The Reformation

In the 16th century, Europe broke apart and all religion, politics, and society changed. Oxford scholar MacCulloch masterfully reconstructs Christianity's greatest "fault line" since the Roman Empire's demise. Offering vivid portraits of the main players---reformers, popes, and rulers---he explains why their ideas altered the European landscape and traces echoing influences in modern America. 792 pages, hardcover from Viking.

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.

Diarmaid MacCulloch is a fellow of St. Cross College, Oxford, and a professor of the history of the Church at Oxford University. His books include The Boy King: Edward VI and the Protestant Reformation and the award-winning Thomas Cramner: A Life. Diarmaid MacCulloch is a fellow of St. Cross College, Oxford, and a professor of the history of the Church at Oxford University. His books include The Boy King: Edward VI and the Protestant Reformation and the award-winning Thomas Cramner: A Life.

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Reviewed by Ralph E. Molyneux (Akron, OH), July 20, 2009

Why this book? MacCulloch is correct in his assessment that you cannot understand the founding of the United States of America unless you understand what took place in the historical and philosophical developments in Europe during the Reformation era. He does an outstanding job of making the characters live, not just with dates and events, but with personalities, conflicts, political intrigue, and in depth analysis. His thoroughness research makes the book very readable. Whether you are wanting to expand and deepen your understanding or whether you are going for your first immersion into the subject, this book will help you accomplish those objectives.

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