La vocation du prince protestant
The conversion of a number of principalities to the Lutheran Reformation led to a redefining of the duties of the prince, and of his obligations toward God and his subjects. In defining these new duties, the authors of mirrors for princes use the term “Beruf,” which has the double meaning of vocatio...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | fra |
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Laboratoire de Recherche Historique Rhône-Alpes (LARHRA UMR 5190)
2013-12-01
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| Series: | Chrétiens et Sociétés |
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| Online Access: | http://journals.openedition.org/chretienssocietes/3448 |
| Summary: | The conversion of a number of principalities to the Lutheran Reformation led to a redefining of the duties of the prince, and of his obligations toward God and his subjects. In defining these new duties, the authors of mirrors for princes use the term “Beruf,” which has the double meaning of vocation and profession. Their conceptual orientation is founded on a linguistic change, as noted by the sociologist Max Weber in his two most important works, Science as a vocation and, even more, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Max Weber explains that the word “Beruf” (profession-vocation) first occurs in the German language with Luther’s translations of the Bible. It evidences to what extent the term chosen by the Reformer enabled to articulate both the notion of work and that of vocation, in the sense of God’s calling. The linguistic shift testifies to the new obligations of Lutheran princes, turned bishops and pastors and now responsible on earth for the later salvation of their subjects. The vocation of the Protestant prince may then take on a sacrificial aspect. However, at the end of the sixteenth century, the prince’s “Beruf” is less a matter of religious and moral guidance than it is a question of his ability to rule over a territory by means of a growingly professionalized state apparatus. The vocation of the prince then truly becomes a profession. |
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| ISSN: | 1257-127X 1965-0809 |