1)egert fuarue9tVol. 8, No.2 College of Social and Behavioral Sciences November 2000

SPECIAL SYMPOSIUM ISSUEDIVISION GATHERS INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARS

From the desk of the Director

bIJU.0 n the medieval calendars October is known as "the Month of Wine" - for the Division it was this and far

. more. Not until I returned from Europe to the New World at the beginning of the fall was I briefed about a. . {. breathtaking international symposium organized to mark my 70th birthday. What evolved was a celebrationof the Division in the circle of colleagues from here and abroad, including a rapidly growing number of alumni whohave spread from Arizona to positions around the United States and Canada.

Whereas this issue of the Desert Harvest will highlight the many aspects of the festivities, one of the most lastingimpressions was a theme pursued in the corridors. At the conclusion, seated in a large circle, we discussed the charac-teristics of our field and were surprised by the rare experience of a growing consensus, a discovery sparked off by arevealing sixteenth-century statement: "Where my library is, there is my Fatherland." In sharp contrast to the medievalideal of stability (stabilitas loci, staying in one place), in the early Middle Ages typical of the 'pious monk' and thentransferred to the 'good citizen,' these words of Erasmus (t1536) clearly reflect the new virtue of a life dedicated to thepursuit of truth which exacted the high price of an unstable curriculum vitae: Erasmus trekked hundreds of miles fromthe Low Countries to France, Italy, England, Switzerland and Germany.

Far more than just the utterance of one exceptional humanist, these words point us to an intriguing characteristic of theperiod in European history which the Division regards as its natural habitat, 1400-1700. Erasmus' Fatherland reflects anera of new mobility, both voluntary and involuntary, transforming the sense of stability from the security of location to thepsychological inner orientation which we associate with equanimity and character balance. The 'confession' of Erasmusmarks not only a revolution in the pursuit of happiness, but also highlights that higher education pertains to far more thanthe ranking of universities or the excellence of individual scholars: it seeks to establish citizenship in a country which tran-

scends the roots of family, state and nation.

This Erasmian shift, accelerated in our day by a rapid, general upwardand outward mobility, would have caused far more severe social dis-orientation had it not been tempered by the parallel spread of gener-al education. It is this essential societal function which is embeddedin the seemingly simple words which should be read as a battle cry:"Where my library is, there is my Fatherland."

With warm regards,

HwoA.~~THE UNIVERSITY OF ARiZONA®

From the Associate Director

mJ... he weekend of October 13-15 was a university instructor's dream. I am only..... gradually coming back down to earth. Unless an advanced graduate student. . •...is presenting a paper, we are financially unable to take students to professional

conferences. From a pedagogical perspective, we could say that the international sym-posium at Hacienda del Sol in honor of Heiko A. Oberman on his 70th birthday wasbringing a major conjerence to our students.

Attendance at meetings of historians significantly helped to shape me as a scholar.The Oberman Birthday Symposium may prove to have been a turning point for theDivision's progeny. Over two days our students mingled with some of the world'sleading Reformation researchers and theorists. They met them at the airport and tookthem back, gaining opportunities for private consultation. They dined with them.They heard them present papers on a range of relevant topics. In the discussions thatclosed each session, these luminaries, many Oberman's former students, interacted.Two of our present students not only listened but took part in the debate.

To be sure, the Division brings one or two renowned colleagues each year to theUniversity - we await Professor Patrick Collinson of Cambridge University, ProfessorIrena Backus of the University of Geneva, and Dr. Tom Scott of Liverpool Universitythis spring. But such intellectual riches as we all encountered at Hacienda del Sol willswell our minds for years to come.

A particular surprise - well, I confess to knowing in advance - was Dean HollySmith's announcement of a campaign to endow a chair for future directors of theDivision. On October 6, President Likins launched the University's drive to raise onebillion dollars. We are proud to have our undertaking incorporated within the institu-tion's larger campaign. An endowed chair requires a capital of two million dollars. Tomany of us, this is itself a very large sum, but only such a principal can yield enoughfor a senior academic's salary and small (yes, small) amenities. At some public univer-sities in the United States, numerous history professors occupy endowed chairs. Nosuch chairs have been founded in the Department of History at The Universityof Arizona.

A second major announcement, made by Ida Oberman on behalf of all fourOberman children, was that Heiko and Toetie Oberman are willing to donate theOberman research library, in its field the largest in private hands in North America, tothe Division and the University. Dean Smith responded enthusiastically on behalf ofthe University.

