# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1853 03 15_S93
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

93

ginaltert of the year 1545 has been given the preference.

Whoever wishes to inform himself further on this matter, which is especially to be recommended to preachers and schoolteachers, will find sufficient information in the separately printed Preface (Leipzig, at Teubner's, for 6 Neugroschen), and moreover a comparative list of the various readings in the Wittenberg original edition of the year 1545 as well as in the Nuremberg edition of the year 1848, the latter of which for the most part follows the Halle edition.

The sum of these various readings in the Old Testament, including the Apocrypha, amounts to 1003, of which Dr. Hopf has adopted 551 from the edition of the year 1545, and 452 from later editions. — In the New Testament 440 various readings are given, of which 288 are contained in the original edition and 152 in later editions.

The publisher has prepared two editions of this Bible: one with larger type, on printing paper 25 Ngr., on vellum paper 1 Thaler 14 Ngr.; the other with smaller type, on printing paper 15 Ngr., on vellum paper 1 Thaler. — The New Testament alone costs, with larger type, 10 and 16 Ngr.; with smaller, 6 and 15 Ngr. (according to the better or poorer paper.).

The publisher offers to furnish bound copies in ordinary bindings up to the finest, and promises those who take larger lots at one time, besides, a further reduction of these prices, already very cheap as they are.

Surely all friends of the unfalsified Luther translation of the Bible should do their utmost to help spread this edition, and especially all Lutheran preachers should be concerned to have a supply of it, since among us it has not yet come to the founding of a Bible society which would make it its task to distribute complete (with Apocrypha), correct Bibles, furnished with fine print and paper (like this Leipzig edition), firmly bound and cheap, and to let them come to the poorer at reduced prices or entirely without charge.

K.

Invitation to Subscribe to the Following New Book:

Die Märtyrer der evangelisch-lutherischen Kirche.

It is well known to every Evangelical Lutheran Christian how many hard struggles and sufferings, how many tears and how much blood it cost until the work of the Reformation was victoriously carried out and until our fathers obtained the long-desired religious freedom. For when God now, through His servant Dr. Martin Luther, caused the dear Gospel to be proclaimed again pure and clear, the pope, the emperor and the whole world rose up with all their might to destroy the truth. But what did our believing forefathers do then? They did not yield nor waver; they remained faithful to the LORD JESUS unto death, they joyfully confessed His Word before all the world and sealed the Evangelical Lutheran doctrine with their blood. Thus thousands and again thousands have died for the Gospel; and indeed not only men and young men, but also women and virgins, yea, even children of the tenderest age have obtained the beautiful martyr's crown.

With right, therefore, the Evangelical Lutheran Church has from of old held the memory of her martyrs in high honor. Luther himself led the way in this with a good example, in that he carefully described the martyrdom of the faithful confessors and made it known by print. Dr. Bugenhagen, Dr. Rabus and others followed him in this.

But those older books of martyrs have, in the course of time, for the greater part perished. What? Shall we now suffer that the memory of our dear martyrs also perish with them? Never. We should only rob ourselves thereby of a great blessing. For the holy martyrs give us a glorious example, which powerfully spurs us on to all Christian virtues. They were merciful and kindly toward all men, they forgave their enemies, they prayed for their murderers, they persevered in faith and in love firmly and steadfastly unto the end. Their history, moreover, is at the same time also very instructive. For it proves to us in the clearest way that the pope, who so fiercely hated and persecuted the Gospel, is the Antichrist foretold in Holy Scripture, and that the Roman Catholic Church, which shed the blood of the dear confessors in streams, is the antichristian Babylon and the great scarlet whore, who is drunken with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. Rev. 17, 6. And finally, according to the Word of God, there is probably nothing that so strengthens faith, so awakens the holy courage of witnessing, as the very reading of these holy histories of the martyrs.

Those martyrs were weak men like ourselves, and yet! — what wonders they wrought in the power of God! For JESUS' sake they gladly gave up the dearest thing they possessed on earth; they endured the most unheard-of torments rather than deny even one letter of the divine Word; as knightly warriors they followed the LORD JESUS faithfully through prison, disgrace and pain, through fire, water and sword; they thanked the LORD JESUS that He counted them worthy to die for His sake, and praised Him to the last breath. So heroically did they strive for the pure doctrine of the divine Word and for freedom from papal error and tyranny, and that we also possess these glorious blessings we have, next to God, to thank those holy martyrs.

The undersigned therefore believes that he is rendering his brethren a service, in that, on the advice of his friends, he has resolved, with God's help, to describe and publish, from good sources, the martyrs of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, their circumstances of life, confessions and sufferings. The plan of the book is as follows. It will appear in separate numbers of 50 pages in good print, on strong white paper with a colored cover. The last number will contain a short history of the spread of the Reformation in the various countries of Europe, as well as the preface. If the work finds the requisite participation, a number will appear about every two months. The printing and the outfitting of the book is in the care of Mr. Niedner in St. Louis.

All Evangelical Lutheran preachers in the United States, as well as all friends of this undertaking, are authorized to collect subscribers for it. As soon as 1000 subscribers are found, so that the costs can be covered, the printing of the first number begins. The price for a single number is 15 cents. But whoever at the outset subscribes for the first 5 numbers receives the number at 10 cents. Collectors of subscribers receive every eleventh copy free. When the first number is printed, it will at once be sent to the respective subscribers, who then send in the money for it.

Letters are requested under the address:

Rev. H. Fik,
Bremen, near St. Louis, Mo.

Hermann Fick.

(Communicated.)

Church News from Jackson Township, Hamilton Co.. Ia.

I take the liberty of communicating to the readers of the "Lutheraner" the following church news, namely: concerning the cause of the building and the dedication of our little church and the change of the name of our congregation.

When the undersigned, at the request of the small Lutheran congregation Mount Pleasant, which had gone out from a united crowd, came hither and was regularly called by it, he had to hold the divine services in a church to which the Unionists and the Lutherans laid claim (the former, however, wholly without right, for according to the church order at hand the church belongs to the Lutherans.) The Unionists also attended these. Soon after his call he preached a sermon in which he treated somewhat the distinguishing doctrines between the Lutheran, Reformed and Methodist church. In this sermon there were now also many of the united crowd, Reformed, Papists, and so-called Lutherans. A true fury took possession of these when the errors of their church were uncovered to them and, over against them, the pure Lutheran doctrine was testified. Immediately after the service they began over