Life Together and Prayerbook of the Bible by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Life Together and Prayerbook of the Bible by Dietrich Bonhoeffer is the fifth volume in the English edition of the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works. The volume contains two works.

Life Together

The first book, Life Together, grew out of his two years’ experience as director of the Confessing Church’s seminary in Finkenwalde and the establishment of a Brothers’ House within the seminary. The book is a continuation of Bonhoeffer’s fascination with the formation of a Christian community from the earliest days of his lectures on the church at the University of Berlin. The interpretive key for this book, as it is for much of Bonhoeffer’s ecclesiology and his understanding of the nature of community, was set in his doctoral dissertation on the church, Sanctorum Communio, and in his second dissertation, Act and Being.

In Life Together, Bonhoeffer reveals the way to form true Christian community. He shares a snapshot of life together in the Brother’s House. Life Together was written for the church. The practice that Bonhoeffer introduced was for the church’s use (25). Psalm 133:1 shows that the life together as a church is a good thing (27). Physical presence is important for the life of the believer (2 John 12). We were made in a body and God made us for the physical presence of one another.

Bonhoeffer’s words here are helpful even in the digital age – social media presence cannot take the place of physical presence (28). Social physical contact must replace social media contact. When we replace social media for physical presence, then we prevent Christians from acting together as a church like they should. Bonhoeffer suggests that we use times when we are off of work to meet with others (30).

Bonhoeffer explains that each day the community leaves the fellowship to work. Bonhoeffer describes that work outside of the community can be an extension of life together in the Christian community. Bonhoeffer describes how life together works in the church as well. He covers topics such as prayer, Bible reading and solitude, worship, love, and how to build relationships in and out of the church community. Bonhoeffer shares important practices such as lectio continua, corporate worship, extemporaneous prayer, and the importance of sharing a meal during the communion.

Prayerbook of the Bible

Prayerbook of the Bible is Bonhoeffer’s exposition of the Psalms. He explains that God teaches Christians ways to pray when we learn to “pray the Psalms.” The Psalms is the Prayerbook of the Bible (156).The Lord’s Prayer is illustrated by the prayers in the Psalms. The Lord’s Prayer is the summary of prayers in the Bible. To read and pray the prayers of the Bible, one must ask what they have to do with Jesus (157). Per Luther: The Psalms runs through the Lord’s Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer runs through the Psalms (158).

Who prays the Psalms? Bonhoeffer says that we all do (160). The structural form reminds us to pray. Bonhoeffer insisted that the psalms should be read intensely and according to a regular pattern. Knowing the Psalms was integral to Jesus and the early church. Jesus even spoke the Psalms on the cross.(See Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34, where the words of Jesus are derived from Psalm 22:2 “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” See also Luke 23:46, which cites the words of Jesus derived from Psalm 31:6: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”) (162).

Bonhoeffer ends by sharing his classification of the Psalms. These categories include:

Creation – Psalm 8, Psalm 19, Psalm 29, Psalm 104, 1 Timothy 4:3-4

The Law – Psalm 1, Psalm 19, Psalm 119, 1 John 5:3

The History of Salvation – Psalm 78, Psalm 105, Psalm 106

The Messiah – Psalm 22 (Luke 24:44, Hebrews 2:12 – Psalm 22:23), Psalm 69, Psalm 2, Psalm 110, Psalm 20, Psalm 21, Psalm 72, Psalm 45.

The Church – Psalm 27, Psalm 42, Psalm 46, Psalm 48, Psalm 63, Psalm 81, Psalm 84, Psalm 87

Life – Psalm 37, Psalm 103, Psalm 65

Suffering – Psalm 13, Psalm 31, Psalm 35, Psalm 41, Psalm 44, Psalm 54, Psalm 55, Psalm 56, Psalm 61, Psalm 74, Psalm 79, Psalm 86, Psalm 88, Psalm 102, Psalm 105

God’s help in suffering – Psalm 23, Psalm 37, Psalm 63, Psalm 73, Psalm 91, Psalm 121

Guilt – Penitential psalms (Psalm 6, Psalm 32, Psalm 38, Psalm 51, Psalm 102, Psalm 130, Psalm 143), but there are other psalms that lead us to a deep recognition of sin before God (Psalm 14, Psalm 15, Psalm 25, Psalm 31, Psalm 39, Psalm 40, Psalm 41)

Innocence of the righteous against the guilt – Psalm 5, Psalm 7, Psalm 9, Psalm 16 Psalm 17, Psalm 26, Psalm 35, Psalm 41, Psalm 44, Psalm 59, Psalm 66, Psalm 68, Psalm 69, Psalm 73, Psalm 86

Enemies – Psalm 5, Psalm 7, Psalm 9, Psalm 10, Psalm 13, Psalm 16, Psalm 21, Psalm 23, Psalm 28, Psalm 31, Psalm 35, Psalm 36, Psalm 40, Psalm 41, Psalm 44, Psalm 52, Psalm 54, Psalm 55, Psalm 58, Psalm 59, Psalm 68, Psalm 69, Psalm 70, Psalm 71, Psalm 137

The End – Life with God continues beyond life on Earth (Psalm 17:14-15, Psalm 6, Psalm 34) death from sin (Psalm 39, Psalm 90), Eternal God is on the other side of death (Psalm 90, Psalm 102), life will triumph death (Psalm 16:9-11, Psalm 56:14, Psalm 49:16, Psalm 73:24, Psalm 118-15-17, Final victory of God and- Jesus (Psalm 2, Psalm 96, Psalm 97, Psalm 98, Psalm 110, Psalm 148-150).

I enjoyed both Life Together and Prayerbook of the Bible. I believe reading Life Together will give any Christian helpful ideas in building better relationships with God and with other Christians. At the same time, I found Prayerbook of the Bible much more helpful. At this point in my pastorate, I am preaching more often through the Psalms. I found this book to be helpful. Bonhoeffer has written a helpful guide for every Christian who is dealing with their emotions and prayer. His call to use the Psalms as a prayerbook will invigorate the faith of any Christian.