Herberger's "Other" Postils

Valerius Herberger, known in his life time as the "Jesus preacher" and "Little Luther," was a prolific writer of sermons. Besides preaching Sundays, festivals, and weekdays (a duty shared from the time of his diaconal service in 1599 until his death in the preaching office in Fraustadt in 1627), he found time to publish meditations and literary postils on the Pentateuch and early histories Joshua, Judges, Ruth—these occupying about 1200 folio pages—the first twenty-three psalms, the book of Sirach (in 97 sermons), Christmas and the Passion from the four Evangelists, and the New Jerusalem from the book of Revelation, and several volumes of funeral sermons, in addition to his regular Sunday and festival sermons on the Epistles and Gospels. Toward the end of his life, he was preparing several of these for publication, many manuscripts no doubt being copied for the press by his son Zacharias and published only posthumously, in some cases not until the 18th century. 

Among all these works we also find the curiously named Geistreiche Stoppel-Postilla, meaning spiritual gleanings-postil (Stoppel is a cognate of the English word stubble), in Latin "Spicilegium." The term is agricultural and refers to the produce gleaned or manually harvested from the edges, corners, and margins of the field after the main work has been done. Here Herberger harvested a storehouse of sermons on pericopes throughout the Gospels and Acts not generally treated in the regular course of the church year. He does not cover all the remnants of each Gospel, however, but as you can see, begins with Matthew, and tends to avoid repeating parallel passages in the other Gospels, resulting in 103 sermons of about 6 folio pages each on average. Especially noteworthy is the paucity of Marcan sermons here. Acts, meanwhile, consumes 87 sermons of similar length. Since this may prove of interest to others, I provide a list of the contents here. The page numbers refer to those of the Leipzig Gleditsch edition of 1715 (see image above).

Part One: Gleanings from the Holy Gospels

• 1. Matthew 1 — p. 1
• 2. Matthew 3a. — p. 9
• 3. Matthew 3b. — p. 19 * another version of this sermon appears in his Evangelische Hertz-Postille.
• 4. Matthew 4:12-17  — p. 28
• 5. Matthew 3:23–25 — p. 34
• 6. Matthew 5:1–12 — p. 41
• 7. Mathew 5:13–16 — p. 49
• 8. Matthew 5:17–19 — p. 57
• 9. Matthew 5:27–end — p. 65
• 10. Matthew 5:38–6:4 — p. 73
• 11. Matthew 6:5–13 — p. 80
• 12. Matthew 6:16–23 — p. 86
• 13. Matthew 7:6–14 — p. 94
• 14. Matthew 7:24–fin. — p. 101
• 15. Matthew 8:14–17 — p. 107
• 16. Matthew 8:18–22 — p. 112
• 17. Matthew 8:17–22 & Luke 9:61–62 — p. 117
• 18. Matthew 8:28–fin, 9:1 — p. 122
• 19. Matthew 9:14–17 — p. 127
• 20. Matthew 9:35–fin. — p. 132
• 21. Matthew 10:1–4 — p. 137
• 22. Matthew 10:5-15 — p. 142
• 23. Matthew 10:16 — p. 148
• 24. Matthew 10:17–27 — p. 153
• 25. Matthew 10:28–32 — p. 160
• 26. Matthew 10:34–fin. — p. 168
• 27. Matthew 11:11–15 — p. 174
• 28. Matthew 11:16–24 — p. 180
• 29. Matthew 12:1–21 — p. 186
• 30. Matthew 12:31–37 — p. 191
• 31. Matthew 12:28–31 — p. 196
• 32. Matthew 12:42 — p. 200
• 33. Matthew 12:46–fin. — p. 205
• 34. Matthew 13:44 — p. 210
• 35. Matthew 13:47–fin. — p. 215
• 36. Matthew 14:1–12. — p. 219
• 37. Beheading of John (Mark 6:17–29) — p. 225
• 38. Matthew 14:22-fin. — p. 231
• 39. Matthew 15:1—20 — p. 237
• 40. Matthew 16:1–12 — p. 242
• 41. Matthew 16:21–fin. — p. 248
• 42. Matthew 17:1–9 — p. 254
• 43. Matthew 17:10–13 — p. 260
• 44. Matthew 17:14–21 — p. 264
• 45. Matthew 17:22–fin. — p. 269
• 46. Matthew 18:15–20. — p. 274
• 47. Matthew 19:1–15 — p. 280
• 48. Matthew 19:16–26 — p. 284
• 49. Matthew 21:23–32. — p. 289
• 50. Matthew 21:33–fin. — p. 295 {“275”}
• 51. Matthew 22:23–33 — p. 299
• 52. Matthew 23:1—33 — p. 305
• 53. Matthew 23:34–fin. — p. 311
• 54. Matthew 24:1—14. — p. 316

