The Radical Reformation: Anabaptists and other Minorities - Period 2

After the reformation had broken the unity of the western church,Europeans had to rethink ideas on unity, relationship between church and state, and the role of the church within the civic community. Dissenters made a significant contribution to the development of new modes of coexistence and to the development of ideas on religious toleration. Their presence as such challenged medieval ideas on unity; their view on the history of the western church called into question the close cooperation between church and state. Dissenters had many reasons to advocate for religious toleration. In their pleas for toleration the dissenters relied on social, political, economic and religious arguments. This course offers an overview of the early modern debates on religious coexistence and toleration and the contribution the radical reformation made to these debates.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) awards credits based on the ECTS system. Contact hours listed under a course description may vary due to the combination of lecture-based and independent work required for each course therefore, CEA's recommended credits are based on the ECTS credits assigned by VU Amsterdam. 1 ECTS equals 28 contact hours assigned by VU Amsterdam.