Reformation: Europe's House Divided, 1490-1700
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- Author：Diarmaid MacCulloch
- ISBN：0140285342
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Summary
The Reformation and Counter-Reformation represented the greatest upheaval in Western society since the collapse of the Roman Empire a millennium before。 The consequences of those shattering events are still felt today from the stark divisions between （and within） Catholic and Protestant countries to the Protestant ideology that governs America， the world's only remaining superpower。 In this masterful history， Diarmaid MacCulloch conveys the drama， complexity， and continuing relevance of these events。 He offers vivid portraits of the most significant individuals Luther， Calvin， Zwingli， Loyola， Henry VIII， and a number of popes but also conveys why their ideas were so powerful and how the Reformation affected everyday lives。 The result is a landmark book that will be the standard work on the Reformation for years to come。 The narrative verve of The Reformation as well as its provocative analysis of American culture's debt to the period will ensure the book's wide appeal among history readers。
Reviews
Ronald
，
lots of great information and insights， but as other reviewers have said， way too much information
Al Sirois
，
Another dense but informative book that I read for a writing project。 This one kept me engaged throughout， as I was primarily interested in the societal aspects of the Reformation and its effects on people。 Anyone interested in history will find this book fascinating。
mackenzee ellen
，
Insanely depth history on the reformation。 A little hard to read because of the vocabulary， but I'm big dumb Insanely depth history on the reformation。 A little hard to read because of the vocabulary， but I'm big dumb 。。。more
Page Deddens
，
The first half of the book is a great resource on the Reformation。 As you continue throughout the book it becomes way too dense to be digestible。 With so many insignificant figures and documents mentioned， the bigger historical significance is lost。
Benjamin Vroman
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This is a very good book。 At times， I didn’t like how the sentences flowed。 More than once I lost the train of thought， but the book was still pretty easy to read。 So much information is packed into the book。 Growing up in hardcore American evangelicalism， I had a decent background in the basic thoughts of the reformers， so this book clarified that prior knowledge and added so much depth。 The sections on the counter reformation were pretty novel， so I especially loved those sections。A+ for the d This is a very good book。 At times， I didn’t like how the sentences flowed。 More than once I lost the train of thought， but the book was still pretty easy to read。 So much information is packed into the book。 Growing up in hardcore American evangelicalism， I had a decent background in the basic thoughts of the reformers， so this book clarified that prior knowledge and added so much depth。 The sections on the counter reformation were pretty novel， so I especially loved those sections。A+ for the discussion near the end about sexuality and the family。 That was quite interesting。 My understanding of the modern split in evangelicalism over LGTB issues was enhanced by those chapters and the last few pages in “outcomes” - insightful reading。Great book to read :） 。。。more
Dominic Lefere
，
I think MacCulloch spent too much time listing facts and not tying them into the story/point he is trying to make。 He jumps from country to country and decade to decade in each paragraph and it's hard to remember what point he was making。 Also， reading from the Catholic perspective， he doesn't do a good job giving a non-biased explanation。 He takes it for granted the Catholics were always in the wrong so he makes accusations without always giving the full story or quoting Catholic leaders or doc I think MacCulloch spent too much time listing facts and not tying them into the story/point he is trying to make。 He jumps from country to country and decade to decade in each paragraph and it's hard to remember what point he was making。 Also， reading from the Catholic perspective， he doesn't do a good job giving a non-biased explanation。 He takes it for granted the Catholics were always in the wrong so he makes accusations without always giving the full story or quoting Catholic leaders or documents: Here are examples:-He states St。 Augustine believed in pre-destination without giving any quote from him backing that up。 I'm sure the author is well read in his work， but he takes it for granted that St。 Augustine contradicted Church teaching so he doesn't show what St。 Augustine said to give him （or Luther for that matter） the impression St。 Augustine believed in predestination。 -He gives the Catholic belief of the Eucharist as having to do with something Aristotle said， as opposed to quoting Church counsels or most importantly， John 6 and 1 Corinthians 10/11。 -He states 5 of the sacraments are "unbiblical"。 That's a common Protestant statement， but it's a matter of opinion。 