The Reformation of the Keys : Confession, Conscience, and Authority in Sixteenth-Century Germany

Ronald K. Rittgers

ISBN 10: 0674011767 / ISBN 13: 9780674011762

Edité par Harvard University Press Mär 2004, 2004

A propos de cet article

Neuware - The Catholic Church¿s claims to spiritual and temporal authority rest on Jesus¿ promise in the gospels to give Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven. In the sixteenth century, leaders of the German Reformation sought a fundamental transformation of this ¿power of the keys¿ as part of their efforts to rid Church and society of alleged clerical abuses. Central to this transformation was a thoroughgoing reform of private confession.Unlike other Protestants, Lutherans chose not to abolish private confession but to change it to suit their theological convictions and social needs. In a fascinating examination of this new religious practice, Ronald Rittgers traces the development of Lutheran private confession, demonstrating how it consistently balanced competing concerns for spiritual freedom and moral discipline. The reformation of private confession was part of a much larger reformation of the power of the keys that had profound implications for the use of religious authority in sixteenth-century Germany.As the first full-length study of the role of Lutheran private confession in the German Reformation, this book is a welcome contribution to early modern European and religious history.

N° de réf. du vendeur 9780674011762

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: The Reformation of the Keys : Confession, Conscience, and Authority in Sixteenth-Century Germany
• Éditeur: Harvard University Press Mär 2004
• Date de parution: 2004
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN à 10 chiffres: 0674011767
• ISBN à 13 chiffres: 9780674011762
• Reliure: Buch
• État de l'article: Neu

A propos de ce titre

Synopsis

The Catholic Church's claims to spiritual and temporal authority rest on Jesus' promise in the gospels to give Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven. In the sixteenth century, leaders of the German Reformation sought a fundamental transformation of this "power of the keys" as part of their efforts to rid Church and society of alleged clerical abuses. Central to this transformation was a thoroughgoing reform of private confession.

Unlike other Protestants, Lutherans chose not to abolish private confession but to change it to suit their theological convictions and social needs. In a fascinating examination of this new religious practice, Ronald Rittgers traces the development of Lutheran private confession, demonstrating how it consistently balanced competing concerns for spiritual freedom and moral discipline. The reformation of private confession was part of a much larger reformation of the power of the keys that had profound implications for the use of religious authority in sixteenth-century Germany.

As the first full-length study of the role of Lutheran private confession in the German Reformation, this book is a welcome contribution to early modern European and religious history.

À propos de l?auteur

Ronald K. Rittgers is Professor of the History of Christianity, Duke Divinity School.