Sünndagsklocken: Stadt- un Dörp-Predigten

A vivid portrait of northern Germany’s linguistic heritage unfolds through a series of heartfelt sermons that once resonated in village halls and city churches alike. The author explores the Reformation’s bold promise that worship be delivered in a tongue the people truly understand, tracing how Low German flourished in hymnody, catechisms, and preaching before the tide of High German began to swell.

Through lively anecdotes—from a 1607 protest in Plau against an imposed “foreign idiom” to late‑18th‑century complaints about congregants grasping only fragments of the sermon—the collection reveals how language barriers gradually eroded the connection between clergy and flock. While celebrating the richness of the regional speech, it also laments the loss of clarity that accompanied the shift toward a more scholarly, yet distant, German, inviting listeners to reflect on the power of words to shape faith and community.