Baptism and marriage is what I assume he is considering the 2 in the bible， but the Eucharist is （John 6 and 1 Cor 10/11）， Confirmation is Acts 8 & 19 as well as Hebrews 6， Reconciliation has Leviticus roots （chapter 19， bringing a ram to the priest so he can sacrifice it for the offenders）， and John 20:23， Anointing of Sick is Mark 6:13 and James 5: 14-15， and Holy Orders is 1 Tim 4:1-5， Titus 1:5， Matthew 28:18， 1 Tim 5:22， among others （priestly celibacy for that matter comes from 1 Cor 7:7-8， 32-35）。-I feel like it was a big miss for him to not mention any of the contents of Exsurge Domine。 Even if one disagrees with the contents， why would such a key response by the Church to the 95 Thesis not be explained， and only mentioned in passing？ The 95 Thesis is also explained as only being about paid indulgences， when there is a lot more content in it that deserves explaining-Similar to the above point， he doesn't really go into any of the specifics of the Counsel of Trent， except saying that it consolidated Papal power。 There was more to that counsel than that， as well as an explanation for the clarification on Papal authority， that was a key part of the Reformation in my opinion。 -He also makes a disclaimer each time an atrocity was committed on the side of the Reformers by saying something along the lines of "it wasn't as bad as the Inquisition"。 It's just one of the ways his opinion would make it's way into the book。Overall， he's very smart and knows a lot about this subject， I just think the above points were misses on his end that would've made the book more honest and effective。 。。。more
Brian Griffith
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This is a rather exhaustingly detailed account of Christianity's great age of fanatical strife。 I was most interested in the events affecting women。 For example， after the Christian reconquest was finalized in 1492， popular religion in Spain still featured numerous independent female saints （known as “beatas”）， such as Catalina de Jesus of Seville in the early 1600s。 The Spanish Inquisition sought to discredit these holy women， claiming that their “abandonment of themselves” to ecstatic love for This is a rather exhaustingly detailed account of Christianity's great age of fanatical strife。 I was most interested in the events affecting women。 For example， after the Christian reconquest was finalized in 1492， popular religion in Spain still featured numerous independent female saints （known as “beatas”）， such as Catalina de Jesus of Seville in the early 1600s。 The Spanish Inquisition sought to discredit these holy women， claiming that their “abandonment of themselves” to ecstatic love for God posed a threat to religious morality （p。 64）。 A book by Juan Luis Valdez （in the 1500s） called "The Education of the Christian Woman，" explained that “human laws do not require the same chastity of the man as the woman … men have to look after many more things; women are responsible only for their chastity” （p。 612）。 。。。more
David Brown
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A general but deep exploration of the Reformation covering over two centuries。 This kind of book is dependent heavily on personal interests。 As I'm mostly interested in the reformation in england some parts of this book were not terribly interesting for me but it nonetheless well written funny and engaging although I do echo a previous review that the middle portion of the book becomes a confusing mess of names but this is due to it being a general survey and having many nations and time periods A general but deep exploration of the Reformation covering over two centuries。 This kind of book is dependent heavily on personal interests。 As I'm mostly interested in the reformation in england some parts of this book were not terribly interesting for me but it nonetheless well written funny and engaging although I do echo a previous review that the middle portion of the book becomes a confusing mess of names but this is due to it being a general survey and having many nations and time periods to cover 。。。more
Patricia
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MacCulloch offers his readers a view from the mountaintop， a view that stretches far across Europe。 It is a sometimes a tough hike to get to that vista， but his clear， eloquent style and interesting well-researched observations make it a fun one。 I was enlightened and amazed by way more than I can remember。 The concluding quotation， from Arthur Golding， will stick though。 I knew a little bit about Golding as a translator of Ovid and Seneca， but I didn't know that he also translated the Beneficio MacCulloch offers his readers a view from the mountaintop， a view that stretches far across Europe。 It is a sometimes a tough hike to get to that vista， but his clear， eloquent style and interesting well-researched observations make it a fun one。 I was enlightened and amazed by way more than I can remember。 The concluding quotation， from Arthur Golding， will stick though。 I knew a little bit about Golding as a translator of Ovid and Seneca， but I didn't know that he also translated the Beneficio Christi and that he made such an eloquent plea for tolerance in his forward。 Hurrah for Golding for his reminder that translation is a way to understanding and tolerance。 。。。more
Cody Bolce
，
This is one of those rare histories that will completely change how you understand the world。 I now feel sheepish about having not read more about the Reformation previously。 It’s one of a handful of world historical events that leaves its fingerprints all over the subsequent history of the world。 This is a magisterial work that is both thorough and engaging。 There’s a lot of names， dates， etc。 that you can get bogged down in at times， but that’s mostly unavoidable with something like this。 Notw This is one of those rare histories that will completely change how you understand the world。 I now feel sheepish about having not read more about the Reformation previously。 It’s one of a handful of world historical events that leaves its fingerprints all over the subsequent history of the world。 This is a magisterial work that is both thorough and engaging。 There’s a lot of names， dates， etc。 that you can get bogged down in at times， but that’s mostly unavoidable with something like this。 Notwithstanding this， it’s a pretty good read， all things considered。 If you’re at all interested in history or religion， this is an extremely rewarding read。 It’s a challenging read at times （it’s both long and dense）， but well worth the read。 。。。more
D
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Reformation: Europe’s House Divided is an engaging story of the rise of Protestantism and the resulting Catholic response from 1490 to 1700。 When Martin Luther pinned his ninety-five theses to the church door at Wittenberg in 1517， his list was “hardly a call to revolution” yet it began an “accidental revolution”。 By the close of the 17th Century， Protestantism was settled in Europe， developing rapidly in North America， and developing footholds elsewhere across the globe。The book splits into thr Reformation: Europe’s House Divided is an engaging story of the rise of Protestantism and the resulting Catholic response from 1490 to 1700。 When Martin Luther pinned his ninety-five theses to the church door at Wittenberg in 1517， his list was “hardly a call to revolution” yet it began an “accidental revolution”。 By the close of the 17th Century， Protestantism was settled in Europe， developing rapidly in North America， and developing footholds elsewhere across the globe。The book splits into three sections。 The first covers the period from 1400 to 1570， outlining the causes of the Reformation， the initial development， and the Catholic response。 The survival of Protestantism was largely due to geopolitics。 Local rivalries gave rulers a reason to adopt the faith even if they were not always convinced theologically while the Catholic Church was distracted by the threat of the Turks and squabbling between Venice and France。 The second part covers 1570 to 1700 and the Catholic Church’s Counter-Reformation。 Protestant expansion across large areas of Northern Europe was stalled and then reversed。 When 1700 dawned， there were Protestant strongholds in Scotland， England， the Netherlands， Scandinavia， and portions of the Holy Roman Empire， but the tide had turned in France， Transylvania and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth。 The final section examining themes across the entire period， covering attitudes to witches， love and sex， death， and the family， while also providing the obligatory debunking of Weber’s theory of the Protestant work ethic。 The author makes a case for tolerance being “the most significant contribution of the two Reformation centuries to Christianity”， albeit only after considerable blood was shed across the continent。 The book is a triumph。 The various splits， denominations， sects， and theological disputes are outlined thoughtfully， as are the importance and nature of different approaches to secular power。 MacCulloch’s main argument that the development of Protestantism is as much the story of an internecine struggle between Reformed and Lutheran branches as it is a simplistic Catholic versus Protestant dispute is convincing。 。。。more
Abby
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A vast and comprehensive work of scholarship。 I learned a great deal， and even though I do not take readily to fat history tomes， this one held my interest from beginning to end。 MacCulloch is especially admirable for his British detachment and lack of contempt for the people he writes about。
Richard Hakes
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A book in the sense it tells a story that is not understood but I think there is just too much of it and the details get lost。 Not an easy read。
EasyReader
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I read this book to better understand the roots of the Protestantism that is （still） at the heart of American culture。 The book delivered on that promise （though the book does not focus much beyond 1700， so "roots" is what I got）。 Little did I know that I would get lots of insight into how the Catholic Church became what it is today。 The church I grew up with is as much that product of the Catholic （counter-） Reformation as anything prior。 The highlights for me were: the treatment of the Cathol I read this book to better understand the roots of the Protestantism that is （still） at the heart of American culture。 The book delivered on that promise （though the book does not focus much beyond 1700， so "roots" is what I got）。 Little did I know that I would get lots of insight into how the Catholic Church became what it is today。 