# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Februar 1859_S57
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

On Passion Sermons. 57

As models for such sermons we find, among those composed by Dr. Luther,
apart from the 5 Passion Sermons and the ones delivered on the Gospel of
John chapters 18 and 19 — which indeed are a rich mine — regrettably only
very few; for the 13 Passion Sermons contained in the House Postil
published by Veit Dietrich were, by his own admission, with the sole
exception of the 11th sermon, composed by Luther himself; nevertheless
they are almost throughout a faithful echo of what Veit Dietrich, as a
diligent pupil and untiring note-taker, had learned in nearly 20 years
from his great teacher, and for the want of Dr. Luther's own sermons we
shall thank God all the more for this recourse, the longer and more
faithfully we make use of this work.

I shall now give an account of the contents of the individual Passion
Sermons, and of the aids to them. Those sermons — namely the 13 that stand
in Dietrich's edition of the House Postil — I have marked with D.; those,
however, that are found only in the Rörer-Poach edition, are marked with
R. P.

1. An introductory sermon on the second half of the Gospel for Estomihi,
or a similar text, but always with reference to the resurrection of
Christ. In particular it should treat of the origin of the Passion and
fasting season (Shrovetide — Ash Wednesday), of the false way of
contemplating the Passion under the papacy, and of the right way, which we
owe to Dr. Luther — in particular, how each single part is to serve us as
a mirror of sin, of grace, and of life.

For this, above all, the precious sermon for Palm Sunday serves (Walch
ed. 11, 785; Erlangen ed. 11, 144), further the introductory sermon on
Romans 5:8–11 (R. P., introductory sermon to the 5 Passion Sermons, D.),
as well as the introduction to the first of these sermons; likewise, on
the manner of treating Christ's suffering, the sermons for a good friend
(W. 12, 2400) and finally on Psalm 22:19 (W. 4, 1739).

2. Christ's suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane:
a. his going into the garden, John 18:1–2. —
b. his agony of death. R. P., 1st sermon, 2nd part, and the sermon for
Good Friday 1522 (W. 12, 1770; E. 17, 72.                     D. 1. Serm.
c. his prayer.
3. Christ's arrest:
a. Judas's faithlessness, John 18:3–4.
b. the two miracles of Christ, ibid. v. 5–9.                   D. 2. Serm.
4. Christ's rebuke of Peter, and — of the Jews:
a. of Peter, R. P., 1st sermon, 1st part, and John 18:10–11.   D. 3. Serm.
b. of the Jews.
5. Christ's suffering before the Jewish court:
a. his being led to Caiaphas, John 18:12–14.
b. his examination and accusation, R. P., 2nd sermon, and John
18:19–24.                                                      D. 4. Serm.