Reformation History

"Four hundred seventy years ago the Anabaptist movement was launched with the inauguration of believers' baptism and the formation of the first congregation of the Swiss Brethren in Zurich, Switzerland. This standard introduction to the history of Anabaptism by noted church historian William R. Estep offers a vivid chronicle of the rise and spread of the teachings and heritage of this vigorous, important stream in Christianity. In this third edition, The Anabaptist Story has been substantially revised and enlarged to take into account the numerous Anabaptist sources that have come to light in the last half-century as well as the significant number of monographs and other scholarly research on Anabaptist themes that have recently appeared. In interacting with these materials, Estep challenges a number of assumptions held by contemporary historians of sixteenth-century Anabaptism and offers fresh insights into the historical movement to which we owe the notion of religious liberty that prevails today."

"A sumptuously written people's history and a major retelling and reinterpretation of the story of the English Reformation Centuries on, what the Reformation was and what it accomplished remain deeply contentious. Peter Marshall's sweeping new history--the first major overview for general readers in a generation--argues that sixteenth-century England was a society neither desperate for nor allergic to change, but one open to ideas of "reform" in various competing guises. King Henry VIII wanted an orderly, uniform Reformation, but his actions opened a Pandora's Box from which pluralism and diversity flowed and rooted themselves in English life. With sensitivity to individual experience as well as masterfully synthesizing historical and institutional developments, Marshall frames the perceptions and actions of people great and small, from monarchs and bishops to ordinary families and ecclesiastics, against a backdrop of profound change that altered the meanings of "religion" itself. This engaging history reveals what was really at stake in the overthrow of Catholic culture and the reshaping of the English Church."

"The Reformation as Renewal introduces readers to one of the most significant turning points in the history of the Christian church. Matthew Barrett provides an eye-opening introduction, demonstrating that the Reformers were retrieving the faith of their fathers--both patristic and medieval--the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church"-- Provided by publisher."A holistic, eye-opening history of one of the most significant turning points in Christianity, The Reformation as Renewal demonstrates that the Reformation was at its core a renewal of evangelical catholicity. In the sixteenth century Rome charged the Reformers with novelty, as if they were heretics departing from the catholic (universal) church. But the Reformers believed they were more catholic than Rome. Distinguishing themselves from Radicals, the Reformers were convinced they were retrieving the faith of the church fathers and the best of the medieval Scholastics. The Reformers saw themselves as faithful stewards of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church preserved across history, and they insisted on a restoration of true worship in their own day. By listening to the Reformers' own voices, The Reformation as Renewal helps readers explore: the Reformation's roots in patristic and medieval thought and its response to late medieval innovations; key philosophical and theological differences between Scholasticism in the High Middle Ages and deviations in the Late Middle Ages; the many ways sixteenth and seventeenth century Protestant Scholastics critically appropriated Thomas Aquinas; the Reformation's response to the charge of novelty by an appeal to the Augustinian tradition; common caricatures that charge the Reformation with schism or assume the Reformation was the gateway to secularism; the spread of Reformation catholicity across Europe, as seen in first and second-generation leaders from Luther and Melanchthon in Wittenberg to Zwingli and Bullinger in Zurich to Bucer and Calvin in Strasbourg and Geneva to Tyndale, Cranmer, and Jewel in England, and many others; the theology of the Reformers, with special attention on their writings defending the catholicity of the Reformation. This balanced, insightful, and accessible treatment of the Reformation will help readers see this watershed moment in the history of Christianity with fresh eyes and appreciate the unity they have with the church across time. Readers will discover that the Reformation was not a new invention, but the renewal of something very old"

The Reformation: A Very Short Introduction considers a process which transformed Europe and left an indelible mark on the modern world — one that began as a dispute over Christians' path to salvation, but rapidly led to fundamental changes in society. Doctrinal debates are examined in a non-technical way, and the effects the Reformation had on politics, society, art, and minorities are made explicit. This VSI looks at how varieties of faith exported from Europe transformed Christianity into a truly world religion. It assesses the complex legacy of the Reformation, contrasting the intensified intolerance produced and the establishment of pluralism.

This fast-paced survey of Western civilization's transition from the Middle Ages to modernity brings that tumultuous period vividly to life. Carlos Eire, popular professor and gifted writer, chronicles the two-hundred-year era of the Renaissance and Reformation with particular attention to issues that persist as concerns in the present day. Eire connects the Protestant and Catholic Reformations in new and profound ways, and he demonstrates convincingly that this crucial turning point in history not only affected people long gone, but continues to shape our world and define who we are today. The book focuses on the vast changes that took place in Western civilization between 1450 and 1650, from Gutenberg's printing press and the subsequent revolution in the spread of ideas to the close of the Thirty Years' War. Eire devotes equal attention to the various Protestant traditions and churches as well as to Catholicism, skepticism, and secularism, and he takes into account the expansion of European culture and religion into other lands, particularly the Americas and Asia. He also underscores how changes in religion transformed the Western secular world. A book created with students and non-specialists in mind, Reformations is an inspiring, provocative volume for any reader who is curious about the role of ideas and beliefs in history.

