878J, ANTONIVM PROBVM (1534–1613)/ (Dorothea Susanna 1544–1592)
SYMBOLVM DOROTHEAE. SUSANNAE. Der Trostreiche Spruch Hiob am 19. Cap. Ich weiß, daß mein Erlöser lebet, etc. Bey der Christ- lichen Leich vnd Begräb- niß Der Durchlauchtigen Hochgebornen Fürstin und Frawen Frawen DOROTHEAE SUSANNAE,Gebornen Pfaltzgräfin bey Rhein Hertzogin zu Sachsen, Landgräfin in Thüringen vnd Marggraffin zu Meissen der fürstlichen Witwe etc.
Welche zu Weimar den 29. tag Martij, Mittwochs nach Ostern am morgen, drey viertel auff 7. Uhr in diesem1592. Jahre im Herrn seliglich entschlaffen, vnd folgenden den 6.Aprilis Donnerstags nach Quasimodogeniti, daselbst in der Pfarrkirchen Christlich ist zur Erden beseitiget worden. Ausgeleget vnd erleutert in der Leichpredigt bey grosser versammlung. Durch . Weimärischen general Superintendenten.
Gedruckt zu Jena durch Thobiam Steinmann. Anno D. M. XCII. [1592] price $4,500
Quarto 17 x 14cm. signatures: A-M4 48 leaves. Bound in modern boards a good copy.
This volume, is both a funeral sermon (Leichpredigt) and epitaphium and appended daily prayers for a major Lutheran princess, tying her to the confessional struggles of the later Reformation. As Duchess of Saxony-Weimar and Countess Palatine of the Rhine, she is remembered as a devout Lutheran and a patron of Protestant orthodoxy, strongly resisting Crypto-Calvinist influence at the Saxon court. The sermon takes as its theme Job 19:25 (“Ich weiß, daß mein Erlöser lebet” / Scio enim quod Redemptor meus vivit), the quintessential Lutheran funeral verse, and casts Dorothea Susanna as a model of steadfast confessional piety. Her reputation as a defender of Lutheran orthodoxy against Crypto-Calvinist influence at the Saxon courts makes this print both a dynastic memorial and a confessional statement.
There are ten Stanza/prayers written by Dorothea Susanna these are, not generic hymnbook stanzas recycled from elsewhere — they are written in her own voice, reflecting her widowhood and personal situation.
These show her as widow, mother, and duchess, reflecting on her late husband, her trials, her hope, and her trust in Job’s Redeemer. This makes the book not only a Leichenpredigt but also a female-authored prayer texts, rare for the period and particularly for high noblewomen.
While Sammlungen von Leichenpredigten are common in Germany, stand-alone editions of ducal Leichenpredigten are uncommon in the market. According to VD16 (ZV 12799), the only clearly recorded holding is at Gotha (Forschungsbibliothek Gotha). OCLC locates microfilm and ; NO North-American copies could be traced in WorldCat, Yale, Princeton, Toronto, or Emory. This suggests that the present example may be unique in the United States.
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