New acquisitions from the Protestant Reformation

Special Collections recently acquired two important Reformation pamphlets.

The first is an edition of Pope Leo X’s bull Exsurge Domine, printed by German Protestant reformer Ulrich von Hutten. The papal bull censured statements from Martin Luther’s writings and threatened him with excommunication if he did not recant. Hutten reprinted the text of the bull and added his own annotations and an introduction supporting Luther, in which Hutten told the Pope to keep his bulls to himself.

The second pamphlet is an edition of Hans Sachs’ famous poem Die Wittenbergisch Nachtigall (The Wittenberg Nightingale). Sachs was a follower of Martin Luther, and he wrote this long poem in 1523 in Luther’s honor. The nightingale, who represents Luther, sings in the dawn of reform. The poem also explains Luther’s teachings and recounts the early history of the Reformation.

Both of these pamphlets, along with hundreds of other primary sources from the Protestant Reformation, can be discovered using the library catalog. You can search for Reformation authors like Hutten, Sachs, or Luther by name. Some useful subject terms for Luther-era Reformation pamphlets include:

• Luther, Martin, 1483-1546
• Lutheran Church–Controversial Literature
• Lutheran Church–Doctrines