As a historical document Diarmaid MacCulloch's 750-page narrative Reformation: Europe's House Divided 1490-1700 has all the key ingredients.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 spreads 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 has written 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 16th-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."

MacCulloch is a top-notch historian--he uncovers material and theories that will seem fresh and inspired to Reformation scholars as well as lay readers. --Gail Hudson, Amazon.com

The house of Europe reshaped, 29 Aug 2008
Diarmaid MacCulloch has produced a masterful and magisterial history of a period that is usually called the "Reformation" but which, as MacCulloch demonstrates, transcends simplistic notions of Catholicism and Protestantism. In the space of 250 years, not only Europe, but also the world as a whole were reshaped through a series of social and political convulsions in which religion played a central role. MacCulloch successfully manages to combine historical and geographical approaches that show how the main players were related to what went before as well as other actors.

Excellent, 15 Mar 2008
I would venture to say that this is the best book there is on the subject of the reformation.
I particularly liked the way he was aware of the limited knowledge of the general reader. He has taken great care to impart his expertise gradually which is to be lauded. Where topics have been mentioned in passing he provides, in brackets, a page reference where the subject is covered in more detail. This is helpful because the reformation is a broad subject and a lot of topics are covered in the book's 700 pages.
He is an eloquent and elegant writer and you really get the sense that this guy knows what he is talking about. He has thoughtfully compartmentalised the book brilliantly as only an expert could do.
Obviously in an overview of the subject, everything is touched upon without going into too much detail. But this isn't a bad thing as he has expertly chosen what he thinks is most important for the reader to gain a full understanding of those tumultuous years.
It is an excellently structured book, never being desultory or hard to follow. The first part gives an introduction to the subject, the second is the reformation and its aftermath, and the short third part gives an insight on what it was like to live through. This final part also devotes a couple of chapters to attitudes to love and sex during the reformation.
If you look at the back of the book, you will not only find references and notes, but Mr Macculloch has also provided a list of further reading that he recommends on subjects that may have piqued your interest.

A more panoramic view of the this period will be hard to find.

A point of view, 30 Jan 2008
Is it an advantage, as MacCulloch says to "not subscribe to any form of religious dogma" in trying to "describe the Reformation to a world which has largely forgotten or half-understood what it was about" (p xxv) ? One wonders whether indeed it is possible not to subscribe to some dogma(ie a belief or system of beliefs held on authority) religious or secular whether consciously held or not, and whether in all cases historians do not have a viewpoint conscious or unconscious lurking in the background to which they "bend the story to fit irrelevant preconceptions". Keynes accused practical men who eschewed theory as being slaves to some long defunct economists, one wonders if historians are any different.

However this is an excellent book, whatever one may make of the distinctive viewpoint which comes out so strongly in the section on Outcomes.

As well as the information concerning the ideas of the Reformers, going well beyond Luther, Zwingli and Calvin to Bucer and Bullinger, not to mention many others, it gives considerable space to the ideas and influence of Erasmus, and Cardinal Pole. As he says "Social and political history cannot do without theology in understanding the 16th century". MacCulloch gives succinct and accurate descriptions of the ideas , not exactly for dummies but with a secular audience in mind.

How many of us knew that there were one million Christian slaves enslaved by Islamic raiders between 1530 and 1640,roughly equivalent to the trade across the Atlantic? (p 57) That lay people with the dissolution of the guilds lost much control of what went on in church at the Reformation? (p 16)that in the 1930's the Popes did not excommunicate Hitler because among other reasons it was remembered that doing so to Elizabeth I had been counter productive? (p 334) That England judicially murdered more Roman Catholics than any other country in Europe (p 392).That as late as 1612 (well after the Council of Trent) the Archbishop of Salzburg lived with his concubine and 15 children?(p 447). As used to be said by a Sunday newspaper "all human life is here".

His history of the Church of England is particularly interesting reflecting as it does all the recent research which has made the old Anglo-Catholic historiography somewhat unconvincing.He makes very short work of any talk of the Elizabethan Settlement being any kind of compromise intended to mollify Catholics (p 289). Nor does he have much time for the "Protestant work ethic" and while admiring Max Weber whom he describes as a genius sees his work as being influential on discussions of history "particularly among those who are not historians". (p 604). In the background of much thought he sees a sense that time is at an end ,and says that without appreciating this the Reformation can often be regarded as "a vandalistic, mean-minded or money-grubbing assault on a settled round of devotion and a world of beauty and celebration".(p 551).

This book should certainly be read as it cannot fail to amuse, to stimulate,and to inform.However it is a pity that the print in the Penguin edition is so small and may prove a problem for elderly scholars.

Brilliant, enlightening and readable, 14 Apr 2007
I disagree with some of the other reviews here that this is bland or a difficult read - I approached it with some tripidation but found it both reassuringly scholarly and yet immensely readable, probably because the author has a distinctive 'voice' which mediates perfectly through the vast amount of material he covers. MacCulloch knows his material intimately and yet manages to convey the complexities without ever resorting to the fatal dumbing down of many authors. As someone with a vague idea of the history of the period, but little knowledge of religious philosophy, I wasn't sure if this would be too 'technical' but actually I found it fascinating and unputdownable. It dropped a star because at some points I felt MacCulloch was trying to cram in too much e.g. the complexities of religious thought across the whole of Europe, but the third section in particular on the differences the reformation made to actual peoples' lives in terms of the way they thought about sex and the family, for example, more than made up for some of the intricacies. All together a brilliant read.

Disappointing, 28 Mar 2007
There must be room for a great modern book on the Reformation but this isn't it. I am fascinated by this period but I found this book tedious and frustrating. The narrative is more or less chronological but this results in confusion as themes are introduced then abandoned then resumed again. I found it more or less unreadable after a while and this was a real disappoinment since I had such high hopes. Perhaps it is too ambtious to try to compress the whole of Reformation history into one volume.

The house of Europe reshaped, 29 Aug 2008
Diarmaid MacCulloch has produced a masterful and magisterial history of a period that is usually called the "Reformation" but which, as MacCulloch demonstrates, transcends simplistic notions of Catholicism and Protestantism. In the space of 250 years, not only Europe, but also the world as a whole were reshaped through a series of social and political convulsions in which religion played a central role. MacCulloch successfully manages to combine historical and geographical approaches that show how the main players were related to what went before as well as other actors.

Excellent, 15 Mar 2008
I would venture to say that this is the best book there is on the subject of the reformation.
I particularly liked the way he was aware of the limited knowledge of the general reader. He has taken great care to impart his expertise gradually which is to be lauded. Where topics have been mentioned in passing he provides, in brackets, a page reference where the subject is covered in more detail. This is helpful because the reformation is a broad subject and a lot of topics are covered in the book's 700 pages.
He is an eloquent and elegant writer and you really get the sense that this guy knows what he is talking about. He has thoughtfully compartmentalised the book brilliantly as only an expert could do.
Obviously in an overview of the subject, everything is touched upon without going into too much detail. But this isn't a bad thing as he has expertly chosen what he thinks is most important for the reader to gain a full understanding of those tumultuous years.
It is an excellently structured book, never being desultory or hard to follow. The first part gives an introduction to the subject, the second is the reformation and its aftermath, and the short third part gives an insight on what it was like to live through. This final part also devotes a couple of chapters to attitudes to love and sex during the reformation.
If you look at the back of the book, you will not only find references and notes, but Mr Macculloch has also provided a list of further reading that he recommends on subjects that may have piqued your interest.

A more panoramic view of the this period will be hard to find.

A point of view, 30 Jan 2008
Is it an advantage, as MacCulloch says to "not subscribe to any form of religious dogma" in trying to "describe the Reformation to a world which has largely forgotten or half-understood what it was about" (p xxv) ? One wonders whether indeed it is possible not to subscribe to some dogma(ie a belief or system of beliefs held on authority) religious or secular whether consciously held or not, and whether in all cases historians do not have a viewpoint conscious or unconscious lurking in the background to which they "bend the story to fit irrelevant preconceptions". Keynes accused practical men who eschewed theory as being slaves to some long defunct economists, one wonders if historians are any different.

However this is an excellent book, whatever one may make of the distinctive viewpoint which comes out so strongly in the section on Outcomes.

As well as the information concerning the ideas of the Reformers, going well beyond Luther, Zwingli and Calvin to Bucer and Bullinger, not to mention many others, it gives considerable space to the ideas and influence of Erasmus, and Cardinal Pole. As he says "Social and political history cannot do without theology in understanding the 16th century". MacCulloch gives succinct and accurate descriptions of the ideas , not exactly for dummies but with a secular audience in mind.

