The Reformation: A History

Collinson, Patrick

ISBN 10: 0812972953 / ISBN 13: 9780812972955

Published by Modern Library, 2006

Former library book; Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0812972953I5N10

Synopsis:

"No revolution however drastic has ever involved a total repudiation of what came before it."

The religious reformations of the sixteenth century were the crucible of modern Western civilization, profoundly reshaping the identity of Europe's emerging nation-states. In The Reformation, one of the preeminent historians of the period, Patrick Collinson, offers a concise yet thorough overview of the drastic ecumenical revolution of the late medieval and Renaissance eras. In looking at the sum effect of such disparate elements as the humanist philosophy of Desiderius Erasmus and the impact on civilization of movable-type printing and "vulgate" scriptures, or in defining the differences between the evangelical (Lutheran) and reformed (Calvinist) churches, Collinson makes clear how the battles for mens' lives were often hatched in the battles for mens' souls.

Collinson also examines the interplay of spiritual and temporal matters in the spread of religious reform to all corners of Europe, and at how the Catholic Counter-Reformation used both coercion and institutional reform to retain its ecclesiastical control of Christendom. Powerful and remarkably well written, The Reformation is possibly the finest available introduction to this hugely important chapter in religious and political history.

About the Author: Patrick Collinson is Regius Professor of Modern History, Emeritus, Cambridge. A renowned scholar of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, his books include The Elizabethan Puritan Movement, The Religion of Protestants, and (as editor) The Sixteenth Century (Short Oxford History of The British Isles). He is a fellow of the British Academy and holds the CBE. He lives in Derbyshire and Cambridge.

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Reformation: A History
Publisher: Modern Library
Publication Date: 2006
Binding: Paperback
Condition: Fair
Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket