In the authoritative literature on 19thand 20th-century ecclesiastical history, ecumenism is largely overlooked, and where it is noticed, it is almost exclusively in an international context. Ecumenism in Germanyonly crops up occasionally and in a marginal context. The author of this volume closes this gap by examining the whole complexity of inner German ecumenism by means of ecumenical hermeneutics of its history. He portrays all the ecumenical partners, thus overcoming the notion prevalent in society - and even in some churches - of bilateral ecumenism. His objective thereby is to capture the richness, diversity and complexity of ecumenism in Germany, enhancing and pluralising its image so that within the different denominations and within German society as a whole an awareness may grow of the full breadth of ecumenism.