In 2017, which marks the 500th anniversary of Protestantism, we remember and celebrate the important events that started the Reformation. One of the most significant but largely forgotten affairs is the introduction and explanation of Reformed worship by Martin Bucer in Grund und Ursach (Ground and Reason) published in the city of Strasbourg in 1524. This present volume is the first English book edition with a faithful translation from German to English of Grund und Ursach, a contextual commentary, and an extensive bibliography by the late Dr. Ottomar Cypris.
According to Hughes Oliphant Olds, Grund und Ursach “is one of the most significant documents in the history of Reformed worship.” Martin Bucer's Grund und Ursach influenced the liturgies of Calvin in Geneva, Knox in Scotland, Cranmer in England, and many others in the Protestant and Reformed tradition.
Author and Translator
Martin Bucer (1491-1551) was a Dominican monk, who became a Magisterial Reformer of the Protestant Reformation in Strasbourg, Germany. His genial, pastoral, and ecumenical spirit helped to bring Lutherans, Calvinists, and Anglicans into closer communion.
Rev. Ottomar Cypris, Ph.D. (1915-1986) was educated by the Calvin scholar Dr. John T. McNeill. In 1971 his doctoral dissertation was a commentary and translation of Bucer's Grund Ursach.
Endorsement
"Grund and Ursach is one of the most significant documents in the history of Reformed." -Hughes Oliphant Old