Histories of Early Modern religion in Europe typically contrast the activities of ordained theologians with those of laity. The thought and writings of the former usually constitute " theology " and those of the latter " piety. " The... more
Histories of Early Modern religion in Europe typically contrast the activities of ordained theologians with those of laity. The thought and writings of the former usually constitute " theology " and those of the latter " piety. " The result has long been a divided history. Confessional church historians have written histories that were essentially genealogies of (male) officer holders, while scholars of folklore, culture or literature analyzed the contributions of laity. Since the so-called cultural turn, the contributions of laity as organizers, transmitters and patrons of Early Modern religious movements are being recognized. What has been less studied are the intellectual achievements of laity, many of whom possessed deep knowledge of theology, history, and ancient languages and played important roles in Early Modern religious history. This article provides an overview of the main issues and the development of lay theology in the period and argues for increased study of the phenomenon.
The article highlights the problem of anonymity in historical research on Pietism. As the reform movement was illegal in many regions, Pietist authors often published their writings anonymously or pseudonymously. Similarly, those who... more
The article highlights the problem of anonymity in historical research on Pietism. As the reform movement was illegal in many regions, Pietist authors often published their writings anonymously or pseudonymously. Similarly, those who donated money to support Pietist projects usually did so quietly. The tendency to act anonymously was even greater in the case of female participants, who faced the accusation that they were meddling in public affairs -- a scandal for a woman. Martin demonstrates how researchers can identify some aristocratic donors: personal secretaries and court preachers carried out their bidding and it is often through the correspondence of these seemingly "unimportant" actors that the the deeds of their employers come to light. By focussing on the letters of a court preacher to the Halle Pietist leader, August Hermann Francke, Martin reveals that the preacher's employer, two elderly, widowed princesses, donated huge sums anonymously to build the institutions of Halle Pietism. The article points out that women's participation, however theologically conservative it might have been, remained socially "radical," so that Pietists like Francke carefully hid the identity and even the gender of donors from the public. Based on these findings, Martin calls for more intensive archival research into women's (often anonymous but generous) contributions to the funding of Pietism.
The article demonstrates that outsiders wishing to break into the German religious scene in the late seventeenth century concentrated their energies mainly on Pietist women, revealing that contemporaries recognized these women as leaders... more
The article demonstrates that outsiders wishing to break into the German religious scene in the late seventeenth century concentrated their energies mainly on Pietist women, revealing that contemporaries recognized these women as leaders of the reform movement. After tracing the attempts of English Quakers to spread their religion to Germany through contacts with women such as Princess Elisabeth of the Palatinate, the article turns to the correspondence of Quaker leader William Penn (1644-1718) and Pietist activist Johanna Eleonora Merlau (1644-1724). A close reading of a newly discovered letter from Merlau to Penn provides new insights into her role in early Pietism and also reveals a significant Quaker influence on her thinking. The article concludes that, through female reformers like Merlau, the English dissidents had a significant impact on German Pietism.
The study identifies three main phases in German Pietism and demonstrates how women's participation was crucial for each phase: an early, prophetic phase, in which women were the most important prophets; a consolidation phase in which... more
The study identifies three main phases in German Pietism and demonstrates how women's participation was crucial for each phase: an early, prophetic phase, in which women were the most important prophets; a consolidation phase in which wealthy female patrons donated the money for the building of Pietist institutions; and a churchly phase, in which women worked alongside men in established structures. The study relies upon hundreds of pages of previously unstudied manuscript sources, especially relating to Johanna Eleonora Petersen, Princess Elisabeth of the Pfalz and Anna Nitschmann, figures that Martin takes as illustrative case studies. The study won the University of Texas Dissertation Award and was named by the Council of Graduate Schools as one of the five best dissertations in the United States in 2003.
