Koslofsky examines the human encounter with death in Germany from the eve of the Reformation to the rise of Pietism. The Protestant Reformation transformed the funeral more profoundly than any other ritual of the traditional church. Luther's doctrine of salvation 'by faith alone' made the foundation of the traditional funeral, intercession for the dead in Purgatory, obsolete. By drawing on anthropological interpretations of death ritual, this study explores the changing relationships between the body, the soul, the living and the dead in the daily life of early modern Germany.

Craig Koslofsky is co-editor of "Kulturelle Reformation: Sinnformationen in Umbruch 1400-1600".

About the Author
Craig M. Koslofsky is Assistant Professor of History at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.


Reviews

"...should be essential reading for all students of the Reformation." - Gary K. Waite, Canadian Journal of History

Craig M. Koslofsky's book is an important contribution to the social history of the reformation. American Historical Review

Book Information
ISBN 9780333666852
Author C. Koslofsky
Format Hardback
Page Count 223
Imprint Palgrave Macmillan
Publisher Palgrave Macmillan