How many of us knew that there were one million Christian slaves enslaved by Islamic raiders between 1530 and 1640,roughly equivalent to the trade across the Atlantic? (p 57) That lay people with the dissolution of the guilds lost much control of what went on in church at the Reformation? (p 16)that in the 1930's the Popes did not excommunicate Hitler because among other reasons it was remembered that doing so to Elizabeth I had been counter productive? (p 334) That England judicially murdered more Roman Catholics than any other country in Europe (p 392).That as late as 1612 (well after the Council of Trent) the Archbishop of Salzburg lived with his concubine and 15 children?(p 447). As used to be said by a Sunday newspaper "all human life is here".

His history of the Church of England is particularly interesting reflecting as it does all the recent research which has made the old Anglo-Catholic historiography somewhat unconvincing.He makes very short work of any talk of the Elizabethan Settlement being any kind of compromise intended to mollify Catholics (p 289). Nor does he have much time for the "Protestant work ethic" and while admiring Max Weber whom he describes as a genius sees his work as being influential on discussions of history "particularly among those who are not historians". (p 604). In the background of much thought he sees a sense that time is at an end ,and says that without appreciating this the Reformation can often be regarded as "a vandalistic, mean-minded or money-grubbing assault on a settled round of devotion and a world of beauty and celebration".(p 551).

This book should certainly be read as it cannot fail to amuse, to stimulate,and to inform.However it is a pity that the print in the Penguin edition is so small and may prove a problem for elderly scholars.

Brilliant, enlightening and readable, 14 Apr 2007
I disagree with some of the other reviews here that this is bland or a difficult read - I approached it with some tripidation but found it both reassuringly scholarly and yet immensely readable, probably because the author has a distinctive 'voice' which mediates perfectly through the vast amount of material he covers. MacCulloch knows his material intimately and yet manages to convey the complexities without ever resorting to the fatal dumbing down of many authors. As someone with a vague idea of the history of the period, but little knowledge of religious philosophy, I wasn't sure if this would be too 'technical' but actually I found it fascinating and unputdownable. It dropped a star because at some points I felt MacCulloch was trying to cram in too much e.g. the complexities of religious thought across the whole of Europe, but the third section in particular on the differences the reformation made to actual peoples' lives in terms of the way they thought about sex and the family, for example, more than made up for some of the intricacies. All together a brilliant read.

Disappointing, 28 Mar 2007
There must be room for a great modern book on the Reformation but this isn't it. I am fascinated by this period but I found this book tedious and frustrating. The narrative is more or less chronological but this results in confusion as themes are introduced then abandoned then resumed again. I found it more or less unreadable after a while and this was a real disappoinment since I had such high hopes. Perhaps it is too ambtious to try to compress the whole of Reformation history into one volume.

The book on the reformation I enjoyed best reading., 08 Dec 2005
I read this as a medical student dabbling in Theology for my degree many years ago. I found it enormously readable, intertwining Luther's theology and writings with the exciting events of his life. A great read and definitely the book I enjoyed reading the most studying the Reformation.

One of many Martin Luther biographies, 02 Apr 2005
I am reviewing the 1950, Mentor Books Fifteenth Printing.
This book is well laid out. Much of the material is in lecture form. There are twenty-two content headings, 12 page Bibliography, References, Source of Illustrations, and comprehensive Index. The illustrations are just that monochrome sketches.
Roland H. Bainton received an A.B. degree from Whitman College, and B.D. and Ph.D. degrees form Yale University and form Oberlin College, Dr. Theological Seminary and from Oberlin College. He is a Specialist in Reformation history.

There are many biography and reference books on Martin Luther, each with its own strength s and weaknesses. This one by Roland H. Bainton is pretty comprehensive and goes into more depth than most. Do not get out your highlighter or you will highlight every page.

This is the story of a religious leader who is well known for leading the Protestant Reformation. "I cannot...I will not...Recant! Here I Stand."



static, 29 May 1999
I felt that this bio engauge to much in the theology and not enough in a narrative of action. Luther lead a dangerous and exciting life both mentally and consequently physically. I never sensed the danger in this book, and the theology could be over bearing and cumbersome. A better bio is by J.H. Merle D'Aubigne--The life and Times of Martin Luther. There you hear more of the debates from the participants' mouths and follow more closely Luther's journey--it is exciting--as it should be.

Interesting biography of this extraordinary man of faith!, 16 Mar 1999
I have read this book twice, and each time have learned so much about Martin Luther, the leader of the Protestant Reformation and man of great faith. Luther tells the story of the Ninety-Five Theses and Luther's appearance before the Diet of Worms more like it is a novel and not a biography. The biography is filled with the great words of this great man. "I cannot...I will not recant...Here I Stand. I can do no more. God save me!"

Surprisingly engaging, 16 Dec 1998
I found an old copy of this among my sister's college books. I suspected that I would read a chapter and then toss it aside, but found myself thoroughly engrossed in the world of Martin Luther and the Reformation.

This book is really more of an essay than a critical history. Still, it is a wonderful introduction to an important chapter in Western history.

Eamon Duffy's monumental The Stripping of the Altars provided a new slant on the English Reformation. Duffy has now dug deeper into the same fascinating period. The Voices of Morebath is the story of a hamlet buried deep in the heart of Devon. The parish priest, Sir Christopher Trychay remained in office through the troubled times of the mid-16th century. During his long tenure he carefully recorded the impact of national events in his ordinary rural community.

Trychay's account is unique because it is not a personal diary but a record of the parish accounts. Sir Christopher, however, was talkative and opinionated so the accounts are laden with the minutiae of parish life. Duffy weaves these otherwise cryptic details into the wider tapestry of events of the time, and by analysing the result shows the devastating revolution that took place in ordinary people's lives. As the drama unfolds we see the folk of Morebath forced from their secure Catholicism into the new religion of King Henry. After Edward's brief reign the villagers breathe a sigh of relief and haul out all their Catholic paraphernalia, grateful that Mary Tudor has restored the Catholic faith. Then it all goes for good once Elizabeth takes the throne.

Duffy has given us history that is absorbing, readable and complete. His own enthusiasm for his topic gives the book a zest that takes it beyond the usual academic tome. Anyone the least bit interested in English history must not neglect this important book. --Dwight Longenecker

The house of Europe reshaped, 29 Aug 2008
Diarmaid MacCulloch has produced a masterful and magisterial history of a period that is usually called the "Reformation" but which, as MacCulloch demonstrates, transcends simplistic notions of Catholicism and Protestantism. In the space of 250 years, not only Europe, but also the world as a whole were reshaped through a series of social and political convulsions in which religion played a central role. MacCulloch successfully manages to combine historical and geographical approaches that show how the main players were related to what went before as well as other actors.

Excellent, 15 Mar 2008
I would venture to say that this is the best book there is on the subject of the reformation.
I particularly liked the way he was aware of the limited knowledge of the general reader. He has taken great care to impart his expertise gradually which is to be lauded. Where topics have been mentioned in passing he provides, in brackets, a page reference where the subject is covered in more detail. This is helpful because the reformation is a broad subject and a lot of topics are covered in the book's 700 pages.
He is an eloquent and elegant writer and you really get the sense that this guy knows what he is talking about. He has thoughtfully compartmentalised the book brilliantly as only an expert could do.
Obviously in an overview of the subject, everything is touched upon without going into too much detail. But this isn't a bad thing as he has expertly chosen what he thinks is most important for the reader to gain a full understanding of those tumultuous years.
It is an excellently structured book, never being desultory or hard to follow. The first part gives an introduction to the subject, the second is the reformation and its aftermath, and the short third part gives an insight on what it was like to live through. This final part also devotes a couple of chapters to attitudes to love and sex during the reformation.
If you look at the back of the book, you will not only find references and notes, but Mr Macculloch has also provided a list of further reading that he recommends on subjects that may have piqued your interest.

A more panoramic view of the this period will be hard to find.

A point of view, 30 Jan 2008
Is it an advantage, as MacCulloch says to "not subscribe to any form of religious dogma" in trying to "describe the Reformation to a world which has largely forgotten or half-understood what it was about" (p xxv) ? One wonders whether indeed it is possible not to subscribe to some dogma(ie a belief or system of beliefs held on authority) religious or secular whether consciously held or not, and whether in all cases historians do not have a viewpoint conscious or unconscious lurking in the background to which they "bend the story to fit irrelevant preconceptions". Keynes accused practical men who eschewed theory as being slaves to some long defunct economists, one wonders if historians are any different.

However this is an excellent book, whatever one may make of the distinctive viewpoint which comes out so strongly in the section on Outcomes.

As well as the information concerning the ideas of the Reformers, going well beyond Luther, Zwingli and Calvin to Bucer and Bullinger, not to mention many others, it gives considerable space to the ideas and influence of Erasmus, and Cardinal Pole. As he says "Social and political history cannot do without theology in understanding the 16th century". MacCulloch gives succinct and accurate descriptions of the ideas , not exactly for dummies but with a secular audience in mind.

