Preaching during the English Reformation

Description

This is a study of the religious culture of sixteenth-century England, centred around preaching, and is concerned with competing forms of evangelism between humanists of the Roman Catholic Church and emerging forms of Protestantism. More than any other authority, Erasmus refashioned the ideal of the preacher. Protestant reformers adopted 'preaching Christ' as their strategy to promote the doctrine of justification by faith. The apostolic traditions of the preaching chantries provided standards that evangelical reformers used to supplant the mendicant friars in England. The late medieval cult of the Holy Name of Jesus is explored: the pervasive iconography of its symbol 'IHS' became one of the attributes of moderate Protestant belief. The book also offers fresh perspectives on fifteenth- and sixteenth-century figures on every side of the doctrinal divide, including John Rotheram, John Colet, Hugh Latimer and Anne Boleyn.

Susan Wabuda is Assistant Professor of History at Fordham University, New York. With Caroline Litzenberger, she edited Belief and Practice in Reformation England: A Tribute to Patrick Collinson from his Students.

"...an important compilation of useful studies on the post-World War II world." History "All academic libraries supporting religious or English history should acquire this fascinating, nicely illustrated and wonderfully footnoted study." Catholic Library World "An insightful work and an important addition to the historiography of the field." Renaissance Quarterly "This well-researched volume is a welcome contribution to the study of early modern English religious history." The Historian "In this short, elegant, and meticulously researched volume, Susan Wabuda has made an important contribution to studies of the English Reformation, helping to place its early stages within a broader context of late medieval devotional and humanist trends, as well as providing insight into the origins of the uniqueness of English Protestantism." Anglican and Episcopal History "A fine study." Bibliotheque d'humanisme et Renaissance