Nikolaus Selnecker’s Psalterbuch, 1563–1623

This book compares seven editions of Nikolaus Selnecker’s “Psalterbuch”. It tracks the revisions of this major work of Lutheran psalm interpretation across sixty years, from 1563 to 1623, showing how it was continually reframed and reshaped in response to shifting historical conditions and in dialogue with other works of devotional literature. Throughout the history of Christian interpretation, the Book of Psalms has been seen as particularly close to the heart of the believer. For Selnecker, the powerful effects of the Psalms necessitate engagement within a regulated framework, and in the “Psalterbuch” he interprets them through homilies, hymns, poems, and prayers. Each chapter of this study analyses one edition of the “Psalterbuch” and demonstrates how changes in content, paratext, and layout recalibrate the relationship between overlapping modes of public and private devotion.