How many of us knew that there were one million Christian slaves enslaved by Islamic raiders between 1530 and 1640,roughly equivalent to the trade across the Atlantic? (p 57) That lay people with the dissolution of the guilds lost much control of what went on in church at the Reformation? (p 16)that in the 1930's the Popes did not excommunicate Hitler because among other reasons it was remembered that doing so to Elizabeth I had been counter productive? (p 334) That England judicially murdered more Roman Catholics than any other country in Europe (p 392).That as late as 1612 (well after the Council of Trent) the Archbishop of Salzburg lived with his concubine and 15 children?(p 447). As used to be said by a Sunday newspaper "all human life is here".

His history of the Church of England is particularly interesting reflecting as it does all the recent research which has made the old Anglo-Catholic historiography somewhat unconvincing.He makes very short work of any talk of the Elizabethan Settlement being any kind of compromise intended to mollify Catholics (p 289). Nor does he have much time for the "Protestant work ethic" and while admiring Max Weber whom he describes as a genius sees his work as being influential on discussions of history "particularly among those who are not historians". (p 604). In the background of much thought he sees a sense that time is at an end ,and says that without appreciating this the Reformation can often be regarded as "a vandalistic, mean-minded or money-grubbing assault on a settled round of devotion and a world of beauty and celebration".(p 551).

This book should certainly be read as it cannot fail to amuse, to stimulate,and to inform.However it is a pity that the print in the Penguin edition is so small and may prove a problem for elderly scholars.

Brilliant, enlightening and readable, 14 Apr 2007
I disagree with some of the other reviews here that this is bland or a difficult read - I approached it with some tripidation but found it both reassuringly scholarly and yet immensely readable, probably because the author has a distinctive 'voice' which mediates perfectly through the vast amount of material he covers. MacCulloch knows his material intimately and yet manages to convey the complexities without ever resorting to the fatal dumbing down of many authors. As someone with a vague idea of the history of the period, but little knowledge of religious philosophy, I wasn't sure if this would be too 'technical' but actually I found it fascinating and unputdownable. It dropped a star because at some points I felt MacCulloch was trying to cram in too much e.g. the complexities of religious thought across the whole of Europe, but the third section in particular on the differences the reformation made to actual peoples' lives in terms of the way they thought about sex and the family, for example, more than made up for some of the intricacies. All together a brilliant read.

Disappointing, 28 Mar 2007
There must be room for a great modern book on the Reformation but this isn't it. I am fascinated by this period but I found this book tedious and frustrating. The narrative is more or less chronological but this results in confusion as themes are introduced then abandoned then resumed again. I found it more or less unreadable after a while and this was a real disappoinment since I had such high hopes. Perhaps it is too ambtious to try to compress the whole of Reformation history into one volume.

The book on the reformation I enjoyed best reading., 08 Dec 2005
I read this as a medical student dabbling in Theology for my degree many years ago. I found it enormously readable, intertwining Luther's theology and writings with the exciting events of his life. A great read and definitely the book I enjoyed reading the most studying the Reformation.

One of many Martin Luther biographies, 02 Apr 2005
I am reviewing the 1950, Mentor Books Fifteenth Printing.
This book is well laid out. Much of the material is in lecture form. There are twenty-two content headings, 12 page Bibliography, References, Source of Illustrations, and comprehensive Index. The illustrations are just that monochrome sketches.
Roland H. Bainton received an A.B. degree from Whitman College, and B.D. and Ph.D. degrees form Yale University and form Oberlin College, Dr. Theological Seminary and from Oberlin College. He is a Specialist in Reformation history.

There are many biography and reference books on Martin Luther, each with its own strength s and weaknesses. This one by Roland H. Bainton is pretty comprehensive and goes into more depth than most. Do not get out your highlighter or you will highlight every page.

This is the story of a religious leader who is well known for leading the Protestant Reformation. "I cannot...I will not...Recant! Here I Stand."



static, 29 May 1999
I felt that this bio engauge to much in the theology and not enough in a narrative of action. Luther lead a dangerous and exciting life both mentally and consequently physically. I never sensed the danger in this book, and the theology could be over bearing and cumbersome. A better bio is by J.H. Merle D'Aubigne--The life and Times of Martin Luther. There you hear more of the debates from the participants' mouths and follow more closely Luther's journey--it is exciting--as it should be.

Interesting biography of this extraordinary man of faith!, 16 Mar 1999
I have read this book twice, and each time have learned so much about Martin Luther, the leader of the Protestant Reformation and man of great faith. Luther tells the story of the Ninety-Five Theses and Luther's appearance before the Diet of Worms more like it is a novel and not a biography. The biography is filled with the great words of this great man. "I cannot...I will not recant...Here I Stand. I can do no more. God save me!"

Surprisingly engaging, 16 Dec 1998
I found an old copy of this among my sister's college books. I suspected that I would read a chapter and then toss it aside, but found myself thoroughly engrossed in the world of Martin Luther and the Reformation.

This book is really more of an essay than a critical history. Still, it is a wonderful introduction to an important chapter in Western history.

Buried between the site of the altar where he had sung the Mass, and the table where he had celebrated the Supper., 03 Jan 2008
Thus ended the career of the parish priest of Morebath, there was he buried, between two religions, two social worlds, two distinct weltanschuung. Taken from his parish register, which gives full details of accounts with a full and interesting commentary by him ,Christopher Trychay, who served the parish from 1520 - 1574, this book gives an interesting account of the minutiae of parish life throughout the events of the 16th century.
I wonder whether it is possible to write of the Reformation without one's own loyalties being obvious, indeed other reviewers have clearly revealed their own, but Professor Duffy , himself a Catholic, certainly writes not only with considerable affection for the pre-Reformation world but also with some appreciation for the Elizabethan one which came to supplant it in England.

Many of us do not believe ,unlike our ancestors were led to believe by their historians -indeed Haigh when he first studied the opposition to the Reformation came to the conclusion that what he had been taught at school about its popularity was erroneous -that the Reformation was welcomed by the people of England, and have been puzzled as to how they accepted such a revolution. Looked at from the centre the answer is perhaps the power and luck of Queen Elizabeth and the relentless persecution , well detailed by Philip Hughes' "The Reformation in England Vol III True Religion Now Established " , of her Catholic subjects, but the localities have been more problematic, although even there as in the time of Thomas Cromwell it could be said that careless talk costs lives.(p 167). Duffy shows how gradually, after limited destruction under Henry VIII and massive destruction under Edward VI, restoration under Mary, and further destruction under Elizabeth, the Old Religion in Morebath gave way. Their parish priest stayed with them, no longer using the requiem vestments for which in his early days so much parish money had been saved, and obediently adopting the new ways. He "eased them into a slow and settled conformity to the new order of things"(p190).Under Mary he probably had looked back on the the Reformation as being "arrogant, destructive, and un-English, a disastrous rebellion against God and the faith of our fathers" but when it triumphed again he adapted to the change. He saw his duty as being to God and Morebath.

No doubt like many others, I was given this book as a Christmas gift, and was delighted to have such a readable, scholarly, and beautifully illustrated addition to my library.



Thank you for visiting Morebath - Please drive carefully, 28 Dec 2007
Eamon Duffy brings the village of Morebath in the sixteenth century to life with this excellent piece of research. Using original churchwarden's records and relevant historiography, he reconstructs the life of a community as it's belief system comes increasingly under threat. Duffy's work not only gives us a glipmse into the past, but also shows us the historian's craft in action. So Duffy may become a little wrapped up in his subject matter - his enthusiasm shines out of his work and adds to its appeal, in this case anyway. His love of the period is obvious and is infectious, and he reconstructs the minutiae of village life with gusto, to the point where you too may be sucked into the world of Morebath under the Tudors. No bad thing. It happened to me and I for one was sorry to leave.

This is very much a companion volume to "The Stripping of the Altars", the earlier work grand in scope, while "The Voices of Morebath" focusses on one community and narrows that scope, bringing it under the microscope and revealing it with skill and crystal clarity. Anyone with anything more than a passing interest in early modern history should have this book. What the hell... everyone else should have it too.


A good piece of scholarship, spoilt by nostalgia, 05 Aug 2004
Duffy's Morebath has received more than enough hype to require further praise from me. It is, clearly, an excellent and scholarly account based on a (for the most part) sound analysis of the sources. The problem is that Duffy, as in his more famous Stripping of the Altars, allows his nostalgia for an England we have lost to run away with him. In doing so he creates a somewhat over-simplified picture of English attitudes to traditional religion and the Reformation. It is doubtful that there was as much popular support for the pre-Reformation clergy or as much antipathy towards the process of religious change as Duffy suggests. A more nuanced account would have made use of the hints in the source material of popular discontent with the old order, and showed the multiple ways in which people experienced traditional religion and viewed its destruction during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and Elizabeth I.

