How to Organize Digital Commonplace Notes for Theology or Anything Else

This post is a companion post to the prior post on taking analog notes. In the first section I will cover the reasoning behind my system (which is more important than any specific implementation), and in the second section I will give a simple method for storing digital notes. If you only want the method, read the second section, but a method is far less important than understanding why you are doing what you are doing.

I. The Reason for the Method

Dr. Mayes and I fundamentally agree on our philosophy of taking notes (he as an academic, I as a parish pastor). Where we differ is only in method, which is not that important.

Storing notes is not about amassing quotes. It does little use to store a bunch of data that never gets used. Not only must the data be stored, but in such a way that it will present itself to us for thought when we need it. It is as if our notes become a lifelong conversation partner.

It’s not just saving quotes and passages, but why and what we were thinking in notating it. It’s not just that notes need to be linked, but write down why we are linking them.

Such notes guard our thinking against the feature positive effect (Ahrens-2017, 117). This is the natural tendency to give greater importance to information that readily comes to mind or to information that has been more recently acquired despite the fact that it might not be the most relevant information. This is a powerful argument against just preaching whatever comes to mind first in sermon preparation. Awareness of this defect in our thinking does make us less prone to engaging in it. But the classical process of inventio (discovering things to say) sought to combat this by asking questions to find the most relevant facts and argument. We force ourselves away from the feature positive effect and toward discovery by distinguishing Law and Gospel, the fivefold applications of Scripture, and by asking questions like: What is not meant? What is excluded? What is interesting? Relevant? Why? So what? Such inventio is also part of the note-making processes.

Simply put, writing is thinking. We often think we understand something we’ve read or heard but then struggle to express those ideas in writing or in clear, unbroken speech. If it can’t be written out, it doesn’t count. Here technology does us a disservice, and I will freely bow to the superiority of an all-analog system such as Dr. Mayes described. Although the digital revolution allows us to aggregate data like never before, we know less. Typing and digital recordings allow us to record things verbatim. Handwritten notes are slower, and therein lies their power. Handwritten notes force us to summarize and rephrase as we read or listen to a lecture. Current psychology suggests that taking handwritten notes for lectures and books is better than digital note taking because it forces summarizing and elaboration. The ability to review every word is not the same as learning. But if I put the idea into my own words I thus prove that I understand it, whereas digital notes can be stored verbatim without understanding and therefore with less ability to recall (Ahrens-2017, 78).

The philosopher John Searle explains it with concision, “If you can’t say it clearly, you don’t understand it yourself.” Bad preaching and bad catechesis is unclear. With good reason did our orthodox fathers urge us to read our Bibles with pens in hand, creating our own outlines, connections, paraphrases, and summaries for each chapter of the Bible. In prescribing just such a method for his students, Johann Gerhard was 400 years ahead of the best-available modern neuroscientific findings about the plasticity of the brain and the formation of neural pathways. The old Socratic method generated learning by forcing elaboration, clarification, connection, and counter-argumentation. I used to feel bad asking catechumens questions to which I knew they did not (yet) have the answers. As it turns out, that is one of the most effective things a teacher can do: “If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” (Matt. 22:45).

“The best-researched and most successful learning method is elaboration” (Ahrens-2017, 89).

For these reasons, I do not use a pure digital system. Fleeting notes (see Dr. Mayes’s post) should be made with pencil and paper. But once I am ready to make a permanent note, I go digital. For me the reasons are simple:

1. I will actually do it. I am not nearly committed enough to indexing and handwriting to maintain a proper analog system.
2. When I write, I write on the computer. So my permanent notes are in the same place as my writing.
3. If I want analog notes (e.g., during Bible class), I simply query the notes I want and hit “print.”

II. A Digital Method

When I read, I keep a folded half sheet of paper in the book and make notes with a pencil. A key is not to just mark things but to write down why you are marking them and what thoughts you have at the time.

The worthier of these notes then go into plain text computer files. One file per note. Use plain text because it is simple to search and will never be deprecated. Do not use proprietary formats or software. If you need formatting use something simple like Markdown (https://www.markdownguide.org/cheat-sheet/).

Again, do not use special programs. Not even MS Word. You can search an entire plain text directory without hassle if you use a specific file-naming scheme. I use DATE--TITLE_KEYWORDS.EXTENSION (borrowed from here). Using the date and time means that each note will have a unique ID, even if the notes were created in the same morning.

Example: 20220719T072731–weak-faith-is-true-faith__faith_gerhard_justification.md

A sample note (click for larger size):

This scheme enables several features without becoming dependent on any software. I know it exists, but I avoid special software because it is highly unlikely that I will still be using it in 20 years. The metadata at the top of the file is optional. Feel free to ignore or adapt. A useful addition might be to add an author: field.

With this method, you can tag your notes and link them to each other by the unique filename. Anything that is a note on a Bible passage I tag with book and chapter (e.g., rom8). Need notes on Romans 8? Just search for “_rom8.” Simple. Therefore you can search them a number of ways: by content, date, name, keywords. And that’s mostly all just using the filename.

