Church governance as sustained negotiation. The consistory in the principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbuettel between 1568 and 1617

该研究项目考察了早期现代德国教会管理机构中的谈判过程。该项目以1568年至1617年布伦瑞克-沃尔芬比特尔公国的教会为重点，旨在审查和理解其在忏悔化时代在行使和沟通教会治理方面的作用和重要性。每周联席会议和全体联席会议季度会议的完整会议记录已保存下来，并作为研究项目的主要资料来源。这些会议记录总共有15.000多页，详细记录了全体会议成员的讨论情况以及对被传唤人员的审查。对这些资料的分析将有助于我们深入了解近代早期德国领土国家治理的基本情况。它们一方面结合了议会议员与诉讼当事人、被告、证人之间的内部谈判的观点，也结合了议会与其他政府机构之间部门间谈判的外部观点。

The research project examines the negotiations processes in a church governing body in Early Modern Germany. Focusing on the consistory in the principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbuettel between 1568 and 1617, the project aims at reviewing and understanding its function and significance in exercising and communicating church governance in the age of confessionalisation. The complete minutes of proceedings of the weekly consistory sessions as well as the quarterly meetings of the general consistory have been preserved and serve as the main source for the research project. Those minutes, altogether more than 15.000 sheets, contain extensive notes of the discussions by consistory members as well as examinations of summoned persons. An analysis of these sources will provide an insight into the basic conditions of governance in the territorial state in Early Modern Germany. They combine the perspectives of the internal negotiations of the councillors of the consistory with litigants, defendants, witnesses and among themselves on the one hand with the external perspective of inter-departmental negotiations between the consistory and other governmental bodies on the other hand.