Disease, Scarcity, and Famine: A Reformation Perspective on God and Plagues

Outbreaks of disease and famine are nothing new, nor is the responsibility of Christian leaders to respond to such societal devastation. Disease, Scarcity, and Famine assembles sermons from Ludwig Lavater, a leading pastor in Zurich during the sixteenth century, that deal with this subject matter. Lavater explains where plagues ultimately come from, gives reasons God chastises the good as well as the bad with them, and instructs readers on how they should conduct themselves during such outbreaks. He also recounts the divine promises in which God offers help to His elect during trying times. Lavater provides a response to disease both grounded in Scripture and satisfying to the soul.

Publisher: Reformation Heritage Books
Type: Paperback
ISBN: 9781601788634

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Ludwig Lavater (1527–1586) was a Swiss Reformed theologian working in the circle of his father-in-law, Heinrich Bullinger. He served as Archdeacon at the Grossmünster in Zurich and briefly Antistes of the Zurich church as the successor of Rudolf Gwalther. Lavater was a prolific author, composing homilies, commentaries, a survey of the liturgical practices of the Zurich church, and a biography of Bullinger. His work on ghosts (De Spectris ...) was one of the most frequently printed demonological works of the early modern period.

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“Writing from a time well versed in the unpredictability of infectious diseases and the pervasiveness of poverty, Lavater’s sermons on pestilence, scarcity, and famine offer today’s reader valuable insights into God’s purpose for communal suffering and of the spiritual responsibilities and mutual duties incumbent on society. While mindful of practical concerns, Lavater conveys, from his sixteenth-century vantage, a particular emphasis on the ‘why’ of widespread physical and economic hardship, providing a needed complement to the twenty-first century’s common preoccupation with the ‘how.’ Through Michael Hunter’s very readable translation, Lavater reminds us theologically and historically that in calamity the godly are neither abandoned nor alone.” John Bower, associate professor, pediatric infectious diseases, Northeast Ohio Medical University; and adjunct professor, church history, Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary