ABSTRACT

At the time of the Reformation there were changes in all areas of human life. Everything was reviewed and checked for its value: the authority of the church, the relationship between clergy and congregation, the significance of good works, the meaning of this earthly existence, the place of the state, the relation between Christianity and other religions, the influence of angels and demons, the power of rituals, the expectation for the future, the value of tradition, the function attributed to God, and many others. So much became unstable that the ecclesiastical and secular authorities -that is, the people who prefer a certain order, clearcut relations and a regulated existence - did their utmost to proscribe life, so that sacred cows were instituted again, albeit smaller and less secure than before. But this almost feverish ordaining in the second half of the sixteenth century could not prevent this temporary chaos from having lasting consequences. The various lines which were drawn then, stayed and have remained visible until today. It is good to gain a clear picture of these lines, especially now that we are again going through a time of reorientation.