The Essence of All Prayers

To the Devout Reader.

15-264

When I was still living in the service of the Most Serene House of Saxe-Gotha The Ernestine Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg was a significant Lutheran territory in Germany where Neumann served before moving to Breslau. during my time as the Court Chaplain of Altenburg Hof-Prædicatur: An official position as a preacher or chaplain to a royal or noble court, I was in a company where we spoke of the almost indescribable multitude of even our own prayer books. And during this conversation, it occurred to me what Solomon did when he saw, even in his own time, that there was no end to the making of books. * He quickly made a short extract from all books of teaching, which contained the core of all doctrine in a few words: Fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is for all people: for that is the whole duty of man, etc. I thought, therefore, whether a very small and short extract might not also be made from all prayer books; indeed in few words, but yet for all people, in every concern, and for all times; which one might perhaps call the

• Ecclesiastes XII. 12. 13. original: "Predig. XII. 12. 13." In German Bibles, the Book of Ecclesiastes is titled "Der Prediger Salomo" (The Preacher Solomon).