Predigten eines »Illegalen« aus den Jahren 1939-1945

The sermons presented here were held almost without exception half a century ago in a parish of the confessing church in Berlin and are marked by the church's struggle and the Second World War. The book begins with an Easter sermon before the outbreak of the war in which the flush of victory is contrasted with feelings of powerlessness at that time. It concludes with a speech made to the troops at the end of the war in which the speaker is torn between the uncertainty of an armistice and the fear of becoming a prisoner of war. The texts are primarily of a documentary nature. The context of contemporary history of that time has receded into the distance and faint allusions are made to this in each case so that the present-day reader can hear the echo of these sermons and understand their significance to the listeners of that period.