• 1. Mark 8:22–26. — p. 322
• 2. Mark 9:49–50 — p. 327
• 3. Mark 12:41–44 — p. 331
• 4. Mark 13:33–fin. — p. 332

• 1. Luke 1:1–4 — p. 338
• 2. Luke 1:5–25 — p. 341
• 3. Luke 4:33–fin. — p. 346
• 4. Luke 11:1–13 — p. 351
• 5. Luke 12:13–21 — p. 356
• 6. Luke 13:1–5 — p. 362
• 7. Luke 13:6–9 — p. 366
• 8. Luke 13:10–17 — p. 370
• 9. Luke 13:31–fin. — p. 373
• 10. Luke 14:25—33 — p. 378
• 11. Luke 17:7–10 — p. 384
• 12. Luke 22:31–38 — p. 391

• 1. John 1:15–18 — p. 396
• 2. John 1:29–34 — p. 400
• 3. John 1:43–fin. — p. 406
• 4. John 2:12–fin. — p. 411
• 5. John 3:22–fin.— p. 418
• 6. John 4:1–14 — p. 426
• 7. John 4:15–24. — p. 431
• 8. John 4:25–46. — p. 437
• 9. John 5:19–30 — p. 442
• 10. John 5:31–fin. — p. 448
• 11. John 6:23–58 — p. 454
• 12. John 6:27, 33, 35, 47, 51, 58 — p. 460
• 13. John 6:59–fin. — p. 465
• 14. John 7:1–13 — p. 470
• 15. John 7:14–39 — p. 475
• 16. John 7:40–fin. — p. 481
• 17. John 8:1–20 — p. 486
• 18. John 8:21–30 — p. 492
• 19. John 8:31–45 — p. 497
• 20. John 9:1–17 — p. 502
• 21. John 9:18–fin. — p. 507
• 22. John 10:17–31 — p. 513
• 23. John 10:31–fin. — p. 517
• 24. John 12:27–30 — p. 523
• 25. John 12:31–fin. — p. 528
• 26. John 13:18–fin. — p. 534
• 27. John 14:15–23. — p. 539
• 28. John 16:30–fin. — p. 544
• 29. John 17:1–5 — p. 548
• 30. John 17:6–19 (parts 1–4) — p. 554
• 31. John 17:6–19 (part 5) — p. 559
• 32. John 17:20–23 — p. 564
• 33. John 17:24–fin. — p. 568

