Outline: The European reformations meant major changes in theology, religion, and everyday life. Some changes were immediate and visible in a number of countries : monasteries were dissolved, new liturgies were introduced, and married pastors were ordained, other were hidden. Theologically, as well as practically the position of the church in the society changed dramatically, but differently ac…
Outline: The formula simul iustus et peccator is a shorthand for the nucleus and heart of the Reformation. The concept of simul takes readers directly to the heart of Lutheran theology, justification by faith alone; at the same time it constitutes a thought pattern which is a characteristic feature of much of Lutheran theology. The concept, which implies a tension or even a paradox, appears to …
Outline: What is sanctity? Devotion, culture, art, theology, liturgy, history: through fascinating selected case studies, Profiling Saints offers a fresh kaleidoscopic perspective on sanctity as it developed and was understood and represented in the Early Modern global world up to the post-revolutionary period. The authors, drawing on their expertise in a rich array of disciplines, will lead re…
Outline: Were early modern religious conflicts wars 'of religion', 'between religions', or 'about religion'? The ways in which war was waged and peace was agreed in the 'long sixteenth century' were strongly influence by, had a deep connection with, and produced a lasting impact on, the religious divide of Latin Christianity in the wake of the Reformation. This collection of essays seeks to ana…
Outline: At the Synod of Dordrecht, deep questions of grace, justification and faith were at stake. In this volume lines are drawn to the historical, theological and political context during that period. Patristics, Middle Ages, metaphysical questions and the church polity of Dordt are discussed as well as with some hermeneutical reflections.
Outline : The bilingual, interdisciplinary volume offers groundbreaking contributors on social, economic, cultural, and church historical aspects of the early modern era in the Carpathian Basin. In doing so, it challenges and completely reevaluates previously held research opinions on the history of tolerance in Transylvania.
Outline: Every four years, the International Calvin Congress gathers together a wide spectrum of presents from leading scholars to early-career researchers to learn from each other through several days of plenary lectures, panel sessions, and discussions. The fruits of the 13th quadrennial international Calvin Congress are now available. Several contributors focus directly on the conference the…
Outline : This volume presents collected essays from scholars around the world on various aspects of Petrus van Mastricht (1630 - 1706) theology, philosophy, and reception in the context of his time. The status of theology and philosophy in the wake of the Enlightenment had many of the same problems we see in theology today as relating to the use and appropriation of classical theology in a 21s…
Outline: How can a Christian historian be faithful to the discipline of history as well as their own religious commitments? Arnold Dallimore, a Canadian church-historian, wrote an extensive two-volume biography of George Whitefield, among others, in which he exemplifies a theology-oriented historiographical approach. Ian Hugh Clary's study examines Dallimore's historiography focusing on questio…
Outline: In the lead up to the Synod of Dort, William Ames (1576 - 1633) established himself as a champion of Reformed orthodoxy through a series of polemical writings against Arminianism. While his best-known work, The Marrow Theology, is widely studies, these Latin anti-Arminian works have long been neglected by scholars. This book provides the first extensive study of these polemical works. …
Outline : Richard Hooker (1553/4 - 1600) was the premier theologian of the early church of England, and has been treated in the past by scholars primarily as the architect of "Anglicanism." The contributors to this volume facilitate new perspectives on Richard Hooker's theology. A wide range of scholars consider Richard Hooker's theology within the full context of late 16th- and early 17th-cent…
Outline : Though undertreated by modern scholars, Martin Luther'slectures on Deuteronomy are critical to understanding histheological development as an exegete as well as the courseof the Reformation in the wake of Luther's return from theWartburg in 1522. In these lectures, Luther engages deeplywith Moses, whom he sees as an author, prophet, and ruler.These three ways of regarding Moses allow …
Outline: The essays in this volume aim at a clarification of the church in the 16th century : What did the reformers think about the essence and origin of the holy, apostolic and catholic church? Can human beings see the true church or not? Does it have one existence in this world and another in the world to come? The concept of church is indissolubly connected with the theological concepts of …
Outline: John Calvin's understanding of works-righteousness is more complex than is often recognized. While he denounces it in some instances, he affirms it in others. This study shows that Calvin affirms works-righteousness within the context were faith-righteousness is already established, and that he even teaches a form of justification by works. Calvin ascribes not only a positive role to g…
Outline : This volume presents the collection of papers presented at the 12th International Congress on Calvin Research that took place in Philadelphia in 2018. The plenary papers focus on Calvin's political context and religious liberty, while the selection of short papers provides a window into current research on a wide range of topics in Calvin studies.
