Nüwe Zyttungen - Der Briefwechsel des Reformators Heinrich Bullinger

The reformer Heinrich Bullinger (1504-1575), successor to Huldrych Zwingli, received and wrote over 12,000 letters. This correspondence is more than just a private or pastoral exchange: as a medium for the transmission of news, international church politics and theological debates, it paints a multi-layered picture of its time. While the letters depict the crisis-ridden international events, they also provide information about the communication strategies of the reformers after Zwingli's death. Reports of war, miraculous signs or natural disasters, polemical writings, pamphlets, diatribes and rumors reached Zurich and were refuted, punished or disseminated in the dispute between the confessions.

This book is published on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the Zurich Reformation and accompanies an exhibition at the University of Zurich. The selected quotes from letters and pictures provide an insight into an exemplary early modern communication network. The excerpts are supplemented by interviews with specialists who shed light on the context and the topicality of media theory.