Lichtgedanken 02

S C HW E R P U N K T 17 02 | LICHT GEDANKEN Who were the inspectors, and what can be said about their work? Bauer: The inspectors were mostly theo- logians and officials who were instruc- ted by the Elector to review the situation on the ground. Probably the best-known »visitator« was Philipp Melanchthon. Spehr: The Latin term »visitator« was used for visits by the bishop to his diocese in the Early Medieval Church. This duty of the bishops was transfer- red to the local ruler in the wake of the Reformation What happened on these visits and how do we know about them today? Bauer: The inspectors arrived in the towns and called the priests there to- gether. »The Inspectors’ Instructions« served as a guide and was de facto a Reformation manual. This book first appeared in 1528 in a print run of over 700 copies, and later it served in further regions to enforce the Reformation. The archives contain numerous visitation protocols which constitute valuable sources for us. We know, for example, that the first major inspection took place in 1527. The parishes in the Saale- Orla region were visited, beginning in Weida and continuing to Auma and Ziegenrück. So the priests were accountable to the inspectors? Spehr: The inspection was accompanied by a kind of inventory. The priests had to open their books and declare their revenues and outlays. The central ques- tion, however, was that of their faith. What were the priests and preachers teaching their congregations? Were they clinging to the old faith, or had they become Protestants? Did the priest lose his position if he refused to follow the new teaching? Spehr: There were further inspections in the Electorate of Saxony after the 1530s. The reviews focusedmore closely on the extent to which the new teaching was being followed and whether the priests were financially provided for. If a priest refused to follow the orders of the local ruler, he might lose his position. But the Reformation did not make an immedia- te break with the old Church. Instead, the first few years saw wide-ranging transitions and compromises, and we can therefore assume that this was a phase of transformation. The most per- manent impetus for establishing the Protestant Church in the Electorate of Saxony emanated from Martin Luther and his colleagues. Ultimately, the cler- gy was obliged to follow this teaching from Wittenberg. What about ordinary people? Were the subjects forced to recognize the new teaching? Spehr: In most cases, people adopted the new teaching as they were now able to understand much more than before. Services, for example, were now held in German. The liturgy and the sermon A visit from the defenders of the faith The Reformation was a time of unprecedented upheaval for people at the end of the middle ages: entrenched certainties began to topple, and the old order, cemented over the course of centuries, crumbled. Monasteries were refused their dues, and the authority of the clergy evaporated in many places. In this situation – exacerbated still further by the peasants’ war of 1525 – the Elector Johann of Saxony (1468–1532) felt compelled to take the initiative. He despatched inspectors to towns and villages to ask the priests about their teachings and their circumstances. An interview with Church historian Prof. Dr Christopher Spehr and head of the University Ar- chives, adjunct professor Dr Joachim Bauer. BY STEPHAN LAUDIEN could be understood and the hymns were catchy. Anyone who did not want to embrace the new faith could secretly stick to the old one or officially leave the area. Nevertheless, there was a lengthy transitional period during which the papal customs were still tolerated. So the Reformation prevailed peace- fully? Bauer: By and large, yes. But there were some legal disputes. For example, the legal fight conducted by Jena’s Domini- can friars to keep their monastery con- tinued well into the 16th century. They did not leave it voluntarily... The Collegium Jenense? Bauer: Exactly. In the wake of the Refor- mation, Thuringia’s monasteries were valued from 1526 and their finances and remaining occupants registered. Anyone wanting to leave the monaste- ry could lead a civil life in the laity. The buildings vacated by Jena’s Dominican monastery later housed the newly esta- blished »Hohe Schule«. Two books have also been published on this subject: Joachim Bauer, Stefan Michel (pub.): Der »Unterricht der Visitatoren« und die Durchsetzung der Reformation in Kursachsen (ISBN 978-3-374-04755-0) as well as: Dagmar Blaha, Christopher Spehr (pub.): Reformation vor Ort. Zum Quellen- wert von Visitationsprotokollen (ISBN 978- 3-374-04162-6). Front cover of the »Inspectors’ Instructions to the Priests in the Electorate of Saxony« by Philipp Me- lanchthon (1528). F E AT U R E