The second volume of the definitive English edition of Ernst-Wolfgang Böckenförde's work, offering readers an introduction to the political and constitutional thought of one of Germany's leading contemporary theorists.

Mirjam Künkler: Freedom in Religion, Freedom in the State: Ernst-Wolfgang Böckenförde on Religion, Law, and Democracy Part I: Catholic Church and Political Order Mirjam Künkler and Tine Stein: Böckenförde on the relation of the Catholic Church and Christians to democracy and authoritarianism I: The Ethos of Modern Democracy and the Church [1957] II: German Catholicism in 1933: A Critical Examination [1961] III: Types of Christian Worldly Conduct during the Nazi-Regime [1965] IV: Religious Freedom Between the Conflicting Demands of Church and State [1964-79] Part II: State and Secularity Mirjam Künkler and Tine Stein: Böckenförde on the Secular State and Secular Law V: The Rise of the State as a Process of Secularization [1967] VI: The Fundamental Right of Freedom of Conscience [1969] VII: Remarks on the Relation between State and Religion in Hegel [1982] VIII: The Secularized State: Its Character, Justification, and Problems in the Twenty-First Century [2007] Part III: On the Theology of Law and Political Theory Mirjam Künkler and Tine Stein: Böckenförde on the Relationship Between Theology, Law and Political Theory IX: Political Theory and Political Theology: Comments on their reciprocal relationship [1981] X: Reflections on a Theology of Modern Secular Law [1999] XI: A Christian in the Office of Constitutional Judge [1999] XII: On the Authority of Papal Encyclicals: the Example of Pronouncements on Religious Freedom [2005] Part IV: Basic Norms and the Principle of Human Dignity Mirjam Künkler and Tine Stein: Böckenförde on the Right to Life, Human Dignity, and its Meta-positive Foundations XIII: Abolition of § 218 of the Criminal Code? Reflections on the Current debate about the prohibition of abortion under German Criminal Law [1971] XIV: Human Dignity as a Normative Principle: Fundamental Rights in the Bioethics Debate [2003] XV: Will Human Dignity Remain Inviolable? [2004] Part V: Böckenförde in Context XVI: Dieter Gosewinkel: Biographical Interview with Ernst-Wolfgang Böckenförde [2011]

Introduces Böckenförde's work on religion and its relation to democracy and secular law Contextualizes Böckenförde's work on law, religion, and democracy through detailed introductions and editors' commentary presenting Böckenförde as a social democrat, a political liberal, and a Catholic reformer Offers insight into Böckenförde's reflections on his religious commitments whilst serving as a judge on the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany

Ernst-Wolfgang Böckenförde (1930-2019) was a Professor emeritus of Public Law at the University of Freiburg. He is one of the best-known and most influential German legal scholars in the post-war period. From 1983-1996 he served as Justice of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany. In the 1960s, Böckenförde was one of the founders of the journal Der Staat - Zeitschrift für Staatslehre, Öffentliches Recht und Verfassungsgeschichte. He is a member of the Social Democratic Party and served as a long-time legal advisor to it.

Introduces Böckenförde's work on religion and its relation to law and democracy Contextualizes Böckenförde's work on law, religion, and democracy through detailed section introductions and editors' commentary Offers an insight into Böckenförde's experiences as a judge at the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany