Der terministische Streit

The terminism controversy is central to the understanding of the debate between Lutheran orthodoxy and pietism. This conflict, which was waged with an enormous journalistic effort and relentless acrimony, focused on the time limit for repentance from sin, after which God no longer grants the salvation of that person (»terminus peremptorius«). Andreas Gößner provides a comprehensive reconstruction of the debate's development, its personal and journalistic dimensions as well as its place in university and territorial history and establishes its significance for the history of theology. This applied not only to a central theological problem, but extended to the field of pastoral care. Using the terminism controversy as an example, the author analyzes the basic crisis in the standardization and governance of the Protestant Church and its institutions in the transition period from the 17th to the 18th century.