This somewhat uneven collection of essays comprises the papers given at a series of four conferences held in Torgau between 2014 and 2017. The four sections of the volume correspond to the themes of these conferences: Lutheran Reformation and the power of the state (eleven essays); Church and State in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries (six essays); Church and State in the nineteenth century (eight essays); Church and State in the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries (seven essays). Each section concludes with a summary of the discussion at the conference, and in a final essay Niedersen explores the nexus between faith and knowledge. The historical focus of the first two sections is on Saxony and on Torgau in particular, while the latter two sections open the discussion up to the German territories. Throughout the authors draw primarily on Lutheran perspectives. The volume is given structure by two series of four essays: those by Reiner Gross trace relationships between Church and State in the Saxonies from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries; Athina Lexutt presents the developing understanding of the ‘kernel’ of Luther's teachings. Individual essays consider the effect of the political tensions between the two Saxonies, Ernestine and Albertine (Martin Treu); the importance of Torgau and the elector's chapel there, which was designed to stage Lutheran worship (Hansjochen Hancke, Uwe Niedersen, Matthias Müller); the development of Lutheranism in the later sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in the aftermath of the Thirty Years War (Johannes Burkhardt) and new legal conceptions of the state (Rolf Decot); the role of the Church in the formation of the united Germany in the late nineteenth century (Olaf Blaschke); and the role of the Church in post-war Germanies, particularly in the German Democratic Republic (Claus Scharf, Wolf Krötke), the challenges of conservatism (Frank-Lothar Kroll) and of an increasingly secular society (Werner J. Patzelt). Changing images of Luther are considered (Dieter Langewiesche; Martin Treu); Wolfgang Flügel traces the marking of Reformation anniversaries since 1617; Eike Wolgast considers the 1817 Wartburgfest; and Wolfgang Reinhard assesses the EKD's Luther decade. Johannes Burkhardt discusses the influence of confessional formation on the history of modern Germany. Klaus Berger explores possible medieval Cistercian influences on Luther's theology, while Mathias Schmoekel considers eighteenth-century developments in historical theology exemplified by Schleiermacher and Savigny, and Josef Ulfkotte traces growing awareness of other religions. The musical history of Lutheran worship is explored by Friedhelm Brusniak, and the influence of the Reformation on nineteenth-century church architecture by Andreas Tacke. Reinhold Rieger considers Luther's understanding of freedom. It is apparent that these essays are wide-ranging, and the approach taken by the authors varies considerably. Some are academic studies, complete with references; others leave the reader wondering about the sources of their information. Many are richly illustrated, and all the illustrations are credited. Taken as a whole this volume offers some fascinating insights into the relationship between Church and State in German Protestantism (especially, but not exclusively for Lutheran territories and especially for Saxony). However, in many cases readers who require or expect a more rigorous engagement with scholarly literature will need to look elsewhere.