Customer Reviews:
Very Interesting.......2007-07-23
Researching within the archives of the Inquisition in northeastern Italy, Ginzburg came across a set of records describing the trials of an obscure miller from the Friuli area. Menocchio, as he was known, repudiated a wide variety of conventional positions on religion, on politics, and even on cosmology. The title of the book reflects Menocchio's unusual and somewhat naturalistic idea about the origin of the universe. In Counter-Reformation Italy, these ideas were not merely unusual, they were regarded as actually dangerous. Following his second trial, in which Menocchio was found to be backsliding, he was executed.
Ginzburg presents Menocchio as an autodidact synthesizing ideas from a variety of sources. Menocchio may have acquired some ideas from Anabaptist radicals who had been active in the Friuli. Other ideas seem to have come from an eclectic, though limited, array of books. As Ginzburg points out, this is an example of the impact of printing. It brought such books as Mandeville's travels and possibly even the Koran into the hands of a lowly miller. Most controversially, Ginzburg argues that many of Menocchio's ideas result from or were influenced by a common European peasant world view whose nature has been largely lost to us. This is an interesting hypothesis which Ginzburg defends very well but it can only be a hypothesis. Neither Ginzburg nor anyone else has the data to evaluate this idea properly. It may be simply that Menocchio was a village crank; an intelligent man with relatively unique ideas.
Regardless of the final interpretation, this well written book provides an interesting view of life in Counter-Reformation Italy.
A rare view into the mind of a 16th century miller.......2007-05-30
It is rare that we can see how common people thought 500+ years ago (another source is the Icelandic Sagas). This book shows that books were read by common people, not just the leaders. In this case, this miller got into a lot of trouble by reading. Lets hope that our current freedom of thought is not restricted in the future.
Microhistory of the masses.......2004-12-13
Borne of the microhistory genre, "The Cheese and the Worms" provides a glimpse into the life of a miller in medieval Italy. No ordinary miller is 'Menocchio', however, as he is inquisitioned for his radical religious philosophies. In a time and place where Catholicism was undoubtedly the religion of Europe, Menocchio harbored unique ideas about religious doctrine, the teachings of the Catholic Church, and man's purpose. Although some of his many ideas contradict others that he had, he was well-read and surprisingly well-educated for a man of his station. As Ginzburg says, though, we must look to the Protestant Reformation and the invention of the printing press as being major catalysts for such learning and religious evolution. Within the microhistory genre, "The Cheese and the Worms" is most fascinating when we ask the question: Was this an isolated phenonmenon or was this a reflection of many people's views? The answer, I suppose, lies with Menocchio, but there is still much to be gleaned from this book.
Well written, fascinating tale.......2002-05-13
Description of a miller with an intresting ('modern') cosmological belief whose rebellion in thought is prosecuted by the Taliban of that time, the Roman Catholic Church. Forced to explain his nonAristotelian views (and, if Ginzburg is telling the truth, he responded extremely well to the inquisitors' questions!), the miller outwits his arrogant, narrow-minded judges and so wins the reward of torture and imprisonment, losing his wife, family, everything in the end. Galileo, who had a higher social position and powerful protectors, suffered no worse than house arrest, in comparison.
Keep this book in mind.......2002-03-04
Anytime you want to tell yourself that the Catholic Church isn't that bad, just keep this book in mind. It is just more proof that the church is the most corrupt institution in the history of time. . .with that in mind. The book is very interesting, it deals with the trial of a smart man at the time who was accused of heresy. So throughout the trial we begin to realize how well read this man is and how well he has developed his ideas. It is a good case study of the life of a common man in 1599.
Book Description
Beginning with the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century, this second volume of The Story of Christianity continues narrative history to the present. Historian Justo Gonzalez brings to life the people, dramatic events, and shaping ideas of Protestantism, Catholicism, and Orthodoxy during this period, keynoting crucial theological developments while providing fresh understanding of the social, political, and economic forces that influenced the formation of the church. In particular, the author notes recurring themes of unrest, rebellion, and reformation.
Gonzalez presents an illuminating record of the lives, impelling ideas, and achievements of such prominent figures as Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, and John Calvin––movers and shapers in the emerging Protestant church. His biographical insights, in conjunction with vivid historical accounts, reveal how individual lives mirror and clarify core theological concerns and developments.
The interpretive overview of The Story of Christianity includes a thorough and timely analysis of the growth and maturation of Christianity, including events in Europe, the United States, and Latin America––the latter an area too often neglected in church histories, yet increasingly vital to an understanding of Christianity's historical development, present situation, and future, options.
Gonzalez's richly textured study discusses the changes and directions of the church in the traditions of Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, and Eastern Christianity. The Story of Christianity covers such recent occurrences as the World Council of Churches, the Second Vatican Council, the movement toward Christian unity, and much more. It concludes with a thoughtful look at the major issues and debates involving Christians today.
Customer Reviews:
Strong historical survey.......2007-01-13
This is a very accessible, readable history, but it's extremely thorough, and useful for many applications. Highly recommended.
History of Christianity.......2006-02-21
I found this book to be a great introductory text about the history of Christianity. Gonzalez does a great job of presenting history in a thematical, narrative form that captures the mind of the reader. Very little is dry and dusty history lesson, but instead is written with ease of reading in mind. Also, one of the best things is the chronology of events for each section in the book.
Excellent historical overview.......2006-02-02
Gonzalez does it again! Like the first volume, the book covers a breadth of significant events in a manner that is readable and understandable. Well organized and indexed, it is a valuable reasource whether you are reading entire sections or just looking up a person or event. Though not in depth (hey, it's only two volumes!) the book does give an strong overview of important people and happenings.
This is a clear book.......2005-12-22
This book is much more clear and streamlined than Latourette's History of Christianity book.
Essential and fascinating.......2005-09-02
This is a very readable and detailed history (in two volumes) of the Christian religion from the time of the Apostles until 1984, when the book was published. I read this book out of general interest, although I understand that it is widely used for college courses on church history and doctrine. The history of the church is a huge topic, and Gonzalez has a real talent for summarizing complex developments and making them very accessible for a general reader. No special background in theology or history is required to appreciate this wonderful account. Gonzalez is apparently Protestant, but he gives a fair and balanced account of all denominations, including Catholic and Orthodox. He also includes mysticism and the radical sects. He is aware of the current scholarship, but he doesn't get bogged down in the numerous scholarly controversies of historians. He doesn't succumb to revisionism and p.c.; he's not afraid to call a spade a spade. But if there is genuine ambiguity and grounds for debate, he does mention that. The two volumes of this book also work well as a concise history of western civilization from year one until 1984. Gonzalez is able to identify the most important events and issues and describe them clearly and concisely. The major theological movements are described very briefly. This is not primarily a history of doctrine, but rather a history of the various Christian churches.
Footnotes are kept to an absolute minimum here, in order to avoid unnecessary distractions. Suggestions for further reading are given at the end of each section, but these are very incomplete. For example, the only suggestion for further reading on English Puritanism was published in 1912.
Gonzalez's area of special interest is Latin American Christianity, and so he devotes some space to the history of Christianity there from the time of the Spanish Conquistadores to the Liberation theology of the late 20th century. Since this book was written before the demise of the Soviet Union, I think a revised edition is in order.
