Born in 1962, he is a Professor of Church History at the University of Göttingen and was previously a professor at the University of Munich (1996-2000). Among his numerous publications on ecclesiastical history and Christianity at the time of the Reformation and the beginnings of Modernity are: Das Ende der Reformation (2003), Luthers "Judenschriften" in ihren historischen Kontexten (2005) or Geschichte der Reformation ( 2009), apart from the most recent German edition of Martin Luther's Writings (4 vols., 2014-2016).