Masters of the Reformation : the Emergence of a New Intellectual Climate in Europe

Heiko A. Oberman's Masters of the Reformation - first published in German under the title Werden and Wertung der Reformation - is a general survey of academic thought and its impact on a wider world from the later Middle Ages to the emergence of Luther and the city Reformation. The book uses the early history of the University of Tubingen to illuminate late fifteenth-century theological developments and the first stirrings of the Reformation. Oberman shows from the beginning that the University of Tubingen was no ivory tower. Rather, it was a vantage point from which important trends were discerned and vital impulses disseminated. In a second section, he then describes the creation of a distinctive `Tübingen school', actively involved in the territorial policies of Württemberg and wrestling with the major ethical problems of the day. In the third section of the book, convincing links are established between the nominalist tradition and the intellectual context of the south German Reformation. Oberman emphasises the practical application of theology to social and ethical issues, and shows how this prepared the way for the Reformation as a spiritual and material liberation. Heiko A. Oberman's Masters of the Reformation - first published in German under the title Werden und Wertung der Reformation - is a general survey of academic thought and its impact on a wider world from the later Middle Ages to the emergence of Luther and the city Reformation. The book uses the early history of the University of Tbingen to illuminate late fifteenth-century theological developments and the first stirrings of the Reformation. Oberman shows from the beginning that the University of Tbingen was no ivory tower. Rather, it was a vantage point from which important trends were discerned and vital impulses disseminated. In a second section, he then describes the creation of a distinctive 'Tbingen school', actively involved in the territorial policies of Wrttemberg and wrestling with the major ethical problems of the day. In the third section of the book, convincing links are established between the nominalist tradition and the intellectual context of the south German Reformation. Oberman emphasises the practical application of theology to social and ethical issues, and shows how this prepared the way for the Reformation as a spiritual and material liberation. This book marks a fresh direction in the historiography of the German Reformation towards a social history of ideas. Professor Obermans judgements are arresting, often provocative, but also provide revelations on many aspects on spiritual thought and life, and their influence on society and religion. "Heiko A. Oberman's Masters of the Reformation - first published in German under the title Werden and Wertung der Reformation - is a general survey of academic thought and its impact on a wider world from the later Middle Ages to the emergence of Luther and the city Reformation. The book uses the early history of the University of Tubingen to illuminate late fifteenth-century theological developments and the first stirrings of the Reformation. Oberman shows from the beginning that the University of Tubingen was no ivory tower. Rather, it was a vantage point from which important trends were discerned and vital impulses disseminated. In a second section, he then describes the creation of a distinctive `Tübingen school', actively involved in the territorial policies of Württemberg and wrestling with the major ethical problems of the day. In the third section of the book, convincing links are established between the nominalist tradition and the intellectual context of the south German Reformation. Oberman emphasizes the practical application of theology to social and ethical issues, and shows how this prepared the way for the Reformation as a spiritual and material liberation"--Back cover

Heiko A. Oberman's Masters of the Reformation - first published in German under the title Werden and Wertung der Reformation - is a general survey of academic thought and its impact on a wider world from the later Middle Ages to the emergence of Luther and the city Reformation. The book uses the early history of the University of Tubingen to illuminate late fifteenth-century theological developments and the first stirrings of the Reformation. Oberman shows from the beginning that the University of Tubingen was no ivory tower. Rather, it was a vantage point from which important trends were discerned and vital impulses disseminated. In a second section, he then describes the creation of a distinctive 'TÃ1⁄4bingen school', actively involved in the territorial policies of WÃ1⁄4rttemberg and wrestling with the major ethical problems of the day. In the third section of the book, convincing links are established between the nominalist tradition and the intellectual context of the south German Reformation. Oberman emphasises the practical application of theology to social and ethical issues, and shows how this prepared the way for the Reformation as a spiritual and material liberation.

Contents......Page 6 Abbreviations......Page 12 INTELLECTUAL RENEWAL......Page 16 The ivory tower: the university as observatory......Page 18 The impact of humanism: fact and fancy......Page 30 The scholastic rift: a parting of the ways......Page 38 movement and mystery......Page 60 Patterns of thought on the eve of upheaval......Page 72 The Augustine renaissance in the later Middle Ages......Page 79 THE GRAPES OF WRATH......Page 126 A theology of turmoil: the ferment of ideas......Page 128 The ethics of capitalism: the clash of interests......Page 143 The power of witchcraft: devil and devotion......Page 173 NEW JERUSALEM WITHIN THE OLD WALLS......Page 200 Magistri and magistracy: the old and new masters......Page 202 The great visitation: bishop and city......Page 225 The onset of the Counter-Reformation......Page 255 The Reformation: a German tragedy?......Page 275 Student population at German universities 1385-1540......Page 311 Chronological outline......Page 313 Bibliography*......Page 322 Index of modern authors......Page 372 Subject index......Page 375 Heiko Augustinus Oberman ; Translated By Dennis Martin. A Translation With Revisions Of Werden Und Wertung Der Reformation. Includes Indexes. Bibliography: P. 307-348.