I don’t use an index or sort notes into folders. The computer makes them unnecessary, and I hate “deciding” where things go. There is also such thing as a “metanote” (tagged as such) which is like a mini index for a specific topic or research line, but I don’t use those much.

Why do I not worry about folders? If you think about it, whether you put notes in a book/file and index them or put them on notecards/textfiles and tag them, it amounts to the same thing. A folder on a computer is just a “tag.” With a digital system the “index” is auto-generated every time I search and I don’t have to maintain it.

To summarize:

• Always read with paper and a pencil
• Plain text only on the computer
• No special software dependencies besides a good plain text editor
• One “thought” = one file
• Notes need to be able to reference one another by a unique filename
• No indexing or sorting things into different folders

Final Thoughts

My sermons are stored in regular folders (one for each Sunday, but if I were starting from scratch, I wouldn’t bother with the folders). So if I have an idea, e.g., for Pentecost, I will open that file and save the note there. When I go to write that sermon I may or may not use that note. And if the note is worthy of being permanent, I will put it in my permanent notes and then put a reference to it in that sermon’s file.

I try to read some of my notes every day (synced to my phone), usually after my Bible reading. Sometimes this leads to writing new notes. By linking notes together, you can write entire papers or sermons “on accident” over time. I don’t do a lot of this as a preacher, though. Instead, when I write sermons I search and reference my notes. Often I make a note and then also link it in a file for an upcoming sermon to remind myself. I rarely write from a blank page anymore. Being on the One-year lectionary, I basically know for what Sunday any given note or thought I have throughout the year might be useful.

How to Organize Analog Commonplace Books for Theology or Anything Else

Spanish translation of this article is found HERE.

Why Commonplace Books?

Knowledge workers have always needed ways to organize their knowledge for future retrieval, memory, and thought support. The classic commonplace book method is simple enough to be used by high school students, and robust enough to be used by professors and advanced scholars. We have to take notes in such a way that, as we go, we do our future writing and put it all in one place (Ahrens 2017, 140). “Read with a pen in your hand, take smart notes and make connections between them. Ideas will come by themselves and your writing will develop from there” (Ahrens 2017, 151).

Kinds of Commonplace Books

For an all-analog system for a Lutheran theologian, there will be four kinds of notebooks: (1) Biblical Commonplaces. (2) Systematic Commonplaces. (3) Bibliography. (4) Index.

Organization of the Commonplace Books

The parts of the Commonplace Book include the following.

Title: The kind of Commonplace Book it is: biblical, systematic, index, or bibliography.

Volume letter: Biblical and systematic volumes are in separate sequences. The first systematic volume is A, the second is B, and so on. The first biblical volume is βΑ, the second is βΒ, the third is βC, and so on. (The Greek letter β stands for βιβλικός, “biblical.”)

Volume index (1–2 pages): It indexes the content of this particular notebook.

Content pages: I recommend filling up notebooks from start to finish, and thus using every page. If you try to allocate a set amount of pages to certain topics, inevitably many if not most of the pages will remain blank forever. Also, at the beginning of your career you do not know where your future interests will lead. Therefore a simple, haphazard way of assigning page topics is needed. When indexed, these randomly arranged pages are easy to find. Only one Bible chapter is assigned per page (in biblical notebooks), and only one headword letter combination (in systematic notebooks) is assigned per page. Instructions on headword letter combinations will be given below in the section on Systematic Commonplace Books.

Title of page: This is a chapter of the Bible (in biblical), or a headword letter combination (in systematic notebooks).

Page number: After the index, content pages are numbered sequentially: 1, 2, 3, ...

Left margin: The area left of the red line is used for headwords (in systematic) or verse numbers (in biblical notebooks).

Header and footer: The top of the header is used for the page title. Content notes begin above the first line. Reserve a footer of 3–4 lines for overflow text or future short notes. Extra space in the header can serve this purpose, too, if the footer is filled.

Notetaking

Fleeting notes: Read with a scratch piece of paper and pen or pencil. As you read, write down the ideas of the book very briefly with their page numbers. This is like your personal index for this book or article. These are called “fleeting notes” or in Latin, conjectanea. Some of these fleeting notes can be rough drafts (half-baked ideas) of what you will put into your commonplaces. These notes are soon discarded, after they have been pondered and turned into permanent notes, or else rejected. Be sure also to add to your bibliography and index before discarding your fleeting notes.

Permanent notes: Go through your fleeting notes and think about what might be relevant for the notes that are already in your commonplaces. If need be, write a draft of what you will put into the commonplaces. After waiting a few days, if the draft still seems worthy to put into your commonplaces, add it to the proper place and add cross-references. Further instructions will be given below in the section on Systematic Commonplace Books.

Project notes: These are notes that have been written for a particular writing project. They are drawn either from the permanent notes or from other reading (fleeting notes). After a writing project is finished, these notes are either discarded or archived (Ahrens 2017, 41–42).

