Christian devotional literature

The term devotional literature, which is first recorded in the 14th century, originally describes populist writings with religious motivation. In the devotional literature it is not a question of theological literature, because they have not pursued scientific discourses and has no dogmatic intentions. Rather was with the changes of the modern era, a concentration has been on interiority, in the observance of piety created his figure in the field of religion. It it is a guide to a virtuous life, the emotional mind should build.

A root has the devotional literature in the saint's legend. Other forms are devotional book, prayer book, book of hours or collections of sermons.

Devotional literature for centuries has been widespread, individual issues were even read about confessional boundaries. She joined initially on in the form of religious conversion stories or biographies, but also in the form of hymns, which were often created for this purpose. The 17th century produced many significant literary writings by well-known Baroque poets such as Johann Arndt, Johann Michael Dilherr, Jeremias Drexel, Paul Gerhardt, John Lassenius, Joachim Meichel, Martin Moller, Heinrich Müller, and Christian Scriver.

Due to the deliberate simplicity of the contents of the term was also used negatively judgmental in later times. In the 19th century, therefore, under devotional literature also understood kitschy or silly literature. With the industrialization of printing first arose in the 100,000 times sold edifying tracts own literary form. Started with the resultant in the Anglo-Saxon treatise companies, coupled with the advent of popular fiction trade, this form of distribution continued rapidly through the whole of Europe. Pioneer the distribution of devotional literature in German-speaking time were, among others, Bertelsmann and the Christian Association in northern Germany. In the 19th century devotional literature was increasingly displaced by the popular literature.

311148
de