Average customer rating:
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Humanists and Reformers: A History of the Renaissance and Reformation
Bard Thompson
Manufacturer: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0802836917 |
Customer Reviews:
Thorough and Friendly.......2001-02-05
I have been reading sections of this book for a class in Church History that I am co-teaching this semester, and I love it. Thompson does an inspiring job at making each individual a "real person" for the reader, which is often hard to find in history texts. Also, his in-depth and thorough look at both movements and people never becomes pedantic or tiresome, but rather creates a greater context into which these elements truly make sense. His writing is reachable, clear, humorous - friendly to the casual and professional student of the Reformation. Highly recommended!
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The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Reformation: 4-Volume Set
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0195064933 |
Book Description
In 1517, Martin Luther's legendary Ninety-five Theses set in motion a chain of events that fundamentally altered European history. The resulting Reformation of the sixteenth century proved to be one of the most important and far-reaching phenomena of an era marked by dramatic religious and social upheaval. A critical chapter in the history of Christian thought, the movement provoked political, social, and cultural transformations that profoundly changed the Western world. The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Reformation is the first major reference to cover the immense subject of the Reformation in its entirety. Setting the issues of theology and ecclesiology within the broader context of the social and intellectual history of the time, it is the most authoritative reference available on early modern European society as a whole. The Encyclopedia is a unique compendium of contemporary scholarship focusing on the complete range of religious and social changes wrought by the Reformation-- including not only issues of church polity and theology but also related developments in politics, economics, demographics, art, and literature. It is an unparalleled source of information on the personalities and events of the era, with broad coverage ranging from biographies to extensive treatments of topics such as Lutheranism, women, law, the Augsburg Confession, music, the Holy Roman Empire, peasants, the Bible, persecution, and literacy. Offering exhaustive interdisciplinary and international coverage of all aspects of the Reformation, this is the ultimate reference on the subject. Transcending the bounds of denominational encyclopedias and dictionaries of Reformation history currently available, it offers the only comprehensive picture of western Europe and the British Isles, along with southern Europe, Scandinavia, and east-central Europe in the early modern period. It is the first source scholars, students, and general readers in any discipline will reach for when studying the Reformation.
Customer Reviews:
A very fine, accurate, brief review of European History.......2007-08-04
The student above who felt this review book was too LONG completely misses the point. One does not read through a book like this as a substitute for the textbook -- which is what I imagine this poor young student though he could do. One relies on it to clarify areas of confusion. As a good reference and review book to read either before a chapter or as review afterward, this is a genuinely excellent book.
First, it's a nice size. It's smaller (height and width) than most of the enormously giant-sized review books available so it's like a real book. And it's printed on real paper, not cheap newsprint like most of the AP review books are. Small enough that you can easily grab it off the shelf or carry it around with you. And, the page layout makes it easy to find things. Everything is treated in brief paragraphs with clear topic headings. Pages are brief so you move through it page-after-page very quickly. It really couldn't be easier to use.
As a history teacher, I look into this book from time to time to double-check an historical issue or event or to check up on correct chronology of events I can't quite recall. It saves a lot of time compared to paging through much longer, denser books.
As a review book, I imagine this would be very good to refresh a student's memory of lots of important (and, frankly, many less important!) events, people, and ideas. However, students who are looking for a book to replace their textbook will be disappointed as this book assumes you have some idea what is going on historically. You could read it alone and understand the history pretty well, but I doubt you'd be very confident without the analysis of the textbook which this does not have.
The one thing most lacking from books like this is overall themes and ideas. Most review books lack this so this is not so much a criticism as something to be aware of. History has patterns, themes, and MAJOR themes to be aware of (The rise of democracy, the clash of civilizations, the struggle for equality, impact of the Enlightenment, the impact of economic changes . . . and so on). If all you know are facts, events, and dates, you will be lost--but you already knew that!
This book assumes you are aware of these themes (See your textbook or your teacher if you aren't -- believe me, they are very important) and is designed simply to remind you of all that pesky information you might not have understood so well the first time. In that respect, this is a very fine book and clearly worth the money as one of the better European History review books.
Another caveat: It is NOT designed specifically to prepare you to "ace" the AP exam. It doesn't have the usual tips and tricks stuff that most review books have. It is designed for students who want to understand and remember the history, not for students that want quick shortcuts to faking out the exam. Of course, it goes without saying that students who understand the history tend to "ace" the exam -- without shortcuts and so-called "insider" information that isn't really very useful.
4 stars only because of lack of larger themes, but I'm a very tough grader!
Must Have for the AP Euro Exam.......2007-05-14
I had one of the most boring textbooks invented for the AP Euro class. I couldn't stand reading it and as a result, I was not one of the top scorers on the tests in my class. However, I used this book to study for my in-class final and the AP exam and I did well on both. Thanks to this book, I got a 5 on the AP. The book has good information and it helped me learn things that my AP teacher did not teach in our class. I recommend that you buy this book in order to do well on the AP. My only negative comment is that it has no practice exams but since the book is not associated with AP, it is a flaw that is easy to forgive.
Modern European History.......2007-03-12
Very helpful book. It has maps in it and its written in a very good language and nothing fancy.
it's great.......2007-03-01
i just took the ap euro exam last year (got a 5) and this was my favorite prep book out of all prep books (also had barrons and REA). concise, easy to carry around, excellent index, even smells nice (if you're a weirdo like me who likes to sniff bookpaper)- mod euro history condensed my piles of lecture notes to little easy-to-read paragraphs. altho i wouldn't recommend solely studying from this book (read your textbook and notes too. make flashcards till your hand falls off.), I definitely recommend getting it.
Perfect for Reviewing for Tests.......2007-01-24
So, I just finished my AP Euro class (the class exam was last week). I managed to get an A in what is considered a highly difficult course at my school, and I can proudly say that I only read my textbook the first week of the class. While other students spent hours poring over tedious 5 pt. font pages in our convoluted textbook, I simply read this. Before every M/C test or essay, I would quickly read the chapter[s] that corresponded with whatever subject we were studying. Many times, Modern European History had answers to questions on the test that the textbook didn't even mention. It covers every topic in the textbook in appropriate depth, and makes everything truly easy to understand. I highly recommend this; it saved my life!
Book Description
The Story of Christianity, Volume 1, is an informative, interesting, and consistently readable narrative history. It brings alive the people, dramatic events, and ideas that shaped the first fifteen centuries of Europe, such as the Spanish and Portuguese conquest of the New World. Historian Justo Gonzalez shows how various social, political, and economic movements affected Christianity's internal growth.
Gonzalez skillfully weaves in relevant details from the lives of prominent figures from the apostles to John Wycliffe, tracing out core theological issues and developments as reflected in the lives and struggles of leading thinkers within the various traditions of the church. "The history of the church, while showing all the characteristics fo human history, is much more than the history of an institution or movement," Gonzalez stresses. "It is a history of the deeds of the spirit in and through the men and women who have gone before in the faith." The Story of Christianity demonstrates at each point what new challenges and opportunities faced the church, and how Christians struggled with the various options open to them, thereby shaping the future direction of the church.