The church I grew up with is as much that product of the Catholic （counter-） Reformation as anything prior。 The highlights for me were: the treatment of the Catholic Church in the century or two before Luther， unraveling the tangle of religious and philosophical thought as the Reformation took off， connecting the writing of Erasmus and others with what followed。 The history of how Spanish Catholicism reacted， the comparison of Northern and Southern Europe in terms of the success or failure of the Reformation， The equal treatment of the Catholic （counter） Reformation。 I suppose the big insight that I got was the extent to which the Reformation was an outcome of the Renaissance humanistic tradition， when I think of modern Protestants as fairly anti-humanist。 I also got a much better understanding of the different varieties of Protestantism that I really had no idea about。 So when I travel to the Ozarks and see a"Free Will Baptist Church" I have some idea what that means。 Despite its major flaw， I give this book the highest rating。 The flaw？ Too much detail， particularly in describing all the regional manifestations of the Reformation。 Although， from an American point of view it was interesting to read about some of these smaller sects， such as the Moravian Brethren， who showed up on our shores as refugees。 。。。more
Matt
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It's long。It's good， but it's long。 It's long。It's good， but it's long。 。。。more
Carl
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I found this to be much more of a slog than the authors History of Christianity。 While I learned plenty， the sea of names and dates confused and frustrated me。 And I read large-scale books like this all the time。 Do not go in without a decent background on the Reformation already established。
J。 Alfred
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With over seven hundred large-sized， single-spaced， small-print pages， this is a brick of a book。 And of Such Bricks the House of Knowledge is Made Secure。（Say that with me， it feels good。）It is astonishingly learned， yet so deftly written that you'll often be smiling along at a wry joke or raising an eyebrow at a good bit of four hundred year old gossip， all without any wasted motion。 It treats theology as being necessary for understanding the period， yet is not partistan。 It also indroduces yo With over seven hundred large-sized， single-spaced， small-print pages， this is a brick of a book。 And of Such Bricks the House of Knowledge is Made Secure。（Say that with me， it feels good。）It is astonishingly learned， yet so deftly written that you'll often be smiling along at a wry joke or raising an eyebrow at a good bit of four hundred year old gossip， all without any wasted motion。 It treats theology as being necessary for understanding the period， yet is not partistan。 It also indroduces you to the worldwide effects of the Reformation and Counter Reformation， treats Southern and Eastern Eurpoe as though they matter， and gives usefully memorable little pictures of the major figures without pretending that they are the whole story。 Finally， it introduces you （or at least me） to a new hero: the gentle and concientiously ineffective Reginald Pole， who was within grasping range of real political power his whole life and refused to take it because， as MacCulloch doesn't quite say， he refuses to do evil that good may come。 A heck of a book。 Give yourself a month for it， but prepare to enjoy the month。 。。。more
Gray Crary
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History of radical changes against Catholic rule。 1400 to 1650。 Luther， Calvin， Henry VIII and loads of others。 So much drama！
Charles
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A comprehensive and engaging history of the Reformation， which does not shy away from digging into the （often quite baffling） distinctions drawn by different factions。 Several hundred pages of setup and denouement provide a much broader picture without dragging the pace of things to a halt。
Louisa Blair
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Okay this review will say more about me than the book。I started reading this about 2 years ago。 It was so big and thick and daunting that I chopped it in three （my mother taught me to do this with large unwieldy books） and carefully bound each third with duck-tape。 Then I read through one and a half "volumes"。 It was very interesting。 But now， I literally can't remember a single thing， except that the Reformation was a lot more complicated than I had thought。 Every paragraph was so dense that yo Okay this review will say more about me than the book。I started reading this about 2 years ago。 It was so big and thick and daunting that I chopped it in three （my mother taught me to do this with large unwieldy books） and carefully bound each third with duck-tape。 Then I read through one and a half "volumes"。 It was very interesting。 But now， I literally can't remember a single thing， except that the Reformation was a lot more complicated than I had thought。 Every paragraph was so dense that you could have taught an entire university program on it。 In my case it sank like a stone， never to be seen again。 I'm gonna have to finish reading it， because otherwise I'm not allowed to move it off my bedside reading table， but at my level of dementia， not sure the second half is going to sink in any more， or rather， I'm quite sure it'll sink just as fast and just as irretrievably。 I may read it the day before I die。 。。。more