That said, this book is to be recommended as a good and easily accessible example of the kind of work historians are doing now. Narratives of the lives of kings and queens are increasingly being replaced by stories of ordinary people, some remarkable and others interesting purely because they were ordinary. David Underdown's Fire From Heaven, about seventeenth century Dorchester, makes an interesting comparison with Duffy's Morebath, is in many ways a better work and provides some useful ways of answering the question, 'Why did England become Protestant?' As it shows, popular support for Reformation could - and did - exist, and Protestantism played a meaningful and important role in the lives of many.

empathetic history, 30 Nov 2003
eamon duffy, through his intricate study of sir christopher's (morebath's parish preist's)written acounts of parish life, presents a deliciously partisan and empathetic tale of one man's struggle to fathom the enormity of religious reform in the sixteenth century. a glimpse into the probable reaction of ordinary devon folk to attempts to confiscate church property. duffy shows how the church property belonged to everyone in the parish having been purchased through generous contrbutions to the numerous well-supported parish guilds.

whether morebath is typical of other tudor villages becomes irrelevant as duffy's tooth comb study of sir christopher's acounts reveals priceless, previously-unnoticed details. For instance Duffy's revealation that the small hamlet sent two of it's own to represent them in the 1549 rebellion against the newly imposed prayer book adds creedance to the corner that claims that this rising had predominantly religious motives. on a personal level it sheds light on the desperation of towns like morebath who armed and funded the 6,000 ill fated prayer book rebels.

a fantastic read for historians and non-historians alike. a must for anyone intreged by the english reformation. the centrality of the parish in secular life is portrayed remarkably in this very readable study.

Why DID we all go protestant?, 12 Nov 2003
The long awaited sequel and parallel text to The Stripping of the Altars - an intimate examination of the Reformation in a single Devon parish.

Duffy explores the period 1530-1580 through the churchwardens accounts, minute books, journals and bequests of the remote Devon village of Morebath. If you've already read his "The Stripping of the Altars", this book is like a detective story, trying to answer a single, biting question: if the Reformation in England was so unpopular with the common people, why did it succeed? He comes up with what looks like it might be the answer.

The opening chapters may be heavy going if you haven't already read "The Stripping of the Altars".

The house of Europe reshaped, 29 Aug 2008
Diarmaid MacCulloch has produced a masterful and magisterial history of a period that is usually called the "Reformation" but which, as MacCulloch demonstrates, transcends simplistic notions of Catholicism and Protestantism. In the space of 250 years, not only Europe, but also the world as a whole were reshaped through a series of social and political convulsions in which religion played a central role. MacCulloch successfully manages to combine historical and geographical approaches that show how the main players were related to what went before as well as other actors.

Excellent, 15 Mar 2008
I would venture to say that this is the best book there is on the subject of the reformation.
I particularly liked the way he was aware of the limited knowledge of the general reader. He has taken great care to impart his expertise gradually which is to be lauded. Where topics have been mentioned in passing he provides, in brackets, a page reference where the subject is covered in more detail. This is helpful because the reformation is a broad subject and a lot of topics are covered in the book's 700 pages.
He is an eloquent and elegant writer and you really get the sense that this guy knows what he is talking about. He has thoughtfully compartmentalised the book brilliantly as only an expert could do.
Obviously in an overview of the subject, everything is touched upon without going into too much detail. But this isn't a bad thing as he has expertly chosen what he thinks is most important for the reader to gain a full understanding of those tumultuous years.
It is an excellently structured book, never being desultory or hard to follow. The first part gives an introduction to the subject, the second is the reformation and its aftermath, and the short third part gives an insight on what it was like to live through. This final part also devotes a couple of chapters to attitudes to love and sex during the reformation.
If you look at the back of the book, you will not only find references and notes, but Mr Macculloch has also provided a list of further reading that he recommends on subjects that may have piqued your interest.

A more panoramic view of the this period will be hard to find.

A point of view, 30 Jan 2008
Is it an advantage, as MacCulloch says to "not subscribe to any form of religious dogma" in trying to "describe the Reformation to a world which has largely forgotten or half-understood what it was about" (p xxv) ? One wonders whether indeed it is possible not to subscribe to some dogma(ie a belief or system of beliefs held on authority) religious or secular whether consciously held or not, and whether in all cases historians do not have a viewpoint conscious or unconscious lurking in the background to which they "bend the story to fit irrelevant preconceptions". Keynes accused practical men who eschewed theory as being slaves to some long defunct economists, one wonders if historians are any different.

However this is an excellent book, whatever one may make of the distinctive viewpoint which comes out so strongly in the section on Outcomes.

As well as the information concerning the ideas of the Reformers, going well beyond Luther, Zwingli and Calvin to Bucer and Bullinger, not to mention many others, it gives considerable space to the ideas and influence of Erasmus, and Cardinal Pole. As he says "Social and political history cannot do without theology in understanding the 16th century". MacCulloch gives succinct and accurate descriptions of the ideas , not exactly for dummies but with a secular audience in mind.

How many of us knew that there were one million Christian slaves enslaved by Islamic raiders between 1530 and 1640,roughly equivalent to the trade across the Atlantic? (p 57) That lay people with the dissolution of the guilds lost much control of what went on in church at the Reformation? (p 16)that in the 1930's the Popes did not excommunicate Hitler because among other reasons it was remembered that doing so to Elizabeth I had been counter productive? (p 334) That England judicially murdered more Roman Catholics than any other country in Europe (p 392).That as late as 1612 (well after the Council of Trent) the Archbishop of Salzburg lived with his concubine and 15 children?(p 447). As used to be said by a Sunday newspaper "all human life is here".

His history of the Church of England is particularly interesting reflecting as it does all the recent research which has made the old Anglo-Catholic historiography somewhat unconvincing.He makes very short work of any talk of the Elizabethan Settlement being any kind of compromise intended to mollify Catholics (p 289). Nor does he have much time for the "Protestant work ethic" and while admiring Max Weber whom he describes as a genius sees his work as being influential on discussions of history "particularly among those who are not historians". (p 604). In the background of much thought he sees a sense that time is at an end ,and says that without appreciating this the Reformation can often be regarded as "a vandalistic, mean-minded or money-grubbing assault on a settled round of devotion and a world of beauty and celebration".(p 551).

This book should certainly be read as it cannot fail to amuse, to stimulate,and to inform.However it is a pity that the print in the Penguin edition is so small and may prove a problem for elderly scholars.

Brilliant, enlightening and readable, 14 Apr 2007
I disagree with some of the other reviews here that this is bland or a difficult read - I approached it with some tripidation but found it both reassuringly scholarly and yet immensely readable, probably because the author has a distinctive 'voice' which mediates perfectly through the vast amount of material he covers. MacCulloch knows his material intimately and yet manages to convey the complexities without ever resorting to the fatal dumbing down of many authors. As someone with a vague idea of the history of the period, but little knowledge of religious philosophy, I wasn't sure if this would be too 'technical' but actually I found it fascinating and unputdownable. It dropped a star because at some points I felt MacCulloch was trying to cram in too much e.g. the complexities of religious thought across the whole of Europe, but the third section in particular on the differences the reformation made to actual peoples' lives in terms of the way they thought about sex and the family, for example, more than made up for some of the intricacies. All together a brilliant read.

Disappointing, 28 Mar 2007
There must be room for a great modern book on the Reformation but this isn't it. I am fascinated by this period but I found this book tedious and frustrating. The narrative is more or less chronological but this results in confusion as themes are introduced then abandoned then resumed again. I found it more or less unreadable after a while and this was a real disappoinment since I had such high hopes. Perhaps it is too ambtious to try to compress the whole of Reformation history into one volume.

The book on the reformation I enjoyed best reading., 08 Dec 2005
I read this as a medical student dabbling in Theology for my degree many years ago. I found it enormously readable, intertwining Luther's theology and writings with the exciting events of his life. A great read and definitely the book I enjoyed reading the most studying the Reformation.

One of many Martin Luther biographies, 02 Apr 2005
I am reviewing the 1950, Mentor Books Fifteenth Printing.
This book is well laid out. Much of the material is in lecture form. There are twenty-two content headings, 12 page Bibliography, References, Source of Illustrations, and comprehensive Index. The illustrations are just that monochrome sketches.
Roland H. Bainton received an A.B. degree from Whitman College, and B.D. and Ph.D. degrees form Yale University and form Oberlin College, Dr. Theological Seminary and from Oberlin College. He is a Specialist in Reformation history.

There are many biography and reference books on Martin Luther, each with its own strength s and weaknesses. This one by Roland H. Bainton is pretty comprehensive and goes into more depth than most. Do not get out your highlighter or you will highlight every page.