The Story of Christianity will serve as a fascinating introduction to the panoramic history of Christianity for students and teachers of church history, for pastors, and for general readers.
Customer Reviews:
Thorough and readable.......2007-09-27
As a former history major and social studies teacher I have read a lot of history books. Gonzalez's "The Story of Christinity: Vol. 1" is one of the best history books I've read b/c of its amazing readability. Like the title implies Gonzalez is telling a story and it was such a well told story that I found myself reading far ahead of the class reading assignments for my Ancient Church History class in seminary. The book covers Christian history from just after the time of the Apostles right through to the Renaissance. In addition to readability this book's main strength is that it covers Church history in Africa, Asia, and the South American in addition to Europe. This opens up a whole new world to most of us who have only heard the story of the Church in Europe. There were so many amazing stories that I want to know more and will read some of the suggested readings Gonzalez compiled at the end of each section. Lastly, this book is one of the best I've read b/c it does not shrink from telling the inspiring stories Christians need to spur us on to greater love for God, but it also tells the stories that we don't want to hear about the evil that has been done in the name of Christ by many well-meaing and not so well-meaning people through the ages. This book is a must read!
Excellent introduction to the 1st 1500 years of Church history.......2007-03-16
I read this book as a layman somewhat well-read in theology, but less so in church history. Given that, I thought Gonzalez' work fantastically fit the bill as an introduction to the growth of the church.
The book is logically broken down into several chronological segments, to include the apostolic church, the early post-apostolic church, the imperial church, and on into the medieval church. Within each of these blocks of time, Gonzalez covers the growth of the church, and the actions of Christians, through the major geographical centers and with respect to the major geopolitical events. For example: the early growth of the church through a somewhat ambivalent Roman empire, primarily between Jewish communities; the early martyrs as the Roman empire grew hostile; the growth of monasticism, encouraged by the imperial adoption of Christianity and the new "ease" of becoming a Christian; the various heresies that developed, and the responses of the various councils as doctrine was codified; and so forth.
The primary emphasis is on the Western church, ie, the Catholic Church in its centers of both Rome and Constantinople. A balanced coverage is given to the various theological centers, although the trend is westward as the church begins to split. Reasonable coverage is given to Eastern Orthodoxy, but the emphasis at the dawn of the second millenium is on the Roman Catholic Church, tracking both the honorable and less than honorable actions of popes, councils, and bishops leading toward the Reformation. In addition to the actions of the major portions of the visible church, due attention is given to various groups (eg, the Waldensians, the Hussites) whose thought was a precursor to, or even influenced, later groups such as the Reformers.
As I understand it, Gonzalez is a Protestant. This is probably detectable in the book, but all in all he gives a fair and balanced coverage of the various groups of the church. Mention is also made of other, perhaps lesser known, aspects of the church, to include the Persian church, the Indian church, and, briefly, the spread of Christianity to China. For significant depth in these areas, one would do well to continue on to other resources as well.
The only weak point I'll highlight is footnotes. Gonzalez' gives "Suggested Reading" lists at the end of each major section of the book, but footnotes would be a useful addition to highlight, for example, source materials for some of the more esoteric pieces of information about the early church.
As an intro to church history, this book is a "must read"!
Strong historical survey.......2007-01-12
This is a very accessible, readable history, but it's extremely thorough, and useful for many applications. Highly recommended.
Opening Narrative to the Story of Christianity.......2006-12-07
This is a summary of the first seventeen pages of The Story of Christianity, Volume 1, The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation. This book was written by Justo L. Gonzalez. In the early chapters of this writing, it is clear that the author is writing in narrative form and that subsequent chapters merely build upon the earlier issues or incidences that occur as the history of the church is unfolded.
Firstly, the author asserts that Christians were first-century Jews. To describe Christianity, Gonzalez then goes on to examine the geography of its beginnings, the culture and politics of the day, and variations to the normal views. Palestine becomes a central location to many of the narratives concerning Christianity's growth. The author implies that Christianity spread because of the location of Palestine; and that because it was invaded regularly for its resources, that other nations were exposed to it. Despite the Hellenistic culture of the day, Christians would not bow to other gods that came with the culture and therefore became known to be obstinate. This seeming obstinance led to Roman authorities putting down the seemingly `Christian rebellion,' but more likely was a reaction to radical or Zealot Jews than to Jewish Christians. Within Judaism there were varying beliefs.....some conservative and others more liberal in their beliefs. Notably so, were the Pharisees, who believed in a final resurrection; as opposed to the Sadducees, who did not. In addition was a group called the Essenes, who were a sect that withdrew from the larger number of Jews and believed that the end of the world would be sooner than later. Because the Sadducees were more involved in the temple, their philosophy began to disappear with the destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70.
Secondly, although the temple was destroyed, Christianity continued to blossom despite language barriers, counter-cultural issues, and politics. Because of new language barriers, the Hebrew Old Testament had to be translated into Greek and Aramaic. The Greek translation was known as the Septuagint, which helped spread the message to Gentiles. Some Jews fought to avert being assimilated into the Hellenistic culture, while others sought to integrate with the culture to further the recording of Jewish history. Finally, the politics of the day became troublesome for early Christians being that citizens would be required to bow to a Pantheon of gods and the Roman emperor himself. Certainly, there were advantages during the Roman rule such as protection of certain individuals under the law, the latitude that some rulers had with the law, which brought a level of `civilization' to the time. But, those same characteristics also brought abuse in some cases. That is when certain philosophical ideas would help Christians explain their faith in a climate that favored reason and logic.
This book is awesome in the way that it narrates the story of historical christianity. It makes it easy to understancd why historical personalities did what they did.
An excellent introduction.......2006-03-03
Recently I was asked to recommend some books for a burgeoning scholar of early Christianity and this was the first book I chose. It offers a very good introduction to the history of Western Christianity, treating most subjects well despite limited space. Still this book is not meant to be comprehensive, but instead to provide the basics of the Christian story in the West, and it does a fine job of this.
Book Description
A two-volume study of political thought from the late thirteenth to the end of the sixteenth century, the decisive period of transition from medieval to modern political theory. The work is intended to be both an introduction to the period for students, and a presentation and justification of a particular approach to the interpretation of historical texts. Quentin Skinner gives an outline account of all the principal texts of the period, discussing in turn the chief political writings of Dante, Marsiglio, Bartolus, Machiavelli, Erasmus and more, Luther and Calvin, Bodin and the Calvinist revolutionaries. But he also examines a very large number of lesser writers in order to explain the general social and intellectual context in which these leading theorists worked. He thus presents the history not as a procession of ‘classic texts’ but are more readily intelligible. He traces by this means the gradual emergence of the vocabulary of modern political thought, and in particular the crucial concept of the State. We are given an insight into the actual processes of the formation of ideologies and into some of the linkages between political theory and practice. Professer Skinner has been awarded the Balzan Prize Life Time Achievement Award for Political Thought, History and Theory. Full details of this award can be found at http://www.balzan.it/News_eng.aspx?ID=2474
Customer Reviews:
Excellent.......2007-08-02
This fine book is devoted to the emergence of basic political concepts during the Renaissance and Reformation. This includes Republicanism, constitutionalism, the beginnings of the idea of popular sovereignty, individual rights, religious toleration, the right to rebel against unjust rulers, and the concept of the state. Skinner's approach is a fine example of the "contextual" approach to intellectual history. Skinner analyzes not the work of major thinkers like Machiavelli and Erasmus, but also a host of less well known writers with a strong effort to recover an unanachronistic understanding of key concepts. Skinner is particularly good on the specific historic events and problems that precipitated conceptual developments. For example, initial Lutheran political writings stressed obedience to rulers, even to unjust rulers. These positions make sense in light of Luther's concern to prevent his reformation from causing social disruption and the need to secure the support of German princes. When the Lutherans were faced with the possiblity that Charles V would superimpose the Counter-Reformation by force, Lutheran thinkers began to develop rationales for justifying active resistance. These Lutheran discussions of resistance would fuel the development of the concept of the right of resistance to unjust governments, a key feature of the political theory of Locke, among others.