Biblical Commonplace Books

Record exegetical notes on the Bible in these. They are organized by chapter of the Bible. One may choose to keep separate notebooks for the OT and NT. Organization of the notebook: The volume title will be “Biblical Commonplaces,” and the volume number will be a letter. Perhaps you can add a β on the title page in front of the volume letter, to make clear that this is a biblical commonplace volume. For the volume index, put the abbreviation for each book of the Bible (perhaps just OT or NT) to the left of the red line, one book per line. A page can be assigned to only one Bible chapter, but the pages are not assigned in advance. Whenever you need a page for a particular Bible chapter, title the page appropriately and put the page number in the volume index. In the index, put the chapter number on the line for the book, draw a box around it, and put the first page number beside it. For example:

2 Tim. |  [2] 45

There is no need to index additional pages that are set aside for the same chapter, since they will be cross-referenced from the first page of that chapter. Keep a footer of four rows for overflow. (See illustration “Biblical Index”.)

Each content page handles just one chapter of the Bible. At the top of the page, write the book name and chapter number. The rest of the header space is for the outline of the chapter. If possible, fill this out right away, all on one or two lines. (Other lines of the header could be used for different ways of outlining the chapter.) Also include in the header the verses of the chapter that appear in your church’s lectionary. The left margin of the page is reserved for verse numbers. These do not have to be in numerical order. Since the numbers are clearly indicated in the margin, it is easy to find material on any given verse.

First compare the most important versions (translations), such as ESV, NKJV, KJV, Weber Vulgate Latin, Nova Vulgata Latin, Elberfelder 1985 German, Luther 1545 German, and Reina Valera 1960 Spanish, plus the Septuagint Greek for the Old Testament. If you do not yet read Latin, consult the Douay-Rheims instead of the Vulgate. If the versions agree, just move on. There is little need to do lexical work for those words, since the meaning is universally acknowledged. But where the versions vary significantly, parse and look up the Greek or Hebrew words in respected dictionaries and grammars. Notes on all of the former should be done on scratch paper. (See illustration “Biblical fleeting note”.) 

Now decide what you want to remember for posterity and write a brief, well-arranged note in your notebook. Here is an example of a final linguistic note:

22   שׁוֹבֵב "traditionally: backsliding, faithless” (HALOT, though they propose an unconvinving emendation); “backsliding” (KJV, NKJV); “faithless” (ESV); “rebellis” (NVul, Elb, Luth, RVR); “vaga” (Vul); ἠτιμωμένη [disgraced (BDAG ἀτιμόω)] (LXX); ᾑταμίας [unashamed, precocious] (LXX at 49:4, same Hbr word).

Next, use your Biblical Commonplaces to record other information, such as apparent contradictions and their solutions; significant doctrines that arise from the text; beautiful, memorable statements of the fathers, including the Book of Concord and Luther; useful applications; and illustrations. These do not have to be in any particular order, but the verse number always needs to be in the left margin so that all the material on any given verse can be found quickly.

If there are significant cross-references to other Bible passages, write these in the left margin in parentheses. Then put these into the volume index with the page number in parentheses. This way it is clear from the index that these are just cross-references and not entire pages devoted to the chapter. For example:

2 Tim.  |  [2] (1)

You can also cross-reference to your biblical commonplaces from any other commonplace volume, or from your master index, by referring to volume, page, and Bible reference. For example: VIRGIN BIRTH  |  βA6 on Jer 31:22.

If you fill up a page, find the next blank page and write the book and chapter there. At the bottom of the full page, draw a right arrow and write the page number of the new page, and on the new page at the top inside margin, draw a left arrow and the page number of the old, full page. If pages of the same chapter stand beside each other, simple arrows without page numbers suffice. (See illustration “Biblical content”.)

If you desire to study other large, classic texts in a way that is organized by the contents of the document (such as the Book of Concord), then separate notebooks could be kept, with indices and pages organized by document and article.

Systematic Commonplaces

The most basic way to use a commonplace book is as storage for things you want to find later on. In this case, you put quotations and thoughts into spaces that are assigned to a particular topic, index your notes, and then find your notes easily at any time in the future. The more advanced way is as an external brain, a way to build up deep thinking over time. This requires more significant cross-referencing and constant reflection on how new notes support or challenge old notes.

In systematic commonplace books, again, the volume number is a letter. Arrangement is by topic, not by Bible chapter. Pages are assigned not to specific topics, but to initial letter-initial vowel combinations. For example, on the page assigned to “Co” one would put notes concerning “CONFESSION” “COMMUNION” and “COMMONPLACES.” The first two pages are devoted to a volume index. This index includes each letter of the alphabet, with all six vowels for each letter of the alphabet: a, e, i, o, u, y. For example, the first twelve lines of the index would be: Aa, e, i, o, u, y; Ba, e, i, o, u, y. K and Q are not subdivided by their vowels; all the K words are on the same page, and all the Q words are on the same page. Thus, K and Q each need only one line in the index. All words starting with X, Y, or Z are placed on the same page, so these three letters together are given just one line in the index. (See illustration “Systematic or Bibliography index”.)