Bernard M。
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There are so many aftershocks to the theological disputes and subsequent denominational splits that it is still necessary to come to grips with some of this history。 I suppose part of the reason the author can write such a sympathetic yet objective account is that somewhere in the introduction he says that he remembers what it was like to be a believer， though it seems he is no longer a practicing Christian。Regardless of what one thinks of the actual content of the theological debates， it is ver There are so many aftershocks to the theological disputes and subsequent denominational splits that it is still necessary to come to grips with some of this history。 I suppose part of the reason the author can write such a sympathetic yet objective account is that somewhere in the introduction he says that he remembers what it was like to be a believer， though it seems he is no longer a practicing Christian。Regardless of what one thinks of the actual content of the theological debates， it is very sad to see so very few places and people which practiced any sort of toleration。 And the places and people have been forgotten。 I've often heard of the long history of antisemitism in Germany， but then there was a lone voice， Andreas Osiander of Nuremberg， who was the lone voice which spoke out against Luther's anti Jewish tract， On the Jews and their lies。 We know about the Vatican and Spanish Inquisition， but not the Polish-Lithuanian assemblies approval of a clause on religious freedom in 1573。In the over 700 pages covering several centuries， these and a few other examples， are indeed rare， but just for that reason they need to studied and understood much better。 And for that， I'm really grateful to the author for bringing them to light。 。。。more
Michael Olson
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Was too detailed for my interest level， but I made it through。 Though sometimes tuned out a bit as I did the Audio version。 Enjoyed the last 5 hrs the most。
James
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A detailed examination of a hugely long and complex series of historical events that have had such influence on the shape of Europe to this day。MacCulloch writes clearly， bringing to life obscure theological debates and individual human emotions， politics and piety clashing across the continent， from Ireland to Transylvania。 He also manages to include the pre-reformation background and the afterlife of the religious split in the colonies of the Protestant and Catholic powers。 With no affiliation A detailed examination of a hugely long and complex series of historical events that have had such influence on the shape of Europe to this day。MacCulloch writes clearly， bringing to life obscure theological debates and individual human emotions， politics and piety clashing across the continent， from Ireland to Transylvania。 He also manages to include the pre-reformation background and the afterlife of the religious split in the colonies of the Protestant and Catholic powers。 With no affiliation to either side， MacCulloch presents a fair and factual account that goes beyond Henry VIII and Bloody Mary。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Gianluigi Pelloni
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In its genre a masterpiece。
Kirk
，
MacCulloch has written an epic， and his work should rightly be considered a standard for some time to come。 He does have an ax or two to grind， and his particular disdain for Luther and Calvin is palpable， not that I believe those and others should be free of scrutiny。 MacCulloch seems to enjoy the word "sneer" in its various forms， and you get the sense that as he wrote his facial expressions bore a similarity to the word。 Nonetheless， this is a book that I will surely be returning to， despite MacCulloch has written an epic， and his work should rightly be considered a standard for some time to come。 He does have an ax or two to grind， and his particular disdain for Luther and Calvin is palpable， not that I believe those and others should be free of scrutiny。 MacCulloch seems to enjoy the word "sneer" in its various forms， and you get the sense that as he wrote his facial expressions bore a similarity to the word。 Nonetheless， this is a book that I will surely be returning to， despite its length， a few times in the future。 。。。more
Denis Tan
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As everyone says the seminal book on the reformation。。 better narrative and well put together。
Gary Beauregard Bottomley