Another major strength of Skinner's analysis is his elucidation of the important role played by late Medieval thought in developing key concepts that would be used by Renaissance and Reformation theorists. Key ideas in the history of Republicanism, constitutionalism, and key concepts of rights are traced back to important Medieval thinkers like William of Ockham, Marsiglio of Padua, and others. Skinner shows how Renaissance and Reformation intellectuals used these ideas in the specific context of contemporary problems, what innovations were introduced, and how different traditions interacted with each other to produce modern concepts.
Skinner is a lucid writer and this book is quite well organized with a fine bibliography.
A failure of a great vision.......2007-01-31
I bought this book based on Skinner's reputation and influence. There is something "seminal" about the "Cambridge school", supposedly. After seeing one too many footnotes to Skinner in other books, I decided I nedeed to fill in the gaps.
As Skinner makes clear in his preface, his three goals in writing this two volume, very expensive paperback were (a) to offer an outline of the principal texts of late medieval and early modern political thought; (b) to use texts in order to illuminate a more general historical theme, the process by which the modern concept of the State came to be formed; and (c) to exemplify a particular way of approaching the study and interpretation of historical texts that attempts to put texts in their context (a "social and intellectual matrix"), "a history centred less on the classic texts and more on the history of ideologies, my aim being to construct a general framework within which the writings of the more prominent theorists can then be situated." When I started this book, I was most interested in (c) above, because in the abstract it seems like a difficult, but necessary project.
Skinner succeeds wonderfully in accomplishing (a) but fails in (b) and (c). Skinner covers a lot of ground, describing not only the major high water marks of the intellectual development of political theory in northern Italy and beyond. He delves into analyses of texts that often get overlooked. In this respect, it is a well-done work.
But Skinner plays fast and loose with both the time sequence of the ideas and events he describes and the connection between ideas and social, material, and political context of those ideas, making it difficult to understand what is really driving political thought.
In chapter one, Skinner does a good job of establishing part of the situation - de facto independent city-states of the Regnum Italicum of northern Italy were caught in a power struggle between the Holy Roman Empire that claimed jurisdiction to rule over the city states as part of the Empire and the Holy See in Rome that claimed a temporal authority to rule Italy. Skinner does a good job of showing how different ideologues of the time lined up on different sides of the debates to give justification to the different options - allegiance to the Empire, allegiance to the Church, or "Liberty", understood as autonomy of the cities of the Regnum Italicum. Bartolus of Saxoferrato (1314-57), a University-based jurist and scholar of Roman law, was, by Skinner's account, the architect of the arguments against the Empire in favor of city-state autonomy; a long string of what Skinner calls "lawyer-popes" elaborated a complex legalistic vision of the Church as what we would now call the "secular" ruler of Italy through a long series of papal decrees; Dante, who had been exiled from Florence by the pro-Church city rulers, in 1309-13 in his book "Monarchy" argued against the Church in favor of the Empire. And Marsiglio of Padua (1275 to 1342) in his book "The Defender of Peace" (1324) according to Skinner, was a defender of the "liberty" and jurisdiction autonomy of "faithful human legislators" of each kingdom against the alleged power and authority of the Church.
Skinner writes about these writers and their political ideas almost as if they were operating in an idea-world detached from the real world. When Skinner talks about putting ideas in context, he means simply relating those ideas to other ideas of other writers. He does not mean relating those ideas to the political, economic or social context in which they emerged. Skinner avoids the question of why any one set of ideas would be more persuasive for someone in the context of 14th century Italy: why would any citizen of any city-state choose to struggle for the autonomy of the city states, Empire rule or Church rule? Wars were fought over this question - so surely it is not a secondary question. Skinner's narrative takes at face value the idea that "liberty" is self-evidently the preferred political principle around which the Italian citizens were united. Is Dante then just a deluded marginal figure? Did anyone support the Pope's power grab? The idea that some abstract notion of "Liberty" explains why anyone would resist the Empire or the Church is not self-evident outside of Hollywood movies and other cheap narratives.
Problems in Skinner's analysis emerge once we begin Chapter two. In broad strokes Skinner tries to construct a temporal narrative, starting roughly in the middle ages and ending at the dawn of modernity. But within that large frame, he plays fast and loose with time sequence. The discussion of Bartolus, who was not even born until Dante had already written "Monarchy" comes several pages before Dante's text is even mentioned or discussed. In Chapter 1, Skinner analyzes Marsiglio's 1324 text in the context of the struggle for autonomy of city states against Church and Empire, proping Marsiglio up as a great defender of the Liberty of the city states. But Skinner begins Ch 2 by pointing out that the "brilliant flame of liberty throughout the Italian City Republics provide to be a sadly short-lived spectacle" because by the end of the 13th century despots had taken control of almost all the city states. This changes the significance of Marsiglio's writings completely but Skinner attaches no importance to this: Marsiglio was not a defender of the liberty of some self-governing republics against the kings and popes - he was the defender of the authority of local dictators. Opposition to local despots - not marginal crackpot thinking - might explain why any Italian in the early 14th century would favor more power for the pope or the emperor. But these are my conclusions having gone back and reverse engineered Skinner's narrative. Skinner does not advance this idea. The rest of the narrative continues along the same path: ideas are described in a vacuum, events, people, and texts are described out of temporal sequence and later in his narrative Skinner brings to light points that seem to change the significance of the points he made in earlier chapters.
Whether I read Volume II, based on my experience with I, is an open question still. I find it shocking that this was published in two volumes, rather than one. The book is short - 304 pages if we include the index. Volume II is about the same. They could easily have been published as a single volume. The retail price of the paperback is also somewhat outrageous. Volumes I and II together will cost over $50. This is excessive, especially for the kind of text that Skinner has produced. Apparently this sort of scholarship - "contextualization of ideas within a network of ideas" is all the rage among some historians (which is why Skinner books can fetch top dollar), but it is fundamentally flawed.
Overall, Skinner's work has left me very unsatisfied. While his reputation might justify the price tag of his books, the quality of his thinking does not. Skinner is a good historian, but his achievement in this book falls short of his aspirations and he has left way too many obvious questions unanswered.
