This historical and theological introduction to “Von der Freiheit eines Christenmenschen” was written for the launch of the new edition in the Taylorian series of Reformation pamphlets on 30 October 2020, 500 years after it was first published. The article was written by Hannah Clemens, Theology Student at the HU Berlin and Erasmus Intern at Exeter College Chapel (Oxford) in 2019, and Dennis Clemens, Philosophy Student at the HU Berlin, and translated by Raluca Vasiu and Florence Butterfield, two Oxford Modern Languages graduates who took the early modern German period option for their finals.
Category: Posts
Adventures in Typesetting and Printing with Students of the History of the Book
One History of the Book student recounts the benefits of a hands-on approach to learning about printed material.
eLeUTHERia – Luther’s ‚Freiheitsschrift‘ as a Publishing Phenomenon
by Maximilian Krümpelmann Luther Demands ‘Freedom’ When Luther stumbled upon the word ‘eleutheria’ in October 1517 – Greek for ‘freedom’ or ‘liberty’ – he changed his name from ‘Luder’ to ‘Luther’.[1] This is more than a pun: the change anticipates the central role that the concept of ‘freedom’ would play in his writing and thinking, …
Introduction to Special Collections at the Taylorian
Welcome to the Taylor Institution Library! The Taylor Institution is the University of Oxford’s library for Modern Foreign Languages. It was funded by Sir Robert Taylor in a codicil to his will in 1788. Due to his will being contested, the University didn’t have access to the funds until 1834, when it was also considering …
Call for Readers for 500 Years of Christian Freedom
This article was originally posted on the Taylor Reformation blog which has now become part of the Taylor Editions website with a dedicated Reformation Pamphlets series. Henrike Lähnemann In November 1520, Martin Luther published his pamphlet “On Christian Freedom” (Von der Freiheit eines Christenmenschen / De libertate christiana) which became the best-selling book of the 16th …
Interview with Richard Ovenden: Burning the Books for History of the Book
Lena Zlock (History of the Book and Modern Languages alumna and current DPhil in Education) interviewed Richard Ovenden, Bodley’s Librarian, about his latest work, Burning the Books: A History of Knowledge under Attack (Belknap Press, 2020)
The 2019/2020 History of the Book Group
The combined workshops and seminars for the Palaeography, History of the Book and Digital Humanities provide training in dealing with manuscripts and books across different historical periods and European languages. The aim is to combine philological training with project work which takes seriously the material turn in Modern Languages and will enable students to do …
Introducing the Method Option “Palaeography, History of the Book and Digital Humanities”
The combined workshops and seminars for the Palaeography, History of the Book and Digital Humanities provide training in dealing with manuscripts and books across different historical periods and European languages. The aim is to combine philological training with project work which takes seriously the material turn in Modern Languages and will enable students to do …
The Beauty of Mistakes: Papermaking at Home
By Luise Morawetz It started with a talk about paper flaws. In one of the first weeks I stayed at home during the Corona pandemic, I saw an online talk by Andrew Honey, conservator of the Bodleian Libraries. He was explaining how to find paper faults in seventeenth-century books and what they can tell us …
The Legacy of 500 years of “On Christian Freedom”
This article was originally posted on the Taylor Reformation blog which has now become part of the Taylor Editions website with a dedicated Reformation Pamphlets series. Henrike Lähnemann On 24 May 2020, I gave a short reflection on the legacy of 500 years of “On Christian Freedom” at Evensong in St Edmund Hall. It had been …