Jan Stievermann – författare

In tandem with its companion volume, The Fugitive Blacksmith and Other Essential Writings by James W.C. Pennington, this collection of new essays seeks to recover and reappraise James W.C. Pennington (1808-1870), a truly remarkable figure of Black intellectual and political history who is unjustly overlooked today. Written by an international group of scholars from a variety of disciplines, these essays illuminate different parts of Pennington's life and career after escaping from slavery in 1827, discussing his role as reformer, political activist, and theologian. They discuss Pennington's major works including A Text Book of the Origin and History of the Colored People (1841) and his autobiography, The Fugitive Blacksmith (1849), and explore Pennington's understanding of and fight for human rights, his selective engagement with Romantic ideas of historicism and culture, and his concept of Black perfectionism. Together the essays bring to life Pennington not just as a historical figure but as a thinker deeply relevant to contemporary conversations about, among other things, the entanglements of race and religion, human rights, democracy, and America's unfinished reconstruction.

In tandem with its companion volume, The Fugitive Blacksmith and Other Essential Writings by James W.C. Pennington, this collection of new essays seeks to recover and reappraise James W.C. Pennington (1808-1870), a truly remarkable figure of Black intellectual and political history who is unjustly overlooked today. Written by an international group of scholars from a variety of disciplines, these essays illuminate different parts of Pennington's life and career after escaping from slavery in 1827, discussing his role as reformer, political activist, and theologian. They discuss Pennington's major works including A Text Book of the Origin and History of the Colored People (1841) and his autobiography, The Fugitive Blacksmith (1849), and explore Pennington's understanding of and fight for human rights, his selective engagement with Romantic ideas of historicism and culture, and his concept of Black perfectionism. Together the essays bring to life Pennington not just as a historical figure but as a thinker deeply relevant to contemporary conversations about, among other things, the entanglements of race and religion, human rights, democracy, and America's unfinished reconstruction.

By the early 1850s, the former slave James W.C. Pennington had become an internationally prominent African American minister, abolitionist and reformer. With its scathing analysis of the chattel system, gripping account of his escape, and inspirational story of self-education and conversion to an activist faith, Pennington's autobiography, The Fugitive Blacksmith (1849), found readers on both sides of the Atlantic. Pennington's second major work, A Text Book of the Origin and History of the Colored People (1841), pioneered a new kind of Black history. However, during the Civil War era, Pennington's star declined, and after Reconstruction, he was largely forgotten. This volume offers the first-ever modern edition of The Fugitive Blacksmith and A Text Book, alongside other selections of Pennington's essential sermons, speeches, and journalistic contributions, and an introduction by the volume editors. The volume provides readers the rich biographical and historical background, as well as the political and intellectual contexts, necessary to appreciate Pennington and his activism. Through these texts, which explore perennial philosophical questions about human nature, the meaning of freedom, and the possibility of a just and inclusive society, we see Pennington in his rightful place as an important part of the Black intellectual tradition in the 19th century.

By the early 1850s, the former slave James W.C. Pennington had become an internationally prominent African American minister, abolitionist and reformer. With its scathing analysis of the chattel system, gripping account of his escape, and inspirational story of self-education and conversion to an activist faith, Pennington's autobiography, The Fugitive Blacksmith (1849), found readers on both sides of the Atlantic. Pennington's second major work, A Text Book of the Origin and History of the Colored People (1841), pioneered a new kind of Black history. However, during the Civil War era, Pennington's star declined, and after Reconstruction, he was largely forgotten. This volume offers the first-ever modern edition of The Fugitive Blacksmith and A Text Book, alongside other selections of Pennington's essential sermons, speeches, and journalistic contributions, and an introduction by the volume editors. The volume provides readers the rich biographical and historical background, as well as the political and intellectual contexts, necessary to appreciate Pennington and his activism. Through these texts, which explore perennial philosophical questions about human nature, the meaning of freedom, and the possibility of a just and inclusive society, we see Pennington in his rightful place as an important part of the Black intellectual tradition in the 19th century.

