked it up again. Perhaps CPH's "The Treasury of Daily Prayer" is better but it's too hard to get for my part of the world.

For the OP: I prefer the prayers contained in devotional books like CM Zorn's "Manna" or "Reading the Psalms with Luther" (from CPH) or even better "Book of Devotion: The Psalms" by F. Keugele. Bo Giertz's "To Live With Christ" is up there too. Couple these with the lectionary and the daily office over at www.universalis.com or www.oremus.org and you're set.

That really sounds like an alternative. If there is really no Prayer book like the ones I described in the OP. Thank you.

 

[GratiaCorpusChristi]

It's not very good though. The prayers are dry and seem to be "by the numbers". I have it, got through the first few pages and never picked it up again. Perhaps CPH's "The Treasury of Daily Prayer" is better but it's too hard to get for my part of the world.

For the OP: I prefer the prayers contained in devotional books like CM Zorn's "Manna" or "Reading the Psalms with Luther" (from CPH) or even better "Book of Devotion: The Psalms" by F. Keugele. Bo Giertz's "To Live With Christ" is up there too. Couple these with the lectionary and the daily office over at Universalis home page or Oremus and you're set.

The Treasury of Daily Prayer is much better. Sorry you can't get ahold of it.

 

[ContraMundum]

The Treasury of Daily Prayer is much better. Sorry you can't get ahold of it.

Cool....how does it compare to this? The Brotherhood Prayer Book: Second Revised Edition | Emmanuel Press

 

[GratiaCorpusChristi]

Cool....how does it compare to this? The Brotherhood Prayer Book: Second Revised Edition | Emmanuel Press

I wasn't familiar with that until this thread, but the Brotherhood Prayer Book seems to be more high church, but similar. The Treasury of Daily Prayer uses modern musical notation and works in parallel with the Lutheran Service Book, copying over it's use of Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, Matins, Vespers, and Compline, rather than including the whole Benedictine/Gregorian round of prayer. It is also more of a breviary, including all the Scripture and devotional readings.

But I think I'll have to get my hands on this.

 

[ContraMundum]

I wasn't familiar with that until this thread, but the Brotherhood Prayer Book seems to be more high church, but similar. The Treasury of Daily Prayer uses modern musical notation and works in parallel with the Lutheran Service Book, copying over it's use of Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, Matins, Vespers, and Compline, rather than including the whole Benedictine/Gregorian round of prayer. It is also more of a breviary, including all the Scripture and devotional readings.

But I think I'll have to get my hands on this.

Me too. I've been using The Anglican Breviary for years but it's massive and cumbersome to use. I'll see if I can get the Treasury of Daily Prayer too.

 

[Shane R]

Since you specifically asked about a prayer book in German, Bp. Meyer of Reformierte Episkopalkirche has a German version of the BCP in publication:

Reformierte Episkopalkirche i.D. - Reformierten Episkopalkirche i.D.

 

[Esdra]

Since you specifically asked about a prayer book in German, Bp. Meyer of Reformierte Episkopalkirche has a German version of the BCP in publication:

Reformierte Episkopalkirche i.D. - Reformierten Episkopalkirche i.D.

That really sounds interesting. Thank you.
I didn't know that the BoCP is available in German. And I've never heard of that Church before.

 

[WirSindBettler]

I am looking for something like the Book of Common Prayer in the Episcopal Church.

I say this as a Confessional Lutheran:

Nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing has ever come close in any denomination of Christendom to the power and beauty of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer.

The one used by the Episcopalians (1979) is a pale imitation at best, with its gender-inclusive language (not to bash that form of Christianity, though I disagree with it, but to note that the use of "Father" adds beauty to the original) and modern dialect.

Nothing in Lutheranism, in my opinion, has ever come close.

Even though not technically a prayer book, I'd put forth Laache's Book of Family Prayer, especially the newer ELS translation as an excellent resource.