Dying, Death, Burial and Commemoration in Reformation Europe ed. by Elizabeth C. Tingle and Jonathan Willis (review)

This collection of essays originated from meetings of the European Reformation Research Group, a group of scholars that meets annually in the United Kingdom. While the essays focus on a variety of topics and locations, they are weighted toward England; four of the nine essays focus on that country, and all but one of the contributors have roots in the United Kingdom. This emphasis is both a strength and a weakness. On the one hand, of course, the emphasis on England means that many other settings of the European Reformations cannot be examined. On the other hand, since research on the English Reformation has flourished in recent years, this focus allows the reader to gain from that scholarship while also exploring new research on death in the Reformation.

One strength is a comprehensive introduction, co-authored by the editors, that outlines the many aspects of death in Reformation historiography. In deathbed practices, funerary customs, and the ongoing roles of the deceased in the lives of survivors, Tingle and Willis illustrate how “death sits at the intersection of early modern religious, cultural and social concerns and identities” (16–17). Their introduction also discusses the essays in the applicable areas of historiography rather than introducing them as isolated essays.

The essays cover various practices around death in the Reformation, from assisting the dying to commemorating the dead to purgatory and relics. Ruth Atherton’s essay on practices in the Upper Palatinate will likely be of special interest to Lutheran Quarterly readers. It is the only essay that focuses on German-speaking lands, but more importantly, it illustrates the complex process of negotiating reform amid the competing interests of rulers, reformers, and laity. Atherton follows the changes to church orders (Kirchenordnungen) throughout five generations of electors from 1547–1610. During this time, the religious allegiance of the electors changed from Catholicism to Lutheranism, then to Calvinism, back to Lutheranism, and finally back to Calvinism. The instructions given in the church orders regarding deathbed and funerary customs follow these shifts, even while they also reveal some concessions by the reformers and electors to certain convictions of the populace.

Some essays may be helpful for the classroom, offering examples of intersections between theology, practice, and pedagogy in the Reformation. This volume’s greatest contribution, however, is its introduction of new aspects, locations, and dynamics into the scholarly conversation about how the Reformation played out.