Reformation Thought: An Introduction is a clear, engaging, and accessible introduction to the European Reformation of the sixteenth century. Written for readers with little to no knowledge of Christian theology or history, this indispensable guide surveys the ideas of the prominent thought leaders of the period, as well as its many movements, including Lutheranism, Calvinism, Anabaptism, and the Catholic and English Reformations. The text offers readers a framework to interpret the events of the Reformation in full view of the intellectual landscape and socio-political issues that fueled its development.

"First released in 1988, this 25th Anniversary Edition of Timothy George’s Theology of the Reformers includes a new chapter and bibliography on William Tyndale, the reformer who courageously stood at the headwaters of the English Reformation. Also included are expanded opening and concluding chapters and updated bibliographies on each reformer. Theology of the Reformers articulates the theological self-understanding of five principal figures from the period of the Reformation: Martin Luther, Huldrych Zwingli, John Calvin, Menno Simons, and William Tyndale. George establishes the context for their work by describing the spiritual climate of their time. Then he profiles each reformer, providing a picture of their theology that does justice to the scope of their involvement in the reforming effort."

"The European Reformation of the sixteenth century was one of the most formative periods in the history of Christian thought and remains one of the most fascinating events in Western history. The Cambridge Companion to Reformation Theology provides a comprehensive guide to the theology and theologians of the period. Each of the eighteen chapters is written by a leading authority in the field and provides an up-to-date account and analysis of the thought associated with a particular figure or movement. There are chapters focusing on lesser reformers such as Martin Bucer, and on the Catholic and Radical Reformations, as well as the major Protestant reformers. A detailed bibliography and comprehensive index allow comparison of the treatment of specific themes by different figures. This authoritative and accessible guide will appeal to students of history and literature as well as specialist theologians."

The Encyclopedia of Martin Luther and the Reformation is a comprehensive study of the life and work of Martin Luther and the movements that followed him-in history and through today. Entries explore Luther's contributions to theology, sacraments, his influence on the church and contemporaries, his character, and more.

"Edited by a Duke University religious scholar with more than 1,000 articles, this encyclopedia does for Protestantism what the New Catholic Encyclopedia did for Catholicism. Topics include biographies, historical data, and organizations, as well as cultural, social, and religious themes. Controversial topics, such as abortion, creation science, and homosexuality, are treated objectively. Topping it off are a thorough index and appendixes containing historical and contemporary statistical data. Nearly 500 contributors worldwide helped create this comprehensive source."

This encyclopedia is a collaboration of the leading scholars in the field of Reformation research and the thought, life, and legacy of influence - for good and for ill - of Martin Luther. In 2017 the world marks 500 years since the beginning of the public work of Luther, whose protest against corrupt practices and the way theology was taught captured Europe's attention from 1517 onward. Comprising 125 extensive articles in three volumes, the Oxford Encyclopedia of Martin Luther examines: the contexts that shaped his social and intellectual world, such as previous theological and institutional developments; the genres in which he worked, including some he essentially created; the theological and ethical writings that make up the lion's share of his massive intellectual output; and the complicated and contested history of his reception across the globe and across a span of disciplines. This indispensable work seeks both to answer perennial questions as well as to raise new ones. Intentionally forward-looking in approach, the ORE of Martin Luther provides a reliable survey to such issues as, for instance, how did Luther understand God? What did he mean by his notion of "vocation?" How did he make use of, but also transform, medieval thought patterns and traditions? How did Luther and the Reformation re-shape Europe and launch modernity? What were his thoughts about Islam and Judaism, and how did the history of the effects of those writings unfold? Scholars from a variety of disciplines - economic history, systematic theology, gender and cultural studies, philosophy, and many more - propose an agenda for examining future research questions prompted by the harvest of decades of intense historical scrutiny and theological inquiry.

The definitive source for information about the entire range of religious and social changes that altered the face of Europe in the sixteenth century, encompassing not only issues of church polity and theology but also developments in politics, economics, demographics, art and literature. This broadly cast, interdisciplinary definition allows for a comprehensive social and intellectual history of early modern Europe.

"The Oxford Handbook of Early Modern Theology, 1600-1800 will offer a comprehensive and reliable introduction to Christian theological literature originating in Western Europe from, roughly, the end of the French Wars of Religion (1598) to the Congress of Vienna (1815). Using a variety of approaches, the contributors examine theology spanning from Bossuet to Jonathan Edwards. They review the major forms of early modern theology, such as Cartesian scholasticism, Enlightenment, and early Romanticism; sketch the teachings of major theological concepts, along with important historical developments; introduce the principal practitioners of each kind of theology and delineate their particular theological contributions and stresses; and depict the engagement by early modern theologians with other religions or churches, such Judaism, Islam, and the eastern Church."