Celestial phenomena were often harnessed for use by clerics in early modern Germany. Kurihara examines how and why interest in these events grew in this period, how the clergy exploited these beliefs and the role of sectarianism in Germany at this time.

Introduction: Celestial Wonders, Confessional Conflicts And Apocalypticism; Chapter 1 Exploring The World Of Wunderzeichen; Chapter 2 Lutheran Clergy and Wunderzeichen Discourses; Chapter 3 'An Eagle Hurting Himself': Flacius's Tract Against the Interim; Chapter 4 Irenaeus Against 'Spiritual Wolves': Polemical Use Of Wunderzeichen, I; Chapter 5 Irenaeus Against the Concord: Polemical Use of Wunderzeichen, II; Chapter 6 Andreae's Pastoral Use of Wunderzeichen; Chapter 7 Celestial Wonders Under the Shadow of War; conclusion Conclusion;