Freiheit, Ordnung und Gemeinwohl

Hans Sachs was not only a Nuremberg shoemaker, but also a poet and Meistersinger, with the »Wittenbergisch Nachtigall« being his own personal reformatory confession of faith. What were his main focuses as a craftsman, which teachings appeared to him particularly pertinent to life and encouraged him to follow suit? Uta Dehnert systematically analyses the reception of Lutheran concepts from the perspective of Hans Sachs, who as Meistersinger performed his songs and presented them for discussion at the Singschule. Against this background, the Meisterlieder engaged in condensed space with the issues at stake in the great debates. The author shows the extent to which the songs mirror the dynamic of the Reformation and how this led to a new self-consciousness among the laity in the imperial cities, who were then able to deal independently with religious questions and interpret the Bible themselves.