Radical Calvinism and the Natural Right of Resistance.......2006-01-03
Out of the religious wars between the Protestants and the Catholic Church emerged a suprisingly modern theory of individual natural rights and justified violent resistance to authority. Using ancient Roman private law concepts to justify rebellion against tyrants, Radical Calvinists such as John Ponet, Christopher Goodman, George Buchanan - all of Scotland and England, contributed, while Francois Hotman, Theodore Beza and Mornay of France transformed an essentially religious duty to resist into a secular, moral, and even natural, right of resistance.
Prior to 1530, Skinner says that Lutherans and Calvinists followed a "theory of passive political obedience" and "their leaders were almost wholly unprepared to defend their Church". Calvin thought, to oversimplify a bit, that all rulers were ordained by God, good or bad, and that man, as God's subjects, must endure the Divine Plan. Luther restated his position in 1530 - "It is in no way proper for anyone who wants to be a Christian to stand up against the authority of his government, regardless of whether that government acts rightly or wrongly".
However, a few months later, the Catholics had outlawed the Lutherans (Diet of 1530) and then Gregory Bruck, Chancellor to John of Saxony, wrote his private-law theory of resistance "Whether it is lawful to resist a judge who is proceeding unlawfully". Bruck took the view that "The Emperor is seeking to impose his judgement in matters of faith" where he "has absolutely no jurisdiction at all". Then in October, as a result of a meeting at the Palace of Torgau, Luther capitulated - "until now we have taught absolutely not to resist the governing authority [because] . . . we did not know that the governing authority's law itself grants the right of armed resistance".
Skinner says "after the immediate crisis had passed, the Lutherans not only continued to endorse the private-law theory of resistance, but even began to revise and develop it", including Luther. Here Luther smacked counter to Calvin by stating in 1539 that "The Emperor is head of the body of the political realm", and as such is "a private man to whom political power is granted for the defence of the realm". The Lutherans also developed a constitutional theory of resistance in that lesser politicos are equally ordained by God and thus can outnumber an unrighteous superior, but this theory did not develop into a natural right of resistance.
However, Skinner says "the basic argument in favour of resistance advanced by the Calvinists (during the late 1540s) . . . was largely a repetition of the Lutheran constitutonal theory". He adds "When we turn, however, from the continental leaders of Calvinism to the more revolutionary protagonists of the movement in England, we find a very different situation . . . the Scots and English revolutionaries . . . began to exploit the more individualistic and radically populist implications of the private-law argument".
Ponet and Goodman abandoned "the cardinal Augustinian assumption that, even if our rulers fail to discharge the duties of their offices, they must still be regarded as powers ordained of God". Goodman used Conciliar thinking to bring him to the conclusion that "it is lawful for the people, yea it is their duty, to do it themselves", thereby ensuring that they "cut off every rotten member" and to impose the law of God "as well upon their own rulers and magistrates as upon others of their brethren". Goodman thought God would punish anyone who did not carry out their duty, and armed thus, Calvinists revolted successfully from the Catholics.
At this point in history, "the radical Calvinists of the 1530s have no such concept of political resistance as a right" apart from a religious duty. This thinking was later accomplished "by the Huguenots during the French religious wars in the second half of the sixteenth century".
Skinner says "Since [the Huguenots]. . . were in a considerable minority, they could scarcely hope to invoke the available Calvinist theory of revolution, and demand . . . that the whole body of the godly people should rise up against the congregation of Satan in order to establish the congregation of Christ. They needed to develop a revolutionary ideology capable of appealing . . . to the various Catholic malcontents".
The French monarchy "had rendered itself so unpopular in the first half of the sixteenth century", that the Huguenots sought to appeal to the general discontent. The Huguenot monarchomachs (those who argued for the right and/or duty of subjects to resist unjust rulers), best exemplified by Francois Hotman's "Franco-Gallia"(1573), concentrated on grounding their arguments on real or presumed historical precedents in French laws and institutions resulting in a rather narrowly legal and historical argument. Their conclusions and implications were limited to promoting specific liberties of various privileged orders in French society.
Skinner says "The essence of the Huguenot case is thus that the magistrates and representatives of the people have the moral right to resist tyrannical government by force, a right which is founded on the prior and natural right of the sovereign people to treat the commonwealth as a means for securing and improving their own welfare". He concludes that "with Beza, Mornay and their followers, the idea that the preservation of religious uniformity constitutes the sole possible grounds for legitimate resistance is finally abandoned. The result is a fully political theory of revolution, founded on a recognisably modern, secularised thesis about the natural rights and original sovereignty of the people".
In summary, Skinners says that Radical Calvinism developed a secular, moral, and natural right of resistance. Yet it seems to me that they did so grudgingly and never really fully grasped natural law or natural rights. J.W. Allen noted in his "A History of Political Thought in the Sixteenth Century", p314, that the language of universal natural rights "served no Huguenot purpose. It served, in truth, no purpose at all at the time, though, one day, it might come to do so".
About eight and a half stars, strictly.......2005-04-28
If you are the unlikely sort of person who buys books like this on the basis of recommendations from Amazon reviewers, then I can only reassure you that you won't be disappointed: it is of a scale with the reputation that preceeds it.
(But don't forget to buy volume two as well.)
Amazon.com
Diarmaid MacCulloch wrote what is widely considered to be the authoritative account of the Reformation—a critical juncture in the history of Christianity. "It is impossible to understand modern Europe without understanding these sixteenth-century upheavals in Latin Christianity," he writes. "They represented the greatest fault line to appear in Christian culture since the Latin and Greek halves of the Roman Empire went their separate ways a thousand years before; they produced a house divided." The resulting split between the Catholics and Protestants still divides Christians throughout the Western world. It affects interpretations of the Bible, beliefs about baptisms, and event how much authority is given to religious leaders. The division even fuels an ongoing war. What makes MacCulloch's account rise above previous attempts to interpret the Reformation is the breadth of his research. Rather than limit his narrative to the actions of key theologians and leaders of the era—Luther, Zingli, Calvin, Loyola, Cranmer, Henry VIII and numerous popes—MacCulloch sweeps his narrative across the culture, politics and lay people of Renaissance Western Europe. This broad brush approach touches upon many fascinating discussions surrounding the Reformation, including his belief that the Latin Church was probably not as "corrupt and ineffective" as Protestants tend to portray it. In fact, he asserts that it "generally satisfied the spiritual needs of the late medieval people." As a historical document, this 750-page narrative has all the key ingredients. MacCulloch, a professor of history as the Church of Oxford University, is an articulate and vibrant writer with a strong guiding intelligence. The structure is sensible—starting with the main characters who influenced reforms, then spreading out to the regional concerns, and social intellectual themes of the era. He even fast forwards into American Christianity—showing how this historical era influences modern times. MacCulloch is a topnotch historian—uncovering material and theories that will seem fresh and inspired to Reformation scholars as well as lay readers. --Gail Hudson
Book Description
At a time when men and women were prepared to kill—and be killed—for their faith, the Reformation tore the Western world apart. Acclaimed as the definitive account of these epochal events, Diarmaid MacCulloch's award-winning new history brilliantly re-creates the religious battles of priests, monarchs, scholars, and politicians—from the zealous Martin Luther to the radical Loyola, from the tortured Cranmer to the ambitious Philip II.
