Many standard histories of Christianity chronicle the
Reformation as a single, momentous period in the history of the
Church. According to those accounts, a number of competing groups
of reformers challenged a monolithic and corrupt Roman Catholicism
over issues ranging from authority and the role of the priests to
the interpretation of the Eucharist and the use of the Bible in
church. In this wide-ranging, richly layered and captivating study
of the Reformation, MacCulloch challenges traditional
interpretations, arguing instead that there were many reformations.
Arranging his history in chronological fashion, MacCulloch provides
in-depth studies of reform movements in central, northern and
southern Europe and examines the influences that politics and
geography had on such groups. He challenges common assumptions
about the relationships between Catholic priests and laity, arguing
that in some cases Protestantism actually took away religious
authority from laypeople rather than putting it in their hands. In
addition, he helpfully points out that even within various groups
of reformers there was scarcely agreement about ways to change the
Church. MacCulloch offers valuable and engaging portraits of key
personalities of the Reformation, including Erasmus, Luther,
Zwingli and Calvin. More than a history of the Reformation,
MacCulloch''s study examines its legacy of individual religious
authority and autonomous biblical interpretation. This spectacular
intellectual history reminds us that the Reformation grew out of
the Renaissance, and provides a compelling glimpse of the cultural
currents that formed the background to reform. MacCulloch''s
magisterial book should become the definitive history of the
Reformation.
Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the
Hardcover edition.
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Amazon.com Review
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 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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