“Do I need to learn German?” The look in the student’s eye betrays the answer they hope to hear. Developing an ability to interact with German literature is a daunting, yet often required, task for anglophone doctoral students. Even for those who already have conversational German, the jump to theological texts can be significant. Recognizing this, in 2015 the University of Mainz developed a summer program, “German and Theology,” with the express purpose of providing the necessary skills. In Handbook of Reading Theological German, Christopher Jones and Katharina Hirt aim to approximate in 288 pages what participants glean over three weeks in Mainz. They are crystal clear about intent. Only material relevant to the larger goal of grappling with German theological works is included (p. xiv). Readers may arrive at a point where they can appreciate Dietrich Bonhoeffer in the original, but asking for directions to the train station is a different matter.

Handbook of Reading Theological German is divided into three parts. Part 1, consisting of four chapters, opens with an homage to German theological scholarship, rightly noting its indelible influence (pp. 3–12). The remaining chapters focus on grammar familiarization; the so-called “Mainz Method” for reading German provides the overarching structure (p. xv):

1. Find all the verb forms
2. Find all commas
3. Find all conjunctions
4. Mark the main clause
5. Identify case and number of all nouns
6. Locate all referent nouns
7. Look out for participles used as adjectives
8. Look up all new words
9. Perform a rough translation
10. Polish the sentence to ensure readability.

Each step is explained and expanded with a discussion of grammar, syntax, and vocabulary. Throughout, recognition is prioritized over memorization (although some rote learning is advised—e.g., pp. 17, 39, 53, 73).

Parts 2 and 3 move beyond grammar familiarization by providing a select reader of German texts. Part 2 contains excerpts from key historical figures: Martin Luther, Immanuel Kant, Moses Mendelssohn, Friedrich Schleiermacher, Karl Barth, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. An introduction places each author in context and, importantly, gives guidance concerning how to negotiate the different writing styles. Additionally, exercises aid students’ engagement with the texts and explicitly utilize the reading method conveyed in chapters 2–4. Other aids help to boost confidence. More difficult paragraphs have been “pre-chewed” and copious footnotes supply additional hints as well as glosses for obscure terms. The eight texts in Part 3 are field specific. Selected authors represent Hebrew Bible/archaeology, New Testament, Jewish studies, and church history/theology. Fittingly, fewer prompts are provided as an encouragement to solidify skills acquired.

There is much to appreciate about this volume. The grammar overview is succinct and limits explanations and forms to the essentials. A series of appendices provides valuable additional information (e.g., a list of irregular verbs, pp. 197–200), solutions to all exercises, and (unpolished) translations of the texts from Parts 2 and 3. Throughout, Jones and Hirt stay resolutely on target. The aim of the book is to get students reading theological German. After only sixty-eight pages of instruction, Luther’s Der Große Katechismus is next.

Jones and Hirt rightly recognize the paucity of German theological grammars. Still, to regard Ziefle’s Theological German: A Reader as “the last notable text on this subject” (pp. xiii–xiv) is perhaps a little unfair to April Wilson’s volume, German Quickly: A Grammar for Reading German, revised ed. (New York: Peter Lang, 2007). While Wilson’s sample texts are more eclectic, they include names like Buber and Nietzsche. Additionally, Carolyn Roberts Thompson’s new book, Reading German for Theological Studies: A Grammar and Reader (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2021), adopts a text-based approach from the beginning. All this to say, there is, thankfully, an increasing array of available resources. This is important, not because more is inherently better, but because different matters. I mean that a given grammar, whether it be for German or Hebrew, works well for some students, but not others. “Fit” is essential. Some readers will doubtless love the Mainz Method and appreciate the structured approach it provides. Others, however, will not survive the twenty-four-page plunge into the German verbal system as their first foray into a new language. The potential shock to the system may have been mitigated by supplying a higher frequency of exercises (which are sparse). This is perhaps a vestige of the book’s origin as a course manual. Lack of easy access to a tutor, however, means more tweaking is required to meet the needs of readers learning on their own.

Handbook of Reading Theological German is a valuable and timely resource. It is already one of the grammars I encourage doctoral students to sample.

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