Part Two: Gleanings from the Acts of the Holy Apostles

• 1. Acts 3:1–8 — p. 1
• 2. Acts 3:9–16 — p. 5
• 3. Acts 3:17–fin. — p. 10
• 4. Acts 4:1–12 — p. 16
• 5. Acts 4:13–22 — p. 20
• 6. Acts 4:23–31 — p. 25
• 7. Acts 4:32–fin. — p. 30
• 8. Acts 5:1–11 — p. 34
• 9. Acts 5:12–16 — p. 39
• 10. Acts 5:17–21 — p. 44
• 11. Acts 5:21–32 — p. 48
• 12. Acts 5:33–40 — p. 53
• 13. Acts 5:40–fin. — p. 57
• 14. Acts 6:1–7 — p. 61
• 15. Acts 8:1–8 — p. 65
• 16. Acts 8:9–13 — p. 69
• 17. Acts 8:14–25 — p. 73
• 18. Acts 8:26–fin. (I: of Philip) — p. 77
• 19. Acts 8:26–fin. (II: of the Eunuch) — p. 82
• 20. Acts 9:23–25 — p. 87
• 21. Acts 9:26–30 — p. 91
• 22. Acts 9:31 — p. 95
• 23. Acts 9:32–35 — p. 100
• 24. Acts 9:36–43 — p. 104
• 25. Acts 11:1–18 — p. 108
• 26. Acts 11:19–26 — p. 113
• 27. Acts 11:27–30; 12:25 — p. 118
• 28. Acts 13:1–12 — p. 123
• 29. Acts 13:13–41 (Paul & Barnabas) — p. 128
• 30. Acts 13:16–41 (Paul’s sermon) — p. 133
• 31. Acts 13:42–43 — p. 139
• 32. Acts 13:44–fin. — p. 143
• 33. Acts 14:1–7 14834. Acts 14:8–18 — p. 152
• 35. Acts 14:19–fin. — p. 157
• 36. Acts 15:1–4 — p. 162
• 37. Acts 15:5—21 — p. 168
• 38. Acts 15:22–29 — p. 174
• 39. Acts 15:30–35 — p. 179
• 40. Acts 15:36–fin. — p. 184
• 41. Acts 16:1–10 — p. 190
• 42. Acts 16:11—15 — p. 195
• 43. Acts 16:16–24 — p. 200
• 44. Acts 16:25–34 — p. 206
• 45. Acts 16:35–fin. — p. 211
• 46. Acts 17:1-10 — p. 216
• 47. Acts 17:10–15 — p. 221
• 48. Acts 17:16–21 — p. 227
• 49. Acts 17:22–fin. — p. 233
• 50. Acts 18:1–11 — p. 239
• 51. Acts 18:12–17 — p. 245
• 52. Acts 18:18–fin. — p. 249
• 53. Acts 19:1–7 — p. 255
• 54. Acts 19:8–12 — p. 259
• 55. Acts 19:13–20 — p. 264
• 56. Acts 19:21–34 — p. 270
• 57. Acts 19:35–fin. — p. 275
• 58. Acts 20:1–12 — p. 280
• 59. Acts 20:13–17 — p. 286
• 60. Acts 20:18–fin. — p. 290
• 61. Acts 21:1–6 — p. 296
• 62. Acts 21:7–14 — p. 302
• 63. Acts 21:15–20 — p. 308
• 64. Acts 21:20–30 — p. 313
• 65. Acts 21:31–fin. — p. 319
• 66. Acts 22:1–22 — p. 324
• 67. Acts 22:23–29 — p. 330
• 68. Acts 22:30–23:6 — p. 336
• 69. Acts 23:6–11 — p. 341
• 70. Acts 23:12–16 — p. 345
• 71. Acts 23:17–fin. — p. 350
• 72. Acts 24:1–4 — p. 358
• 73. Acts 24:5–21 — p. 363
• 74. Acts 24:22–27 — p. 368
• 75. Acts 25:1–12 — p. 374
• 76. Acts 25:13–fin. — p. 379
• 77. Acts 26:1–24 — p. 285
• 78. Acts 26:24–fin. — p. 392
• 79. Acts 27:1–13 — p. 398
• 80. Acts 27:14–26 — p. 403
• 81. Acts 27:27–41 — p. 409
• 82. Acts 27:42–fin. — p. 414
• 83. Acts 28:1–6 — p. 419
• 84. Acts 28:7–10 — p. 424
• 85. Acts 28:11–16 — p. 428
• 86. Acts 28:17–22 — p. 434
• 87. Acts 28:23–fin. — p. 439