Outline : Peter Sammons examines a doctrine often misunderstood by many non-reformed advocates, the doctrine of reprobation. While the fully formed doctrine, with the entirety of its nuances and distinctions, was not articulated until the Synod of Dort, nevertheless most of the elements were present long prior to the Synod of Dort. In this volume, Sammons traces the development of the doctrine …
Outline: On the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the German monk and reformer Martin Luther posting his theses in 1517, the contributors of this volume invite us to expand our understanding of "the Reformation" by an examination of aspects of Reform which are lesser known than Luther to probe some less-explored corners of the Reformation. To be sure, Martin Luther himself receives attention…
Outline : This new Handbook edited by Herman Selderhuis and written by renowned catholic and protestant church historians presents the latest results in research. Full attention is given to the coherence of social, political, cultural and ecclesiastical developments in the history of Christianity in the Netherlands. The Handbook is written for use as an academic textbook but is also accessible …
Outline: Chun Tse presents the first full-length analysis of Thomas Boston's theology of assurance in six dimensions: trinitarian, covenantal, Christological, soteriological, ecclesiastical, and sacramental. This study disputes that Boston merely follows Calvin, English Puritanism, and Scottish federalism. For Boston, certainty is both extra nos and intra nos, rooted in union and communion with…
Outline: Samuel Rutherford's (1600-1661) scholastic theology has been criticized as overly deterministic and even fatalistic, a charge common to Reformed Orthodox theologians of the era. This project applies the new scholarship on Reformed Orthodoxy to Rutherford's doctrine of divine providence. The doctrine of divine providence touches upon many of the disputed points in the older scholarship,…
Outline: This study is a revisit of John Calvin's interpretation of the doctrine of divine providence and it builds upon a vast repository of quality research conducted by previous Reformation scholars. From 1534 - 1541, Calvin used the image of the fountain to portray God as the source of everything, with the power to preserve and give life to all creatures. Between the Latin edition of the In…
Outline: Charles Hodge's American context and Reformed identity illustrate the persistence and change of Reformed ideas in nineteenth century America. Encompassing philosophy, science, and several areas of theology, this volume traces the development of Hodge's ideas with an eye both to Reformed orthodoxy and to American thought. The goal of these essays is to explore trajectories in Reformed a…
Outline : Als Kenner der vergangenen Lutherjubiläen verfolgte Hartmut Lehmann mit besonderem Interesse die Aktivitäten der EKD während der Lutherdekade und im Jubiläumsjahr 2017. Der vorliegende Band enthält eine Auswahl der Texte, die er zwischen 2008 und 2018 verfasst hat. Lehmanns Bilanz ist kritisch. Zwar erkennt er die Bemühungen um eine zeitgemäße Erinnerung an Luther durchaus an.…
Outline : The Republic of Venice was the only Catholic territory in which an Anabaptist community formed in the 16th century. The history of Venetian Anabaptism, hitherto little known in Reformation Studies, is the focus of this book. Using a large quantity of archival material and rare printed sources Riccarda Suitner reconstructs the lives of the Republic's Anabaptists and the inquisitorial r…
Outline: Nach der Reformation waren Regeln für den Umgang mit Anders- gläubigen, Nonkonformisten und Glaubensgegnern erforderlich. Wer als Ketzer galt, war nach Sebastian Castellio eine Frage der Perspektive. Die Konkordanz der Glaubenssysteme, die von römisch-katholischen Intellektuellen angestrebt wurde, setzte zwar Kenntnisse des Islams und des Judentums voraus, schien aber nur durch Miss…
Outline : Der 1415 auf dem Konstanzer Konzil als Ketzer verbrannte Johannes Hus wurde vor der Reformation gemeinhin als ein Häretiker betrachtet. Mit Luther und der anbrechenden Reformation begann jedoch ein Umdeutungsprozess, der zu einer völligen Neubewertung von Hus führte. Bereits früh wurde er auf Seiten der Reformation als Heiliger, Märtyrer und Vorläufer Luthers betrachtet. Auf rö…
Outline: Die Entstehung und Entwicklung des siebenbürgischen Anti-trinitarismus war mit der Konsolidierung des noch jungen sie- benbürgischen Staates eng verflochten. Die antitrinitarische Version der radicalen Reformation war in Siebenbürgen mit dem Adel, dem Hof und der königlichen Freistadt Klausenburg mit ihren beiden Nationen verknüpft und prägte die Religions-politik. Mit den …
