Bainton presents the many strands that made up the Reformation in a single, brilliantly coherent account. He discusses the background for Luther's irreparable breach with the Church and its ramifications for 16th Century Europe, giving thorough accounts of the Diet of Worms, the institution of the Holy Commonwealth of Geneva, Henry VIII's break with Rome, and William the Silent's struggle for Dutch independence.
This volume brings together important research on the reception and representation of Jews and Judaism in late medieval German thought, the works of major Reformation-era theologians, scholars, and movements, and in popular literature and the visual arts. It also explores social, intellectual, and cultural developments within Judaism and Jewish responses to the Reformation in sixteenth-century Germany.
Continuing the tradition of historiographic studies, this volume provides an update on research in Reformation and early modern Europe. Written by expert scholars in the field, these eighteen essays explore the fundamental points of Reformation and early modern history in religious studies, European regional studies, and social and cultural studies. Authors review the present state of research in the field, new trends, key issues scholars are working with, and fundamental works in their subject area, including the wide range of electronic resources now available to researchers.
The book illustrates the fact that in reforming theology sixteenth century theologians also reformed practice or the imperatives of Christian living. Experts in reformation studies identify and elucidate areas of sixteenth century reforming activity in Martin Luther, John Calvin and other leading reformers to demonstrate the thoroughgoing nature of the reformation agenda. The interpretation of Scripture, the centrality of Jesus Christ, the Jewish question, freedom and pastoral insight form the contents of an important section on Luther. The use of feminine imagery for God, the Augsburg Confession, deification, education, and the gospel are treated in relation to Calvin. The final section deals with Oecolampadius, the Son of Man texts in Matthew, justification, texts on difficult deaths and a Trinitarian exegesis of Scripture. By careful reading of both the historical situation and the primary texts this volume adds significantly to our understanding of the period.
The Protestant Reformation of the 16th century has traditionally been viewed as marking the onset of modernity in Europe. It finally broke up the federal Christendom of the middle ages, under the leadership of the papacy and substituted for it a continent of autonomous and national states, independent of Rome. The Historical Dictionary of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation provides a comprehensive account of two chains of events_the Protestant Reformation and the Catholic Counter-Reformation_that have left an enduring imprint on Europe, America, and the world at large. This is done through a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and over 300 cross-referenced dictionary entries on persons, places, countries, institutions, doctrines, ideas, and events.
How was the Reformation received by the majority of England's people? How did parishioners negotiate a pathway through this period of rapid and repeated change, maintaining a positive attitude to the hurch? Why, by the early seventeenth century, did most people consider themselves Protestant? In this lively and accessible introduction to English religious life during the century of the Reformation, Marsh attempts to answer these key questions and build a distinctive interpretation of religious developments during the period. Drawing together a wide range of recent research and making extensive use of colourful contemporary evidence, the involvement of ordinary people within, alongside and beyond the Church is explained. Topics such as liturgical practice, church office, relations with the clergy, festivity, religious fellowships, chea print, 'magical' religion and dissent are all considered. The author concludes that the popular response was resourceful, creative and flexible though dependent upon the strength of ideas about Christian neighbourliness, and upon the numerous links that existed between pre- and post-Reformation religion. This continuity of community was a powerful force and reflected an instinctive compromise between the old and the new rather than the victory of one over the other. This book is about the construction of that compromise. -- Book cover.
