PAM.000276
Pamphlet
1953
Germany
German
Printed on Paper
8 × 5.7 in. (20.6 × 14.5 cm)
Not on View
During World War II, some Germans risked their lives to undermine Adolf Hitler and his government. One was German Lutheran pastor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who joined the Abwehr, a German intelligence organization, as a “double agent.” Under the Abwehr, Bonhoeffer served as a messenger for the resistance movement. He participated in smuggling Jews out of Germany and was involved in one of the plots to assassinate Hitler. Arrested in 1943, Bonhoeffer was accused of association with conspirators after secret Abwehr documents were discovered. He was hanged in 1945. Among Bonhoeffer’s published works is this book on Psalms from 1940, titled Das Gebetbuch der Bibel (English title: Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible), which emphasized the Old Testament’s importance and used pro-Jewish language throughout. This copy is the fourth edition, printed in 1953.
Published in 1953, Bad Salzuflen, Germany. Acquired by John R. Friesen (1934–2011), Winkler, Manitoba, Canada;[1] Via widowhood in 2011 to Marian Friesen, Manitoba, Canada; Donated in 2013 or 2014 to Sam’s Place Books, a café and used book store, Manitoba, Canada;[2] Purchased in 2015 by Museum of the Bible, Washington, DC.[3]
Notes: [1] A stamp on the title page has Friesen’s name and location. Per Friesen’s obituary, John moved to Berlin in 1963 for one year; this is possibly where he acquired the book. [2] Information from a volunteer at Sam’s Place Books via email, December 2020. The volunteer provided the information regarding the provenance of this book after John Friesen’s death. [3] Museum of the Bible purchased this from Sam’s Place Books through AbeBooks.com.
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