ABSTRACT
What is a funeral book? The Lutheran funeral tradition began with the funeral of Martin Luther (22 February 1646) in the Wittenberg castle church. First, Johann Bugenhagen preached a sermon, a practice which had been recommended by Luther as a replacement of the traditional Requiem Mass. Then Luther’s colleague Philip Melanchthon presented a Latin oration, a classical tradition that had been reinstituted in the Renaissance with which learned men honored their departed colleagues and rulers. This oration was largely biographical. For a person as famous as Martin Luther, the funeral sermon and the oration appeared in print. With the funeral of Martin Luther we see, therefore, the combination of religious and secular practice which would become standard for the Lutheran funeral service. The sermon explained a Bible text and the biography served to exemplify the points that had been made in the sermon.