Outline: Augustinus ist mit seiner Sünden- und Gnadenlehre einer der wichtigsten Referenzpunkte der frühneuzeitlichen Theologie in allen Konfessionen gewesen. Den hier versammelten Beiträgen gelingt es, nicht nur das Wissen um Augustins Rezeptionsgeschichte für kontroverstheologische Absichten zu bereichern, sondern auch die Interferenzen von theo-logischen Methoden und Diskursen - den zwis…
Outline: How became a medieval crown a sacral object in use for modern nationalism? This book is about one of the most important elements of the political narratives in the history of Hungary in past and present: the Holy Crown of Hungary. This object is one of the oldest crown jewels which still has a political and religious significance today and is one of the most widely used symbols of mode…
Outline: Cybulski and Rutkovska study secular and religious writings of secular authors as well as those belonging to the clergy and religious orders. Their main interest lies in exploring the different genres of early modern Polish and Lithuanian sermons and novels, and in tracing this heritage to its social and literary context. They also give insights into the origins or vernacular translati…
Outline : Der Prozess der Durchsetzung eines konfessionellen Luthertums unter den Siebenbürger Sachsen im 16. und 17. Jahrhundert war alles andere als eindeutig. Dieser „Uneindeutigkeit (Edit Szegedi) geht dieses Werk nach, indem es einen bestim- menden Factor der konfessionellen Uniformierung genauer betrachtet: das geistliche Buch. Die deutsche F römmigkeitsliteratur stammte fast ausschli…
Outline: Frances Luttikhuizen traces Constantino de la Fuente's religious experience from the Erasmian influence at Alcala de Henares during his university days in the 1520s to being the main spokesperson for the evangelistic tendencies emerging in Spain in the 1550s. His theology shows strong parallels with the renovating current within the Catholic Church of the first half of the 15th century…
Outline: Transylavanian Sabbatarianism emerged from the aspirations of the Reformation, without direct contact with the Jews. The book aims at demonstrating that although the Hungarian-speaking Szekely Sabbatarians sought to be Christians and Jews at the same time, and balanced for centuries on the border of the two world religions, the necessity and direction of their final choice could be pre…
Outline : Origins, reception, religious disputes and securing of the Reformation movements emanating from Wittenberg, Padua and Zurich and penetrating the zone of Ottoman influence are examined and discussed. The prevailing confessionalist perspectives of 19-20th centuries are called into question and replaced. On the basis of current research, the author presents impulses to stimulate the inte…
Outline : Bishop Oxendio Virziresco's pastoral activity and the church- union of the Armenians in Transylvania proved to be a marginal subject from church-historical point of view for a long time. This qualifies as simultaneously advantage as well as disadvantage for the scholarship, too. It was an advantage because just few information had been at scholarship's disposal through long decades. F…
Outline : Im 16. Jahrhundert war Wittenberg die wichtigste Universität der Protestanten Ungarns. Bis zum Ende des Jahrhunderts weilten hier etwa 1.200 Studenten, 430 von ihnen waren direkte Schüler Melanchthons. Die Natio (Coetus) entstand am 24. Juni 1555, als sich die Wittenberger Universität in ihrer Blütezeit befand. Dieses Werk enthält neben ausführlichen Hintergrundinformationen vor…
Outline : Anton Engelbrecht, Theologe und Humanist, war einer der Ersten im deutschsprachigen Raum, der im 16. Jahrhundert ein Plädoyer für Religionsfreiheit hielt, nämlich auf der Straßburger Synode von 1533. Er warnte vor den Folgen des Zwangs für Gläubige, die glauben wollen, wie sie es für richtig halten, aber nicht nach ihren eigenen Überzeugungen glauben und leben dürfen. Und mit…
Outline: Das Buch geht der Frage nach, wann in der Reichsstadt Speyerdie Reformation offiziell eingeführt wurde und der Prozess derevangelischen Konfessionsbildung einsetzte und wie bzw. überwelche Wege und Formen er sich vollzog. Der Untersuchungszeitraum deckt die Jahre 1538 bis 1580 ab. Auf der Grundlageeiner intensiven Auswertung der verfügbaren archivalischen undgedruckten Quellen kommt…