This is the story of a religious leader who is well known for leading the Protestant Reformation. "I cannot...I will not...Recant! Here I Stand."



static, 29 May 1999
I felt that this bio engauge to much in the theology and not enough in a narrative of action. Luther lead a dangerous and exciting life both mentally and consequently physically. I never sensed the danger in this book, and the theology could be over bearing and cumbersome. A better bio is by J.H. Merle D'Aubigne--The life and Times of Martin Luther. There you hear more of the debates from the participants' mouths and follow more closely Luther's journey--it is exciting--as it should be.

Interesting biography of this extraordinary man of faith!, 16 Mar 1999
I have read this book twice, and each time have learned so much about Martin Luther, the leader of the Protestant Reformation and man of great faith. Luther tells the story of the Ninety-Five Theses and Luther's appearance before the Diet of Worms more like it is a novel and not a biography. The biography is filled with the great words of this great man. "I cannot...I will not recant...Here I Stand. I can do no more. God save me!"

Surprisingly engaging, 16 Dec 1998
I found an old copy of this among my sister's college books. I suspected that I would read a chapter and then toss it aside, but found myself thoroughly engrossed in the world of Martin Luther and the Reformation.

This book is really more of an essay than a critical history. Still, it is a wonderful introduction to an important chapter in Western history.

Buried between the site of the altar where he had sung the Mass, and the table where he had celebrated the Supper., 03 Jan 2008
Thus ended the career of the parish priest of Morebath, there was he buried, between two religions, two social worlds, two distinct weltanschuung. Taken from his parish register, which gives full details of accounts with a full and interesting commentary by him ,Christopher Trychay, who served the parish from 1520 - 1574, this book gives an interesting account of the minutiae of parish life throughout the events of the 16th century.
I wonder whether it is possible to write of the Reformation without one's own loyalties being obvious, indeed other reviewers have clearly revealed their own, but Professor Duffy , himself a Catholic, certainly writes not only with considerable affection for the pre-Reformation world but also with some appreciation for the Elizabethan one which came to supplant it in England.

Many of us do not believe ,unlike our ancestors were led to believe by their historians -indeed Haigh when he first studied the opposition to the Reformation came to the conclusion that what he had been taught at school about its popularity was erroneous -that the Reformation was welcomed by the people of England, and have been puzzled as to how they accepted such a revolution. Looked at from the centre the answer is perhaps the power and luck of Queen Elizabeth and the relentless persecution , well detailed by Philip Hughes' "The Reformation in England Vol III True Religion Now Established " , of her Catholic subjects, but the localities have been more problematic, although even there as in the time of Thomas Cromwell it could be said that careless talk costs lives.(p 167). Duffy shows how gradually, after limited destruction under Henry VIII and massive destruction under Edward VI, restoration under Mary, and further destruction under Elizabeth, the Old Religion in Morebath gave way. Their parish priest stayed with them, no longer using the requiem vestments for which in his early days so much parish money had been saved, and obediently adopting the new ways. He "eased them into a slow and settled conformity to the new order of things"(p190).Under Mary he probably had looked back on the the Reformation as being "arrogant, destructive, and un-English, a disastrous rebellion against God and the faith of our fathers" but when it triumphed again he adapted to the change. He saw his duty as being to God and Morebath.

No doubt like many others, I was given this book as a Christmas gift, and was delighted to have such a readable, scholarly, and beautifully illustrated addition to my library.



Thank you for visiting Morebath - Please drive carefully, 28 Dec 2007
Eamon Duffy brings the village of Morebath in the sixteenth century to life with this excellent piece of research. Using original churchwarden's records and relevant historiography, he reconstructs the life of a community as it's belief system comes increasingly under threat. Duffy's work not only gives us a glipmse into the past, but also shows us the historian's craft in action. So Duffy may become a little wrapped up in his subject matter - his enthusiasm shines out of his work and adds to its appeal, in this case anyway. His love of the period is obvious and is infectious, and he reconstructs the minutiae of village life with gusto, to the point where you too may be sucked into the world of Morebath under the Tudors. No bad thing. It happened to me and I for one was sorry to leave.

This is very much a companion volume to "The Stripping of the Altars", the earlier work grand in scope, while "The Voices of Morebath" focusses on one community and narrows that scope, bringing it under the microscope and revealing it with skill and crystal clarity. Anyone with anything more than a passing interest in early modern history should have this book. What the hell... everyone else should have it too.


A good piece of scholarship, spoilt by nostalgia, 05 Aug 2004
Duffy's Morebath has received more than enough hype to require further praise from me. It is, clearly, an excellent and scholarly account based on a (for the most part) sound analysis of the sources. The problem is that Duffy, as in his more famous Stripping of the Altars, allows his nostalgia for an England we have lost to run away with him. In doing so he creates a somewhat over-simplified picture of English attitudes to traditional religion and the Reformation. It is doubtful that there was as much popular support for the pre-Reformation clergy or as much antipathy towards the process of religious change as Duffy suggests. A more nuanced account would have made use of the hints in the source material of popular discontent with the old order, and showed the multiple ways in which people experienced traditional religion and viewed its destruction during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and Elizabeth I.

That said, this book is to be recommended as a good and easily accessible example of the kind of work historians are doing now. Narratives of the lives of kings and queens are increasingly being replaced by stories of ordinary people, some remarkable and others interesting purely because they were ordinary. David Underdown's Fire From Heaven, about seventeenth century Dorchester, makes an interesting comparison with Duffy's Morebath, is in many ways a better work and provides some useful ways of answering the question, 'Why did England become Protestant?' As it shows, popular support for Reformation could - and did - exist, and Protestantism played a meaningful and important role in the lives of many.

empathetic history, 30 Nov 2003
eamon duffy, through his intricate study of sir christopher's (morebath's parish preist's)written acounts of parish life, presents a deliciously partisan and empathetic tale of one man's struggle to fathom the enormity of religious reform in the sixteenth century. a glimpse into the probable reaction of ordinary devon folk to attempts to confiscate church property. duffy shows how the church property belonged to everyone in the parish having been purchased through generous contrbutions to the numerous well-supported parish guilds.

whether morebath is typical of other tudor villages becomes irrelevant as duffy's tooth comb study of sir christopher's acounts reveals priceless, previously-unnoticed details. For instance Duffy's revealation that the small hamlet sent two of it's own to represent them in the 1549 rebellion against the newly imposed prayer book adds creedance to the corner that claims that this rising had predominantly religious motives. on a personal level it sheds light on the desperation of towns like morebath who armed and funded the 6,000 ill fated prayer book rebels.

a fantastic read for historians and non-historians alike. a must for anyone intreged by the english reformation. the centrality of the parish in secular life is portrayed remarkably in this very readable study.

Why DID we all go protestant?, 12 Nov 2003
The long awaited sequel and parallel text to The Stripping of the Altars - an intimate examination of the Reformation in a single Devon parish.

Duffy explores the period 1530-1580 through the churchwardens accounts, minute books, journals and bequests of the remote Devon village of Morebath. If you've already read his "The Stripping of the Altars", this book is like a detective story, trying to answer a single, biting question: if the Reformation in England was so unpopular with the common people, why did it succeed? He comes up with what looks like it might be the answer.

The opening chapters may be heavy going if you haven't already read "The Stripping of the Altars".

Faith Undone, 30 Aug 2008
Faith Undone has been written to warn the Church about a phenomenon called "The Emergent Church." Like the warnings of the prophets, peoples' reaction to this book will vary from alarm through indifference to offence.

Although the book is written in a popular style to be accessible to non academics, it does contain footnotes detailing references so the reader may check the veracity of claims for themselves.

After the introductory chapter, the author traces the origins of the Emergent Church from as early as the 1950s describing how an American business guru influenced a group of church leaders in the 1980s, which in turn gathered and influenced a younger generation of pastors in the 1990s. There was a belief that the church needed to change dramatically to meet the challenge of the post-modern world. Influences that were affecting and shaping the new perceptions of these people appeared to have their roots in New Age and Eastern philosophies. They were also able to gain backing from influential publishers to widely disseminate their views and vision. Like the New Age movement, the Emergent Church is a more a diverse network rather than an organisation.

The book goes on to describe characteristics of the Emergent phenomenon. There is a tendency to promote experience as being more authoritative than scripture, which is no longer held to be absolute truth. This appeal for experience leads to an emphasis on rituals, mysticism and multi-sensory worship. This is justified as a "return" to the practice of the early church fathers and re-discovering of "ancient wisdom." Contemplative prayer is promoted with "centering down," "visualisation," and use of repetitive "mantra-like" prayers such as "The Jesus Prayer." There is also a move from the traditional Protestant view of Holy Communion towards a Roman Catholic perception of transubstantiation and the worship of the Eucharist. Because the author supports a traditional protestant understanding of this subject, and questions the Vatican's possible motives in encouraging the Emergent church in this area, it is likely that some readers will be offended by Oakland's warnings.

Other characteristics of the Emergent Church include "Kingdom Now Theology" which will include a "Replacement Theology" of Israel by the Church. There is a re-defining of "Christ" reminiscent of New Age "cosmic christs." Some proponents of Emergent Theology are uncomfortable with the atoning work of Jesus on the cross, holding it as an example of sacrifice rather than a requirement of God's justice. There is a tendency to emphasise the social side of the Gospel to exclusion of correct belief. Some Emergent leaders are uncertain on issues such as homosexuality.

Throughout the book the author tries not to needlessly "name names" for its own sake, but where necessary identifies key protagonists with relevant quotes. Some of the names may come as a surprise and cause upset.

The author undoubtedly perceives the Emergent influence as a threat to Christian Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy, preparing the way for a lukewarm compromising church that would be open to the deception of end times. I believe Roger Oakland to be sincere in his concern, though others may feel that he is over reacting, seeing dangers where none exist. However the issues raised are important and need to be debated in an open and mature manner. This is an issue which will not go away and all Christians need to be aware of what is happening and will have to make a decision. I would recommend this book as a good introduction to the subject and a starting point for prayer, study and discussion.
Faith Undone: The Emerging Church...a New Reformation or an End-Time Deception

Disappointed with this., 29 Jul 2008
I was disappointed with this book. I think the author has many very good points to make about the way the church is being rebranded for the 21st century. His claim that the Youth Movement in particular with its new forms of worship, its roots in Eastern mysticism, its subtle corruption by New Age philosophies, is off track and well away from being Biblically based can be proved by the thorough research he has done. I am in full agreement with many of his points. However, my disappointment with the book is based on his violently Anti-Catholic criticisms, his obvious hatred of Roman Catholic belief, and his assertion that meditative prayer like saying the Rosary is demonic. It hurt me very much as I am Roman Catholic, love the Church, and love the Bible as the true Word of God.

The house of Europe reshaped, 29 Aug 2008
Diarmaid MacCulloch has produced a masterful and magisterial history of a period that is usually called the "Reformation" but which, as MacCulloch demonstrates, transcends simplistic notions of Catholicism and Protestantism. In the space of 250 years, not only Europe, but also the world as a whole were reshaped through a series of social and political convulsions in which religion played a central role. MacCulloch successfully manages to combine historical and geographical approaches that show how the main players were related to what went before as well as other actors.

Excellent, 15 Mar 2008
I would venture to say that this is the best book there is on the subject of the reformation.
I particularly liked the way he was aware of the limited knowledge of the general reader. He has taken great care to impart his expertise gradually which is to be lauded. Where topics have been mentioned in passing he provides, in brackets, a page reference where the subject is covered in more detail. This is helpful because the reformation is a broad subject and a lot of topics are covered in the book's 700 pages.
He is an eloquent and elegant writer and you really get the sense that this guy knows what he is talking about. He has thoughtfully compartmentalised the book brilliantly as only an expert could do.
Obviously in an overview of the subject, everything is touched upon without going into too much detail. But this isn't a bad thing as he has expertly chosen what he thinks is most important for the reader to gain a full understanding of those tumultuous years.
It is an excellently structured book, never being desultory or hard to follow. The first part gives an introduction to the subject, the second is the reformation and its aftermath, and the short third part gives an insight on what it was like to live through. This final part also devotes a couple of chapters to attitudes to love and sex during the reformation.
If you look at the back of the book, you will not only find references and notes, but Mr Macculloch has also provided a list of further reading that he recommends on subjects that may have piqued your interest.

A more panoramic view of the this period will be hard to find.

A point of view, 30 Jan 2008
Is it an advantage, as MacCulloch says to "not subscribe to any form of religious dogma" in trying to "describe the Reformation to a world which has largely forgotten or half-understood what it was about" (p xxv) ? One wonders whether indeed it is possible not to subscribe to some dogma(ie a belief or system of beliefs held on authority) religious or secular whether consciously held or not, and whether in all cases historians do not have a viewpoint conscious or unconscious lurking in the background to which they "bend the story to fit irrelevant preconceptions". Keynes accused practical men who eschewed theory as being slaves to some long defunct economists, one wonders if historians are any different.

However this is an excellent book, whatever one may make of the distinctive viewpoint which comes out so strongly in the section on Outcomes.

As well as the information concerning the ideas of the Reformers, going well beyond Luther, Zwingli and Calvin to Bucer and Bullinger, not to mention many others, it gives considerable space to the ideas and influence of Erasmus, and Cardinal Pole. As he says "Social and political history cannot do without theology in understanding the 16th century". MacCulloch gives succinct and accurate descriptions of the ideas , not exactly for dummies but with a secular audience in mind.

How many of us knew that there were one million Christian slaves enslaved by Islamic raiders between 1530 and 1640,roughly equivalent to the trade across the Atlantic? (p 57) That lay people with the dissolution of the guilds lost much control of what went on in church at the Reformation? (p 16)that in the 1930's the Popes did not excommunicate Hitler because among other reasons it was remembered that doing so to Elizabeth I had been counter productive? (p 334) That England judicially murdered more Roman Catholics than any other country in Europe (p 392).That as late as 1612 (well after the Council of Trent) the Archbishop of Salzburg lived with his concubine and 15 children?(p 447). As used to be said by a Sunday newspaper "all human life is here".

His history of the Church of England is particularly interesting reflecting as it does all the recent research which has made the old Anglo-Catholic historiography somewhat unconvincing.He makes very short work of any talk of the Elizabethan Settlement being any kind of compromise intended to mollify Catholics (p 289). Nor does he have much time for the "Protestant work ethic" and while admiring Max Weber whom he describes as a genius sees his work as being influential on discussions of history "particularly among those who are not historians". (p 604). In the background of much thought he sees a sense that time is at an end ,and says that without appreciating this the Reformation can often be regarded as "a vandalistic, mean-minded or money-grubbing assault on a settled round of devotion and a world of beauty and celebration".(p 551).

This book should certainly be read as it cannot fail to amuse, to stimulate,and to inform.However it is a pity that the print in the Penguin edition is so small and may prove a problem for elderly scholars.

Brilliant, enlightening and readable, 14 Apr 2007
I disagree with some of the other reviews here that this is bland or a difficult read - I approached it with some tripidation but found it both reassuringly scholarly and yet immensely readable, probably because the author has a distinctive 'voice' which mediates perfectly through the vast amount of material he covers. MacCulloch knows his material intimately and yet manages to convey the complexities without ever resorting to the fatal dumbing down of many authors. As someone with a vague idea of the history of the period, but little knowledge of religious philosophy, I wasn't sure if this would be too 'technical' but actually I found it fascinating and unputdownable. It dropped a star because at some points I felt MacCulloch was trying to cram in too much e.g. the complexities of religious thought across the whole of Europe, but the third section in particular on the differences the reformation made to actual peoples' lives in terms of the way they thought about sex and the family, for example, more than made up for some of the intricacies. All together a brilliant read.

Disappointing, 28 Mar 2007
There must be room for a great modern book on the Reformation but this isn't it. I am fascinated by this period but I found this book tedious and frustrating. The narrative is more or less chronological but this results in confusion as themes are introduced then abandoned then resumed again. I found it more or less unreadable after a while and this was a real disappoinment since I had such high hopes. Perhaps it is too ambtious to try to compress the whole of Reformation history into one volume.

The book on the reformation I enjoyed best reading., 08 Dec 2005
I read this as a medical student dabbling in Theology for my degree many years ago. I found it enormously readable, intertwining Luther's theology and writings with the exciting events of his life. A great read and definitely the book I enjoyed reading the most studying the Reformation.

One of many Martin Luther biographies, 02 Apr 2005
I am reviewing the 1950, Mentor Books Fifteenth Printing.
This book is well laid out. Much of the material is in lecture form. There are twenty-two content headings, 12 page Bibliography, References, Source of Illustrations, and comprehensive Index. The illustrations are just that monochrome sketches.
Roland H. Bainton received an A.B. degree from Whitman College, and B.D. and Ph.D. degrees form Yale University and form Oberlin College, Dr. Theological Seminary and from Oberlin College. He is a Specialist in Reformation history.

There are many biography and reference books on Martin Luther, each with its own strength s and weaknesses. This one by Roland H. Bainton is pretty comprehensive and goes into more depth than most. Do not get out your highlighter or you will highlight every page.

This is the story of a religious leader who is well known for leading the Protestant Reformation. "I cannot...I will not...Recant! Here I Stand."



static, 29 May 1999
I felt that this bio engauge to much in the theology and not enough in a narrative of action. Luther lead a dangerous and exciting life both mentally and consequently physically. I never sensed the danger in this book, and the theology could be over bearing and cumbersome. A better bio is by J.H. Merle D'Aubigne--The life and Times of Martin Luther. There you hear more of the debates from the participants' mouths and follow more closely Luther's journey--it is exciting--as it should be.

