Religious Enlightenment in the eighteenth-century Nordic countries: Reason and orthodoxy (Lund University Press) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 9198740407 ISBN 13: 9789198740400

Publisher: Lund University Press, 2023

Synopsis

This book explores the concept of religious Enlightenment in the Nordic countries during the long eighteenth century. It argues that Lutheran confessional culture became intertwined with Enlightenment ideas and practices in this European region. In the book’s three parts, specialist historians explore themes central to students of the early modern era – historical writing, material culture, ecclesiastical and legal reform, censorship, cameralism and innovative medical practices. It offers a timely reconsideration of a complex period in European history from a northern perspective.

An electronic edition of this book is freely available under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND) licence.

About this title

About the Author

Johannes Ljungberg is a Post-doctoral Researcher at the University of Copenhagen

Erik Sidenvall is an Adjunct Professor of Church History at Lund University

From the Back Cover

When the Enlightenment encountered traditional Lutheran cultures in the Nordic countries, the established order changed in surprising ways. This book explores how new ideas about reason, rationalism and reform were blended with Lutheran orthodoxy in the eighteenth-century European North.

Across fourteen chapters, specialist Nordic historians consider this theme from a variety of perspectives. Focusing on rural societies and practices, clergy and civil servants, historiography and material culture, they elaborate the concept of ‘religious Enlightenment’. The story that unfolds is not only a tale of clashes and conflicts; it also features creative mergers, unforeseen developments and remarkable outcomes.

By examining religion and Enlightenment from the perspective of the Northern European periphery, this book offers a vigorous reconsideration of key concepts and central themes in early modern European history.

Edition details

• Publisher: Lund University Press
• Publication date: 2023
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 9198740407
• ISBN 13: 9789198740400
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 448
• Editor: Ljungberg Johannes, Sidenvall Erik