Seelenbeschreibungen

This volume examines an early-modern source that has so far been largely overlooked, namely "Seelenbeschreibungen" ("descriptions of souls"), the written product of house visits by pastors or elders that were used to measure peoples personal religious knowledge. They provide information about catechetical knowledge, familiarity with prayers, and reading and writing competence, providing a unique insight into early modern lifeworlds.

Heinrich Richard Schmidt, University of Bern, Switzerland.