Customer Reviews

Ministry, Word, and Sacraments

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This book has made it onto my yearly read list (with Walther's Proper Distinction between Law and Gospel and Giertz' Hammer of God).

The book is a question and answer format summary of the ministry. It deals with the means of grace in Biblical ways. Chemnitz is very brief, but his brief answers pack unbelievable depth. In an age where multiple volume sets on doctrine show up, it is refreshing to see such a short treatment that is still deep. If you are ordained, or are considering the Office of Holy Ministry, read and re-read this book. This is the charge of pastors, this is what they are given. Similarly, if you want to know what your pastor has been given by God to do, then read this book.

CPH has combined three of Chemnitz's works into one volume here. Die hard Chemnitz fans may find "The Lord's Prayer" interesting, but I did not find it very inspiring. It is actually taken from his "Harmony of the Gospels." The Enchiridion is a series of questions Chemnitz would ask a pastor concerning doctrine and the office of the ministry. Some of the answers are quite helpful if you are a confessional Lutheran. "The Lord's Supper" is probably the most interesting of the three in this volume as it discusses Christ's presence in the eucharist. Chemnitz wrote this work in the 1560s at the height of the eucharistic debates. He goes to great lengths to demonstrate that one can be sure that Jesus is really, truly and corporeally present in the elements of the bread and the wine because Jesus said, "This is my body." For Chemnitz IS means IS. He also tries to dispel Reformed concerns that the communicant is actually gnashing the flesh of Christ even though Christ is indeed present in the Supper. Chemnitz repeatedly states that the sacramental union of Christ with the elements does not entail a "Capernaitic" eating of Christ's body. What exactly is Carpernaitic? Chemnitz never says, but he wants to dispel the notion that eating Christ physically in the sacrament is not as gross or repugnant as the Reformed imagine.

This book is a translation of Chemnitz' "little book" originally written for pastors. The text is written in a catechetical style, a question-and-answer format, with chapters covering such topics as the Word and Sacraments and ceremonies of the church. The translator, Luther Poellet, tried to keep some flavor of the original Latin and German and, thus, the sentences are often wordy, which to the modern reader can be an impediment. Nevertheless, this book asks and answers some questions that are important to the modern Church; this book is definitely worth reading and using as a reference.