On the content pages, the headword is written in the margin, so that one can easily find the notes that are sought. Leave a line between notes. Each note should be lettered with a lowercase letter, each page starting with “a.” E.g.:

a. BAPTISM OF INFANTS] “Infants are to be baptized because . . .” (Balduin 1618, 48).

This manner of enumeration allows you to refer to specific notes from anywhere. If “Ba” was page 82 of volume C, the note above would be “C82a.” This unambiguous, simple reference system is what enables cross-referencing among all notes in the system.

To add a note to the commonplaces, pick a main topic (a headword or “commonplace”). Put the main noun first. Be rigorous about this. Otherwise you will not know where to find things. For example: “Catholicism, Roman” (on the Ca page); “Orthodoxy, Eastern” (on the Oo page); “Federation, Lutheran World” (on the Fe page); “Synod, Lutheran Church Missouri” (on the Sy page); “Councils, Ecumenical” (on the Co page). Then you will add cross references back (A2b <--) and forward (--> B3c) to other related notes, and to miscellaneous references (cf. C4d).

In theology, there are well-defined categories that have been used for centuries and millenia. These are useful for structuring theological thought. This is why I recommend that you select a headword (commonplace) for each entry, even if other headwords might be just as apt. Begin by picking headwords that correspond to classic theological categories. Then, in the future you can invent new headwords and cross-reference to them. For now, simply put notes where they seem to fit. Ask: “What is this about? How will I want to find this later?” Pick the headword that seems to fit best and put the note in the page for that letter-vowel combination. Do not pick keywords that are overly specific. For example “Prayer, Intercessory” is a good topic. “Prayer, Intercessory, is Limited Sometimes” is too specific. Then, think through whether the note connects with other notes that you have entered into the commonplace books, and add cross-references, possibly with new notes that explain the connection. Finally, if the new note does not cross-reference to any previous content, add references to this note in your master index, wherever you think it fits. For example, a note on parenting is on the “Pa” page. There are no other commonplace notes on parenting. Enter the reference in the master index not just under “parenting” but also under “chastisement” and “discipline.”

What to put in the commonplace book? Excerpts, cross-references, and notes. Excerpts: For books that are rare or that you do not own, you may want to write out quotations in your commonplace books, because in the future you will not have the original books to refer to. But do not just write excerpts. Also summarize the content in your own words and make connections with other content in your commonplaces.

Cross-references: There is no need to write out whole Bible verses or Book of Concord passages. Just give a reference with a brief indication of its content in your own words. But if you love the passage and want to memorize it, go ahead and write it down in full. Books that you own do not need to be quoted verbatim unless the quote is beautiful, memorable, or contentious. Instead, give a literature reference with a brief sentence of what the passage is about. E.g.:

LAW'S THIRD USE]  Luther affirms the third use of the Law, but it is contested whether he used this expression (LW 72:123).

CAESAROPAPISM]  Gerhard claims that the civil magistrate has a unique role in the call process (Gerhard 2017, 123).

For literature references, I suggest using Turabian’s author-date style, since it does not require footnotes, which are difficult in an analog system. But since there would be ambiguity if an author has more than one title per year, it is sometimes necessary to add a word from the title, e.g. Gerhard 2017 Interp., 104; Ahrens 2017 Smart, 100.

Notes: In your daily Bible reading, always be looking for something to index. But even more importantly, if something seems worth remembering, write down why it seems significant, and write down all the possible headwords that pertain. This can become a short entry in your commonplaces. You would explain what the Bible passage says and why it is applicable to this headword.

At the beginning of making your commonplace system, you might not have anything to cross-reference with your new notes. But soon you will be able to cross-refernece to notes that are potentially related. For example, I can put a new note on Jer. 23:16–17, 21–22, 36 in the commonplaces with the headword CHARISMATICS, but then must cross-reference it to REVELATION and PROPHECY, and maybe even BIBLIOMANCY (since my note says that this passage stands against charismatics, who claim immediate revelation). If I do not feel like writing new notes for all of those headwords, I will just add entries in my master index pointing to this note in the commonplaces. (See illustration “Systematic content”.)

Bibliography

Every book or article you read should be entered into your bibliography. While software is a good way to handle bibliography for many people, here I will discuss analog bibliography notebooks. Bibliography notebooks are numbered by letter, preceded by the Greek letter δ (an arbitrary symbol, to enable succinct cross-referencing). At the start of the bibliography notebook, make a letter-vowel index in the same way as was done for the systematic commonplace books. (See illustration “Systematic or Bibliography index,” above.) Entries are organized by the author’s last name. So both “Smith, John” and “Schmidt, Johann” will be placed on a page labelled “Si”. Whenever a new page is labelled, add it to the volume index. Pages are assigned to letter-vowel combinations as needed, from the beginning to the end of the notebook.