We in the Division humbly, gratefully acknowledge the visionary lead gift made bythe Guilford Fund of the Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund. This generousdonation indeed starts us on our way. I ask readers of this newsletter to bear our wor-thy cause in mind as you plan your future. We welcome gifts of all sizes. (Checksshould be made payable to The University of Arizona Foundation/ Heiko A.Oberman Chair.) This chair, together with the accompanyinglibrary, will both symbolize and secure our common educational val-ues in the years to come.

I write this on the day after returning from the annual meetingsof the Sixteenth Century Studies Conference and the Society forReformation Research, held this year in Cleveland. I am gratified toreport that the performance of past and present members of theThursday-evening seminar was superb. Robert Bast, Cristian Berco,Michael Bruening, Peter Dykema, Aurelio Espinosa, Stephanie Fink,John Frymire, Nicole Kuropka, Scott Manetsch, and MichaelMilway presented excellent papers. John Tyler and Sigrun Haudechaired or commented at sessions. The Division shone.

With cordial regards,

4~(l. ~-i:=;M'l--

~gert fuarue9tA SEMI-ANNUAL NEWSLETTER

OF THE DIVISION FOR

LATE MEDIEVAL &REFORMATION STUDIES

The University of ArizonaDouglass Building, Room 315P.O. Box 210028Tucson, Arizona 85721-0028(520) 621-1284

DIRECTOR:

Professor Dr. Heiko A. Oberman

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR:

Professor Dr. Susan C. Karant-Nunn

ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR:

Luise Betterton

ADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARY:

Sandra Swedeen

BOARD OF ADVISORS:

Stanley Feldman, ChairHermann BleibtreuRichard DuffieldMorris MartinNancy O'NeillGeorge RosenbergBazy Tankersley

DESERT HARVEST EDITOR:

Professor Dr. Susan C. Karant-Nunn

Symposium Luncheon: (Left to right) Mrs. MargaretModine, Hon. Ted B. Borek, Prof. Susan C.Karant-Nunn

OBERMAN'S 70TH BIRTHDAY BANQUETby Peter Dykema

I~In the evening of October15, supporters of theDivision for Late Medieval===

and Reformation Studies gatheredto honor Professor Dr. Heiko A.Oberman, toasting the occasion ofhis 70th birthday along with col-leagues, students and family mem-bers. Held at the close of a week-end symposium celebratingOberman's work and influence, this"festivious" occasion marked atime of reflection and transition,and a renewed commitment to the

the palm truly does "growunder its own weight."This Oberman familymotto can be applied tothe current status of theDivision: changes areafoot, healthy foundationshave been laid, and new,vigorous growth is justaround the corner. Theestablishment of anendowed chair has longbeen a goal of the Divisionand its supporters. DeanHolly Smith provided the first grandrevelation at the symposium ban-

I t

I

Gift of a Festschrift: (Left to right) Prof Heiko A.Oberman, Prof. Andrew Gow, Prof. Robert Bast

ing with success. Of the two mil-lion dollars necessary, pledges and

funds in excess of $300,000 havebeen received.Dean Smith's announcement wasfollowed by a word, literally,from Heiko's daughter, Dr. IdaOberman. That word wasincunabula (literally infancy;that is, books published before1500, in the infancy of print-ing). Holding up an early printedbook, Ida told us of her family's

_______________________________ love for books and their dedicationto the values of liberal education.

Acting upon that love and dedica-tion, Professor Oberman will donatehis personal library to The Universityof Arizona. Estimated to be thelargest private library of late medievaland Reformation history in the

Americas, the Oberman collectionwill greatly enhance the holdings ofthe University and ensure thatyoung historians will have the nec-essary tools for their research.

Heiko's HarvestThe evening continued withProfessor Robert Bast andProfessor Andrew Gow present-ing a Festschrift to Heiko.Continuity and Change: TheHarvest of Late Medieval andReformation History is a volume of

Continued to page 8

The establishment of an endowed chair has long been a goalof the Division and its supporters. Dean Holly Smith pro-vided the first grand revelation at the symposium banquet,announcing that the campaign for the desired chair wasnow officially underway and already meeting with success.Of the two million dollars necessary, pledges and funds inexcess of $300,000 have been received

mission of the Division and itsDirector.

Palma sub pondere crescitAs a palm frond bends downwards,space is opened for new leaves; thus

quet, announcing that the campaignfor the desired chair, under therubric of The University ofArizona's freshly launchedCampaign Arizona, was now offi-cially underway and already meet-

The Knights of Ekeby

1

~lt was a splendid evening,_bhJjj_, ._ made all the more wonderfulby the gracious presence of Toe tieOberman, roundly recognized asthe mastermind and confidantebeyond-the-scenes, all four ofHeiko's and Toetie's children:Gerrit Willem, Ida, Hester andRaoul, spouses and grandchil-dren. The event was a real familyaffair as the Oberman family washonored and in turn honored us,

Heiko's colleagues, students andsupporters. The fellowship of theevening was captured well in therefrain of 'The Ekeby Song,' sungby Heiko's children:

we are the knights of Ekeby,you're welcome in our circle;here we tell of memories past,and make new memories aswe raise a glass.

