Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works books in order

The Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works is the 17-volume critical edition of Bonhoeffer's complete theological writings, spanning his doctoral dissertations through his prison correspondence, published between 1930 and 2014.

Reading order

# Title Published Author Buy on Amazon
1 Sanctorum Communio 1930 Dietrich Bonhoeffer Buy
2 Act and Being 1930 Dietrich Bonhoeffer Buy
3 Creation and Fall 1937 Dietrich Bonhoeffer Buy
4 Discipleship 1937 Dietrich Bonhoeffer Buy
5 Life Together and Prayerbook of the Bible 1939 Dietrich Bonhoeffer Buy
6 Ethics 1949 Dietrich Bonhoeffer Buy
7 Fiction from Tegel Prison 1950 Dietrich Bonhoeffer Buy
8 Letters and Papers from Prison 1951 Dietrich Bonhoeffer Buy
9 The Young Bonhoeffer, 1918–1927 1952 Dietrich Bonhoeffer Buy
10 Theological Education at Finkenwalde, 1935-1937 1996 Dietrich Bonhoeffer Buy
11 Berlin: 1932–1933. 1997 Dietrich Bonhoeffer Buy
12 Theological Education Underground: 1937-40 1998 Dietrich Bonhoeffer Buy
13 Barcelona, Berlin, New York: 1928–1931 2003 Dietrich Bonhoeffer Buy
14 Conspiracy and Imprisonment 1940-1945 2006 Dietrich Bonhoeffer Buy
15 London, 1933–1935 2007 Dietrich Bonhoeffer Buy
16 Ecumenical Academic Pastoral Work 2012 Dietrich Bonhoeffer Buy
17 Indexes and Supplementary Materials 2014 Dietrich Bonhoeffer Buy

The Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works is the definitive critical edition of Bonhoeffer’s complete theological output. Originally published in German by Christian Kaiser Verlag, the English translation was produced by Fortress Press and runs to 17 volumes. The series covers everything from his two doctoral dissertations (Sanctorum Communio and Act and Being) to the biographical volumes documenting his years in Barcelona, Berlin, London, and Finkenwalde.

The earlier volumes contain Bonhoeffer’s most famous works. Discipleship (1937) challenged cheap grace and called for costly commitment to following Christ. Life Together (1939) drew on his experience running an underground seminary. Ethics, left unfinished at the time of his arrest, was assembled posthumously and published in 1949. Letters and Papers from Prison collects his correspondence from Tegel Prison and includes some of his most quoted theological reflections.

Later volumes in the series document his educational work, ecumenical involvement, and the period of conspiracy and imprisonment that ended his life. Indexes and Supplementary Materials, the final volume published in 2014, rounds out the scholarly apparatus for the entire collection.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works series?

There are seventeen books in the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works series, published between 1930 and 2014.

What is the first book in the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works series?

The first book in the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works series is Sanctorum Communio, published in 1930.

What are the most important books in the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works series?

The most widely read volumes are Discipleship (volume 4, also known as The Cost of Discipleship), Life Together and Prayerbook of the Bible (volume 5), Ethics (volume 6), and Letters and Papers from Prison (volume 8). These four books form the core of Bonhoeffer’s theological legacy.

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