Tag: Reformation

Women Leaders of the Reformation: Final Spring Kessler Conversation

March 28, 2022

9:00 am

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Events, Research

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Many are accustomed to studying and celebrating the big personalities of the Protestant Reformation. Far too often those are only the male personalities, and we overlook contributions women made to the renewal of the church. This semester, Pitts Theology Library invited three leading Reformation scholars to uncover and share with us stories and voices of women from the Reformation. Our Kessler Conversations consider the roles women played in the period, their contributions to reform movements, the ways their stories have been covered over, and the lessons we can all learn from their work.

In the final Kessler Conversation of the spring, Dr. Stjerna will offer conclusions on women’s manifold participation as “confessors” in the 16th century European reforms. She will pay special attention to women’s engagement with Protestant theologies and interpretation of the Scriptures, making observations on women in different walks of life using their agency and theological voice, while negotiating their specific context and issues vis-a-vis gender and authority.

Rev. Dr. Kirsi Stjerna is the First Lutheran, Los Angeles/Southwest California Synod Professor of Lutheran History and Theology at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (Berkeley) of California Lutheran University. She is also a member of the Core Doctoral Faculty at the Graduate Theological Union and a Docent at Helsinki University, Finland. She is the author of Lutheran Theology: A Grammar of Faith (Bloomsbury/T&T Clark, 2021) and Women and the Reformation (Wiley Blackwell, 2009), as well as the editor of Women Leaders of the Reformation: Profiles, Contexts, and Texts (forthcoming, Fortress Press/Media 1517, 2022).

Named after the world-renowned Richard C. Kessler Reformation Collection held at Pitts Theology Library, Kessler Conversations (30-45 mins) offer opportunities for the general public to learn about the events in Europe the 16th century and to consider what they may tell us about the issues facing our communities. Conversations in a given academic semester focus on a single contemporary theme and trace it back to the Reformers. These conversations are free and open to the public, but registration is required. The theme of the Spring 2022 conversations is “Women of the Reformation: Reclaiming Forgotten Contributions to Church Renewal.”

Kessler Conversations 2022

January 19, 2022

11:13 am

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Events, Research

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Spring of 2022 comes with a new series of virtual Kessler Conversations!

Named after the world-renowned Richard C. Kessler Reformation Collection held at Pitts Theology Library, Kessler Conversations (30-45 mins) offer opportunities for the general public to learn about the events in Europe in the 16th century and to consider what they may tell us about the issues facing our communities. Conversations in a given academic semester focus on a single contemporary theme and trace it back to the Reformers. These conversations are free and open to the public, but registration is required. The theme of the Spring 2022 conversations is “Women of the Reformation: Reclaiming Forgotten Contributions to Church Renewal.”

 Many are accustomed to studying and celebrating the big personalities of the Protestant Reformation. Far too often, though, those are only the male personalities, and the contributions women made to the renewal of the church are overlooked. This semester, we invite 3 leading Reformation scholars to uncover and share with us stories and voices of women of the Reformation era. Our Kessler Conversations will consider the roles women played in the period, the contributions they made to changes in theology, culture, and church practice, the ways their stories have been covered over, and the lessons we can all learn from their work.

Mary Jane Haemig | Wednesday, February 2 | 12pm EST
Elisabeth Cruciger: Wife, Hymnwriter, Theologian 

Dr. Mary Jane Haemig is Professor emerita of Church History, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota. She taught at Luther Seminary for 19 years; previously she taught for five years at Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Washington. As a scholar she has focused on the German Lutheran reformation, particularly its pastoral aspects, including preaching, catechesis, and the teaching of prayer. She is the editor of The Annotated Luther. Volume 4: Pastoral Writings (Fortress, 2016).

Elsie Anne McKee | Wednesday, March 2 | 12pm EST
Surprise and Diversity: A Woman’s Place in Reform Yesterday and Today 

Dr. Elsie Anne McKee is emerita Professor of Reformation Studies and the History of Worship at Princeton Theological Seminary. Most of her academic research has focused on the 16th-century Reformation, particularly books on John Calvin and a woman reformer, Katharina Schütz Zell. She is probably best known for her trilogy on Calvin’s doctrine of the ministries and worship of the church: John Calvin on the Diaconate and Liturgical Almsgiving (Droz, 1984), Elders and the Plural Ministry (Droz, 1988), and The Pastoral Ministry and Worship in Calvin’s Geneva (Droz, 2016). 

Kirsi Stjerna | Wednesday, April 6 | 12pm EST
Women Leaders of the Reformation: Profiles, Contexts, and Texts

Rev. Dr. Kirsi Stjerna is the First Lutheran, Los Angeles/Southwest California Synod Professor of Lutheran History and Theology at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (Berkeley) of California Lutheran University. She is also a member of the Core Doctoral Faculty at the Graduate Theological Union and a Docent at Helsinki University, Finland. She is the author of Lutheran Theology: A Grammar of Faith (Bloomsbury/T&T Clark, 2021) and Women and the Reformation (Wiley Blackwell, 2009), as well as the editor of Women Leaders of the Reformation: Profiles, Contexts, and Texts (forthcoming, Fortress Press/Media 1517, 2022).

Registration for these virtual events are free at pitts.emory.edu/kesslerconversations. We look forward to seeing you there!

