In this landmark set, an extensive collection of writings from Johannes Bugenhagen, Luthers pastor, friend, and colleague in reform, are presented for the first time in English. The vast majority of these works have only been available in their original, sixteenth-century editions. Bugenhagen (14851558) was a pivotal figure in the organization of the Lutheran movementinnorthern Germany and in parts of Scandinavia. Kurt Hendel has organized this extensive collection thematicallyintroducing us to Bugenhagen the man, the theologian, the exegete, the pastor, the church organizer, and the social reformer.
"This book addresses the role of religious reformers in the development of poor relief in the sixteenth century. During the Reformation, religious leaders served as catalysts, organizers, stabilizers, and consolidators of poor relief programs to alleviate poverty. Although once in line with the religious piety, voluntary poverty was no longer a spiritual virtue for many religious reformers. Rather they imagined social welfare reform to be an integral part of religious reform and worked to modify existing common chests or set up new ones. As crises and migration exacerbated poverty and caused begging to be an increasing concern, Catholic humanists and Protestant reformers moved beyond traditional charity to urge coordination and centralization of a poor relief system. For example, Martin Luther promoted the consolidation of former ecclesiastical property in the poor relief plan for Leisnig in 1523, while Juan Luis Vives devised a new social welfare proposal for Bruges in 1526. In negotiations with magistrates and city councils, reformers helped to shape various local institutions, such hospitals, orphanages, job creation programs, and scholarships for students, as well as to develop new ways of supporting foreigners, strangers, and refugees. Religious leaders contributed to caring for the vulnerable because poverty was a problem too big for any one group or one government to tackle. As religious options multiplied within Christianity, one's understanding of community would determine the boundaries, albeit contested and sometimes fluid, of responsible poor relief"--
This book presents a comprehensive history of law and religion in the Nordic context. The entwinement of law and religion in Scandinavia encompasses an unusual history, not widely known yet important for its impact on contemporary political and international relations in the region. The volume provides a holistic picture from the first written legal sources of the twelfth century to the law of the present secular welfare states. It recounts this history through biographical case studies. Taking the point of view of major influential figures in church, politics, university, and law, it thus presents the principal actors who served as catalysts in ecclesiastical and secular law through the centuries. This refreshing approach to legal history contributes to a new trend in historiography, particularly articulated by a younger generation of experienced Nordic scholars whose work is featured prominently in this volume. The collection will be a valuable resource for academics and researchers working in the areas of Legal History and Law and Religion.
The reception and interpretation of the writings of St Paul in the early modern period forms the subject of this volume. Written by experts in the field, the articles offer a critical overview of current research, and introduce the major themes in Pauline interpretation in the Reformation.
This book offers portraits of twenty of the secondary theologians of the Reformation period. In addition to describing a particular theologian, each portrait explores one problem in 16th-century Christian thought. Catholic, Lutheran, Reformed, and Radical thinkers are all represented in this volume, which serves as both an introduction to the field and a handy reference for scholars.
For nearly two millennia, Christians have tried to make sense of the Bible’s reminder that the poor are ‘always among us’. This volume explores the diverse range of ideas, institutions, and experiences early modern Europeans brought to bear in response to this biblical adage. Do good unto all traces the concept and practice of charity across the four major early modern Christian confessions – Catholic, Lutheran, Calvinist, and Anabaptist – and over a wide range of geographical areas from Scotland to Switzerland and the Spanish Atlantic World. By bringing such a diverse set of localised studies into concert for the first time, this volume exposes the many intersections and tensions that arose between and within communities as they attempted to translate the ideal of charity into practice. This comparative approach shifts the focus from binary definitions of ‘deserving’ and ‘undeserving’ poor or ‘Catholic’ and ‘Protestant’. Instead, Do good unto all charts a new course for the study of charity beyond institutional poor relief, where the matrix of individual ideas and experiences can be fully appreciated.
This beautifully illustrated, compact volume traces the profile of 48 European cities in early Reformation times. It transports readers across Europe from Spain to Estonia, from Scotland to Romania, passing through many fascinating cities in the Reformation heartland of this continent. With finely drawn historical portraits and abundant pictorial material, the articles by different scholars also feature the most prominent Reformers who lived and worked in each city (including six dynamic women). Supplemented by an illustrated map of Europe, local websites and reading lists, Europa Reformata will serve as a guide for visitors and armchair travelers alike. By highlighting so many cities and pioneers of the Reformation, it makes a timely and unique contribution to the 500th anniversary of this groundbreaking movement. Der prächtige und doch handliche Band zeichnet die reformatorischen Profile von etwa vierzig europäischen Städten nach. Die Leser werden von Spanien über Zentraleuropa bis Estland und Finnland geführt, von Schottland und England bis nach Rumänien. Profilierte Texte und reiches Bildmaterial veranschaulichen das Wirken der berühmtesten Reformatoren – sowie der fünf Reformatorinnen – und stellen die Städte mit ihren Bauten und Zeugnissen aus der Reformationszeit vor Augen. Ergänzt durch eine bebilderte Europakarte und die Angabe von kirchlichen Adressen und Tourismusbüros, eignet sich der Band auch als Reiseführer auf den Spuren der Reformation in Europa. An diesem perfekten Geschenk zum 500. Reformationsjubiläum sollte niemand achtlos vorübergehen.
