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Letters Papers from Prison Kindle Edition

by Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 512 ratings
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One of the great classics of prison literature, Letters and Papers from Prison effectively serves as the last will and testament of the Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a young German pastor who was executed by the Nazis in 1945 for his part in the “officers’ plot” to assassinate Adolf Hitler. 
      This expanded version of Letters and Papers from Prison shifts the emphasis of earlier editions of Bonhoeffer’s theological reflections to the private sphere of his life. His letters appear in greater detail and show his daily concerns. Letters from Bonhoeffer’s parents, siblings, and other relatives have also been added, in addition to previously inaccessible letters and legal papers referring to his trial.
     Acute and subtle, warm and perceptive, yet also profoundly moving, the documents collectively tell a very human story of loss, of courage, and of hope. Bonhoeffer’s story seems as vitally relevant, as politically prophetic, and as theologically significant today, as it did yesterday.
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  1. Print length
    450 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    Not Enabled
  4. Publisher
    Touchstone
  5. Publication date
    May 10, 2011
  6. File size
    4979 KB
  7. Page Flip
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  8. Word Wise
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Letters and Papers from Prison is a collection of notes and correspondence covering the period from Dietrich Bonhoeffer's arrest in 1943 to his execution by the Gestapo in 1945. The book is probably most famous, and most important, for its idea of "religionless Christianity"--an idea Bonhoeffer did not live long enough fully to develop, but whose timeliness only increases as the lines between secular and ecclesial life blur. Bonhoeffer's first mention of "religionless Christianity" came in a letter in 1944: What is bothering me incessantly is the question what Christianity really is, or indeed who Christ really is, for us today. The time when people could be told everything by means of words, whether theological or pious, is over, and so is the time of inwardness and conscience--and that means the time of religion in general. We are moving towards a completely religionless time; people as they are now simply cannot be religious any more. Even those who honestly describe themselves as "religious" do not in the least act up to it, and so they presumably mean something quite different by "religious." The pleasures of Letters and Papers from Prison, however are not all so profound. Occasionally, Bonhoeffer's letters burst into song--sometimes with actual musical notations, other times with unforgettable phrases. Looking forward to seeing his best friend, Bonhoeffer writes, "To meet again is a God." --Michael Joseph Gross

About the Author

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was born in Breslau in 1906. The son of a famous German psychiatrist, he studied in Berlin and New York City. He left the safety of America to return to Germany and continue his public repudiation of the Nazis, which led to his arrest in 1943. Linked to the group of conspirators whose attempted assassination of Hitler failed, he was hanged in April 1945.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004PYDAXG
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Touchstone; Updated edition (May 10, 2011)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 10, 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4979 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 450 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 512 ratings

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Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