Interesting biography of this extraordinary man of faith!, 16 Mar 1999
I have read this book twice, and each time have learned so much about Martin Luther, the leader of the Protestant Reformation and man of great faith. Luther tells the story of the Ninety-Five Theses and Luther's appearance before the Diet of Worms more like it is a novel and not a biography. The biography is filled with the great words of this great man. "I cannot...I will not recant...Here I Stand. I can do no more. God save me!"

Surprisingly engaging, 16 Dec 1998
I found an old copy of this among my sister's college books. I suspected that I would read a chapter and then toss it aside, but found myself thoroughly engrossed in the world of Martin Luther and the Reformation.

This book is really more of an essay than a critical history. Still, it is a wonderful introduction to an important chapter in Western history.

Buried between the site of the altar where he had sung the Mass, and the table where he had celebrated the Supper., 03 Jan 2008
Thus ended the career of the parish priest of Morebath, there was he buried, between two religions, two social worlds, two distinct weltanschuung. Taken from his parish register, which gives full details of accounts with a full and interesting commentary by him ,Christopher Trychay, who served the parish from 1520 - 1574, this book gives an interesting account of the minutiae of parish life throughout the events of the 16th century.
I wonder whether it is possible to write of the Reformation without one's own loyalties being obvious, indeed other reviewers have clearly revealed their own, but Professor Duffy , himself a Catholic, certainly writes not only with considerable affection for the pre-Reformation world but also with some appreciation for the Elizabethan one which came to supplant it in England.

Many of us do not believe ,unlike our ancestors were led to believe by their historians -indeed Haigh when he first studied the opposition to the Reformation came to the conclusion that what he had been taught at school about its popularity was erroneous -that the Reformation was welcomed by the people of England, and have been puzzled as to how they accepted such a revolution. Looked at from the centre the answer is perhaps the power and luck of Queen Elizabeth and the relentless persecution , well detailed by Philip Hughes' "The Reformation in England Vol III True Religion Now Established " , of her Catholic subjects, but the localities have been more problematic, although even there as in the time of Thomas Cromwell it could be said that careless talk costs lives.(p 167). Duffy shows how gradually, after limited destruction under Henry VIII and massive destruction under Edward VI, restoration under Mary, and further destruction under Elizabeth, the Old Religion in Morebath gave way. Their parish priest stayed with them, no longer using the requiem vestments for which in his early days so much parish money had been saved, and obediently adopting the new ways. He "eased them into a slow and settled conformity to the new order of things"(p190).Under Mary he probably had looked back on the the Reformation as being "arrogant, destructive, and un-English, a disastrous rebellion against God and the faith of our fathers" but when it triumphed again he adapted to the change. He saw his duty as being to God and Morebath.

No doubt like many others, I was given this book as a Christmas gift, and was delighted to have such a readable, scholarly, and beautifully illustrated addition to my library.



Thank you for visiting Morebath - Please drive carefully, 28 Dec 2007
Eamon Duffy brings the village of Morebath in the sixteenth century to life with this excellent piece of research. Using original churchwarden's records and relevant historiography, he reconstructs the life of a community as it's belief system comes increasingly under threat. Duffy's work not only gives us a glipmse into the past, but also shows us the historian's craft in action. So Duffy may become a little wrapped up in his subject matter - his enthusiasm shines out of his work and adds to its appeal, in this case anyway. His love of the period is obvious and is infectious, and he reconstructs the minutiae of village life with gusto, to the point where you too may be sucked into the world of Morebath under the Tudors. No bad thing. It happened to me and I for one was sorry to leave.

This is very much a companion volume to "The Stripping of the Altars", the earlier work grand in scope, while "The Voices of Morebath" focusses on one community and narrows that scope, bringing it under the microscope and revealing it with skill and crystal clarity. Anyone with anything more than a passing interest in early modern history should have this book. What the hell... everyone else should have it too.


A good piece of scholarship, spoilt by nostalgia, 05 Aug 2004
Duffy's Morebath has received more than enough hype to require further praise from me. It is, clearly, an excellent and scholarly account based on a (for the most part) sound analysis of the sources. The problem is that Duffy, as in his more famous Stripping of the Altars, allows his nostalgia for an England we have lost to run away with him. In doing so he creates a somewhat over-simplified picture of English attitudes to traditional religion and the Reformation. It is doubtful that there was as much popular support for the pre-Reformation clergy or as much antipathy towards the process of religious change as Duffy suggests. A more nuanced account would have made use of the hints in the source material of popular discontent with the old order, and showed the multiple ways in which people experienced traditional religion and viewed its destruction during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and Elizabeth I.

That said, this book is to be recommended as a good and easily accessible example of the kind of work historians are doing now. Narratives of the lives of kings and queens are increasingly being replaced by stories of ordinary people, some remarkable and others interesting purely because they were ordinary. David Underdown's Fire From Heaven, about seventeenth century Dorchester, makes an interesting comparison with Duffy's Morebath, is in many ways a better work and provides some useful ways of answering the question, 'Why did England become Protestant?' As it shows, popular support for Reformation could - and did - exist, and Protestantism played a meaningful and important role in the lives of many.

empathetic history, 30 Nov 2003
eamon duffy, through his intricate study of sir christopher's (morebath's parish preist's)written acounts of parish life, presents a deliciously partisan and empathetic tale of one man's struggle to fathom the enormity of religious reform in the sixteenth century. a glimpse into the probable reaction of ordinary devon folk to attempts to confiscate church property. duffy shows how the church property belonged to everyone in the parish having been purchased through generous contrbutions to the numerous well-supported parish guilds.

whether morebath is typical of other tudor villages becomes irrelevant as duffy's tooth comb study of sir christopher's acounts reveals priceless, previously-unnoticed details. For instance Duffy's revealation that the small hamlet sent two of it's own to represent them in the 1549 rebellion against the newly imposed prayer book adds creedance to the corner that claims that this rising had predominantly religious motives. on a personal level it sheds light on the desperation of towns like morebath who armed and funded the 6,000 ill fated prayer book rebels.

a fantastic read for historians and non-historians alike. a must for anyone intreged by the english reformation. the centrality of the parish in secular life is portrayed remarkably in this very readable study.

Why DID we all go protestant?, 12 Nov 2003
The long awaited sequel and parallel text to The Stripping of the Altars - an intimate examination of the Reformation in a single Devon parish.

Duffy explores the period 1530-1580 through the churchwardens accounts, minute books, journals and bequests of the remote Devon village of Morebath. If you've already read his "The Stripping of the Altars", this book is like a detective story, trying to answer a single, biting question: if the Reformation in England was so unpopular with the common people, why did it succeed? He comes up with what looks like it might be the answer.

The opening chapters may be heavy going if you haven't already read "The Stripping of the Altars".

Faith Undone, 30 Aug 2008
Faith Undone has been written to warn the Church about a phenomenon called "The Emergent Church." Like the warnings of the prophets, peoples' reaction to this book will vary from alarm through indifference to offence.

Although the book is written in a popular style to be accessible to non academics, it does contain footnotes detailing references so the reader may check the veracity of claims for themselves.

After the introductory chapter, the author traces the origins of the Emergent Church from as early as the 1950s describing how an American business guru influenced a group of church leaders in the 1980s, which in turn gathered and influenced a younger generation of pastors in the 1990s. There was a belief that the church needed to change dramatically to meet the challenge of the post-modern world. Influences that were affecting and shaping the new perceptions of these people appeared to have their roots in New Age and Eastern philosophies. They were also able to gain backing from influential publishers to widely disseminate their views and vision. Like the New Age movement, the Emergent Church is a more a diverse network rather than an organisation.

The book goes on to describe characteristics of the Emergent phenomenon. There is a tendency to promote experience as being more authoritative than scripture, which is no longer held to be absolute truth. This appeal for experience leads to an emphasis on rituals, mysticism and multi-sensory worship. This is justified as a "return" to the practice of the early church fathers and re-discovering of "ancient wisdom." Contemplative prayer is promoted with "centering down," "visualisation," and use of repetitive "mantra-like" prayers such as "The Jesus Prayer." There is also a move from the traditional Protestant view of Holy Communion towards a Roman Catholic perception of transubstantiation and the worship of the Eucharist. Because the author supports a traditional protestant understanding of this subject, and questions the Vatican's possible motives in encouraging the Emergent church in this area, it is likely that some readers will be offended by Oakland's warnings.

Other characteristics of the Emergent Church include "Kingdom Now Theology" which will include a "Replacement Theology" of Israel by the Church. There is a re-defining of "Christ" reminiscent of New Age "cosmic christs." Some proponents of Emergent Theology are uncomfortable with the atoning work of Jesus on the cross, holding it as an example of sacrifice rather than a requirement of God's justice. There is a tendency to emphasise the social side of the Gospel to exclusion of correct belief. Some Emergent leaders are uncertain on issues such as homosexuality.