"What makes you tick as an historian?"At the Feet of Visiting Scholars: Professor Brad Gregory, Stanford University

by Brandon Hartley

~

ome people might like it if. ,~history were simpler. It sur-.. .~ prises many that historians

can argue vehemently over the past -after all, certain events happened andothers did not, so we should be ableto simply report the truth and moveon. Unfortunately (or fortunately forthose of us who enjoy a heated debateon the past), history rarely gives us aclear-cut picture. Consequently, wedevelop new ways of looking at histo-ry, a theory or a methodology, thathelps us to narrow our focus, thetypes of documents we use, and thekinds of questions we ask. The inter-pretation scholars apply to their studyinfluences the kind of history theyproduce.

Professor Brad Gregory, in hisbook Salvation at Stake: ChristianMartyrdom in Early Modern Europe,does limit his investigation, but onlyin focusing on a single group of par-ticipants - martyrs - in the religiouscontroversy of the fifteenth and six-teenth centuries. Otherwise, hisanalysis is remarkably broad and com-prehensive. Additionally, though,Gregory hopes to advance his ownvision of how scholars should inter-pret the past. He argues that goodhistory examines people of the paston their own terms - he aims to"plumb the living souls of those whoprayed and prepared in prison beforestepping to the stake or scaffold." Hestrives to discover the passions theyfelt toward their religion, their allies,and those they despised, withoutimposing on them models and struc-tures that they themselves wouldnever have understood.

Gregory visited ourThursday-night soiree last semester,

He argues that good history examines people of the past on theirown terms - he aims to "plumb the living souls of those who prayedand prepared in prison beforestepping to the stake or scaffold. "

and we had the rare opportunity togrill a former member of the Divisionfor Late Medieval and ReformationStudies on his recently publishedwork. He cuts quite a figure - at arespectable six feet, rarely do I findmyself literally looking up at people,but I had no choice as he must standnearly six and a half feet tall.Looking more like someone whowould spend his free time slam-dunk-ing basketballs than sifting throughdusty archives, I was pleased to findthat his enthusiasm for his topicmatches his towering height.

He and I share a commonlink in our past in that we bothreceived degrees from Utah StateUniversity. We swapped skiing andprofessor stories and found that wehad the same tastes in our teachers aswe did in our ski slopes. We couldalso identify with the culture shock ofgoing to school in Utah. Logan, thecity that houses the University, is asmall town in a slightly larger urbancorridor nestled in an absolutelybeautiful valley. The town is alsoapproximately 90% Mormon - evenhigher when one excludes theUniversity population. We chattedabout the shocks we experiencedwhen we discovered that the area wasso homogenous and how we onlystarted to really fit in after we accept-ed Utah "on its own terms" and aban-doned those preconceptions we hadbrought from the outside. AsGregory told us about the definingmoments in his career as a scholar, he

Desert. HatVest *

mentioned this stint in Utah as a par-allel to what he hoped to accomplishin his book.

When he had finished hisintroduction, we turned to critiquinghis work and questioning the meth-ods he used. This is actually a rarepleasure for budding scholars. Oneof the largest benefits of the seminaris the chance to sit with publishedhistorians and challenge them on thenature of their work. How theychoose to assemble and interpret it(because we will be choosing our ownmethods soon) is perhaps as impor-

tant as what the work itself says. Thediscussion grew surprisingly heated attimes. To an extent, scholars holdtheir particular method of history asdear as a child. At times, we knowmuch more about a wider variety ofissues in the sixteenth century thandid the average person alive at thetime. Should we not apply modernconceptions of psychology, ritual, orclass struggle to a period if it willenhance our understanding? Not sur-prisingly, this issue was not resolvedthat night. I love to read a work thatimmerses me in the past, that chal-lenges me to understand a period asthe people themselves might haveunderstood it. However, I also knowthat I learned more about my ownreligious culture of the Southeastwhen I was forced to look at it twothousand miles away in Utah, and Inoticed aspects of Logan and itsdeeply religious culture that noinsider could, or would, see. 71~

Annual Lectures and the SummerLecture Series; and his generousdonation of his renowned libraryto the University, a preciousresource for the benefit of futurescholars here and abroad.

