Protestanten

English summary: Whereas the term Protestants describes several Christian churches, groups and movements today, its history in the Holy Roman Empire of the 16th and 17th century is marked by conflict among these churches which today are included quite naturally under this term. It became a battle cry for Lutherans and for members of the Reformed church as well, since both parties laid claim to this exclusively and supported their claims, which referred to theology, church politics and...
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English summary: Whereas the term Protestants describes several Christian churches, groups and movements today, its history in the Holy Roman Empire of the 16th and 17th century is marked by conflict among these churches which today are included quite naturally under this term. It became a battle cry for Lutherans and for members of the Reformed church as well, since both parties laid claim to this exclusively and supported their claims, which referred to theology, church politics and imperial law, on a terminological level - if nothing else, in order to deny the counterpart from the other denomination any right to exist. Christian Witt shows how the term Protestants developed into an integration concept in the 17th century, and how this quite intentionally became a collective term for several Reformed churches, thus taking the decisive step in the direction of its use today. German description: Wahrend der Begriff Protestanten heute mehrere christliche Kirchen, Gruppierungen und Bewegungen bezeichnet, ist seine Geschichte im Heiligen Romischen Reich des 16. und 17. Jahrhunderts gekennzeichnet durch Streit unter den Kirchentumern, die er heute geradezu selbstverstandlich unter sich sammelt. Er wurde sowohl fur Lutheraner als auch fur Reformierte zum Kampfbegriff: Beide Parteien beanspruchten ihn exklusiv fur sich und flankierten so ihre theologischen, kirchenpolitischen und reichsrechtlichen Anspruche auf terminologischer Ebene - nicht zuletzt, um dem anderskonfessionellen Gegenuber jedwede Existenzberechtigung abzusprechen. Christian Witt zeigt, wie sich der Terminus Protestanten im 17. Jahrhundert zum Integrationsbegriff entwickelte, der bewusst mehrere reformatorische Konfessionskirchentumer unter sich sammelte und so den entscheidenden Schritt hin zu seiner heutigen Nutzung tat.