Briefwechsel mit August Hermann Francke 1689-1704

The correspondence between Philipp Jakob Spener and August Hermann Francke is not only an excellent source of knowledge concerning the establishment of pietism in Halle and the founding of the University of Halle. The information in the commentary also makes it clear that even Francke's early activities in Halle were inconceivable without the often tense interaction between the pietistic reform plans and Brandenburg-Prussian politics. On the basis of this edition, it is also possible to define clearly from the standpoint of the history of theology the way in which Spener's »Hoffnung besserer Zeiten« was combined with innerworldly realism in Francke's works and thought and developed into »projects« which tried to overcome reality with the prospect of a better world. The correspondence shows the anthropological and sociological combinations which are generally informative in relation to the question of what 'pietism' is from the standpoint of the history of theology and the history of ideas.