Provost George Davis thenspoke of his personal experienceswith the guest of honor duringOberman's first days at the univer-sity. Oberman was fresh from aworld of staunch German tradi-tion, but his charm eased the enor-mous transition to this desert cul-ture which he enriched with abounty of historical expertise.

These few exciting hoursset the tone for a weekend ofwarm, scholarly exchange, the fruitsof which may be sampled in thefollowing pages. *

PANTHEON OF INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARS

Luminaries arrayed in Tucson to treat the Work of Heiko A. Oberman

DeanHolly Smith:

"Let me end withone last quotation,

this one from [aHarvard historian]

who relates that hewas bragging to a

colleague fromanother universityabout the growth

of Renaissanceand Reformation studies at Harvard, to

which the colleague retorted, 'Yes, you maybecome the Arizona of the East.'"

f?y Ran Song

Against a glittering panorama ofdark mountains and sparkling citylights, scholars in late medieval andearly modern European historyfrom the West Coast, East Coastand across the Atlantic gatheredwith Professor Dr. Heiko A.Oberman's family members, friends

and students, past and present, atthe Hacienda del Sol for the recep-tion that opened a string of cele-brations for the guest of honor's70th birthday.

The evening's host, theHead of the History Department,Professor Richard Cosgrove, warm-ly welcomed the guests. He thenintroduced the Dean of the Collegeof Social and Behavioral Sciences,Dr. Holly Smith, who trackedOberman's ''luminous path" fromHarvard to Tubingen to Tucson.She listed his many achievementsand contributions not only to hisfield but to the University as awhole: the establishment of theDivision for Late Medieval andReformation Studies; his devotionto training the next generation ofReformation scholars; theDivision's outreach activitiesin the community including

~rs. Toetie Oberman, Prof. Giles Constable, Prof. Heiko A. Oberman

Left: Prof. DonaldWeinstein, Prof.Helen Nader.Below: Prof.Christopher Ocker,Prof. E. JaneDempsey Douglass,Ms. MargueriteRagnow,Prof.Andrew Pettegree.

SESSION I: SCHOLASTICISM i?YScott Tqylor

Chair: Professor Alan Bernstein, The University of Arizona

The first session if the Symposium was a testament to the seminal work if Professor Dr. Heiko A.Oberman in scholasticism.

Professor Francis Oakley,President of WilliamsCollege, related his sense ofemancipation upon readingOberman's The Harvest ifMedieval Theology at a point ofyouthful restiveness with tra-ditional periodization. Nowwith a similar eye toward

--------' those intersections of histo-ry, philosophy and theology that Oberman hasmade foci of his own work, Oakley tacklesRobert Boyle, seventeenth-century naturalphilosopher and 'father' of modern chemistry.

Approaching Boyle through his opus, TheChristian Virtuoso, Oakley seeks to rescue Boylefrom scholars who treat his references to Godand miracle as vestigial topoi in a declension narra-tive of theology toward secularization, and fromsocial contextualists who portray him as a scien-tifically-grounded latitudinarian whose objectionsto Aristotelianism and scholasticism were found-ed upon a concern for their subversive implica-tions for the Church of England and theRestoration. Oakley treats Boyle's metaphysicalruminations as a serious attempt to come toterms with the relation between God and anordered universe. He discovers in Boyle a certainseventeenth-century Ockhamist volitionism dis-tinguishing between God's ordained power, evi-denced in creation, and his absolute power, mani-fested in miracle. Boyle's voluntarism in a cre-ation ex nihilo obviates both Platonic demiurgeand Aristotelian open universe. For him, scienceholds no certainty, but only probability, since Godis not bound by the order of his own creation. *

Professor William J.Courtenay, University ofWisconsin, Madison,echoed the theme in "Fruitsof the Harvest," noting howsome apples fall furtherfrom the tree than others,whether that tree beOckham or Oberman.Granting Harvest was an

antidote to prior neo-Thomistic declensionaccounts, it is now necessary to reconfigure thefourteenth century, when 'via' referred not to asystem of self-identification, but to specific solu-tions for specific problems. Thus, while Gregoryof Rimini was critical of Ockham's epistemologyand soteriology, he followed Ockham in mattersof time and motion, the very questions of naturalphilosophy on which Burley departed. So, too,preconceptions of student-teacher relationshipshave proven unreliable. Oresme, once thought apupil of Buridan, is found closer to Ockham whosplit with Buridan on issues of natural philosophyand propositional logic. And while Pierre d'Aillyagreed with Ockham's criticism of the Modistae,given Gerson's rapprochement with the via anti-qua, is it really possible to trace a route throughthe chancellor to Biel? All these issues find agenesis in the seminal work of Oberman, demon-strating that a good Harvest produces not onlypresent bounty, but the seeds of harvests tocome. *

SESSION II: RELIGION by Joshua RosenthalChair: Professor John Van Engen, University of Notre Dame

The presentations challenged us to carefolly examine the role of religion and its relationship to intolerance, injus-tice, and racism, paying tribute to Professor Oberman, not byparroting various points of his many works, but bypaying closeattention to the voices of the sourcesand challenging us to look at our modern selves in another light.

Dr. Wiebe Bergsma, of theFrisian Academy of Sciences,began this session by sharinghis findings concerning theDutch territory of Drenthe.Bergsma has compiled a mas-sive database of sixteenth-century religious records,which apparently includes

'---------" information ranging fromparish membership to the ministers' culinary pref-erences. Bergsma spoke about the adoption of theReformed faith in this formerly Roman Catholicland. He demonstrated that while this religioustransformation "came from the top down" withmuch zeal, the former Roman Catholic peoplewere lei, than enthusiastic about taking up mem-bership in the new church. Bergsma showed thatoften parishes included fewer than four members,counting the pastor and his wife!

Bergsma was content to let his findingsspeak for themselves. The audience, on the otherhand, was so enthralled that the question andanswer period was characterized by lively exchangeconcerning the meaning of "low membership." Inother words, why did the reformation 'succeed'despite such little popular support? Other mem-bers of the audience believed that the answer tothis question might be found in the historical con-text of membership. They challenged the idea thatmembership accurately gauged popular support bypointing out that the very idea of 'membership'was unfamiliar to sixteenth-century RomanCatholics, who were baptized into the Church.They also pointed out that people might attendchurch without becoming a member in order toavoid being subject to church discipline. *

Professor Christopher Ocker,San Anselmo TheologicalSeminary, spoke about fif-teenth-century religiousreform and social cohesion.He offered us a case study ofFranciscan friars in Mainz,Germany. As these friars

~ began a reform program, theyskillfully maneuvered among

the interests of the emperor, bishop, and city coun-cil. Those sitting in church pews would have heardmuch about the goings on.

Ocker's point was that the religious climatewas shaped and crafted by social and politicalevents. Furthermore, the religious climate alsoreflected the social and political events aroundthem. In short, the content of belief ought not tobe examined apart from the matrix from which itsprings, nor apart from the matrix into which itreturns. Ocker argued that circumstances, such ascompetition and foreign politics, assisted in causingthe reforms of these friars. The conclusion: theReformation must be understood from a point ofview that includes causes beyond spiritualregeneration.

Ocker went on to make a connectionbetween the friars and the Jews. Both were distinctsocial groups that were at odds with the dominantinterests of the city. This connection sparked con-siderable dialog during the question and answerperiod. Some of the audience agreed with Ocker,in that both groups were persecuted and experi-enced injustice. Others in the audience noted thatwhile the friars were rarely murdered on account oftheir distinct interests and characteristics, the samecannot be said about the Jews. *

SESSION III: LUTHER f:y Andrew Thomas

Chair: Professor Susan C. Karant-Nunn, The University of Arizona

(W.fry) man) he doth bestride the narrow world like a Colossus ... " -Sbaeespeare, Julius Caesar (I.ii)

Two former students .from Oberman's Tiibingen days discussed the significance if his scholarship in Luther stud-ies) and in the process it became quite clear that thry found it difficult to distinguish between Luther andOberman) and which if the two had the greatest impact on the Rijormation .

....,,--------, Professor Scott Hendrix,Princeton TheologicalSeminary, in his presentation"Et plus quam prophetam:Martin Luther in the Work ofHeiko Oberman," describedhis experiences underOberman's tutelage while atTubingen and then chartedOberman's course of discov-

ery of Luther the Prophet as well as Reformer. InOberman's query into the historical Luther, Hendrixstates that Oberman's perception of Luther evolvedas did Luther himself from the flowering youth of ayoung Nominalist between the Middle Ages and theReformation to the sobering days of a Germanprophet between the Reformation and the Last Day.Hendrix states that Oberman's most widely heededprophetic warning had not been the recognition ofthe relationship between Luther and theApocalypse, but rather recognition of the stormyrelationship between Luther and the Jews. *"

Professor Berndt Hamm,University of Erlangen, inhis presentation entitled''Against the Devil and theModern Age: Heiko A.Oberman's Image of Luther,"admitted his fear thatOberman has been so suc-cessful at defining the con-tours of Luther's unique per-

sonality that perhaps we will forget what mentalityLuther shared with his contemporaries. Hamm stat-ed that Oberman could sympathize with Luther'sstruggle with the Devil because of Oberman ",uncompromising attempt to reveal the historicalLuther against the tide of centuries of Lutherhagiography. Oberman's ability and willingness tocome to grips with Luther's vitriolic statementstowards Jews, peasants and other reformers hasbeen a long battle. The result has been thatOberman has stripped the whitewash off Lutherthe Icon and has revealed another image to theworld: Luther, a man of love and anger, and offlesh and blood. *"

Birthday BanquetContinued from page 3

some 25 essayswritten for and dedicat-ed to Heiko by his Arizona students andformer students, and colleaguesaroundthe world Oberman returned the favorwith his announcement that he wouldstep down as Editor-in-Chief of thetwo scholarly serieshe has long edited

with the Dutch publishing house, E.J.Brill,and turn over the editorial reins toProfessorsBast and Gow.

In his response to the saluta-tions and gifts offered by his col-leagues, family and supporters,Oberman twice paraphrasedMacArthur's famous words, remindinghis audience that "old historians neverdie, they fade away." To all those pres-

Desert 1=bVest*

ent, however, it was dear that inHeikes case, the saying carried twomeanings. The first is a message ofhumility. Our Professor reminded usthat the writings and findings of eachgeneration will be overturned by thenext, and that such a process is neces-sary and right. The second meaningcarried the implication that althoughHeiko is now a septuagenarian, his

SESSION IV: CALVIN by Brandon Hartley

Chair: Professor Donald Weinstein, The University of ArizonaOne might find it strange that scholastic descendants would dispute or criticize the work of their DoctorFather, especially at an event held in his honor. In actuality, though, Oberman accepts criticism of hiswork as the highest praise. It means that what he wrote influenced sufficient numbers of people to warranta carefol study, and it also illustrates his successin training future scholars worthy of picking apart andanalyzing fine detail in historical writing. Critics, after all, can be marvelous sources of inspiration.

Professor E. Jane DempseyDouglass, PrincetonTheological Seminary, a stu-dent of Oberman's during hisHarvard years, gave a summa-tion of treatments of JohnCalvin, including a few light-hearted requests thatOberman hop to it and pub-lish his much-anticipated

book on the Genevan reformer. More specifically,though, Douglass focused on the refugee elementwithin Calvinism. This refers to an earlier claim byOberman that the mentality of the refugee shouldnot be underestimated when examining the work ofCalvin. Calvinist Geneva in the sixteenth centurycan be interpreted as a land of self-perceived under-dogs. They saw themselves as the righteous minori-ty, standing up for their vision of religious truth andhounded by those who wished to destroy them.Douglass mentioned at one point that Calvin dis-tanced himself from the majority even while inGeneva in an effort to reassert his religious fervor.He chided the wealthy of the Swiss town who hadtaken to dressing in the manner of rich Frenchmen,saying it was arrogance to dress so haughtily:"Christ was not a tailor." .•.

Professor Andrew Pettegree,University of St. Andrews,who is currently working onan enormous cataloging proj-ect of every religious bookprinted in France from 1500-1600, was next up to thepodium. Perhaps feeling a bitlike the interloper at a privateparty, Pettegree requested

patience for his own work despite the fact that hewas neither the student, nor the student of a stu-dent, of Oberman's. Pettegree sought to explainwhy the Reformation largely failed in France, espe-cially since, as he demonstrated, Geneva and EasternFrench printing turned out masses of religious worksin support of the reformed church. The answer, hecontended, was that Catholics in France, in contrastwith Germany, matched the Huguenots word forword, image for image in the effort to pump outreligious tracts. In France, the importance of thepower of print was recognized quickly and effective-ly, and it enabled the Catholics to withstand theonslaught of the Calvinist church.'"

retirement will continue in increments:he's not finished yet!

Heiko's enthusiasm, energyand single-minded dedication to hiscraft have long since won him fameand respect among his colleagues.Although some of the tales surroundinghim may prove apocryphal, and whilehis vim, vigor and vitality may havebegun to fade (albeit only a bit),

Professor Oberman continues to holda passionate fascination with the pastand a profound sense of responsibilityto bring the alien world of history tothe eyes of the present. As was clearduring Division student VictoriaSpeders eloquent thanks on behalf ofthe student body currently under hismentoring, this message from their'Dokter Vader'is received with great

Ueset'LHatVe£t*

seriousness and great heart.In one of the final speeches of

the evening, Professor DonaldWeinstein, close friend and chair of theHistory Department at the time ofOberman's hiring, compared him to awhirlwind, saying that like any force ofnature, Heiko could never be con-trolled or tamed, only watched andadmired in amazement ..•.

