The early 1530s saw the threat of military action against the Protestant states, the calling of a council by a new pope, the consolidation of reform in Zurich following Zwingli’s death, the reform of the church in Strasbourg, and continued troubles between the Swiss and Wittenberg over the Eucharist. In the midst of these developments, Wolfgang Capito (1478–1541) rose to a position of influence as a shaper of Reformed piety in Strasbourg and beyond. In this volume we have the documentation of that ascent and a record of reform efforts in the Alsatian and Swiss churches. This third volume of a projected four sets Capito among his contemporaries, and does so with the degree of detail and accuracy that we associate with Toronto editorial projects.

The Capito revealed in this correspondence consults with Bucer in theological matters, negotiates on behalf of the clergy in Strasbourg, shares the general anxiety over the menace of the Turk, and participates in the preparation of the 1536 Wittenberg Concord, which did little to resolve differences concerning the Eucharist. We see the work of a preacher in his parish and a theologian among Reformers. Capito’s notable strength as a theologian was his humanistic training and his insistence on linguistic mastery of the scriptural text.

In addition to being essential for researchers in the general development of evangelical reform in the Southwest, these documents shed valuable light on the Eucharistic question during the critical years in the crafting of confessional formulas. Much of the correspondence documents disputes over Sacramentarianism in Augsburg and Basel and ongoing negotiations with Bullinger and others. Letters in this volume also bring to light new details about the work and thought of Caspar Schwenckfeld, and Capito and Bucer together write to Luther in the wake of the 1536 Basel Colloquy. Similarly revealing is a communication from Bucer about progress on the Eucharistic question in advance of a 1534 meeting with Zurich theologians. Other documents provide intimate views of Capito’s attitude to other religious movements. A memorial to Claus Frey, a radical executed for adultery, appeared as an exhortation to a lawful and orderly life, while serving also as a lucid critique of Anabaptist practice.

Less familiar figures, some known only from their correspondence with Capito, are Johannes Seger, Johannes Sonntag, Johannes Schwebel, and Jakob Mayer zum Hirzen. Through Capito’s letters with these correspondents we gain a clearer view of intellectual and pastoral life in the region, and with that view a measure of the vitality of humanism and religious reform. This network, like others elsewhere, was centered on influential local leaders like Capito while being aware, imperfectly to be sure, of events in other centers of humanism and reform. We also have an intimate look at church finances with letters to the city council for support of a church in financial straits in 1532. Similarly illuminating are the documents from Capito and Bucer in conversation with the city council of Bern over marriage matters. A lengthy memorandum to the city of Frankfurt in the wake of the departure of the Zwinglian Dionysius Melander offers a close look at that city’s pastoral life in 1535.

The translations, from the best available originals, are lucid and accurate, and the scholarly apparatus offers useful context. A number of letters are summarized rather than translated, with everything pertinent in the original included in the summary. With the correspondence of any sixteenth-century thinker, the quality of the originals and the standards by which they were first edited can vary greatly. Documents that originally appeared in print (such as prefatory letters) rarely have surviving MSS, and some letters published in journals a century ago did not benefit from the rigorous methods of modern critical editing. It is a monumental task to prepare each document for the best use by contemporary researchers. Both for its value in providing unique detail to our knowledge of Capito’s work and as a resource for the study of Reformation-era religious thought, this volume, like its two predecessors, is indispensable. We await the fourth and final volume.