Use a standard format, such as Turabian. Turabian author-date style is well-suited to analog notebooks, since there is no need to use footnotes.

Immediately after reading a book or article, write a few sentences (on scratch paper) summarizing the work. Then add the bibliography to the notebook, followed by your summary, and perhaps a few page numbers to the book or article with the topics or arguments handled there. Then add key words in ALL CAPS. It is important to cross-reference to all the topics by which you might want to find this book or article again. (See illustration “Bibliography content”.)

After adding the book or article to the bibliography, make permanent notes to add to the commonplaces for whatever you deem worthy to keep, cross-referencing the new notes to everything else in the system that is relevant. This way the article or book will be found again in various contexts.

Master Index

A master index becomes necessary as soon as one has filled up a few notebooks. It is easy to use a plain text computer file as a master index, but here I will discuss analog master indices, which can be made gradually and do not require retyping or rewriting. In a blank notebook, number the pages, and give one page to each letter-vowel combination, such as Aa, Ae, Ai, Ao, Au, Ay, and so on. (Give only one page each to K, Q, and XYZ.) This requires 131 pages. In an 80 or 100 sheet notebook, there are then plenty of blank pages, which can be used as overflow, if one of the original 131 pages is filled. Then, write the indexed word in the left margin. There is no need to leave a footer on these pages. If you fill up the last line, indicate on what page this letter-vowel combination is continued. Use very brief abbreviations for the Bible and Book of Concord. The only other references needed should be to the biblical or systematic commonplaces, or the bibliography notebooks (e.g., B89d, or βA105 on Ps2:9, or δΑ104). Try to keep the index topics general, and develop specificity within the systematic commonplaces. For example, “Prayer, Intercessory” is a good index entry. “Prayer, Intercessory, is Limited Sometimes” is too specific. These volumes do not need a volume index, since the whole volume is an index. (See illustration “Index volume content”.)

Now for more explanation, see my lecture from May 15, 2023, over at YouTube. 

Works Cited

Ahrens, Sönke. 2017. How to Take Smart Notes: One Simple Technique to Boost Writing, Learning and Thinking—For Students, Academics and Nonfiction Book Writers. North Charleston, SC: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.

See Also

Locke, John. 1706. “A New Method of a Common-Place-Book.” In Posthumous Works of Mr. John Locke, 311–36. London: W.B. https://books.google.com/books?id=ShYPAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA311#v=onepage&q&f=false.

Mayes, Benjamin T. G. 2004. “Loci Communes: A Theologian’s Best Friend: Or, How to Make the Theological Tool of Your Dreams.” Logia: A Journal of Lutheran Theology 13 (3): 7–10.

The Literary Diary: Or, Improved Common-Place-Book. 1814. London: Taylor and Hessey. https://books.google.com/books?id=Y3NaAAAAcAAJ.

Todd, John. 1835. Index Rerum, or Index of Subjects; Intended as a Manual, to Aid the Student and the Professional Man in Preparing Himself for Usefulness. London: Hamilton, Adams, & Co. https://books.google.com/books?id=srVfAAAAcAAJ.

 

Benjamin T. G. Mayes

Rogate Sunday, May 14, 2023

How to Read the Bible for the First Time

 If you've never read the Bible before, I don't recommend simply going from start to finish. Instead, read it this way:

• Genesis (all)
• Exodus 1-20
• Numbers 11-27
• Psalms: 1, 18, 22, 23, 32, 34, 36, 42-43, 45-46, 51, 69, 70, 72, 87, 93, 95, 98, 100, 110-134
• Isaiah: 4-9, 14, 25-26, 40, 42, 49-56, 59-66
• Matthew-Jude (all)
• The rest of the Old Testament
• Revelation
• Apocryphal books (optional)

This helps you to see Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament, and then to go back and fill in the gaps.

Gerhard's Theological Commonplaces Series: What's Available

From time to time I'm asked how much of Johann Gerhard's monumental Theological Commonplaces is available and whether Concordia's edition is going to include this or that locus. Here are some answers.

First, the entire series (as currently available) can be found on this page. The volumes are not in order in this listing, but all available items (plus Gerhard’s commentary on the books of Timothy) are listed. We added the “original” loci on Scripture to our series so that we could also provide a translation of Gerhard’s Method of Theological Study (item 531216). This is the only instance where we have addressed the earliest form of the loci (1610) in addition to the 1625 exegesis volumes translated by Dr Dinda.

The newest volume, On Eternal Life, will be available in the fall of 2022.

The chart below presents each locus, its publication history in the various editions, and our status regarding publication. Those loci highlighted in blue have been published by Concordia, either as standalone volumes in the series or as multiple loci in a single volume. The loci on the ministry and on death are separated into two volumes. On Death part I will release in 2023 and part II will release in 2024 and will complete our work with the translated material. The loci that are not highlighted will not be published at this time by CPH. Although we have raw translated text for all but the “original” loci on the Trinity (included in the Frankfurt/Hamburg and Cotta editions), we have no current plans to edit and publish the material.

