Catholic–Lutheran–Catholic

Abstract

This article undertakes a comparative analysis of two conversion narratives of Johannes Ferdinand Franz Weinberger, who converted in 1687 from Catholicism to Lutheranism and returned to the Catholic church one year later. After his reconversion, Weinberger found himself confronted by those who doubted his credibility and was consequently under considerable pressure to justify the path he had taken. At the same time, he felt impelled to explain his behaviour to himself, to come to terms with his own conscience. In such a situation, it was necessary for him to adhere closely to the contents, the form and the leitmotifs of his first conversion narrative, changing at the same time his concept of self and interpreting his con-version to Lutheranism in a different mould.