LATE MIDDLE AGES ANDREFORMATION

SESSION V:

l?YJames Blakelry

Chair: Professor James D. Tracy, University of Minnesota

The !Jmposium and celebration of Professor Heiko A.ObermanJ 70th birthdqy manifested that same spirit ofscholarfy generosity that he demonstrates daify. It was a rare opportunity for those of us who are his graduatestudents to gather around, or as he would sqy "to sit at the feet" if so ma'!Y distinguished scholars. Ma'!Y ofus met for the first time the historians whose books and articles line our shelves and crowd our desks.

Professor Nicolette Mout,Rijksuniversiteit Leiden,lectured on the Dutchhumanist DesideriusErasmus (t 1536). Erasmuswas, like Luther, a critic ofthe Roman Church. Alsolike Luther, he wrote treatisesthat sharply criticized theChurch and accused it of

straying from the path that Christ had intended itto follow. Unlike Luther, Erasmus never left themother church - he remained to criticize theChurch from within.

Mout went on to describe other issues thatseparated the two men and influenced their viewsof the church and justification. She defined theLatin terms pia curiositas (a pious search for God'struths marked by Christian humility) and vanacuriositas ( a vain search for knowledge). Mout ledthe audience to an understanding of these com-plex and nuanced terms as they relate to bothmen. For instance, Luther considered Erasmus'development of tools that would allow for a betterinterpretation of the Scriptures to border on vanacuriositas.

According to Mout, Erasmus was ahumanist with theological aspirations. He wasinfluenced by aspects of both the via antiqua andthe via moderna. Luther, on the other hand, wasforward-looking. Moreover, he was a man withthe apocalypse continually before his eyes.*

Professor Peter Blickle,Universitat Bern, presenteda lecture entitled "Tumultusrusticorum: An Artist'sNightmare." Blickle is well-known for his groundbreak-ing and influential work onthe roots and results of thePeasants' War of 1525. Inthis address, he viewed the

Peasants' War from the perspective of severalcontemporary artists, including Albrecht Durer.Using art as a window into a particular era is adifficult and sometimes dangerous undertakingfor historians, but Blickle demonstrated how valu-able visual images can be when used properly.He showed that art becomes an even more valu-able source when the historical context surround-ing its creation is taken into account. Blickle'spresentation also reiterated how important it isfor historians to understand and work with theoriginal language of their sources. Moreover,without an understanding of the meaning ofwords as they were used in the sixteenth century,valuable evidence from this period can be misin-terpreted or lost. *

Desert Ha(vest *-

Division students stu4Jing or doing research abroad have made it a point to come together each summer withProfessor Oberman at Ekel?)) the very house where he grew up in Holten) The Netherlands. This year, theninth consecutivemeeting) student Jonathan Reid sends us a personal account of what has come to be known as

EKEBY SEMINAR 2000

Notes from the Field

ry [onatban Reid, Paris) France help explain the context of his earlY. .. development as lPell as a mirrored exam-

mi·avzng partlcl-. .dfi pie of hIS career as a German teachzng

.: ~te "": in The Netherlands), and ry the implica-="-'-'-,-'---'-. '-- ~m~:;I)I- tions of both of these stories, which set

SOUSIJI.zn t. e ~ he?y off hOJPdifferent are the scholarlY worldsemznar. as It as . .

'b k I in whIch tue students find ourselves.come to e nown .h h

·' Professor Oberman hImselfcan scry t. at t. IS . fi bei . d b

I . If tuas in rare orm, ezng so exczte a outyear ~ w~/s eSprpectaIJI his work and developments in thewonaeifu . rofessor D'" h . h b . .r: . fiCbri h B IVlSlOn t. at it as een mtectso«: orr:;: nsutop. ~rger, all the rest. Mrs. Oberman broughtrree nzverszry of .

Ad. laughter, good stones, and a laudable

mster. am, gave a , . '1.' . ,. ,I"I . bolarlb ifi I CIVIIZzng If!;tuence agaznst sc 0 arlJl=«::presenta-I.a 'barracks life' that used sometimes to settton. 1. 0 use a110 - . .

fi bi d d. , difi d. Z11. Each student gave a good-qual tryas zone IVOr. J}Jeu/ere trutv e lie ..b h . ,{; d' d J .J b' report, appropnate to hIS or her develop-ot. znjorme an maae uuser: a out t. IV/ I h d . dioid. I ti, .. men. we a so a zn IVZ ua mee zngs

Professor Oberman s career, hIS Tiibzngen . h P ,{; Ob ,I"l I. JPZt. r0essor erman 0 toe usuayears (whlc/) Professor Burger used to./- h h ld. b dtniense, onest, no- 0 s- arre rype.

