Confessionalization

Confessionalization

Confessionalization is a recent concept employed by Reformation historians to describe the parallel processes of "confession-building" taking place in Europe between the Peace of Augsburg (1555) and the Thirty Years' War (1618-1649). During this time prior to the Thirty Years' War, there was a nominal peace between the Protestant and Catholic confessions as both competed to establish their faith more firmly with the population of their respective area. This confession-building occurred through "social-disciplining," as there was a stricter enforcement by the churches of their particular rules for all aspects of life in both Protestant and Catholic areas. This had the consequence of creating distinctive confessional identities.

Calvin's Geneva is a model case for the confessional era because of its high degree of social control, unity and homogeneity under one expression of a reformed Christian faith. The Genevan model was informed by an interpretation of Erasmus' humanism. The reformation had shown that it was impossible to make all of Christianity to conform to one faith and thus called an end to the Corpus Christianum. The new motto was to establish the perfect Christian community, in the belief that only one's own theology was the correct one.

Confessionalization was supported by monarchs and rulers in general, because after the Reformation had brought control over their territories' churches into their hands, they could exercise more power over their subjects by enforcing strict religious obedience. The main tool for the enforcement of these rules were "police-regulations". These were behavior-codes for religious, social and economic life to which the common citizen had to oblige under threat of severe punishment.

Increasingly, the secular governments (sometimes in cooperation or conflict with the churches they controlled) provided material relief for the poor and needy, and in return the state demanded obedience and increased taxes from its subjects. Thus confessionalization is often described as a development stage towards the centralised absolutist state of the 18th century and the modern welfare state.

Further reading


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Germany — /jerr meuh nee/, n. a republic in central Europe: after World War II divided into four zones, British, French, U.S., and Soviet, and in 1949 into East Germany and West Germany; East and West Germany were reunited in 1990. 84,068,216; 137,852 sq.… …   Universalium

  • Lutheranism — See Lutheran. * * * Protestant movement founded on the principles of Martin Luther. Lutheranism arose at the start of the Reformation, after Luther posted his Ninety five Theses in Wittenberg. It spread through much of Germany and into… …   Universalium

  • Guerra de Esmalcalda — Carlos V en Mühlberg, por Tiziano …   Wikipedia Español

  • Confessionalism (religion) — Confessionalism, in a religious (and particularly Christian) sense, is a belief in the importance of full and unambiguous assent to the whole of a religious teaching. Confessionalists believe that differing interpretations or understandings,… …   Wikipedia

  • Constantin Fasolt — (born 1951), is Karl J. Weintraub Professor of Medieval and Early Modern European History at the University of Chicago and specializes in the development and significance of historical thought.[1] He was born in Germany and attended the Beethoven …   Wikipedia

  • Christina, Queen of Sweden — For other Swedish royalty named Christina, see Christina of Sweden (disambiguation). Christina Christina by Sébastien Bourdon …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”