Although all these men were Christian, only five of the six who lived during the Reformation (among the eight men who are the central focus of the book) converted to Protestantism. Each represented their religious commitments differently, however, and the single merchant who did not convert (Fürer) spent much of his later career as a vigorous critic of Luther. The chapter also explores the religious commitments of other merchants who left Selbstzeugnisse during the period, some of whom provided richer evidence of their spiritual life and their support of ecclesiastical and charitable institutions.