394 BOEKBEOORDELINGEN/REVIEWS has previously worked for a number of years on the edition of the Beza correspondence and is also well known for a number of highly informative biographical and bibliographical articles. His scrupulousness and wide knowl- edge of primary sources and secondary literature guarantee a solid and scholarly work of a high quality. Bodenmann has divided his work into six parts that can be used inde- pendently. In part one Bodenmann describes how he himself became inter- ested in Musculus. This part also introduces to the historical context of Musculus and to Bodenmann's methodology. The second part offers a crit- ical edition of the Vita Wofkangi Musculi, the biography written by Musculus's son Abraham and published in a first edition in 1595. The original Latin text is accompanied by a French translation. The third part of the book is called Musculiana in which Bodenmann deals with a number of subjects he encountered while editing the Vita. The paragraphs in this part deal with Musculus' family, his relations with contemporaries, the stations in his career (, Augsburg, Bern), and his view on the Lord's Supper. In this part Bodenmann offers also a description of the many publica- - - tions mainly biblical commentaries of Musculus. In the fourth part Bodenmann tries to give a more characterological picture of Musculus. Largely based on correspondence, Bodenmann tries to give an answer to the questions as to how Musculus did see himself and how others saw him. Part five is formed by the bibliography of the works Bodenmann used for his research and the final part consists of the indices, one of which is an extensive description of Musculus's correspondence. Bodenmann has confined himself to a historical study, which means that research into the of Musculus remains an open field. However, the theological research has found a great help and stimulus in Bodenmann's biography. His solid research has brought about that in this book some new documents are given, largely from Musculus's correspondence. And as to his biography, this work will for a long time remain the definite source for the study of Musculus and his context.

Herman J. Selderhuis, Apeldoorn

JOHANNESBRENZ, Godly Magistrates and Church Order. Johannes Brenz and the Establishment of the Lutheran Territorial Church in Germany 1524-1559, JAMESM. ESTES(ED. ANDTRANS.) [Renaissance and Texts in Translation 9]. Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies, Toronto 2001, viii + 219 pp. ISBN 0772720177. US$13/CDN$17.50.

Godly Magistrates and Church Order is one of the latest offerings from the Renaissance and Reformation Texts in Translation series by the Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies at the University of Toronto. This book is a collection of documents from the career of the Lutheran reformer 395

Johannes Brenz, edited and translated by James M. Estes. The selected texts trace the evolution of Brenz's thoughts concerning the duty of Christian rulers to maintain and defend the church. Together, they also provide an invaluable framework for studying the theoretical and practical develop- ment of the Lutheran territorial church in Germany. There are none more qualified than Estes to offer this examination of Johannes Brenz. Estes's Christian Magistrate and State Church: The Reforming Career gf johannes Brenz (Toronto, 1982) remains one of the most important contemporary works on the subject. Brenz was a chief proponent of in South-western Germany and was a leading reformer in the free-imperial city of Schwäbisch Hall (1522-1548) and the Duchy of Wiirttemberg (1550-1570). In this new book Estes contends that Brenz was one of the most gifted Lutheran ecclesiastical organizers, rivaled only by . Such a view is supported by Brenz's contributions to church organization and administration during his lifetime. Estes also maintains that it was not Brenz's message concerning the duty of Christian rulers to God and the church that was unique, but rather the frequency, clarity, and unmatched authority with which he preached this message. For these reasons the career of Brenz provides a suitable framework for study- ing the developing Lutheran territorial church. Estes has included twenty texts in this book that span Brenz's entire career. They are arranged chronologically, beginning with his sermons preached in Schwäbisch Hall in 1524/25 and ending with the 1559 Württem- berg order. The texts are drawn from a wide range of sources, including sermons, opinions, visitation articles, and church ordinances. Each has been translated from the Latin or German originals and includes an informative introduction and annotations to familiarize the reader with the historical context and provide biblical references. In most cases the entire document is not provided, but rather only the relevant excerpts that concern Christian magistrates and church administration. This allows the editor to maintain the narrow thematic focus while providing a greater selection of documents. Instructors and students alike will find the breadth of sources helpful in analysing the developing Lutheran territorial church, as well as understanding Brenz's own thoughts on the role and duties of Christian magistrates. The selected documents allow the reader to trace Brenz's ideas about Christian rulers and to understand how he put these into practice in his churches. His earlier writings, such as the 1524/25 sermons from Schwäbisch Hall, 1525 Advice and opinion to Elector Ludwig, and his 1529 memoranda on The Reason lAy a Christian Prince Should Cause Christian Worship to be Established in His Jurisdiction and Territory, reflect his attempts to define the duty of Christian magistrates to maintain and defend the church. As Brenz's career progressed, so too did his ideas about church administration. He urged the city council of Schwdbisch Hall to form an independent synodal court with the power to excommunicate in his 1527 Reformation of the Churches in