The Oxford Handbook of Jonathan Edwards offers a state-of-the-art summary of scholarship on Edwards by a diverse, international, and interdisciplinary group of Edwards scholars, many of whom serve as global leaders in the burgeoning world of research and writing on 'America's theologian'. As an early modern clerical polymath, Edwards is of interest to historians, theologians, and literary scholars. He is also an interlocutor for contemporary clergy and philosophical theologians. All such readers--and many more--will find here an authoritative overview of Edwards' life, ministry, and writings, as well as a representative sampling of cutting-edge scholarship on Edwards from across several disciplines.The volume falls into four sections, which reflect the diversity of Edwards studies today. The first section turns to the historical Edwards and grounds him in his period and the relevant contexts that shaped his life and work. The second section balances the historical reconstruction of Edwards as a theological and philosophical thinker with explorations of his usefulness for constructive theology and the church today. In part three, the focus shifts to the different ways and contexts in which Edwards attempted to realize his ideas and ideals in his personal life, scholarship, and ministry, but also to the ways in which these historical realities stood in tension with, limited, or resisted his aspirations. The final section looks at Edwards' widening renown and influence as well as diverse appropriations. This Handbook serves as an authoritative guide for readers overwhelmed by the enormity of the multi-lingual world of Edwards studies. It will bring readers up to speed on the most important work being done and then serve them as a benchmark in the field of Edwards scholarship for decades to come.

Alexis de Tocqueville once described the national character of Americans as one question insistently asked: "How much money will it bring in?" G.K. Chesterton, a century later, described America as a "nation with a soul of a church." At first glance, the two observations might appear to be diametrically opposed, but this volume shows the ways in which American religion and American business overlap and interact with one another, defining the US in terms of religion, and religion in terms of economics.Bringing together original contributions by leading experts and rising scholars from both America and Europe, the volume pushes this field of study forward by examining the ways religions and markets in relationship can provide powerful insights and open unseen aspects into both. In essays ranging from colonial American mercantilism to modern megachurches, from literary markets to popular festivals, the authors explore how religious behavior is shaped by commerce, and how commercial practices are informed by religion. By focusing on what historians often use off-handedly as a metaphor or analogy, the volume offers new insights into three varieties of relationships: religion and the marketplace, religion in the marketplace, and religion as the marketplace. Using these categories, the contributors test the assumptions scholars have come to hold, and offer deeper insights into religion and the marketplace in America.

Alexis de Tocqueville once described the national character of Americans as one question insistently asked: "How much money will it bring in?" G.K. Chesterton, a century later, described America as a "nation with a soul of a church." At first glance, the two observations might appear to be diametrically opposed, but this volume shows the ways in which American religion and American business overlap and interact with one another, defining the US in terms of religion, and religion in terms of economics.Bringing together original contributions by leading experts and rising scholars from both America and Europe, the volume pushes this field of study forward by examining the ways religions and markets in relationship can provide powerful insights and open unseen aspects into both. In essays ranging from colonial American mercantilism to modern megachurches, from literary markets to popular festivals, the authors explore how religious behavior is shaped by commerce, and how commercial practices are informed by religion. By focusing on what historians often use off-handedly as a metaphor or analogy, the volume offers new insights into three varieties of relationships: religion and the marketplace, religion in the marketplace, and religion as the marketplace. Using these categories, the contributors test the assumptions scholars have come to hold, and offer deeper insights into religion and the marketplace in America.

Through innovative interdisciplinary methodologies and fresh avenues of inquiry, the nine essays collected in A Peculiar Mixture endeavor to transform how we understand the bewildering multiplicity and complexity that characterized the experience of German-speaking people in the middle colonies. They explore how the various cultural expressions of German speakers helped them bridge regional, religious, and denominational divides and eventually find a way to partake in America’s emerging national identity. Instead of thinking about early American culture and literature as evolving continuously as a singular entity, the contributions to this volume conceive of it as an ever-shifting and tangled “web of contact zones.” They present a society with a plurality of different native and colonial cultures interacting not only with one another but also with cultures and traditions from outside the colonies, in a “peculiar mixture” of Old World practices and New World influences. Aside from the editors, the contributors are Rosalind J. Beiler, Patrick M. Erben, Cynthia G. Falk, Marie Basile McDaniel, Philip Otterness, Liam Riordan, Matthias Schönhofer, and Marianne S. Wokeck.

