The edition of Martin Bucer’s German writings was the German component of an international project aimed at producing the first historical-critical complete edition of Martin Bucer’s works; the other two parts of this project (Latin works and correspondence) are being prepared at the universities of Strasbourg (with the assistance of an international team of editors) and Erlangen. The edition of the German writings was completed in December 2016 as planned.

The Strasbourg reformer Martin Bucer played a significant role in shaping the institutions of the Protestant churches through the church ordinances he drafted for various German territories and imperial cities; these ordinances, disseminated through Calvin, also left a lasting mark on the entire Reformed Protestant movement. Furthermore, he worked tirelessly to promote understanding among Protestants and with the Catholic Church, making his writings relevant to today’s ecumenical dialogue as well. He also gave serious consideration to the concerns of representatives of the so-called “left wing” of the Reformation, incorporating them into his advocacy for the introduction of confirmation and church discipline. He also made fundamental contributions to the relationship between church and state, insofar as he advocated, on the one hand, the church’s freedom from the state—even extending to considerations of free churches—while, on the other hand, laying the foundation for the English state church during his tenure at Cambridge.

 

History of the research center
  • 1953–1994 at the University of Münster (at the Institute for Church History, then as part of a DFG project, and later funded by the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities)

  • 1995–2016 at the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities Heidelberg

     

Edition

Digitized volumes
digi.hadw.de/view/bds

Bucer's Unedited Texts
Download (PDF)

Materials from the Bucer Research Center in the Heidelberg University Archives
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head of research
  1. Prof. D. Dr. Robert Stupperich (1953/1958–1982)
  2. Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Neuser (1983–1994)
  3. Prof. Dr. Gottfried Seebaß (1994–1998)
  4. Prof. Dr. Thomas Wilhelmi (1998–2001)
  5. Prof. Dr. Gottfried Seebaß (2001–2006)
  6. Prof. Dr. Christoph Strohm (2006–2016)

 

Employees
  • Dr. Johannes Müller (1953–1955)
  • Dr. Ernst Wilhelm Kohls (1958–1962)
  • Dr. Martin Greschat (1962–1965)
  • Herbert Vogt (1964–1966)
  • Dorothea Demmer (1965–1967)
  • Peter Fabisch (1965–1967)
  • Dr. Marijn de Kroon (1972–1993)
  • Ian Hazlett (1974–1975)
  • Dr. Hans-Jürgen Schönstädt (1975–1980)
  • Dr. Hermann Peiter (1981)
  • Dr. Hartmut Hartmut Rudolph (1983-1993)
  • Dr. Hans Schulz (1994-1998)
  • Prof. Dr. Christoph Strohm (1994–1996)
  • Prof. Dr. Thomas Wilhelmi (1996–2016)
  • Dr. Stephen E. Buckwalter (1998–2016)
  • Susanne Haaf (2007–2009)
  • Daniel Degen (2012–2016)

 

 

Martin Bucer's German writings