Protestant Reformation Studies

Rich in historical events and colorfully written, this fascinating account of women in the church spans nearly two thousand years of church history. It tells of events and aspirations, determination and disappointment, patience and achievement that mark the history of daughters of the church from the time of Jesus to the present. The authors have endeavored to present an objective story. The very fact that readers may find themselves surprised now and again by the prominent role of women in certain events and movements proves an inequality that historical narrative has often been guilty of. This is a book about women. It is a setting straight off the record -- a restoring of balance to history that has repeatedly played down the significance of the contributions of women to the theology, the witness, the movements, and the growth of the church. An exegetical study of relevant Scripture passages offers stimulating thought for discussion and for serious reevaluation of historical givens. This volume is enriched by pictures, appendixes, bibliography, and indexes. Like many of the women whose stories it tells, this book has a subdued strength that should not be underestimated.

On 13 June 1525, Martin Luther married Katharina von Bora, a former nun, in a private ceremony officiated by city preacher Johann Bugenhagen. Whilst Luther was not the first former monk or Reformer to marry, his marriage immediately became one of the iconic episodes of the Protestant Reformation. From that point on, the marital status of clergy would be a pivotal dividing line between the Catholic and Protestant churches. Tackling the early stages of this divide, this book provides a fresh assessment of clerical marriage in the first half of the sixteenth century. It investigates the way that clerical marriage was received, and viewed in the dioceses of Mainz and Magdeburg under Archbishop Albrecht von Hohenzollern from 1513 to 1545. By concentrating on a cross-section of rural and urban settings from three key regions within this territory, Saxony, Franconia, and Swabia, the study is able to present a broad comparison of reactions to this contentious issue.

On the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, an accomplished biographer provides an intimate portrait of the scandalous marriage between Martin and Katharina Luther, exploring their unlikely love story.

Katharina von Bora, wife of Martin Luther, was by any measure the First Lady of the Reformation. A strong woman with a mind of her own, she would remain unknown to us were it not for her larger than life husband. Unlike other noted Reformation women, her primary vocation was not related to ministry. She was a farmer and a brewer with a boarding house the size of a Holiday Inn - and all that with a large family and nursing responsibilities. In many ways, Katie was a modern woman - a Lean In woman or a modern-day version of a Proverbs 31 woman. Katharina's voice echoes among modern women, wives and mothers who have carved out a career of their own. Decisive and assertive, she transformed Martin Luther into at least a practicing egalitarian. Katharina was a full partner who was a no-nonsense, confident and determined woman, a starke Frau who did not cower when confronted by a powerful man. Ruth Tucker invites readers to visit Katie Luther in her sixteenth-century village life - with its celebrations and heartaches, housing, diet, fashion, childbirth, child-rearing and gender restrictions - and to welcome her today into our own living rooms and workplaces.

Women and the Reformation gathers historical materials and personal accounts to provide a comprehensive and accessible look at the status and contributions of women as leaders in the 16th century Protestant world. Explores the new and expanded role as core participants in Christian life that women experienced during the Reformation Examines diverse individual stories from women of the times, ranging from biographical sketches of the ex-nun Katharina von Bora Luther and Queen Jeanne d'Albret, to the prophetess Ursula Jost and the learned Olimpia Fulvia Morata Brings together social history and theology to provide a groundbreaking volume on the theological effects that these women had on Christian life and spirituality Accompanied by a website at www.blackwellpublishing.com/stjerna offering student's access to the writings by the women featured in the book

This volume traces Katharina Von Bora's background, birth, childhood and early adult years, and her marriage to Martin Luther. Also documents Katy's last years, revealing the faith and legacy of a woman who held steadfast to Christ in great adversity and need and who also advocated evangelical reforms.

Katherine Luther or "Kitty" was the woman behind the great man Martin Luther. Kitty mellowed Luther's harsher side, kept the household from bankruptcy despite her husband's generosity and enhanced his life with the joys and fullness of family living.

Few of us have heard of Catherine von Bora. And yet, as the beloved wife of Martin Luther, she can very justifiably be seen as one of the most influential figures in the Reformation. She made her home a haven of rest for the storm tossed man that was her husband. Luther once said, 'Next to God's Word, the world has no more precious treasure than holy matrimony. God's best gift is a pious, cheerful, God-fearing wife, with whom you may live peacefully, to whom you may entrust your goods, your body, and your life.'

Katharine was twenty six when forty-two-year-old Martin Luther determined to "Take my Kate to wife ere I die, to spite the devil." Would the marriage succeed? Ernst Kroker's compelling biographical account of Katharine von Bora relates that their marriage not only succeeded but also set a high standard for marriage and Christian family life for centuries to come, Kroker paints an intimate picture of Katie and of family life in the Black Cloister during the formative years of the Reformation, showing how Katie's marriage to Martin Luther was a multifaceted vocation, with such tasks as household brew-mistress, cloister landlady, property overseer, gardener, cow and pigherder, and fishwife. Indeed, Katie oversaw their home much like a lord in her kingdom, yet in the midst of it all stood the man to whom her work, concern, and duty were directed. Originally published in German in 1906, this readable, fresh translation of one of the standard bio-graphical works on Katie Luther presents a compelling portrait for those desiring to know more about this quietly influential Reformation character. Mark DeGarmeaux brings the warmth of Kroker's writing to a new generation of those interested in the Reformation and especially in Katie, the woman behind the hammer Book jacket.