Through innovative interdisciplinary methodologies and fresh avenues of inquiry, the nine essays collected in A Peculiar Mixture endeavor to transform how we understand the bewildering multiplicity and complexity that characterized the experience of German-speaking people in the middle colonies. They explore how the various cultural expressions of German speakers helped them bridge regional, religious, and denominational divides and eventually find a way to partake in America’s emerging national identity. Instead of thinking about early American culture and literature as evolving continuously as a singular entity, the contributions to this volume conceive of it as an ever-shifting and tangled “web of contact zones.” They present a society with a plurality of different native and colonial cultures interacting not only with one another but also with cultures and traditions from outside the colonies, in a “peculiar mixture” of Old World practices and New World influences. Aside from the editors, the contributors are Rosalind J. Beiler, Patrick M. Erben, Cynthia G. Falk, Marie Basile McDaniel, Philip Otterness, Liam Riordan, Matthias Schönhofer, and Marianne S. Wokeck.

This collection of essays showcases the variety and complexity of early awakened Protestant biblical interpretation and practice while highlighting the many parallels, networks, and exchanges that connected the Pietist and evangelical traditions on both sides of the Atlantic.A yearning to obtain from the Word spiritual knowledge of God that was at once experiential and practical lay at the heart of the Pietist and evangelical quest for true religion, and it significantly shaped the courses and legacies of these movements. The myriad ways in which Pietists and evangelicals read, preached, translated, and practiced the Bible were inextricable from how they fashioned new forms of devotion, founded institutions, engaged the early Enlightenment, and made sense of their world. This volume provides breadth and texture to the role of Scripture in these related religious traditions. The contributors probe an assortment of primary source material from various confessional, linguistic, national, and regional traditions and feature well-known figures—including August Hermann Francke, Cotton Mather, and Jonathan Edwards—alongside lesser-known lay believers, women, people of color, and so-called radicals and separatists. Pioneering and collaborative, this volume contributes fresh insight into the history of the Bible and the entangled religious cultures of the eighteenth-century Atlantic world.Along with the editors, the contributors to this volume include Ruth Albrecht, Robert E. Brown, Crawford Gribben, Bruce Hindmarsh, Kenneth P. Minkema, Adriaan C. Neele, Benjamin M. Pietrenka, Isabel Rivers, Douglas H. Shantz, Peter Vogt, and Marilyn J. Westerkamp.

This collection of essays showcases the variety and complexity of early awakened Protestant biblical interpretation and practice while highlighting the many parallels, networks, and exchanges that connected the Pietist and evangelical traditions on both sides of the Atlantic.A yearning to obtain from the Word spiritual knowledge of God that was at once experiential and practical lay at the heart of the Pietist and evangelical quest for true religion, and it significantly shaped the courses and legacies of these movements. The myriad ways in which Pietists and evangelicals read, preached, translated, and practiced the Bible were inextricable from how they fashioned new forms of devotion, founded institutions, engaged the early Enlightenment, and made sense of their world. This volume provides breadth and texture to the role of Scripture in these related religious traditions. The contributors probe an assortment of primary source material from various confessional, linguistic, national, and regional traditions and feature well-known figures—including August Hermann Francke, Cotton Mather, and Jonathan Edwards—alongside lesser-known lay believers, women, people of color, and so-called radicals and separatists. Pioneering and collaborative, this volume contributes fresh insight into the history of the Bible and the entangled religious cultures of the eighteenth-century Atlantic world.Along with the editors, the contributors to this volume include Ruth Albrecht, Robert E. Brown, Crawford Gribben, Bruce Hindmarsh, Kenneth P. Minkema, Adriaan C. Neele, Benjamin M. Pietrenka, Isabel Rivers, Douglas H. Shantz, Peter Vogt, and Marilyn J. Westerkamp.

