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Richard C. Kessler Reformation Collection

The Richard C. Kessler Reformation Collection was established in 1987, when Richard and Martha Kessler donated their private collection of Reformation imprints and manuscripts to Emory University. These materials were combined with Reformation holdings at the Pitts Theology Library, and an effort was launched to enlarge and sustain this collection in the years to come. An advisory committee of Lutheran laypersons and clergy and of Candler School of Theology faculty and administrators oversees the nurture of the collection and its programs. The Reformation Notes newsletter provides semiannual updates on the growth of the collection, and the Reformation Day at Emory program of music and lectures each October celebrates the collection and its contributions to music, history, and theology.

The Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century was the pivotal religious movement in Western culture since the introduction of Christianity, and the purpose of the Kessler Collection has been to document that reformation in Germany. The collection has focused on the works of Martin Luther (1483-1546), his colleagues, and opponents, which were printed during their lifetimes, although the works of other reformers in Germany, the Roman Catholic responses to Luther, and publications by Humanists such as Erasmus have been included as well. The aim has been to gather materials that would give historians and theologians the opportunity to hear the full range of voices that were raised in this dynamic period.

The holdings of the collection now exceed 3,400 items, a mark approximated by only two other libraries in North America; no American library approaches the Kessler Collection's 980+ publications by Luther himself. Highlights of the collection include:

• Luther's September Testament (1522)
• The first five editions of Erasmus' Greek New Testament and 70 other works by him
• The Achtliederbuch (1524) and several other early Lutheran hymnals
• The Deutsche Messe (1526) and other important liturgical works
• 13 Lutheran church-orders (Kirchenordnungen)
• Twenty-eight papal bulls, an unused indulgence (1515), and many other works that track Luther's conflicts with Rome
• The first Latin and German editions of the Augsburg Confession, as well as almost a dozen later printings
• The first edition of Melanchthon's Loci communes and 34 other printings of this important systematic theology
• Forty-four Protestant and nine Catholic catechisms
• Complutensian Polyglot, the first of the four Great Polyglots (all held at Pitts)
• The first four editions of the Rabbinic Bible (Pitts holds the next three editions, too)
• Enchiridion geistliker Leder vnde Psalmen vppet nye gebetert Mart. Luth[er]. Also known as the Slüter Hymnal, this is the only known copy of this book.

A detailed description of early Lutheran hymnals and other musical resources in the Richard C. Kessler Reformation Collection can be found in this article by Dr. Stephen A. Christ.

As the collection has grown over two decades, it has stimulated musical programs, provided a venue for visiting lecturers, supported teaching and research, and supplied the grist for scholarly publications. In addition, it has provided the material for the creation of a Digital Image Archive of woodcuts and metal engravings. In short, the Kessler Collection has been a significant resource for the Candler School of Theology, Emory University, and international scholarship. It is continually the subject of presentations for students, church and synagogue groups, professional organizations, and visiting scholars. It has provided a fruitful point of contact for the academy and the church.