Throughout the book the author tries not to needlessly "name names" for its own sake, but where necessary identifies key protagonists with relevant quotes. Some of the names may come as a surprise and cause upset.

The author undoubtedly perceives the Emergent influence as a threat to Christian Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy, preparing the way for a lukewarm compromising church that would be open to the deception of end times. I believe Roger Oakland to be sincere in his concern, though others may feel that he is over reacting, seeing dangers where none exist. However the issues raised are important and need to be debated in an open and mature manner. This is an issue which will not go away and all Christians need to be aware of what is happening and will have to make a decision. I would recommend this book as a good introduction to the subject and a starting point for prayer, study and discussion.
Faith Undone: The Emerging Church...a New Reformation or an End-Time Deception

Disappointed with this., 29 Jul 2008
I was disappointed with this book. I think the author has many very good points to make about the way the church is being rebranded for the 21st century. His claim that the Youth Movement in particular with its new forms of worship, its roots in Eastern mysticism, its subtle corruption by New Age philosophies, is off track and well away from being Biblically based can be proved by the thorough research he has done. I am in full agreement with many of his points. However, my disappointment with the book is based on his violently Anti-Catholic criticisms, his obvious hatred of Roman Catholic belief, and his assertion that meditative prayer like saying the Rosary is demonic. It hurt me very much as I am Roman Catholic, love the Church, and love the Bible as the true Word of God.

Interesting, hampered by obscure writing style, 10 Aug 2008
Italian historian Carlo Ginzburg traces the story of one Menocchio, a peasant from northern Italy who was put on trial (and eventually burned at the stake) for heresy by the Italian inquisition in the 16th century. He puts forwards parts of the transcription of the trial, and we realize that Menocchio has some quite heterodox (and not totally consistent) views on theology and cosmology, suggesting a number of eclectic sources for his ideas. For example, he viewed the Earth as a sort of giant cheese and the angels as worms coming out of the cheese (hence the book's title). How an Italian peasant, without presumably much access to books, would get such views, Ginzburg asks. He traces the bookshelves of Menocchio, but he is unable to come up with a clear answer. For example, even though his cosmology seems to have been influenced by a reading of the Koran, that was not among the books he possessed. Ginzburg finally suggests that Menocchio was a recipient of an ancient oral tradition, perhaps going back to the prechristian past, that was not totally suppressed by the church in rural areas. The book deals with an interesting subject, but is unfortunately hampered by Ginzburg's deliberately obscure writing style. A more conventional storytelling would have helped.

A miller's tale ..., 20 Jun 2002
One of my favorite books of all time. An account of the worldview of a medieval miller based on Inquisition records may not sound promising, but the evocation of how strange and different, yet how similar medieval men were is astonishing. In an age which thinks it has invented "pick and mix" religion, this acts as an important corrective. Ginzburg never abandons his miller completely, and you will be touched by his humanity as well as surprised by his views.
As a history graduate, I can honestly say that I have never enjoyed a history book more than this.

Terrific insight!, 10 Jul 1999
In the cheese and the worms, ginzburg gives terrific insight into how ones social status defines their belief system. It shows the interperative filters one uses based on what they know and are able to comprehend.

Historiography at its best!, 10 Dec 1998
Carlo Ginzburg was one of the first historians to put into practice anthropological ideas about culture as a historically transmitted system of meaning. These ideas were developed by Clifford Geertz, Victor Turner, and ultimately, Michel Foucault. In using Menocchio, Ginzburg makes a statement about making history from the point of view of the excluded, the liminal characters of society. In this sense, Menocchio's story ceases to be an anecdote and becomes a reflection and a statement about the way Italian society was constructed in the 16th century. All this from the point of view of those upon whom power was imposed.

phenomenal, 19 Nov 1998
expertly intriguing, unparalleled, and remarkably spell-binding.........."The Cheese and The Worms" is a must-read book for everyone and anyone who loves great literature and is the best novel I've ever read.

The house of Europe reshaped, 29 Aug 2008
Diarmaid MacCulloch has produced a masterful and magisterial history of a period that is usually called the "Reformation" but which, as MacCulloch demonstrates, transcends simplistic notions of Catholicism and Protestantism. In the space of 250 years, not only Europe, but also the world as a whole were reshaped through a series of social and political convulsions in which religion played a central role. MacCulloch successfully manages to combine historical and geographical approaches that show how the main players were related to what went before as well as other actors.

Excellent, 15 Mar 2008
I would venture to say that this is the best book there is on the subject of the reformation.
I particularly liked the way he was aware of the limited knowledge of the general reader. He has taken great care to impart his expertise gradually which is to be lauded. Where topics have been mentioned in passing he provides, in brackets, a page reference where the subject is covered in more detail. This is helpful because the reformation is a broad subject and a lot of topics are covered in the book's 700 pages.
He is an eloquent and elegant writer and you really get the sense that this guy knows what he is talking about. He has thoughtfully compartmentalised the book brilliantly as only an expert could do.
Obviously in an overview of the subject, everything is touched upon without going into too much detail. But this isn't a bad thing as he has expertly chosen what he thinks is most important for the reader to gain a full understanding of those tumultuous years.
It is an excellently structured book, never being desultory or hard to follow. The first part gives an introduction to the subject, the second is the reformation and its aftermath, and the short third part gives an insight on what it was like to live through. This final part also devotes a couple of chapters to attitudes to love and sex during the reformation.
If you look at the back of the book, you will not only find references and notes, but Mr Macculloch has also provided a list of further reading that he recommends on subjects that may have piqued your interest.

A more panoramic view of the this period will be hard to find.

A point of view, 30 Jan 2008
Is it an advantage, as MacCulloch says to "not subscribe to any form of religious dogma" in trying to "describe the Reformation to a world which has largely forgotten or half-understood what it was about" (p xxv) ? One wonders whether indeed it is possible not to subscribe to some dogma(ie a belief or system of beliefs held on authority) religious or secular whether consciously held or not, and whether in all cases historians do not have a viewpoint conscious or unconscious lurking in the background to which they "bend the story to fit irrelevant preconceptions". Keynes accused practical men who eschewed theory as being slaves to some long defunct economists, one wonders if historians are any different.

However this is an excellent book, whatever one may make of the distinctive viewpoint which comes out so strongly in the section on Outcomes.

As well as the information concerning the ideas of the Reformers, going well beyond Luther, Zwingli and Calvin to Bucer and Bullinger, not to mention many others, it gives considerable space to the ideas and influence of Erasmus, and Cardinal Pole. As he says "Social and political history cannot do without theology in understanding the 16th century". MacCulloch gives succinct and accurate descriptions of the ideas , not exactly for dummies but with a secular audience in mind.

How many of us knew that there were one million Christian slaves enslaved by Islamic raiders between 1530 and 1640,roughly equivalent to the trade across the Atlantic? (p 57) That lay people with the dissolution of the guilds lost much control of what went on in church at the Reformation? (p 16)that in the 1930's the Popes did not excommunicate Hitler because among other reasons it was remembered that doing so to Elizabeth I had been counter productive? (p 334) That England judicially murdered more Roman Catholics than any other country in Europe (p 392).That as late as 1612 (well after the Council of Trent) the Archbishop of Salzburg lived with his concubine and 15 children?(p 447). As used to be said by a Sunday newspaper "all human life is here".

His history of the Church of England is particularly interesting reflecting as it does all the recent research which has made the old Anglo-Catholic historiography somewhat unconvincing.He makes very short work of any talk of the Elizabethan Settlement being any kind of compromise intended to mollify Catholics (p 289). Nor does he have much time for the "Protestant work ethic" and while admiring Max Weber whom he describes as a genius sees his work as being influential on discussions of history "particularly among those who are not historians". (p 604). In the background of much thought he sees a sense that time is at an end ,and says that without appreciating this the Reformation can often be regarded as "a vandalistic, mean-minded or money-grubbing assault on a settled round of devotion and a world of beauty and celebration".(p 551).

This book should certainly be read as it cannot fail to amuse, to stimulate,and to inform.However it is a pity that the print in the Penguin edition is so small and may prove a problem for elderly scholars.

Brilliant, enlightening and readable, 14 Apr 2007
I disagree with some of the other reviews here that this is bland or a difficult read - I approached it with some tripidation but found it both reassuringly scholarly and yet immensely readable, probably because the author has a distinctive 'voice' which mediates perfectly through the vast amount of material he covers. MacCulloch knows his material intimately and yet manages to convey the complexities without ever resorting to the fatal dumbing down of many authors. As someone with a vague idea of the history of the period, but little knowledge of religious philosophy, I wasn't sure if this would