Hoenecke Should Be Studied

The complete Hoenecke Dogmatics set is available in English from Northwestern Publishing House.

Others, such as Kurt Marquart, have said it is better than Pieper's work, coming from the same era.

There are many reasons to study Hoenecke. He was the main theologian for the Wisconsin Synod and helped move the synod from its unionistic, Pietistic roots. Bading was another influence.

Hoenecke came from Halle, and that shows in his passage on General Justification. However, he also studied the Confessions and dealt concisely with many issues in his writing. He should be read for historical reasons and also to compare with F. Pieper, who came over from Wisconsin to be Walther's disciple.

Apparently Hoenecke wanted to do more in filling in the details but did not. His sons edited the notes and published them in serial form, which many pastors bound up into volumes.The loss of German language skills among most Lutheran pastors has drawn a leather curtain between them and the great works of the past. Latin is even more obscure for most pastors.

I am not sure if Hoenecke will be promoted as infallible, the way Pieper and Walther are among the Bronze Age Missourians. Everyone seems glib about Luther's errors, although few read Luther, let alone study Luther. Every era leaves its impressions on theologians, and Hoenecke is no different.

This set would be an ideal gift for  parish pastors, college or seminary students. Many laity will gain a lot from reading Hoenecke on various doctrinal topics. I enjoyed his passages on infant baptism and his answers to objections about the Biblical practice. For example, if infants have no faith, why does Jesus commend to us that faith? "Unless you believe as a child, you cannot enter the Kingdom of God." And - "To such belong the Kingdom of God."

If Lutherans want to return to the truth of the Scriptures, they need to back up their studies with solid, heavy books. Hoenecke will help people gain the capacity needed to absorb the great works of the past.