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Reformations: The Early Modern World， 1450 -1650 by Eire is a better book than this one。 It is one of the few books I didn’t review because I thought it was perfect and anything that I would mumble about it would have only distracted from its superior history telling。 Overall， I don’t feel that way about this book whatsoever。 I did like the line in this book the author quotes somebody saying that ‘one Dutch man is a theologian， two are a church， and three are a schism’。 That was a good line。 Unf Reformations: The Early Modern World， 1450 -1650 by Eire is a better book than this one。 It is one of the few books I didn’t review because I thought it was perfect and anything that I would mumble about it would have only distracted from its superior history telling。 Overall， I don’t feel that way about this book whatsoever。 I did like the line in this book the author quotes somebody saying that ‘one Dutch man is a theologian， two are a church， and three are a schism’。 That was a good line。 Unfortunately， well told history needs more than just well quoted lines it also needs the realization of explaining the past in terms of itself and MacCulloch forgets that from time to time and strays from seeing the past within its own terms and at times removes the reader from the actual story that is unfolding。 Eire， in his superior book， never strayed from the meaning of the past as its meaning was being revealed in its own time period。 I was surprised that the author generally referred to the Protestants and the Reformers as ‘Humanist’。 Partly， he defined Humanist as those who look beyond authority for truth， a somewhat slippery and misleading definition in my opinion。 I think of Luther as the start of anti-humanism and Erasmus as a seminal Humanist （I have no problem adding Plutarch， Petrarch， and Dante to the list of seminal Humanist and perhaps Pelagius）。 Bondage of the Will by Luther a book mentioned multiple times in this book lays out the Protestants disagreement with Pelagius and Erasmus; cutting to the chase， they both believe that prayer makes a difference and good works matter。 Luther does not。 Calvin does not。 Anyways， overall I was surprised by how the author would describe people who I would consider as anti-Humanist characterized as Humanist。 Calvin just doesn’t strike me as a Humanist as the author clearly states multiple times within this book that Calvinist was a Humanist。 （I think the start of Fascism would start with the start of the anti-Humanist and I would definitely put Calvin and Luther in the anti-Humanist camp。 I don’t want to connect all the dots since that would make this review too prolix， but I will say Hitler gives a special shout out in his monstrous auto-biography to Luther and his anti-Humanist beliefs for a reason， and Trump is also most easily and accurately described as an anti-Humanist or Fascist because in the end for him truth emanates from where the self anointed leader says it does and is interpreted through his privileged identity lens。 Tell me again why Luther did not support the peasants’ revolt？ Or why Trump forbids all Muslims or brown people to immigrate or why he spouts all that hate at his Nuremberg Rallies which the archetypal anti-Humanist， fascist or equivalently white supremacist， would be in sympathy with）。 I enjoy this time period as much as the next person， after all who amongst us does not love esoteric discussions on theological fine points which led to killing others based on nothing more than ideological beliefs only within their own minds or unanswerable questions such as how many natures does Jesus have？ I would also recommend reading Fatal Discord: Erasmus， Luther， and the Fight for the Western Mind by Massing before reading this book。 It is more narrowly focused than this book， but it too covers some of the topics in this book albeit superiorly。 I like almost all history books。 I liked this one。 I would recommend this one especially since it’s free from Hoopla。 Though if you can’t get a free copy I would definitely recommend one of the other two books I mentioned above because there is remoteness in the way the author writes which makes his story telling less compelling than the time period warrants and besides Eire’s book is near perfect in its telling。 。。。more
Joe Stack
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This is a vividly written detail history of the Reformation。 There was too much information for me to take in and my interest in this history fell after the first half of the book and then it fell off。 This is a well written account of The Reformation。 I'd recommend it to anyone who has a high interest in this period。 This is a vividly written detail history of the Reformation。 There was too much information for me to take in and my interest in this history fell after the first half of the book and then it fell off。 This is a well written account of The Reformation。 I'd recommend it to anyone who has a high interest in this period。 。。。more
Melody Schwarting
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I had the privilege of attending MacCulloch's lectures on Reformation personalities when I studied abroad。 His eloquence， wry comments， and impeccable research are on display here as they were in person。 I don't really enjoy studying the Reformation period， honestly （more。 drama。 than。 eighth。 grade。）， but MacCulloch makes it engaging and memorable。 I had the privilege of attending MacCulloch's lectures on Reformation personalities when I studied abroad。 His eloquence， wry comments， and impeccable research are on display here as they were in person。 I don't really enjoy studying the Reformation period， honestly （more。 drama。 than。 eighth。 grade。）， but MacCulloch makes it engaging and memorable。 。。。more
Richard
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