The Reformation in Germany

The Reformation in Germany provides readers with a strong narrative overview of the most recent work on this topic. It addresses the central concerns of Reformation historiography as well as providing a distinct interpretation of the movement.

The book examines the spread and reception of the evangelical movement, the historical dynamic created by the fusion of religious ideas and the social context, the religious imagination of the common man and utopian visions of reform, and the relationship between political culture and religious change. The narrative goes on to consider the long–term legacy of the Reformation movement in Germany. The book provides readers with a fresh perspective on the movement, one which seeks to understand its rise and evolution as a historical process in constant dialogue with the cultural and political context of the age.

Introduction.

1. Germany of the Eve of the Reformation.

2. Religious Culture and the Reformation.

3. The Reformation in the Parishes.

4. Political Culture and the German Reformation.

5. The Reformation Legacy.

6. Reformation Histories.

Chronologies.

C. Scott Dixon studied history at St Andrews University and Cambridge University. His publications include The Reformation and Rural Society (1996) and The German Reformation: The Essential Readings (editor, Blackwell, 1999). He lectures on European History at the Queen′s University of Belfast.

"The book shows the capability of the author to analyze and summarise brilliantly a complex historical process and a vast field of specialist research ... and as a textbook on the German Reformation for students, it really fills a gap in the English book market." Thomas Brockmann, University of Bayreuth

"In compact, lucid style, the author presents an impressive interpretation of the events, personalities, and issues that shaped the religious upheaval in Germany...Those who study and teach Reformation history will find this volume an excellent guide." Peter J. Klassen, California State University, Fresno

"It is a useful textbook, as the author writes authoritatively on the subject, and successfully summarizes complex arguments, bringing together a disparate body of material into a comprehensible and interesting account." Phillip Broadhead, Goldsmiths′ College, London – English Historical Review, Vol. 118

"An impressive work of synthesis." Ecclesiastical History