# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Juli 1855_S204
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

204 Lutheran-Theological Pastors’ Library.

The dear Gerhard did indeed die, as he himself had foreseen, before completing the work, for whose completion, as Dilherr writes, he had “often worked, reflecting and praying, from the first ray of the morning sun throughout the day and night until the next morning light, motionless, with a mind withdrawn, as it were, from his body into solitude”; but the principal work had already been done by him. His immediate successor in office, Dr. Salomon Glassius, whose own particular contribution was also the exposition of the Psalter, the writings of Solomon, and the Gospel of John, subsequently took Gerhard’s place as chief reviser and finally brought the work to completion. The Duke also provided an outstanding proofreader, whom he found in a profoundly learned man named Knespel, while the famous preacher at St. Sebald in Nuremberg, Johann Saubert, also stood at his side as an adviser. When the Bible finally came off the press complete in 1641, on the following Sunday fervent thanks were publicly and solemnly offered to God from all the pulpits of Nuremberg, amid the rejoicing of the congregations there, for the gracious success of this difficult, great, important, and blessed work. Finally, concerning the contents of the work and the manner in which it was composed, we would add the following. Besides the text of the Bible in Luther’s translation, it contains, first, his prefaces to all the biblical books and brief marginal glosses; then a brief explanation of every word and sentence requiring any explanation whatsoever, arranged so that this explanation is placed in parentheses, in smaller type, immediately after the relevant portion of the text, in the form of a glossa interlinearis. Every book and every chapter has concise, forceful summaries that also indicate the sections into which the books and their individual chapters are divided. In addition, it contains various subject and word indexes intended to aid understanding of Holy Scripture. The new edition prepared in 1736 by E. S. Cyprian at the direction of Duke Friedrich III is the finest of all. It was corrected and substantially enlarged. Of particular importance, besides the new explanatory notes added here, are the “practical applications” given at the end of each chapter, or suggestions as to how its contents may be applied for doctrine, admonition, warning, and comfort—not to mention the still finer printing and paper and the still more finely executed engravings of this latter edition. Anyone who desires the quintessence of orthodox biblical interpretation from the best periods of the Church will find it in this work. It was written primarily not for theologians but for Bible readers seeking edification, and therefore all polemics were excluded; nevertheless, Glassius writes with perfect justification in the preface: “Although this work was intended chiefly for the common man, nevertheless, God willing, its outcome and the passage of time will, it is hoped, show what benefit may also be derived from it by those who are otherwise well versed in Scripture and deal with it daily, as especially