Lived Reformation : Zurich, 1500-1800

This book examines one of the main centers of the European Reformation, the Swiss city of Zurich, to explore the impact of radical change on all aspects of everyday life.It looks at how, for the early modern (non-)believers, new visions of Christian living were mediated through law, preaching, teaching, singing, reading, rumors, and heated debates in taverns.Living the Reformation emphasises that the Reformation was for most a lived event, for example evident in church worship, pastoral care, policies for the poor, the spreading of literacy and implementing sexual norms. What did it take to turn from a Catholic to a Protestant?What did it mean for a Catholic priest to become a Protestant pastor and how did they relate to their flock?What did nuns and monks do when evicted from dissolved convents?How was the visual and acoustic culture of the city altered?What about brothels or the belief in ghosts? Which impact did the new theological conception of sexuality have on hetero- and homosexual couples?How much did the population cling to their religious habits or welcome or even ask for religious changes?Was magical healing to be tolerated or did it go against the new faith?Through careful examination of Zurich’s rich archival sources, this volume brings to life the diverse experiences of men and women in a time of radical change.