Irene Dingel

These twelve essays by international scholars investigate Melanchthons theological activities as teacher, confessor of the faith, and defender of his doctrine and ecclesiastical policies as they developed within the context of his service of society and church. In the past quarter century Melanchthon researchers have scrutinized older, mostly negative, interpretations of the Preceptor Germaniae. The editors present in this volume precisely focused appraisals of "Master Philip" in his role as theologian at the university and in the service of his own prince and others. By carefully placing his use of Aristotle, his understanding of the nature of training for pastoral ministry, his biblical exegesis in context, by analyzing four of his attempts to formulate Wittenberg teaching in public confession, by assessing how his own writings took on normative character for the church, and by tracing his thinking on the free will and the Lords Supper in the midst of controversy, these authors offer carefully etched portraits of Melanchthon as Preceptor ecclesiae. This volume contributes to the expansion of our understanding of Melanchthon as key figure in the Wittenberg Reformation and the currents of controversy that have long surrounded the interpretation of his contributions. These twelve essays by international scholars investigate Melanchthons theological activities as teacher, confessor of the faith, and defender of his doctrine and ecclesiastical policies as they developed within the context of his service of society and church. In the past quarter century Melanchthon researchers have scrutinized older, mostly negative, interpretations of the Preceptor Germaniae. The editors present in this volume precisely focused appraisals of "Master Philip" in his role as theologian at the university and in the service of his own prince and others. By carefully placing his use of Aristotle, his understanding of the nature of training for pastoral ministry, his biblical exegesis in context, by analyzing four of his attempts to formulate Wittenberg teaching in public confession, by assessing how his own writings took on normative character for the church, and by tracing his thinking on the free will and the Lords Supper in the midst of controversy, these authors offer carefully etched portraits of Melanchthon as Preceptor ecclesiae. This volume contributes to the expansion of our understanding of Melanchthon as key figure in the Wittenberg Reformation and the currents of controversy that have long surrounded the interpretation of his contributions.

German description: Die von der Reformation ausgehenden Impulse veranderten nicht nur Kirche und Frommigkeit, sondern auch die Strukturen der Gesellschaft sowie die rechtlichen und politischen Dimensionen der damaligen Lebenswelt. Die hier versammelten Beitrage, die zum uberwiegenden Teil aus den Themenjahren der Reformationsdekade hervorgegangen sind, veranschaulichen das gestaltende und nachhaltig wirkende Potenzial der Reformation. Sie spannen einen weiten Bogen vom 16. bis in den Beginn des 19. Jahrhunderts und eroffnen Perspektiven auf die fruhe Verbreitung reformatorischer Inhalte, auf Formen von Frommigkeit und katechetischer Unterweisung sowie auf rechtliche Neuordnung in politisch motivierten Religionsfriedensregelungen einerseits und kirchlich ausgerichteter Union andererseits. English summary: The impulses that were set in motion by the Reformation caused changes not only in the church and in popular piety but also in the structures of society as well as the legal and political dimensions of the world of that time. The essays that appear in this collection, which arose primarily out of the annual themes of the Reformation Decade, provide vantage points from which to view the capacity of the Reformation to shape elements of society with lasting effect. The essays span a wide spectrum from the sixteenth into the early nineteenth centuries and open perspectives on the early spread of the reformational message, forms of piety and catechetical instruction, as well as the legal reordering resulting from politically motivated regulations set down in religious peace treaties and an ecclesiastically arranged Union.

Die Reformation, die in erster Linie auf eine umfassende kirchlich-theologische Erneuerung zielte, brachte zugleich tiefgreifende Wirkungen in Kultur, Gesellschaft und Politik hervor. Insofern war sie für Europa ein einschneidendes Ereignis. Als ausschlaggebendes Datum gilt das Jahr 1517, in dem mit der Veröffentlichung der 95 Thesen Martin Luthers nicht nur das Nachdenken über zentrale theologische Fragen, sondern auch der Ruf nach Erneuerung von Kirche und Gesellschaft neue, kraftvolle Impulse erhielt. Dem standen gesellschaftliche und politische Entwicklungen sowie weitere reformatorische Ansätze in Europa zur Seite, die mit der 1517 von Wittenberg ausgehenden Bewegung in Interaktion traten. Für die Reformatoren war die konsequente Orientierung an den Ausschließlichkeit beanspruchenden Grundsätzen sola scriptura, solus Christus, sola gratia und sola fide leitend, was sich in Glauben und Lehre, Frömmigkeit und Ritus niederschlug und zugleich das Leben des Einzelnen und der Gesellschaft tiefgreifend veränderte.Das Buch versucht, die Prozesse der Etablierung und Entfaltung der Reformation im Spannungsfeld der politischen Entwicklungen in Europa nachzuzeichnen. Ein kurzer Blick auf die spätmittelalterlichen Strukturen in Politik, Gesellschaft und kirchlichem Leben dient dazu, das Substrat zu skizzieren, auf dem sich die Reformation entfaltete und von dem sie sich abgrenzte. Nicht nur Wittenberg und die von dort ausgehende Reformation kommen zur Sprache, sondern auch weitere reformatorische Zentren und ihre herausragenden Akteure.