Kessler in 4K: Building a Collection of Reformation History

October 13, 2021

12:19 pm

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Acquisitions, Books

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Are you curious about what a donation to the Kessler in 4K campaign might support? Each year the Richard C. Kessler Collection adds dozens of rare and unique items to Pitts’ rare book and archival holdings, but we are excited to make the 4,000th one of our most significant additions in recent years!

As an example of the amazing items in the collection, consider the Kessler Collection’s copy of the first printed collection of the works of Martin Luther (1483-1546), printed by Johann Froben in Basel in 1518. This is important work documenting the early debates of the Reformation, and the Kessler Collection copy has been owned and inscribed by important figures throughout the centuries, including one of Luther’s own friends, Johannes Lang (c. 1487-1548). See the anatomy of this annotated title page in the catalog from a recent Kessler exhibition, More Precious than Gold, curated by Dr. Armin Siedlecki.

Like what you see? Donate to the Kessler in 4K campaign to support Pitts in continuing its acquisition and preservation of pieces of history! 

Unlock “Kessler 4K” for the Kessler Collection’s 4,000th Item!

September 29, 2021

10:23 am

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Acquisitions

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Pitts Theology Library is undertaking a crowdfunding campaign during the month of October to purchase a milestone acquisition for the library’s renowned Richard C. Kessler Reformation Collection: its four thousandth item, a number no other library in the U.S. comes close to.

Launching today, the “Kessler in 4K” campaign will run through October 31—Reformation Day—on Emory’s Momentum crowdfunding platform, with the goal of raising $25,000. Thanks to generous donors, for every $1,000 raised, an additional $2,000 will be “unlocked” and matched to support this major acquisition, enabling gifts of all amounts to have three times the impact. Give now!

“In its first 34 years, the Kessler Collection has become one of the most significant collections of Protestant Reformation materials in the world,” explains Richard Manly “Bo” Adams, Jr., library director and Margaret A. Pitts Assistant Professor in the Practice of Theological Bibliography.

“The collection has never been just about acquiring items, but about maximizing the impact of these materials in today’s world. We will match our donors’ generosity in giving with our commitment as a library to grow the impact of these four thousand items through digitization, exhibitions, and public programming.”

One of the pieces in the collection that has had a far-reaching impact in recent years is a 1520 pamphlet that includes a documented example of Martin Luther’s handwriting—which was only confirmed thanks to Pitts’ digitization of the collection, making its items widely accessible to scholars around the world. This included German scholar and leading Luther expert Ulrich Bubenheimer, who first noticed and later confirmed the authenticity of Luther’s handwriting after seeing high-resolution images sent to him by Pitts.

The item that will claim the prestigious 4,000th place in the collection ultimately depends on the success of the crowdfunding campaign. “The more we raise, the more significant an item we can acquire, and the bigger an impact we can make,” says Adams.

The 34th annual Reformation Day at Emory will be marked through a slate of online events. Beginning Oct. 6, Pitts’ fall Kessler Conversations will feature scholars unpacking different elements around the topic of “Luther and the Other.” In addition, Jonathan Hemphill, assistant to the bishop for congregational life for the ELCA Southeastern Synod, will preach for the annual Reformation Day worship service at 11:30 a.m. on Oct. 28, which will be held with limited in-person attendance and livestreamed on Facebook and the Candler website.

About the Kessler Reformation Collection

In 1987, Richard and Martha Kessler donated their private collection of Reformation imprints and manuscripts to Emory University, which was then combined with Reformation holdings at Pitts. This launched an effort to enlarge and sustain a collection that documents the German Reformation, including 16th century publications by Martin Luther, his friends and associates, and his opponents.

After three decades, the Kessler Reformation Collection holds 3,999 works and contains over 1,000 publications by Luther himself, more than any other library in the United States.

Give to the campaign here.

The Reformation of Suffering: A Kessler Conversation with Prof. Ronald Rittgers

November 2, 2020

9:00 am

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Don’t miss the final installment of the Fall 2020 Kessler Conversations at Pitts Theology Library, a series of online interviews with leading church historians and theologians, asking this question, “What relevance do the events, personalities, and texts of the Protestant Reformation hold for contemporary communities?” These 30-45 minute conversations offer opportunities for the general public to learn about the events in Europe the 16th century and to consider what they tell us about the issues facing our communities. Conversations each semester will focus on a single contemporary theme and trace it back to the Reformers. This Fall, the Kessler Conversations focus on disease, healing, and pastoral care in the 16th century.

November’s conversation this week is with Dr. Ronald Rittgers of Valparaiso University. Professor Rittgers joined the VU faculty in the fall of 2006 after having taught for seven years at Yale University. He is the first occupant of the Erich Markel Chair in German Reformation Studies and serves as Professor of History, Theology, and Humanities. Professor Rittgers is interested in the religious, intellectual, and social history of medieval and Early Modern/Reformation Europe, focusing especially on theology and devotion. He will be speaking on the topic of “The Reformation of Suffering,” and the event will be live-streamed on November 4th at 12pm EST. Register for free at pitts.emory.edu/ronaldrittgers. 

In addition, catch up all September and October’s Kessler Conversations with Professors Anna Johnson (Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary) and Erik Heinrichs (Winona State University) at pitts.emory.edu/kesslerconversations!