Prof. ChristophBurger at Ekeby

Student NewsCongratulations to ...* Robert Christman for receiving anextension on his Fulbright Fellowship,allowing him to continue research onErasmus Sarcerius in Leipzig, Germany.*Michael Crawford who won aFulbright Fellowship to do archivalresearch for his dissertation in Seville,Spain.

Please welcome new students ...* Joshua Rosenthal, who has a B.A. inreligion from Concordia University,Irvine, and two M.A.'s: one in religionfrom Concordia, and one in historicaltheology from Westminster TheologicalSeminary.*Andrew Thomas, who has twoB.A.'s in history and German from theUniversity of Utah and an M.A. in early

modern history from Purdue University.*Graduate student in English AmyMartin and undergraduate BradMayhew have also joined ProfessorOberman's Thursday-evening seminarsthis semester.

Conferences*Past and present students of theDivision delivered papers at theSixteenth Century StudiesConference in Cleveland, 2-5November 2000, including: RobertBast, "Pastoral Identity and theProphetic Mode"; Cristian Berco,"Masculinity in Flux: Violence, Desireand Intergenerational HomosexualRelationships in Early Modern Spain";Michael Bruening, "The Fight for theFathers in the French Reformation";Peter A. Dykema, "Training Pastors in

Desert Harvest *"

This dry-as-tinder report is tru~;ough,but is incomplete. I have trouble findingthe n/ords to describe the intimate growththat occurs as we discuss our lives andcareers during presentations, meetingsand injormal conversations. As onelvould expect, not all is rosy or uncom-plicated. Some problems are bajjling,others barelY realized. My impressionu/as and has been in the past (othersshould be consulted) that, though notfinding easy solutions, we were all betterfor having sympathetic ears, some advice,renewed contacts, and a chance to thinkthrough problems out loud. Whateverthese obstacles in life mcry be, jromspeed-bumps to roadblocks, Ijust hopeeveryone keeps pressingjonvard, know-ing hOJPprivileged u/e are to be takingthis path. "*

Time of Crisis and Concord: ConradPorta's Pastorale Lntberi (1582)"; AurelioEspinosa, "Reformations, Turks, andthe Imperial Campaign of 1529-1533:The Confessionalization of the HispanicState"; Stephanie L. Fink,"Widowhood in Early Modern Castile";John Frymire, "Preaching CatholicReform and Counter-Reformation:Pulpits and Presses in Germany, 1525-1555"; Brad Gregory, "The ForgottenWritings of the Dutch MennoniteMartyrs"; Nicole Kuropka,"Melanchthon's Romans Commentariesand the Diets of Speyer (1529) andAugsburg (1530)"; Scott Manetsch,"Theodore Beza and the Art ofPreaching"; and Michael Milway,"Priesterhruderscboften as Surrogate Homesfor Retired Clergy."

VA DIVISION FOR LATE MEDIEVAL AND REFORMATION STUDIES -

GRADUATE UPDATES

Please visit us on the Internet: www.arizona.edu/."..".history/graduate/medref

Robert Bast (1993)University of TennesseeDepartment of History

Curtis Bostick (1993)Southern Utah UniversityDepartment of History

Petc,i;' .•.;:ykema (1998)University of ArizonaDepartment of History

Andrew Gow (1993)University of Alberta, EdmontonDepartment of History

Brad Gregory (.M.A. 1989; Ph.D., Princeton, 1996)Stanford UniversityDepartment of History

Sigrun Haude (1993)University of CincinnatiDepartment of History

Nicole Kuropka (.M.A. 1997)Fellow, Institut fur Europaische Geschichte

THE UNIVERSITY OF

ARIZONA®

Marjory Lange (1993, English major, History minor)Western Oregon UniversityDepartment of English

Scott Manetsch (1997)Trinity Evangelical Divinity SchoolDepartment of Church History

Michael Milway (1997)University of TorontoFellow, Centre for Reformation andRenaissance Studies

Darleen Pryds (Ph.D. Univeristy of Wisconsin,Madison, 1994)Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityDepartment of History

Erik Saak (1993)Fellow, Institut fur Europaische Geschichte

Jeff Tyler (1995)Hope College, MichiganDepartment of Religion

Late Medieval & Reformation StudiesDouglass Building, Room 315PO Box 210028Tucson, Arizona 85721-0028

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