# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1854 01 17_S85
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

85

Maccabees, and once one has been seized by it there, the eye will also become receptive to the weaker rays of light in the rest."

The most sweeping reproach against the apocryphal books, which Rationalism first raised and which, unhappily, believing theologians have then also adopted and spread fairly generally, is this: "The Apocrypha contain nothing of a Messiah and His kingdom." Yet on unprejudiced consideration we shall discover in them not a few passages from which it clearly appears that their authors knew the faith in the coming Savior; for example, 1 Maccab. 2, 57, and Sir. 47, 13, speak of a king who can be none other than our Lord Christ; the same holds of 1 Maccab. 14, 41, where the true prophet is mentioned whom God would raise up.

Of the impartial appreciation of the Apocrypha, as well as of their use hitherto, R. Stier says aptly: "We cannot yet let the conviction be taken from us that the origin of the Apocrypha between Malachi and Christ, their connection with the Greek Old Testament prepared for Christ's time (the Septuagint), their passage thereby mediated into the Church of Christ right beside the Old Testament, and the standing which they have maintained down to the present day in the most important divisions of it, are so far really intended by Providence, in that they constitute an especially suitable appendix to the canonical Word, Old and New Testament. It might indeed give occasion to doubts about the truth of the word of Christ: "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world," if the whole Christian Church had not been preserved by Him from the grave error of declaring writings to be useless and harmful to read which are good and useful to read."

In reading the apocryphal books we must never forget that the word does not hold of them, as of the canonical books: "Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground," but the word: "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." Therefore we ought never to use their sayings to prove doctrines that are not grounded in the canonical books, for example, the doctrines mentioned above of guardian angels, of purgatory, of intercessions for the dead. Passages liable to misunderstanding, for example, concerning the meritoriousness of obedience toward parents, Sir. 3, 4. 6., and especially of almsgiving, Tob. 12, 9., we ought to set right according to the context of the wholesome doctrine, and above all always bear in mind that in these books incomparably more that is true and useful is contained than what is false and harmful, as indeed they offer in particular much that is excellent for the explanation of the 10 Commandments.

To mention something further of two of these books, Jesus Sirach was designated by the name Ecclesiasticus, that is, churchly book, because it was read in the Church for the edification of morals, and even the Epistle on the day of St. John the Evangelist (Sir. 15, 1-8.) and the Sunday lesson for catechism instruction (Sir. 3, 1-18.) were taken from it. Dr. Luther expresses himself on this book in his preface thus: "It is a useful book for the common man, for all its diligence is that it make a citizen and householder godly, pious and prudent, how he is to conduct himself toward God, God's Word, priests, parents, wife, children, his own body, goods, servants, neighbors, friends, enemies, authorities and everybody, so that one might well call it a book of household discipline or of the virtues of a pious master of a house, which is also the right spiritual discipline and ought to be so called."

As Dr. Luther advised, from time to time also to preach on this book, so his pupil Joh. Mathesius at Joachimsthal did this in company with his colleagues. To these sermons, which make a stout folio volume, he prefixed as a motto the saying of Clement of Rome (in the canonical apostolic writings): "Ye shall also learn well the Wisdom of Sirach, yea we wish also that ye make the same book quite common and known to your scholars and disciples."

Valerius Herberger, pastor at Fraustadt, died 1627, says in the "Explanation of the House- and Discipline-book of Jesus Sirach in 97 Sermons," of the same book: "It has been customary for the school children, after the Catechism, to be let read in the Sirach, that the fear of God and a Christian life might be instilled into dear tender youth right from the beginning, as it were with their mother's milk."

Of the Book of Wisdom Dr. Luther says in his preface to this book: "There is much good matter in it, and it is well worth while that one read it. — From which one can clearly perceive that wisdom here means not the clever lofty thoughts of heathen teachers and human reason, but the holy divine Word. And whatever praise and commendation of wisdom thou hearest herein, know that it is said of nothing else than of the Word of God."

We close with the last words of that instructive essay: "A very serious side of this polemic (against the apocryphal books), and of the activity of colporteurs of the British Bible Society going hand in hand with it, who seek to prejudice the Christian people against the Bibles with Apocrypha, is this, that the authority of the Church, which now, if ever, deserves tender consideration, and which wantonly to assail is now an especially grave offense, receives thereby a new blow. What are the people to think of a Church which from its first beginnings and through the centuries of its existence has recommended to its own, as useful and good to read, books, and has added them to the collection of Holy Scripture, which in truth are useless and harmful to read?" K.

The Braggart Overcome.

Not far from here lies a watering-place, in which every summer all sorts of people stay, partly for the sake of bathing, partly to be merry as best they can. There, one day, several gentlemen sat together in the company room, who had just come over from the neighboring, highly enlightened little town. And as they were in cheerful conversation, the talk turned also to religion, which, as is well known, is not in very good repute at present among the enlightened. They said all sorts of over-clever things, and drank lemonade with wine, because the day was sultry. One of them, a stout gentleman, took a deep draught and said with great satisfaction: "I have had enough of priestly wisdom; for ten years I have not set my foot in any church!" At this he looked exceedingly proud and gazed with majesty into his wineglass.

Then an elderly man stepped up, who until then had listened to the conversation only in silence from a distance, but now could restrain himself no longer. He said: "O gentlemen! only 10 years not in church? that is nothing at all! In my place I know a man who is 46 years old, and has been in church only a single time in his life, namely on the day when he was baptized."

All looked at the speaker and seemed astonished. "How does that come about?" the braggart asked at last. — "See here, sir," answered the stranger, "the poor fellow — and with this word he pointed with his finger to his forehead — the poor fellow is not right here." (Hallesches Volksblatt).

Freedom or Impudence.

Under this heading there is found in the 23rd and 24th numbers of the "National Demokrat" an essay by the editor, Mr. Friedrich Schmidt, which, if space permitted, we should gladly share with our readers. In it there is a review of a great number of German political papers published here, which makes terrifying disclosures about their immoral, irreligious, indeed atheistic tendencies. Besides, the essay shows with what shameless impudence the newspaper writers here write out into the world, so that with these their filthy doings they faithfully represent the general sentiment of the Germans here. We cannot refrain from communicating at least the words worthy of heed with which Mr. Friedrich Schmidt, turning to all better-minded Ger-