The Importance of Epistolary Exchange for the Spread of the Reformation (with Special Attention to the Southwest of the Holy Roman Empire)
Handwritten letters played a key role in the spread and establishment of the Reformation. In view of the very limited possibilities for supra-regional communication in the sixteenth century, letters fulfilled an important function in the transmission of information. The practice of forming communiti...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2025
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| In: |
Reformation & Renaissance review
Year: 2025, Volume: 27, Issue: 2, Pages: 95-114 |
| Further subjects: | B
Jakob Andreae
B Network B Formula of Concord 1577 B Heidelberg Catechism 1563 B Type and type-founding B Confessional community |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Handwritten letters played a key role in the spread and establishment of the Reformation. In view of the very limited possibilities for supra-regional communication in the sixteenth century, letters fulfilled an important function in the transmission of information. The practice of forming communities of opinion through correspondence, which was widespread among the humanists, was utilised and further developed by the reformers in order to create confessional communities of conviction. In its beginnings, writings in German which were printed in large numbers played a major role in spreading the Reformation. Later, in the second half of the sixteenth century, such publications, which often stood out for their eloquence and original ideas, played a lesser role. The focus was now increasingly on safeguarding the Reformation, which seemed threatened by warring factions and conflicts within the movement. Hand written letters now became even more important, as the example of Jakob Andreae shows. |
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| ISSN: | 1743-1727 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Reformation & Renaissance review
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/14622459.2025.2545763 |
