Mennonites in Early Modern Poland and Prussia

Erscheinungsjahr 2009
ISBN: 978-0-8018-9113-7
Verlag: Johns Hopkins University Press

Buch, Englisch, 280 Seiten, Format (B × H): 162 mm x 238 mm, Gewicht: 552 g

Reihe: Young Center Books in Anabaptist and Pietist Studies

At a time when religious conflicts and persecution plagued early modern Europe, Poland and Prussia were havens for Mennonites and other religious minorities. Noted Anabaptist scholar Peter J. Klassen examines this extraordinary example of religious tolerance.

Through extensive archival research in Poland, Germany, and the Netherlands, Klassen unearths rich material that has rarely, if ever, been studied previously. He demonstrates how the interaction of religious, political, and economic factors created a situation in Poland and Prussia that permitted a diversity of religious beliefs and practices.

Mennonites in Early Modern Poland and Prussia focuses on the large Mennonite community in these countries. Klassen reveals how the Anabaptist groups were treated and explores whether the uncommon religious freedom they enjoyed gave rise to a flourishing of their faith or a falling away from its central tenets.

Early modern Poland and Prussia are virtually ignored in most studies of the Reformation. Klassen brings them to light and life by focusing on an unusual oasis of tolerance in the midst of a Europe convulsed by the wars of religion.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Klassen, Peter J

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Europäische Geschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Christliche Kirchen, Konfessionen, Denominationen Protestantismus, evangelische und protestantische Kirchen
• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Religionswissenschaft Allgemein Religionsgeschichte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface
Acknowledgments
1. A Haven in Troubled Times
2. A Legacy of Rivers & Dikes
3. The Challenges of Urban Settings
4. Along the Banks of Poland's Mighty River
5. Bridges between the Netherlands & the Vistula Delta
6. Psalms, Sermons, & Congregations
7. A House Divided
8. Conflicting Loyalties in a Progressive Society
9. A Changing Vision
Epilogue
Appendix 1: Selected Documents Concerning Religious Liberty
Appendix 2: Key Events and Dates in Polish History
List of Abbreviations
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Über Autor(innen)

Klassen, Peter J
Peter J. Klassen is professor emeritus of history at California State University, Fresno, and the author of Europe in the Reformation, A Homeland for Strangers: An Introduction to Mennonites in Poland and Prussia, and The Reformation: Change and Stability.

Peter J. Klassen is professor emeritus of history at California State University, Fresno, and the author of Europe in the Reformation, A Homeland for Strangers: An Introduction to Mennonites in Poland and Prussia, and The Reformation: Change and Stability.