For those who would like to read what Gerhard says on the sacraments, please see Rev. Elmer Hohle's translation of Gerhard's Comprehensive Explanation of Baptism and the Lord's Supper.

Comparison of Editions of Gerhard’s Loci

 Title -- Frankfurt/Hamburg (1657)* / Cotta (1762) / Preuss (1863)

On the Nature of Theology (Exegesis) -- E preface / E preface / Preface

On Holy Scripture (Exegesis) -- E1 / E1 / 1

On the Nature of God (Exegesis) -- E2 / E2 / 2

On the Most Holy Mystery of the Trinity (Exegesis) -- E3 / E3 / 3

On the Person and Office of Christ (Exegesis) -- E4 / E4 / 4

On Holy Scripture -- 1 / 1 / omitted

On the Interpretation of Scripture -- 2 / 2 / omitted

On the Nature of God -- 3 / 3 / omitted

On the Three Elohim -- 4 / 4 / omitted

On God the Father and His Eternal Son -- 5 / 4, part 2 / omitted

On the Holy Spirit -- 6 / 5, part 3 [!] /  omitted

On the Person and Office of Christ - 7 / 5 / omitted

On Creation and Angels -- 8 / 6 / 5

On Providence -- 9 / 7 / 6

On Election and Reprobation -- 10 / 8 / 7

On the Image of God in Man before the Fall -- 11 / 9 / 8

On Original Sin -- 12 / 10 / 9

On Actual Sins -- 13 / 11 / 10

On Free Choice -- 14 / 12 / 11

On the Law of God -- 15 / 13 / 12

On the Ceremonial and Forensic Laws -- 16 / 14 / 13

On the Gospel -- 17 / 15 / 14

On Repentance -- 18 / 16 / 15

On Justification through Faith -- 19 / 17 / 16

On Good Works -- 20 / 18 / 17

On the Sacraments -- 21 / 19 / 18

On Circumcision and the Paschal Lamb -- 22 / 20 / 19

On Holy Baptism -- 23 / 21 / 20

On the Holy Supper -- 24 / 22 / 21

On the Church -- 25 / 23 / 22

On the Ecclesiastical Ministry -- 26 / 24 / 23

On Political Magistracy -- 27 / 25 / 24

On Marriage, Celibacy, and Similar Topics -- 28 / 26 / 25

On Death -- 29 / 27 / 26

On the Resurrection of the Dead -- 30 / 28 / 27

On the Last Judgment -- 31 / 29 / 28

On the End of the World -- 32 / 30 / 29

On Hell, or Eternal Death -- 33 / 31 / 30

On Eternal Life -- 34 / 32 / 31

 

* The Jena ed. (1610) has the same enumeration, except that it lacks the Exegesis. Our edition follows this enumeration as well.

How to Meditate on Holy Scripture

Meditation and “spiritual” experiences are becoming more and more popular. Some kinds of Eastern meditation encourage an emptying of the mind rather than concentration. Some spiritual movements emphasize that human beings have a spark of divinity within them. For them prayer is creative thinking that heightens the connection with god mind (which is that spark of divinity within them). Yoga emphasizes the isolation of the soul from the body and mind, attempting to rid the mind of all outside thoughts and influences. Some Christians think of prayer primarily as a way to receive messages from God that go beyond Scripture. With these voices around us, it is important for us to remember in what ways genuine Christian meditation is different. How do we know what Christian meditation is? We look to Jesus Christ and the Word. Jesus is the One who gives “not as the world gives” (John 14:27), so Christian meditation will be quite different from the meditation of the world around us.

1. Christian meditation is concerned with God, His work, His Word. “I will also meditate on all Your work, And talk of Your deeds” (Psalm 77;12). Our meditation is not an emptying of the mind or a focus on our own heart, since “out of the heart proceed evil thoughts” (Matthew 15:19). Instead our meditation deals completely with God and His Word (Psalm 119:97).

2. Christian meditation is verbal. As St. Paul counseled one of the church’s first pastors, Timothy: “Give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine . . . . Meditate on these things” (1 Timothy 4:13–15). But not only should pastors meditate verbally, but the meditation of all Christians should be verbal. “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night” (Joshua 1:8). Verbal meditation means mostly, but not necessarily, speaking or singing, not just thinking. But it is always dealing with words. Why is Christian meditation verbal? Because God is verbal. He created all things by speaking words (Genesis 1), and His Son is the only-begotten Word of God (John 1). It is no coincidence that the gift of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost was the gift of tongues.

3. Christian meditation involves both the intellect and the heart. Clear understanding and love are fruits. “My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart shall give understanding” (Psalm 49:3). “Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:97). It is neither completely a matter of the heart, nor is it only cold knowledge. When Christ and His Word go to work in us, the fruits always include clear understanding and love.