The Handbook of American Romanticism presents a comprehensive survey of the various schools, authors, and works that constituted antebellum literature in the United States. The volume is designed to feature a selection of representative case studies and to assess them within two complementary frameworks: the most relevant historical, political, and institutional contexts of the antebellum decades and the consequent (re-)appropriations of the Romantic period by academic literary criticism in the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.

Die Essays in diesem Band unternehmen eine Neubewertung des puritanischen Theologen Cotton Mather und erschließen die Bedeutung seiner bislang unveröffentlichten Biblia Americana (1693-1728), dem ältesten kompletten Bibelkommentar Amerikas. In Ergänzung zur Edition der Biblia Americana bei Mohr Siebeck bietet der Band erste wissenschaftliche Studien zu diesem Monumentalwerk frühneuzeitlicher Gelehrsamkeit, das den Beginn der historischen Bibelkritik in der Neuen Welt markiert. Die Beiträger verorten Mather in den Kontexten der Frühaufklärung sowie der pietistischen Erweckungsbewegung und untersuchen seine exegetische Arbeit unter vielfältigen theologischen, religions- und geistesgeschichtlichen Gesichtspunkten.

Cotton Mathers Kommentare zu Sprüche, Prediger Salomo, Hohelied, Jesaja und Jeremia sind eine reichhaltige Quelle zur Geschichte der Entwicklung der Reformierten Theologie und der Bibelinterpretation in der Frühaufklärung. Mather befasst sich mit Übersetzungsproblemen sowie mit Fragen der Autorschaft, der Entstehung und des Genres der Texte. Diese Fragen wurden zu Mathers Zeit vor allem bezüglich der drei König Salomo zugeschriebenen Bücher kontrovers diskutiert. Ein zentrales Thema der Kommentare zu Jeremia und Jesaja ist die Bedeutung der Propheten für die Wahrheitsansprüche der christlichen Theologie. Der Band zeigt das Ringen der Exegeten in Mathers Zeit um das traditionelle Verständnis der hebräischen Bibel als Altes Testament angesichts eines wachsenden Bewusstseins der Historizität der Schrift. Viele der Kommentare bezeugen auch ein neu aufkommendes Verlangen, die Faktizität der Bibel im Rückgriff auf die Naturwissenschaften zu belegen.

Das Buch bietet die erste übergreifende Untersuchung von Cotton Mathers bislang unveröffentlichter Biblia Americana (1693-1728), dem frühesten im britischen Nordamerika verfassten Bibelkommentar. Im Zentrum steht Mathers Ringen um das traditionelle christliche Verständnis der hebräischen Bibel als Altes Testament. Jan Stievermann geht Mathers Auseinandersetzung mit der Frage nach, in wieweit typologische und allegorische Lesarten angesichts eines wachsenden Bewusstseins von der Historizität der Schrift aufrecht zu erhalten bzw. zu revidieren sind. Andere zentrale Themenkomplexe sind Mathers Beiträge zu den zeitgenössischen Debatten um die Legitimität der christlichen Interpretation der Propheten, sowie um Autorschaft, Herkunft und Textgenre umstrittener Bücher wie Prediger Salomo und Hohelied. Der Autor bietet faszinierende Einblicke in eine immer noch zu wenig erforschte Phase der Bibelinterpretation, die gleichzeitig traditionalistisch und innovativ, apologetisch, fromm und offen für neue Arten der historisch-kritischen Methode war. Darüber hinaus eröffnet Mathers Exegese neue Einsichten in die Entwicklung der puritanischen Theologie und Identität.

Dieser Band untersucht den inhärenten Pluralismus der Reformation und ihre mannigfaltigen Kulturwirkungen aus ökumenischem und interdisziplinärem Blickwinkel. Die Aufsätze beleuchten u.a. folgende Schlüsselfragen: Wie können wir heute die Reformation als ein historisches und theologisches Ereignis interpretieren und bewerten, wie als historiographische Kategorie und kulturellen Mythos? Und was sind die langfristigen globalen Konsequenzen der Reformationsepoche, wie sie sich in Gestalt miteinander konkurrierender konfessioneller Kulturen und letztlich unterschiedlicher globaler Christentümer manifestierten, im Kontext derer unterschiedliche Formen der Moderne entstanden?