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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Goertz's Heroic Muntzer,
By Nick Ziegler (Norfolk, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Thomas Muntzer: Apocalyptic, Mystic, and Revolutionary (Hardcover)
Thomas Müntzer: Apocalyptic, Mystic and Revolutionary. Hans-Jurgen Goertz. Translated by Jocelyn Jaquiery. Edinburgh: T&T Clark Ltd., 1993.Hans-Jurgen Goertz's Thomas Müntzer: Apocalyptic, Mystic and Revolutionary is a slightly revised English translation, originally presented in a 1989 German edition to celebrate Thomas Müntzer's five-hundredth-birth anniversary. Goertz delivers a dramatic account of Müntzer's early Reformation pilgrimage as pastor and revolutionary. Müntzer, a divisive figure in his lifetime, carries this hallmark with him into the present. The stark contrast between `bourgeois' and `socialist' or marxist renderings leaves two imbalanced images of Müntzer. West German historians usually portray Müntzer as a "political agitator" or "arch heretic" (xvii), whereas East Germans affirm his role in Germany's revolutionary heritage. Goertz describes his work as a biographical essay that harmonizes these extreme interpretations. Goertz contends that from Müntzer's first appointment in Zwickau to his bitter end at Frankenhausen, his theology remained static: to manifest the Kingdom of God through "`a full and final reformation in the near future'" (xiv). This final reformation was to be a theology of revolution which engaged humanity both spiritually and temporally. Goertz begins his book by describing sixteenth- century Europe as a time ripe for change. Imperial decay, ecclesiastical decline, a rise in anti-clerical sentiment and challenged social structures created an environment of universal uncertainty. Furthermore, Martin Luther's quarrel with Rome had developed into a "cosmic drama" (24) that initialized an apocalyptic paradigm. These events must have had a profound effect on Müntzer's thinking. Goertz characterizes Müntzer's early career as an ally to the Wittenberg reformers, but not decisively influenced by them. Unlike the Wittenbergers and Humanists, Müntzer's theological foundation is in medieval mysticism. This influence led to provocative doctrines such as Imitatio Christi - the necessity of suffering in the spirit of mystic piety. However, Goertz argues that theological texts were not Müntzer's sole source of inspiration. Experiences working with miners, peasants and artisans in Zwickau and elsewhere also inspired him to become an advocate of the common people. These experiences and circumstances along his reform path caused him to augment his views toward open encouragement of revolt. Goertz maintains that Müntzer's adaptability was part of his revolutionary quality. Even his portrayal through forced confession and execution are as a martyr attempting to continue the spirit of his reform through suffering and subjection to God's will. At the outset Goertz acknowledges the limitations placed on any biographer of Müntzer, due to enormous information gaps at various stages of his life. Goertz also criticizes historians who supplement sources with psychological suppositions which cannot satisfy the requirements for a full biography. As such, he claims a biographical essay is a the most responsible way to represent Müntzer, as well as permitting an interpretive license to articulate Müntzer's personality and thoughts during key moments in his life. This approach is especially evident when Goertz attempts to resolve problems regarding his thesis that Müntzer maintains a consistent theology throughout his travails. For example, Goertz opines that "he [Müntzer] was already a revolutionary with his first independent theological ideas, but that this basic trait of his personality only gradually intensified to its militant consequence" (179). Although Goertz claims the middle-ground between bourgeois and socialist historians, this position primarily indicates his methodological approach. Throughout the book he analyzes social and economic factors while integrating these factors into larger theological issues. However, this balanced methodology is not translated into a `balanced' representation of Müntzer himself. Goertz clearly leans toward the heroic portrayal of socialist predecessors and this tendency is, at times, problematic. For instance, his ringing critique of Walter Elliger's work, "...there is no justification at all for it in the sources," (37) could also be applied to some of Goertz's own conclusions. Nonetheless, his thesis is generally well supported and its limitations acknowledged. The book also is nicely illustrated throughout with imprints from various engravings and woodcuts. Nick Ziegler
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