4. Christian meditation has a structure (for example, day and night). “But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:2). “I call to remembrance my song in the night; I meditate within my heart, And my spirit makes diligent search” (Psalm 77:6). Christian meditation is not chaotic, but is marked by order, just as Paul says, “let all things be done with decency and order” (1 Corinthians 14:40).

5. Christian meditation takes place in the presence of the Triune God, and thus lays bare the sinful heart and prays for mercy. “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD” (Psalm 19:14).

Since Christian meditation involves the intellect, some labor in studying God’s Word is necessary. Before even opening the Bible, have the text of the Ten Commandments, the Apostles’ Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer firmly pressed into your mind. With these Catechism texts as your maps, the treasures of God’s Word will not be hard to find. But Christian meditation also involves the heart. Find a time each day for meditation. Our Lord recommends setting aside a small room at home for prayer (Matthew 6:6). Visual reminders of Christ can help direct the meditation of your heart. For example, the lovingkindness shown to us when Christ died, as depicted on a cross, can be a valuable aid to prayer, as it is written, “Your lovingkindness is before my eyes” (Psalm 26:3).

Dr. Luther gives advice on how to continue:

First, when I feel that I have become cool and joyless in prayer because of other tasks or thoughts (for the flesh and the devil always impede and obstruct prayer), I take my little psalter, hurry to my room, or, if it be the day and hour for it, to the church where a congregation is assembled and, as time permits, I say quietly to myself and word-for-word the Ten Commandments, the Creed, and, if I have time, some words of Christ or of Paul, or some psalms, just as a child might do.

It is a good thing to let prayer be the first business of the morning and the last at night. . . .

When your heart has been warmed by such recitation to yourself [of the Ten Commandments, the words of Christ, etc.] and is intent upon the matter, kneel or stand with your hands folded and your eyes toward heaven and speak or think as briefly as you can:

O Heavenly Father, dear God, I am a poor unworthy sinner. I do not deserve to raise my eyes or hands toward thee or to pray. But because thou hast commanded us all to pray and hast promised to hear us and through thy dear Son Jesus Christ hast taught us both how and what to pray, I come to thee in obedience to thy word, trusting in thy gracious promise. (Simple Way to Pray, 1535, LW 43:193–84)

Luther then suggests meditation on each petition of the Lord’s Prayer, or the Ten Commandments, using each Commandment as an occasion for doctrine, thanksgiving, confession, and prayer. He also recommends meditation on the texts of Scripture, especially the Psalms. This kind of Scriptural meditation, highly verbal, involving intellect and heart, and completely centered on the Triune God and His Word is “not as the world gives” but as Christ gives. In closing, I offer a meditation on one of my favorite verses of the Bible, Psalm 36:9. “With You is the fountain of life, in Your light we see light.”

Lord God, heavenly Father, throughout Your Word You proclaim to us Your love for us as proven in Your Son Jesus Christ. You have cause the Psalmist to say to You, “In Your light we see light.” In truth, I know that as a sinner, I walk in darkness, stumbling into danger and error. Were it not for Your light, all would be lost. But Your light has shone froth in Your Son, for as You have said in Hebrews 1, He is the very “brightness of Your glory.” Your Son is the Light, shining forth from You as from the sun, and in Him alone can we see Light. Thank You, heavenly Father, for Jesus Christ, who is God of God, Light of Light. Thank You for putting Me in Him so that “in Your Light” I may “see Light,” the Light of salvation, heaven, glory. Father, grant that as You have revealed Your light to Me in Christ, so I may manifest Your Light in my life, so that others around me may see Christ through me and give thanks to You. Forgive me for walking in darkness, enlighten me with Your Light, Jesus Christ, through whom be glory to You, together with the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen.

Resources

Gerhard, Johann. Gerards Meditations. Translated by Ralph Winterton. Cambridge: John Hayes, 1670.

Gerhard, Johann. Gerhard’s Sacred Meditations. Translated by Charles W. Heisler. Philadelphia: Lutheran Publication Society, 1896.

Gerhard, Johann. Schola Pietatis: The Practice of Godliness. Edited by Rachel Melvin. Translated by Elmer M. Hohle. Vol. 2, pp. 58–110. Malone, TX: Repristination Press, 2013.

Hall, Joseph. “The Art of Divine Meditation.” In The Works of the Right Reverend Joseph Hall, edited by Philip Wynter, 6:46–88. Oxford: University Press, 1863.

Luther, Martin. A Simple Way to Pray (1535), LW 43:187–211.

Luther, Martin. First Lectures on the Psalms (1513–15), LW 10–LW 11.

Luther, Martin. Large Catechism, longer preface, Kolb-Wengert, 379–83; Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions, 351–56.

Luther, Martin. Meditation on Christ’s Passion (1519), LW 42:3–14.

Luther, Martin. Preface to the Wittenberg Edition of Luther’s German Writings (1539), LW 34:279–88.

Luther, Martin. Short Instruction: What Should Be Sought and Expected in the Gospels (1522), LW 75:7–12.

