In this book Michael J. Halvorson introduces readers to the life and work of Heinrich Heshusius (1556–97), a Lutheran parish pastor and superintendent in the northern German city of Hildesheim. Through a detailed study, Halvorson tracks the activities and writings of Heshusius and describes his impact on the work of reform in several German areas during the late Reformation. At first glance, Heinrich Heshusius, son of Lutheran theologian Tilemann Heshusius, may appear to be an ordinary Lutheran preacher and teacher, yet Halvorson demonstrates that documenting the careers of such figures can lead to greater understanding of the religious life and social culture of the Reformation era. Halvorson reveals that Heshusius is an intriguing – if not brilliant – representative of Lutheranism as it was entering the period of early Orthodoxy. While Heshusius may be a relatively unknown figure, he was more than merely a practised pastor, theologian and church administrator; he was also an exceptional innovator in the ecclesiastical culture of his time and a polemicist of rare effectiveness. As an academic and superintendent Heshusius was well connected to some of the principal Lutheran figures of his day, including Martin Chemnitz, Nicholas Selnecker and Jacob Andreae. Heshusius played a key role in an extensive network of pastors, superintendents, theologians and university professors across German cities and territories that proved an integral part of the development of the Lutheran movement. In the parishes that he served, Heshusius's chief activities included preaching, teaching and catechising with the ultimate goals of indoctrination of the young in the faith and equipping them to defend that faith against the influences of the Roman Catholics, Reformed and Anabaptists. In his ‘Psalms Catechism’ (1593) Heshusius employed a unique pedagogical method relating Psalms to the basic format of Luther's Small Catechism. Heshusius used the catechism to instruct school children as well as adult Jewish converts preparing for baptism. Building on this work, Heshusius also published a series of sixty catechetical sermons harmonising Luther's catechism with selected Psalms. In his study of Heshusius’ published funeral and wedding sermons Halvorson identifies the confessional orthodoxy and theological sophistication of Heshusius, but also sheds light on pastoral care practice and the religious and social views of Lutheran pastors of the time. In the ongoing struggle for orthodoxy and ecclesiastical authority among the confessional groups in Hildesheim, Heshusius, as Superintendent, was a key figure. With skilled polemics, Heshusius opposed both the Jesuits, whom Heshusius and other Lutherans viewed as agents of the reCatholicisation of the city, and the Jews, who became foils in the greater confessional conflicts. Halvorson portrays well the life and career of Heshusius, identifying his purposes and goals, and explaining how he engaged the central themes, debates and controversies of his time. He shows how Heshusius and others in his circle impacted and gave meaning to the social, political and cultural world in which they lived, providing readers with a greater clarity and understanding of the process of confessionalisation during the early period of Lutheran Orthodoxy.