The German Reformation: The Essential Readings

This book provides key essays on the most recent interpretations of the German Reformation movement. Rather than viewing the religious developments of the sixteenth century in isolation, modern historiography tends to picture the Reformation as an event which reached into all corners of society and slowly worked to transform the course of European history. This collection comprises essays written by the scholars who have helped bring about this shift in understanding and includes articles translated into English for the first time.

The book illustrates how the movement was bound and shaped by the society in which it was broadcast, how the reformers interacted with the trends and tensions of the period, as well as how the forces of religious change came to influence European culture and society over the long term.

Acknowledgements.

1. Introduction: Narratives of the German Reformation: C. Scott Dixon.

2. What was Preached in German Towns in the Early Reformation?: Bernd Moeller.

3. What was the Reformation Doctrine of Justification?: Berndt Hamm.

4. The Reformation of the Common Man, 1521–1542: Thomas A. Brady Jr.

5. Reformation and the Communal Spirit: Peter Blickle.

6. The Reformation and the Modern Age, an attempt: Richard Van Dulman.

7. Forced Confessionalization? Prolegomena for a Theory of the Confessional Age: Wolfgang Reinhard.

8. Success and Failure in the German Reformation: Gerald Strauss.

9. The Reformation, Popular Magic and the Disenchantment of the World: Robert W. Scribner.

Index.

C. Scott Dixon studied history at St Andrews University, Scotland, and Cambridge University, England, where he completed a Ph.D. on Reformation history under the supervision of R.W. Scribner. His publications include The Reformation and Rural Society (1996). He lectures in European History at the Queen′s University of Belfast.

"A collection which is likely to become a standard point of reference in years to come." German History <!––end––>

"These are truly "essential" readings for the study of the German Reformation and early modern Europe in general ...This book is an excellent introduction to the study of the German Reformation." Sixteenth Century Journal

"Dixon′s book ... offers its readers a fine balance of work on both ... the Reformation as a theological event and the Reformation as a social/ cultural/ political event. This volume is a very helpful and useful text for those teaching or studying the subject." Westminster Theological Journal

"Dixon has brought together and, in his commentary, illuminated the significance of eight pieces revealing some of the most important documents in recent scholarship on the relation of the Reformation to society. The work is a resounding success." Protestantismus

"... it would be hard to imagine a more readable and informative collection of new work on the German Reformation." German Studies Review