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Dietrich Bonhoeffer was born in Breslau in 1906. The son of a famous German psychiatrist, he studied in Berlin and New York City. He left the safety of America to return to Germany and continue his public repudiation of the Naz*s, which led to his arrest in 1943. Linked to the group of conspirators whose attempted assassination of Hitlerr failed, he was hanged in April 1945.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
512 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Molly
5.0 out of 5 stars Immensely Moving
Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2012
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It's impossible to write a review that can, in any way, describe the depth and intensity of this book. It merits a review of each letter. It is listed in Terry Glaspey's Great Books of the Christian Tradition. It is a collection of letters to and from the great martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer during his two-year imprisonment prior to his hanging in April 1945. The letters express a vast range of thought and emotion. In a few letters, he does express complex theological ideas, but in most of them, it is profoundly readable as he expresses what it means to be human in a difficult situation. He acknowledged the revelation that the Christian life is not lived in theological work or in contemplation or meditation, but in the ups and downs of daily human life. Much of it is difficult to read not only because of the angst it produces but also because of the tears in the reader's eyes make it difficult to see the words on the page. As I have tried to say, the breadth of thought is too great to summarize in a review, but it was notable to me that he stated that he was no longer certain that the ideas he expressed in his book "The Cost of Discipleship" were valid. In the early days, he said that he read the Psalms every day and was reading the Bible straight through. He often quoted Scripture or referred to passages, testifying to his love of and value for the Bible, a Book that too many people deprive themselves of altogether, even though they are free and not confined in prison. He said that he believed that his time in prison was not wasted though he did not know what would come of it. He wrote, "I believe that nothing that happens to me is meaningless, and that it is good for us all that it should be so, even if it runs counter to our own wishes. As I see it, I'm here for some purpose, and I only hope I may fulfill it." Of course, his letters themselves present a unique view of what it means to live as a Christian in the most horrible circumstances imaginable. He often said that his fellow prisoners and the guards found him calm and pleasant, while he often felt anything but that inside. He was depressed, happy, lonely, content in solitude, crabby, compassionate. The entire spectrum of human life and feeling is expressed through these letters in a way that could never occur in a formal theology book. And in a sense, he expressed in a simple, straightforward way the thoughts of humankind about life. It is very simple and very profound and heartbreaking, all at the same time. This is a book not to be missed.
59 people found this helpful
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Bucky Ball
5.0 out of 5 stars What ever he was, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was no Christian
Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2012
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A very enlightening book, and a shocking book. Christians frequently quote sections from "The Cost of Discipleship", re: "cheap grace", however I bet they won't be quoting this much ! It's also a very personal book. While Bonhoeffer continued to the end to speak in the letters to his parents in traditional terms, the letters to his friend betray a continuing radical shift in his thinking from any conceivable traditional position in Christianity. I am left to wonder whether he even actually intellectually assented to a personal god, in the end. If his god is irrelevant, as he states, then why discuss that god at all ? (Igtheism ?) Very interesting, (and comforting actually) that Dietrich was not, in general, in any way tortured, and in fact grew to love his solitude, and the time it gave him to think and write. There is no way anyone could maintain that his mental faculties were diminished by the prison experience. I wish I had read this a LONG time ago.
2 people found this helpful
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Mynton vermillion
5.0 out of 5 stars THIS WILL KNOCK YOUR THEOLOGICAL SOCKS OFF
Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2023
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VERY CHALLENGING BOOK. IT CHALLENGES YOUR PROFESSION OF FAITH IN CHRIST. IT ASKS HOW FAR ARE YOU WILLING TO GO? NOT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED.
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George Haile
4.0 out of 5 stars Dealing With Difficult Times
Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2012
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Letters and Papers from Prison is a most informative and thought provoking book. Bonhoeffer deals with ideas and thoughts that most of us have never thought about. Some of this very likely comes from his dealing with being in prison for a lengthy time. The book caused me to think about how to better deal with the difficult times of life--how to maintain courage, hope, and usefulness in the midst of such an experience in which Bonhoeffer found himself.
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byebird
5.0 out of 5 stars a must read
Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2021
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Bonfoffer was imprisoned by the Nazis as a resistor -- and was hung by them around the age of 39. It was an act of his Christian conscience. These letters are very real, and honest in a time today where honesty is hard to find. He shares his doubts and his joys. He stood against those taking the lives of mostly jewish people, also Gypsies, the handicapped. And it cost him his life, oh that we would be inspired to have the same kind of bravery when needed. He is a role model and hero that is easy to forget, but not where it really counts.
7 people found this helpful
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Gitfiddler Ed
5.0 out of 5 stars The only way to understand Bonhoeffer
Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2013
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It was over 50 years since I had read "Letters and Papers from Prison" and somewhere along the line my copy must have been loaned to someone and went missing. However, it was the original shorter edition containing only the letters from Dietrich to his good friend Eberhard. This expanded edition also contains most of his letters to his family members and his fiance. I am so glad I got this edition. It is the only way to see Bonhoeffer's depth of thought, his struggles with his conscience as to whether a Christian pacifist (himself) can justify participating in the assassination of Hitler. He also goes into depth about his suggestion for a "non-religious Christianity."

You will also trace his wrestling with his prison life, and where it might lead. HOWEVER, I highly recommend that before you read LPP that you read Chapter 13 of Bethge's Biography of Bonhoeffer. Unless you do you will get the impression that he thinks his case will be resolved quickly. His letters to his family members often sound optomistic and up-beat, which is far from the truth. His family knew full well his case would probably end up with his execution, but Bonhoeffer wrote to them in a code that they would understand which gave them a much darker expectation. For instance, he often mentions the health of "Uncle Rudy." "Uncle Rudy" is the code for the war raging throughout Germany. There are many such codes in his letters to family which are given so they will pass the Nazi censors. These codes are well explained in Chapter 13 of Bethge's Biography. Many of the letters to Bethge (he was a seminary student years earlier taught by Bonhoeffer) were smuggled out of the prison and bypassed the censors, that's why their content is so much bleaker.

If you want to understand Bonhoeffer at all you must at least read "Letters and Papers from Prison" and then surely read "The Cost of Discipleship."
85 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

prabindh
5.0 out of 5 stars A window into Christian theology
Reviewed in India on January 25, 2021
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Collection of letters from Dietrich while incarcerated in Prison in the 1940s in Germany. Covers wide range of topics from relationships (The Marriage Sermon), managing hardships in isolation. Minces no words in talking about the issues in theology and religion's relation to the modern world. The most important piece of writing for me though - is the discussion about the true meaning of Christianity, about the concept of a Suffering God instead of an all powerful God.
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OutOut2018
5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read
Reviewed in Canada on July 11, 2017
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A great read and a good paperback book.
2 people found this helpful
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Good sound
5.0 out of 5 stars Bonhoeffer's Letters from Prison
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 21, 2012
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There is much to explore as one reads this book. I referred to his biography and the Bible due to his many references. The introduction was valuable to explain that his writing was censured before release. The importance of the little things in life were interesting - - the birds, the sky, the feel of fresh air. His persistence with a discipline daily - - prayer, Bible reading, exercise, were impressive.
A good book to read and read again.
4 people found this helpful
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Sarah E. Neish
5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful study book for a theology student of over 60 ...
Reviewed in Canada on June 6, 2015
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A wonderful study book for a theology student of over 60 years and a divine inspiration.
2 people found this helpful
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JGomez
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 5, 2013
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Obviously very personal but also a great book on certain theological discussions. Really enjoyed it! Read it and some other of his books for my dissertation and very much enjoyed the process of studying his work.
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