Drawing together the many strands of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, and ranging widely across Europe and the New World, MacCulloch reveals as never before
how these dramatic upheavals affected everyday lives—overturning ideas of love, sex, death, and the supernatural, and shaping the modern age.
Customer Reviews:
Read it ... when you're ready.......2007-10-20
I give this book five stars because, even as an avid reader of history, it is rare for me to read a book this lengthy, detailed, and serious without ever getting bogged down, but I didn't with this book. It provides deep and informed insights into the culture and mindsets of people during this time. I liked, for example, the description of the late medieval "intercession industry" in which masses were said on behalf of the deceased to lessen their time in purgatory. Anyone who has toured medieval and early modern churches has noticed the abundance of side chapels, which makes more sense after understanding the "intercession industry".
However, this book is not for the first-time general reader. Its focus is squarely on the intellectual history, religious ideas and practices, and cultural ramifications of the Reformation. Traditional historical narrative relating to political, military, and diplomatic events is fairly sparse, even for clearly related events such as the religious wars. For example, the Thirty Years War receives only 15 pages while attitudes towards love and sex receive 60 pages. The book assumes the reader has a basic familiarity with the time period. A friend of mine who was very interested in the topic gave up reading the book because he admitted to feeling lost. If you haven't read any early modern history, you should consider the book, "The Age of Religious Wars, 1559-1715" by Richard S. Dunn as a starting point to this time period.
The Age of Religious Wars, 1559-1715 (Norton History of Modern Europe)
I don't understand reviewer comments that complain about the organization of the book. The first two parts are mostly chronological. Part I provides a picture of the pre-Reformation church and discusses the milder, earlier phase of the Reformation up to about 1570. The point of view is Europe-wide, a sensible choice for this phase. Part II discusses the more violent second phase through 1648 and is mostly organized along regional lines. Part III is dedicated solely to cultural themes. This is not a perfect organizational scheme because of overlaps between topics, but given the complex web of material presented here I doubt critics could find a much better scheme.
Informative, brilliant, but disorganized .......2007-10-06
As an educated non professional reader, I found this book infuriating; it is packed with what was for me new and fascinating information, but often written in such a way that I constantly found myself skipping back a couple hundred pages or forward a couple hundred in order to make sense of the author's writing. There is no timeline, and the book is written with a confused chronology often referring to events or ideas the author hasn't explained yet. But on a page to page basis, when this doesn't happen, he writes lucidly and with interest. And admittedly, its an overwhelmingly large subject and yet the scope of the book is one of it's strengths. He did communicate a sense of the scale of the times, and the different ways ideas and cultures were transformed. I really felt that the book needed a better editing, that it just got pushed out there without anyone sorting it out that one last critical time. Still,I learned an enormous amount and wouldn't part with my copy for anything, since I'll have to reread it more than once to really solidify my understanding. It was particularly fascinating in context of modern "fundementalism" and has led to new perspectives on our culture today as well as the development of the early modern world of Europe and the Colonies.
Clueless book.......2007-09-28
This book does not deserve the praise it has recieved. Firstly, it tries to cover in one book an amount of material that would have demanded three, resulting in a wandering and unsatisfyingly diffuse story that brings to mind Winston Churchill's complaint about an over-elaborate dessert: this pudding has no theme. You cannot put into one story everything that happened during two hundred crowded years and expect a coherent narrative to emerge.
Worse yet, however, is the bizarre attitude of the author towards his materials. He neither shares nor in even the most superficial way even understands Christian faith. He has the ludicrous habit of apologizing--in the wierd form of stating that he makes no apology--for his very rare (and always simplistic) discussions of theology. It is as if he thought his readership consisted exclusively of people who wanted a strictly economic and political account of the Reformation and would run away if he began to mention religion without a disclaimer. Because he places compromise and moderation above any actual values, he wildly misinterprets the conduct of his characters. Someone trying to get the Catholic Church to accept a Calvinist doctrine of the eucharist is not a "moderate"--he is someone trying to undermine the Catholic Church. The essential thing for someone writing a history of this kind is that he understand the issues at stake, and of this Mr. MacCulloch is entirely incapable.
Finally, while I am not an advocate of the "great men" school of history, this story would have been enlivened had some more use been made of the dynamic men and women of that age as "characters". Instead this book almost aggressively relegates individuals to the background in favour of impersonal forces. The death of Luther, for example--with a dramatic account of which a more competent story-teller would have ended a chapter--is here mentioned almost in a parenthesis while discussing something else.
There must be a better history of the Reformation out there somewhere.
The Via Media of Reformation Histories.......2007-07-27
The reviewers' comments on the dust jacket are accurate. MacCulloch's tome is an authorative text on this fascinating chapter of European history, a history that has touched every corner of the globe.
Written with wit, humour, a formidable grasp of the many strands of Europe's multi-faceted life and lives, appreciations of the high and low born, a deep respect for the many "spotted brides" of Christ and their complex and varied theologies, and, above all, a sense of awe and wonder at the richness of humanity at its exalted best and debased worst.
MacCulloch writes with an eye for the lay reader who may not have more than a passing appreciation of this period. I think one of his strengths lies in writing without any hint of condescension without diluting the academic rigour that blazes from every page. Indeed, reading his prose, one is encouraged to read further in areas that spark interest.
MacCulloch's history begins with the last blaze of glory of the Medieval Church, and takes the reader through the vast varieties of Catholicism from Ireland to Transylvania. Much time is spent outlining the case for reform as well as acknowledging reform that was in progress before 1517. What the reader learns is to suspect much of the received conventional history and be prepared to see the late medieval world in a new light.
The great and holy men and women of the Reformation, Counter-Reformation, Second Reformation and the many local and parochial reform and recusant movements are given mention within their contexts. MacCulloch places all this within well set out theological discourses that allow the reader to see the movements within their religious contexts. We see this in his treatment of Luther, Zwingli, Calvin and Cranmer on the reform and evangelical side, as well as Pole, Ximenes, Ignatius, Borremeo on the reforming Catholic side. What I found is that there were no clear lines for much of the early reform period, but an energy of change, reform, counter-reform that took time to solidify and define itself. Into the religious and theological mix were thrown the political powers of the day - Charles V, Henry VIII, Philip II, Elizabeth and others - who acted out of mixed motives, both positive and negative, to advance growing national interests and preserve power elites within their own domanins.
The second part of the book deals with themes of life during and after the Reformation. Family life, celibacy, religious life, missionary work and the changing attitudes towards women, sex, and the perennial outsiders - the so-called witches and people with same-sex attraction.
Never dull, MacCulloch's book is one of those rare delights that captures the imagination and is hard to put down.
I recommend The Reformation for anyone serious in gaining a sweeping general introduction to this fascinating period on human history.
Not an overview but a feast of detail.......2007-07-19
As several reviewers have noted this is not a good introduction to the reformation nor is it an overview for the casual reader. This is a in-depth history of the Reformation across Europe with special attention paid to contrasting each country's experience. The sheer scope of MacCulloch book can be daunting on occasion - I, for one, knew next to nothing about the Protestant community in Poland, for example - if you think you know about the Reformation you'll find plenty in here you did not know. For me, that was part of the joy of this book.