Outline: Confession and Politics in the Principality of Transylvania is a survey of the changing role the confessional element played in the foreign policy of this East Central European principality, which has traditionally been seen as a counterexample to the confessionalisation thesis even though its rulers were consistent supporters of the Protestant cause during the Thirty Years' War. The e…
Outline: The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth familiarized itself with Christian Hebraism in the first half of the 16th century. So far, this theme has not been explored in English and is almost unknown to the international scholarly community. The author presents the development of modern Hebrew studies in Western Europe, describes the academic and religious level of scholarship of Hebrew in the…
Outline : Richard Baxter (1615-1691) was arguably the greatest English Puritan of the seventeenth century. However, he is less known for his vigorous insistence that parish ministers were better off unmarried. And yet he did marry, though he continued to champion clerical celibacy for the rest of his life. This book explores Baxter's argument for clerical celibacy by placing it in the context o…
Outline : In late 17th-century England, James Owen, a nonconformist minister, along with a circle of moderate friends like Edmund Calamy, Philip and Matthew Henry, and Francis Tallents, sought to emphasize a Protestant ecumenism grounded in agreement on foundational truths, openness to differences on secondary issues, including ecclesiastical structures, and the pursuit of some kind of visible …
Outline : This study is the first to focus in depth on communion frequency in the Reformed tradition. It concludes that, although the sixteenth century Reformers desired more frequent communion, this was balanced by their desire to create mature Christian communities. So, preachers and church leaders stressed the priority of moral conduct, and the importance of understanding what the eucharist …
Outline : Closely entwined with the educational revolution of early modernity, the Reformation transformed the pedagogical landscape and culture of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Embracing a broad understanding of the Reformation this volume examines the confessional dynamics which shaped the educational transformations of early modernity. Going beyond conventional emphases on the rol…
Outline : Amandus Polanus (1561-1610) has often been described as a highly significant theologian, but also a neglected one. Stephen B. Tipton shows how Polanus' understanding of God's essence and attributes is built upon the ground of scripture, arranged with the aid of logical arguments and reasoning, and aimed at the worship and glory of the Triune God. Tipton defends this conclusion against…
Outline : While Isaac Watts is best known for his significant legacy as a hymnographer, he also functions as a key transitional figure between the English Puritans and the Evangelicals during eighteenth-century English dissent. As a pastor, theologian, philosopher, and literary mainstay of his era, Watts' influence grew well beyond his early work in hymnody to impact scores of Christians on bot…
Outline : Die hier vorliegende Gesamtdarstellung der Theologie Calvins istder Versuch, auf dem Stand der gegenwärtigen, insbesondereauch der in Deutschland weniger bekannten angelsächsischenForschung ein Bild ihrer ausgebreiteten Wirkung und ihrerQuellen zu entwerfen. Sie bezieht sich deshalb nicht allein aufdie Institutio (1559), sondern zieht als gleichrangige Quellenseine exegetischen und …
Outline: This volume contains the collection of papers presented at the 11th International Congress on Calvin Research that took place in Zurich in 2014. The first paper of the book consists of the plenary papers. In the second part, the seminars held at the Congress are published, and the third part consists of a selection of short papers. The articles demonstrate that Calvin research is e…
Outline: This volume contains plenary papers and a selection of shortpapers presented at the Seventh Annual RefoRC conference, which was held May 10-12th 2017 in Wittenberg. The contributions concentrate on the effects of Luther's new theology up until the early seventeenth century.
Outline: The present study aims to analyse the impact of Luther's theology on his thoughts about music. It limits itself to an analysis of the topic by focusing on the three most important statements of Luther about music in his unfinished treatise [On Music]. The first statement is that music is "a gift of God and not of man", second, music "creates joyful soul", and third, music "drives aw…