Seliger Unfried: Modalitaten und Strategien der Popularisierung historischen Wissens bei Sebastian Franck (1499-1542)

The book reconsiders historical writings of Sebastian Franck (1499-1542), with a special focus on his controversial 'Geschichtbibel', against the background of the crisis of the Reformation movement in the late 1520s. By linking Franck's reflections on the failed attempts to restore the unity of the Church to the debates over the meaning of the central Christian rituals, the study shows a strong influence of the so called Spiritualist Anabaptists on Franck which let him openly question basic ecclesiological assumptions of the era. The author examines a number of possible sources of Franck's views and his intimate knowledge of the German Anabaptists and argues that the 'Geschichtbibel' was part of an elaborate plan to challenge the mainstream Protestant and Anabaptist doctrines and promote a radically undogmatic and universal interpretation of Christianity.