Postil

With Hauspostille one originally designated a collection of sermons or preaching a book that was intended for domestic edification and, perhaps, for reading aloud in the church. It was intended as an aid for pastors to prepare their own sermons. From the literal sense here were postils explanations of the texts of the Bible, which was followed by the text words. (Latin post illa verba = after those words ).

The best known was the Catholic hand Postille of Steinfelder Norbertine priest Leonhard Goffiné, which was printed in 1690 in Mainz. With over 120 new editions and translations into many languages, it is one of the most widespread works of world literature. The double Piety (also house and church of sermons or " German Piety " called ) by Martin Luther from 1521 has been found in the Protestant area wide circulation. The Bohemian thinkers and writers of the Hussite period Petr Chelcicky wrote a Postille 1435 in the Czech language, which was printed in 1522. Finally, there is the Piety of Johann Arndt, a Protestant theologians from 1615, worth mentioning. For the spiritual survival of the secret Protestants, for example, in Austria, the mags were indispensable. So postils - - By the Edict of Toleration in 1781, a constant smuggling of Luther Bibles and devotional writings, as well as collections of sermons developed in the secret Protestant centers in Upper Styria and Upper Austria.

Change the meaning of words

Today will be published to the misreading of sermons for lecturers or preachers reading sermons. The term Piety changed from a devotional book for the edification of Scripture. In the 20th century, he finally found - ironically - in literature and colloquial language. So carrying the 1927 first printed, published, however, in 1918 conceived work of Bertolt Brecht Bertolt Brecht's the title of Piety. The alleged proximity to a Christian devotional writing is like the preface an ironic distancing element of modern poetry collection. Known ( with a circulation of more than 200,000 copies ) was also the scoundrels of sermons by Fritz Grasshoff, whose lyrics were often recited and sung in cabaret as chansons.

Current importance of Piety

In today's vernacular Postille called a few -page newspaper or magazine. The word is often used pejoratively for press products of little journalistic value (eg " advertising Piety " of a company).