Center for Reformation Research

The Center for Reformation Research began as the Foundation for Reformation Research in the early 1960s. In its early years, faculty members from Concordia Seminary and other scholars traveled to libraries in Europe and on the North American continent to film source documents of the Reformation.

In the July 1974 issue of the foundation’s newsletter that announced the change of name to Center for Reformation Research, it was noted that the microfilm collection numbered some 12,000 printed works and ca. 500,000 manuscripts. The latter comprise primarily letters and documents in the Philipp of Hesse archives, a collection unique to the center.

Over the years the center has been related to and has served as the administrative headquarters of the American Society for Reformation Research, the Sixteenth Century Studies Conference and the St. Louis Area Colloquium on Late Medieval and Early Modern Studies.

The Kristine Kay Hasse Memorial Library is one of the top theological libraries in the United States.

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The Center for Reformation Research will offer its two-week Paleography Institute on the campus of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis in June 2024 (exact dates to be announced).

The course will involve intensive daily sessions on the reading of late medieval and early modern hands. German and Latin will be emphasized, but readings in French, English and Spanish are provided. Dr. Gerhard Bode, professor of Historical Theology and the director of the Center for Reformation Studies, who has directed the paleography sessions in the past, will once again conduct next summer’s sessions.

Admission is open to graduate and postgraduate students on a competitive basis. Those selected will receive a subsidy for domestic transportation to and from St. Louis, related to the lowest available airline rates.

Also included is free lodging in the dormitories of Concordia Seminary. All other fees, including the cost of the paleography manuals, will be waived, but participants are expected to make arrangements for their own meals, and various options are available in the neighborhood.

Housing is assured only for the duration of the Institute. Participants may check in later in the afternoon before the first session and must check out no later than the morning after the last session. Those wishing to remain in St. Louis for additional research work at the center or at area libraries may inquire about staying on in their Seminary rooms at their own expense.

Application should be made before the end of March 2024. Replies to applicants will be sent by the third week in April. For application forms and inquiries, please send your request to:

Dr. Gerhard Bode
Center for Reformation Research
Concordia Seminary
801 Seminary Place
St. Louis, MO 63105

Final deadline for receiving all application materials is March 31.

Download the application