Ever to Emmaus
A Theological Memoir
- History & Biography
- Publisher: Wipf and Stock
- Published: 2026
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Publisher's Description
Ever to Emmaus describes the theological journey of a Lutheran pastor and professor who was shaped by his doctoral work on the Emmaus story from Luke 24. It is a theological memoir that narrates how his theology has deepened in both his exegetical work on the Gospels and Paul, and in his teaching and writing about liturgy, preaching, catechesis, diakonia, and the reading of literature. The story of the road to Emmaus is the lens through which he interprets both Scripture and the church. This is also evident in how his work in global theological education was shaped by Jesus’ teaching on the road and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. Emmaus not only gives us Word and Meal as the structures of the liturgy, but they are also the means for mission.
Endorsements (5)
“Arthur Just has written a jewel box of a memoir animating a personal pilgrimage told with lyricism and erudition that matches his passion for God, and not unlike that of C.S. Lewis’s matchless memoir Surprised by Joy. Like Lewis, Just tenderly evokes a lifelong reach for transcendent definition beyond the material, wasteland-world. This memoir points the reader toward providence, deep faith, and a nourishing spiritual fulfillment defined in the context of a distinctly Lutheran worldview. Lewis took the title of his memoir from Wordsworth’s famous verse, ‘Surprised by joy—impatient as the wind.’ Just rises to Wordsworth’s joyous reach.”
“Dr. Arthur A. Just’s memoir is rich and multi-layered. Literature, hermeneutics, and theology are invitingly and compellingly imbedded in a personal journey that displays ecclesial and family events with candor and grace. His reflections are thoughtful and informed by insightful analysis. The reader will experience a life defined by the Eucharist; a life lived in and for the church; a life that views even tragedy in the light of Christ’s suffering—pro nobis—‘for us,’ i.e., for our life and our salvation. May laity, seminarians, and pastors travel with Dr. Just, for that journey will place them with the Emmaus disciples as they receive Christ’s gifts in his word and his meal—Ever to Emmaus.”
“Arthur Just, who has stood for almost fifty years in the very center of the revival of confessional Lutheranism, recounts how the Lord has made himself known to him in the Scriptures and in the Eucharist, in all sorts of circumstances and all sorts of people all over the world. The Lord opened his eyes, directed his thinking, and brought peace, repeatedly, consistently, and graciously, by word and sacrament. More than a memoir of a theologian, this is a song of praise.”
“An Emmaus walk through the mind, heart, and life of Arthur A. Just Jr.—scholar, professor, missionary, liturgist, catechist, and pilgrim. This memoir weaves literary, biblical, and liturgical insight with sacramental theology and Christ-centered devotion. From Irving, Fitzgerald, and Hemingway to St. Luke’s Gospel, from Ft. Wayne, Indiana to Mexico, Siberia, South America, Spain, and Africa, this book is more than one man’s story—it is an invitation to pilgrimage.”
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