Scriver, Christian. Gotthold’s Emblems: Or, Invisible Things Understood by Things That Are Made. Translated by Robert Menzies. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1862. 

 

 

Restoring the Great Litany

Lent is coming up, a time in which the Litany is in many places sung frequently in our Lutheran services. In the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, the Litany (or "Great Litany") is normally sung or said with the pastor speaking several paragraphs of text before the congregation gives a short response. This is the way it's set forth in Lutheran Service Book, pp. 288-89. When the musical version is used (see LSB Altar Book), the pastor usually sings his parts with several cadences (the change in notes at the end of each line) before the congregation sings their response.

In an article back in 2017 I showed that this is actually a deformation of what a litany is. A litany is essentially responsive prayer, with short petitions by the liturgist followed each time by a short response of the congregation. When it is recited this way, there is a beautiful liturgical rhythm between pastor and people, one calling out and the other answering in a regular rhythm--almost like breathing. When the litany is sung, the pastor's cadence should signal to the people that it is time for their response.

So back in 2017 I showed historically and practically that in order to restore the litany to its purpose as responsive prayer and as easily sung by heart (without needing to read from a book), the people's responses need to be repeated after each semicolon in the pastor's part, or at least at the end of each paragraph. 

Sometimes pastors I know have resisted having the congregation repeat their response at the end of each paragraph, claiming that it will unduly lengthen the Litany and thus be burdensome to the people. However, I have timed the Litany with and without responses at the end of each paragraph. The difference is only 32 seconds when spoken, and 45 seconds when sung. Surely this is not too great a burden that would prevent us from putting the words of prayer in the mouths of the people more often, and allowing the musical cadence to signal the response of the people.

(When I say "responses at the end of each paragraph," what I mean is: "Liturgist. From all sin, from all error, from all evil; Congregation. Good Lord, deliver us. L. From the crafts and assaults of the devil; from sudden and evil death; C. Good Lord, deliver us. L. From pestilence and famine; from war and bloodshed; from sedition and from rebellion; C. Good Lord, deliver us." Etc.

When I say "responses after each semicolon," what I mean is: "L. From all sin, from all error, from all evil; C. Good Lord, deliver us. L. From the crafts and assaults of the devil; C. Good Lord, deliver us. L. from sudden and evil death; C. Good Lord, deliver us. L. From pestilence and famine; C. Good Lord, deliver us. L. from war and bloodshed; C. Good Lord, deliver us. L. from sedition and from rebellion; C. Good Lord, deliver us." Etc.)

So before Lent, I invite you to read my 2017 article and restore the Great Litany in your congregation.

Memory Tricks for Learning Greek

At this time of year we at Concordia Theological Seminary Fort Wayne are blessed to have new Greek students. These “Greekies” have a big task in front of them: by the end of the summer, learn all Greek grammar and vocabulary needed for reading the Greek New Testament. It is our “theological boot camp,” and it requires memorizing a huge amount of data.

How to do it? Some students try to memorize by rote repetition: repeating and reviewing over and over until it sinks in (or doesn’t!).

But there is a better way. You need tricks to make this easier. By using memory tricks, you will learn the content faster, which means you can learn more of it in the same amount of time. This will reduce stress and make your skills better, which will lead to you being a better student and theologian.

You have to be able to see each word in your mind visually. My tricks are as follows.

1. Word substitution. Substitute English words you know and can see for Greek words that you don’t know. For example, ἡ κεφαλή (he kephale, meaning “the head”) sounds like “coffee latte.” So there you’ve made a word substitution.

2. The Link. To link two concepts together, you have to form a very visual, memorable picture in your mind that includes both of them. For example, picture an enormous glass of coffee latte balancing on your head. Now you have an easy way to remember that ἡ κεφαλή means "the head." As for the fact that it’s a feminine noun, try making the coffee cup a bright pink in your picture.

3. A visual Greek alphabet. Sometimes you have to memorize word endings, and the differences come down to single letters. Here you can make a mental picture for each letter of the Greek alphabet. Here’s what I use. Some of them might not work for you; feel free to make your own. (The same thing can be done for the English alphabet, too!)

Greek Alphabet

α - Alpha Romeo (car)

β - Beta carotene (carrot)

γ - Gamma rays (Hulk)

δ - Delta airlines

ε - Pepsi

ζ - Zeta scanner (in the library)

η - Ate

θ - Thesis

ι - Yoda

κ - Cap

λ - Lamb

μ - Moo (cow)

ν - News

ξ - Excite

ο - Oh my crayon

π - Pie

ρ - Row

σ - Sick ma

τ - Taoism (yin-yang symbol)

υ - Up salon

φ - Wi-Fi

χ - Chi (Dr. Strange's mentor, using chi power)

ψ - Sci-fi

ω - Make-up

 

4. Numeral sounds and picture. Finally, there are times when you’ll need to memorize a number. You do this by changing each numeral 0-9 into a specific consonant sound. Then you can make words out of the numbers. This website explains how it works.

God’s blessings as you use these tricks to learn New Testament Greek!