Faith and Act: The Survival of Medieval Ceremonies in the Lutheran Reformation

Overview
The Reformation did not happen overnight, not with the singular act of posting of the Ninety-Five Theses, or even the presentation of the Augsburg Confession.

Prof. Dr. Zeeden’s classic study of how medieval church practices continued and developed within Lutheran church orders offers readers a unique perspective on how faith influences the act of worship. Historians of liturgy and theology will discover insights and important continuity between the Lutheran churches of the sixteenth century and their forebears of the late medieval period.


Endorsements
“Faith and Act [is] . . . a mix of exacting research and historiographical vision that may justly be viewed as one of the foundation texts of modern Reformation history.”

—C. Scott Dixon, Queen’s University, Belfast

“Historians of liturgy and church discipline will welcome the re-appearance of Zeeden’s classic monograph, gracefully translated and with updated bibliographical references.”
—Ralph Keen, University of Illinois at Chicago

“Kevin Walker’s translation of Faith and Act represents a necessary addition to contemporary scholarship on how liturgical practices shaped the lived religion of the Reformation churches . . . and delightfully unsettles easy generalizations about the transition from medieval to early modern Christianity.”
—Phillip Haberkern, Boston University

“Liturgical scholars as well as pastors will find this volume to be a useful guide to understanding the evangelical reception and appropriation of the catholic legacy of liturgical forms and practices in light of the immediate background of the medieval church.”
—John T. Pless, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN

“One of the most important works of German research from the past half century concerning the history of the Reformation and its ramifications. . . . It is to be highly welcomed that now after half a century this groundbreaking study for research is being translated into English.”
—Anton Schindling, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen

“A gripping read awaits those who attend to Zeeden’s multi-faceted account of the nitty-gritty of classical Lutheran church life in its parish and public setting.”
—John R Stephenson, Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary, St. Catharines, Ontario

“What a service Kevin G. Walker has done for the Lutheran Church in English speaking lands by providing this fine translation of Ernst Zeeden’s helpful monograph. . . . I heartily recommend the book to any and all who love the Lutheran liturgy and seek to become better acquainted with its formative development in the time of the great Church Orders.”
—William C. Weedon, Director of Worship, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod


About the Author
Prof. Dr. Ernst Walter Zeeden (1916–2011) was a German historian of the late medieval and Reformation eras. He taught at Eberhard-Karls-Universität, Tübingen. His research explored the “Confessionalization” of church, state, and life during the Age of Religious Wars.


About the Translator
Kevin G. Walker has earned masters degrees in theology and translation and works as a translator of technical texts and Early New High German texts, including the new Luther’s Works series.