This engaging study brings to light a largely neglected genre of Reformation literature, the lives of various Reformers written after their death by contemporaries. Although far less well known than other types of writings, biography constitutes an important body of literature which sheds much light on numerous aspects of the Reformation. Utilising this important canon of reformation writing raises intriguing questions about the role of the individual and of Protestant hagiography, as well as the influence of classical and humanist traditions that stress the importance of the 'great' individual in setting an example for others to follow.

Introduction Biography and ReligiousLuther: Instrument of God or Satan's Brood. Main Developments in LutherLives of Chief Swiss Reformers: Hagiographies, Historical Accounts and Exempla; Chapter 3 Zurich Lives in the Latter Part of the Sixteenth Century; Chapter 4 Early Lives of Calvin and Beza by Friends and Foes; Chapter 5 Post-Masson Views of Calvin: Catholic and Protestant Images of Calvin in the Seventeenth Century, or the Birth of 'Calvinography'; conclusion Concluding Remarks;