By no means is this an easy read. It took me three weeks to read this in one-hour sessions before sleep. I didn't find MacCulloch's prose style to be difficult, however, in fact it struck me as lucid and accessible. But this is not a popular history even though it is a far easier, more interesting book than a purely academic tome, and the casual reader or the novice to the period may find it hard going.
If you are interested in the Reformation and have a grounding in the history of the period you will likely find this book as rewarding as I did and you'll learn much you didn't know.
Book Description
Edward VI, the only surviving son of Henry VIII and the last of the male Tudors, died while still a teenager. Yet his reign has a significance in English history out of all proportion to its brief six-year span. In this lavishly illustrated book, Diarmaid MacCulloch looks at the life and beliefs of the young king and the ruthless politicians around him. Although the regime collapsed in apparent failure on Edward's death in 1553, a second half-sister, Elizabeth, brought Protestantism back. MacCulloch traces the strange afterlife of Edward's reign, its surprising connections with the civil wars which convulsed the British Isles a century later, and the effect it still has on English life.
Customer Reviews:
Good Reading.......2007-01-28
This book is a good story for researchers as well as the general audience.
Torturous Text Makes Fascinating Subject Less Exciting.......2005-09-02
(This refers to the Softcover Edition, which I bought at a bookstore but notice is not currently offered on Amazon. Much more affordable---)
There is no doubt that author Maccullogh is a first class scholar when it comes to religion in the Tudor Age; however, I faced the same woeful problem with this book that I encountered on his masterful and massive work on my own ancestor, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer--and that is that the attention to infintesimal detail is constructed in such density that it makes for unfortunately slow reading. It's almost like reading a text book...and spending an entire semester on a course in Edwardian Reformation. A historian he is. A storyteller, no.
However, those who would dismiss Edward as merely a "boy king" with a short reign would be well advised to take some time with this work and discover how much of a serious and lasting impact he did manage to have on politics and religion.
Tactical and strategic.......2003-11-29
Diarmaid MacCulloch should have a well merited following by now. His extremely readable books finally made Church History a fascinating subject. His mastery of theology, ecclesiology, iconography, architecture, ceremony, and other dimensions of Tudor England are unrivalled, and he weaves them into a comprehensive whole. The depth and quality of his research are exemplary, and his prose is very good literature.
In this book he shows how most events which make the pace of Edward VI's reign seem frantic, were prepared but had to be postponed during Henry VIII's last years. Even during his first year, Edward's establishment under the Duke of Somerset's protectorate was reluctantly forced to appease the Emperor Charles V, the majority of lay politicians, and conservative bishops as powerful as Stephen Gardiner of Winchester. After Somerset's disgrace, John Dudley, first Earl of Warwick and later Duke of Northumberland maintained a more consensual relationship with the Lords. He made peace with France and Scotland, and inaugurated a phase of political reconstruction at home, thus permitting the evangelical revolution to recover its pace.
Dr. MacCulloch lets us see that in England as in the Continent, the cost of being too specific on the Lord's Supper was soon perceived, since the matter was admittedly of more importance to traditionalists and evangelicals alike than justification by faith, and also produced more martyrs. This determines a very gradual, even stealthy accumulation of arguments and liturgical reforms up to 1550, although at least Nicholas Ridley, Hugh Latimer and Thomas Cranmer had much earlier become convinced that the Lutheran doctrine of Christ's real presence in the Eucharist was as blasphemous as the Roman doctrine of transubstantiation. Nevertheless, MacCulloch argues convincingly that Cranmer's convictions on the Lord's Supper are more in agreement with Heinrich Bullinger's than with either Zwingli's or Calvin's theology. Whether, as John Knox believed, had he reigned longer Edward would have evolved into a doctrinaire Calvinist, is now a moot point.
One of this book's main attractions is that it conveys a sense of indebtedness to a very young and serious boy, a great promise that flickered and died. Edward is portrayed as a real believer, not just an immature tool of vested interests. Since he appears to have been gifted with a more thoughtful and less egotistical character than his father, it's very possible that he would have grown up to be a great leader of the Reformation, and Cranmer could have finally convened the General Council of Reformed Churches of which he dreamt.
Regardless of how much anglo-catholicism and theological liberalism alike have done to demolish the Edwardian heritage, it's possible that in a critical juncture such as the one Anglicans worldwide find themselves in today, MacCulloch's closing lines might awaken their concern:
"Perhaps the Anglican Communion, most enigmatic member of the Christian family of Churches, might show more gratitude for Edwardian mischief -or at the very least, some remembrance and understanding".
The book carries ninety-two well-chosen illustrations, with very helpful captions. The bibliography includes primary sources in manuscript and in print, secondary sources, and unpublished dissertations. Though softbound, the book is very sturdy, and should survive casual handling. It's quality work from the University of California Press.
Being the Boy-King.......2001-04-18
In the years since publication of his award-winning biography of Thomas Cranmer, one cannot stop marveling at the scholarship of Prof MacCulloch, at his indubitable talent of an author, and at how deftly and effortlessly he adapts it to the restrictions of an academic narrative. `The Boy-King: Edward VI and the Protestant Reformation', published in 2001 in hardback and in 2002 in paperback, has been a definitive treat for many Tudor students, providing them with an engaging story of the English Reformation in the years between 1547 and 1553, as well as containing references to a mesmerising range of archives, from the good old British Library to the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.
Thanks to Prof MacCulloch's being one of the leading British church historians, this book has rather successfully done what other monographs did not quite manage to achieve. Its main achievement is in the fact that one can no longer think of Edward VI as a juvenile parrot in terms of his political involvement. Although this does not immediately imply that his raison d'etat was promising to be terrific, his participation in the matters of state must not be underestimated, let alone overlooked. MacCulloch illustrates this, for example, with his brilliant analysis of Edward's proposal for the reform of the Order of the Garter in the light of its deriving from Edward's tutorship and contemporary political discourse.
The reason why this change in the view of Edward seems so important is because scholars until this day continue to debate the political potential and intellectual faculties of a young king, being mostly critical about both. The most blatant example is Stephen Alford's biography of Edward VI and the review of it by George Bernard. Those, however, who read MacCulloch's book attentively will - hopefully - realise by the end of the last chapter that it is futile to either extol Edward or to dismiss him. Indeed, the boy did not reach his 16th birthday, and no matter what promises had been there, these were buried with him in June 1553. He nevertheless contributed to the affairs of state, by writing proposals, notes, discourses, etc. Certainly, one must still see the forest for the trees, but these documents, written by the young king himself, cannot ever be ignored. One must remember that in all times children were engaged in political discourse, however superficial, especially if they had been destined to the throne. Consequently, these documents, even if they had little or no impact, must be read with all due seriousness to catch the glimpses of an emerging character. For this reason, there cannot be too much praise for MacCulloch, who with a simple phrase `the boy-king' captured the whole ambiguity of Edward's reign and his contribution to the mid-Tudor politics.
