This book is based on a series of episodes from village or small town life in the duchy of WUrttemberg in southwest Germany between 1580 and 1800, in which state authorities conducted a special investigation into local events. The cases and characters involved include peasants' refusal to celebrate church rituals; a self-proclaimed prophet who encountered an angel in his vineyard; a thirteen-year-old-witch; a paranoid pastor; a murder; and live burial of a village bull.

Illustrations; Preface; Introduction; 1. Communion and community; 2. A prophet in the Thirty Years' War; 3. The sacred bond of unity; 4. Blasphemy, adultery and persecution; 5. The conscience of the poor; 6. The sins of belief; Conclusion; Notes; Glossary; General index; Index of places.