ABSTRACT
The Sterbebücher of the sixteenth century were clearly written in response to a widespread need for consolation. This concluding chapter summarizes what the Sterbebücher reveal about specic situations to which consolation was addressed. It characterizes the themes and teachings of the Sterbebücher and shows how these differed from the instruction found in the late medieval ars moriendi, in spite of the continued use of traditional themes and literary genres. Further, it reects on the role of the emotions in the relatively inward piety of this genre. Finally, it considers the implications of changes in the art of dying for other aspects of death culture in the Reformation period.