The book's attention to the representation of power in Edward's reign only further stresses this ambiguity. The careful analysis of many `personas' attributed to Edward VI at different stages of his life in politics shows that today's historians are preoccupied with the same paradox, as perplexed Edward's contemporaries. As A. Pollard said, for the first time a ten-year-old became the head of the Church, and MacCulloch studies two main religious `images' attached to Edward - Josiah and Solomon. He carefully investigates the rationale for choosing these exact kings and the incongruities of the lives of these biblical characters, to see how those were adapted to the mid-Tudor realities.
This is all the more significant, as prior to MacCulloch's book there was no in-depth study of this peculiarity of the English Reformation in Edward VI's reign, which stemmed from the fact that the Church reform was now heralded by a child. Some scholars, most successfully, perhaps, the late Jennifer Loach, paid much attention to Edward's secular activities and representation of him as the head of the State, which, although giving out new information, hardly made historians any more serious about the boy-king. Normally, before and even after her post-mortem book, scholars have preferred to focus on political moves of Somerset, Northumberland, Cranmer, et al., overlooking, for example, the necessity those had to represent the king's age and his legitimacy in both domestic and external affairs. MacCulloch's study of representation of Edward as the head of the Church puts the reader in the position of making a choice: to look at the years 1547-1553 as a series of farcical attempts of mid-Tudor officials to pretend that England was high and mighty; or to admit that political farce has always been there, and hence Edward VI's reign is not an exclusion and must then be treated appropriately. Books by both Loach and MacCulloch are the examples of this kind of treatment: they both showed the full awareness of the fact that their study of either mid-Tudor monarchy or Church would not break free from any conventions, unless they constantly kept the boy-king in the focus.
In addition to a variety of sources used, MacCulloch's book is rich in illustrations, supporting his arguments that derive from the reading of the written documents, and thus providing his reader with much food for thought. In that, his book dwells both on Loach's monograph, as well as on a brilliant, although not always definitive study by Margaret Aston, `The King's Bedpost'. The trend was continued by Stephen Alford in his biography of Edward VI, and will certainly carry on.
Together with the books by Loach, Aston and, most recently, Alford, `The Boy-King' by Diarmaid MacCulloch underlines the importance of the ever-wide scholarship and the use of different sources, if one wants, in Ranke's words, to penetrate history. And this is exactly what MacCulloch's book allows to do to its reader. To a professional historian, like myself, it gave insight into new sources and the way to employ them, as well as highlighted the questions that require an answer. To those who are simply interested in Tudors, the book tells the story of one of the most ambiguous yet fascinating periods in English history, after reading which one may be compelled to understand why it is better if the monarch is mature, even if he is not very popular.
Customer Reviews:
Fun, informative, but biased against certain denominations........2006-02-07
Okay, okay. Yeah, great resource-- full of good information; Beats your status-quo antichristian antiamerican stark-ravin-liberal history text any day. But is that really enough?!!! Christian Liberty Press demonstrates a better perspective on history than publically funded propaganda. But what ever happened to "unbiased"? Why can't we just tell it like it is without throwing a little "non-denominational" coloring in the mix?
Yes, I thought the narrative was informative and engaging -- 5 stars on that count. But I just couldn't ignore several major issues. The publishers state in the foreword (or the introduction-- I don't recall which) of Volume 1 that they feel it the personal responsibility of every Christian to propagate a Biblical perspective on history. Of course, theirs is the only "Biblical" perspective. Maybe it would have been slightly less offensive if I agreed with every jot and tittle of their theology. But I am not alone in my disagreement. (Nor am I a Baptist.)
For one, the course notably discounts Baptist origins in its broad coverage of *important* religious groups and denominations. Why? Because Baptists historically originated from pacifist anabaptist groups, which did not fight bloody religious wars. This failure to contribute to the rise of Christian Utopia made them historically negligible.
This, of course, is just one effect of the broader "dominion" doctrine-- a fancy name for Christian imperialism. Yes, it would seem that it is our responsibility as Christians to take over the world. We can't leave ruling the world to the infidels. In fact, Jesus won't return until we have established God's Kingdom on earth and instituted Christian culture in every corner. By the way: What is Christian culture?...
Well, this kind of exclusionary bias is present throughout the book, casting its shadow on the facts at every turn of history. Why must we call the American Revolution the "War for Independance"? Even the American Civil War is openly slighted; The puzzlingly brief coverage, accompanied by subfusc ambiguities, leaves the reader wondering "Are they suggesting that the South was right???"
So if you appreciate the taste of malicious sectarian bias-- political or theological-- this book is for you. But I personally wouldn't recommend letting your kids read it without some good discussion of these issues. Baptist or not.
2Tim 3:13 "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse..." Mat 24:12 "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." Jhn 18:36 "Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world..."
Good History Text.......2006-01-22
One of the few world history texts that combines a biblical worldview, creation science, and church history; it gives a solid overview of civilization. It has fair inclusion of both creationist and evolutionist theory of beginnings. The authors treat the Bible as one reliable historical document to be included among all the rest. This is an EXCELLENT introduction to western civilization, interesting, clear and full of opportunities for discussion. Major world cultures, religions, and their development are explained with the aid of maps, timelines, and graphics. This material provides information for classroom conversation which will in turn help the students to process, apply, and remember what they are reading. Take it further and enhance the students' learning with biographies, films, picture books, and historical fiction novels.
The Enlightenment was a Crock.......2005-11-01
Or so this particular masterwork would have one believe. A rather dry slog, and yet it metes out more than its fair share of c/overt propaganda, including my particular favorite, which has the Enlightenment in scare quotes. Sorry, Misters Franklin, Hume, Jefferson, Locke, Newton, Kant, Rouseeau, Spinoza, but boy oh boy were you deluded.
History told slant, with a decidedly Christian bias. The Bible is accepted as a factual historical source, and while divergent theories are allowed to exist, this beauty sides always with the Good Book, without acknowledging the scholarship suggesting that literality may not be the best (or even a possible) interpretation of its hallowed text.
As an alumna of this choice bit of propaganda, I can say that in my case, it backfired.
Books:
- The Divine Matrix: Bridging Time, Space, Miracles, and Belief
- The Encyclopedia of Trading Strategies
- The Ersatz Elevator (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 6)
- The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate
- The Giver
- The Gloom Looms: A Box of Unfortunate Events, Books 10-12 (The Slippery Slope; The Grim Grotto; The Penultimate Peril)
- The Gnostic Gospels
- The Going-To-Bed Book
- The Golem's Eye (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 2)
- The Gospel of Mary Magdalene
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Kingdom Come: The Final Victory: The Final Victory
- A Far Country
- Microbial Genomics and Drug Discovery
- PCR Methods in Foods
- The Finest Houses Of Paris
- A Timber Framer's Workshop: Joinery, Design & Construction of Traditional Timber Frames
- Top Secret Recipes Treasury II: More Kitchen Clones of America's Favorite Brand-Name Foods ; With Il
- Houses from Books: The Influence of Treatises, Pattern Books, and Catalogs in American Architecture,
- Office Space Planning: Designs for Tomorrow's Workplace
- The algal flora of Huntington Canyon, Utah, U.S.A
The Return of Martin Guerre
The Great Cat Massacre: And Other Episodes in French Cultural History
Making of the English Working Class
That Noble Dream: The 'Objectivity Question' and the American Historical Profession (Ideas in Context)
Gender and the Politics of History
