This book provides analyses of writings which have been of major importance to Protestant, Anglican, and Roman Catholic Christianity in Western Europe. Containing nine essays by renowned European historians and theologians, the anthology investigates authors ranging from Philipp Jakob Spener to John Robinson. By focusing on ecclesiastical classics, the contributors shed light on general church historical developments from the Reformation until the twentieth century. It is often claimed that a classic is a book that everybody knows about, but no one has read. The studies presented in this book show, on the contrary, that groundbreaking theological works were read by many.