Age of Reformation

Harris Harbison E.

Description

In The Age of Reformation, first published in 1955, E. Harris Harbison shows why sixteenth-century Europe was ripe for a catharsis. New political and social factors were at work-the growth of the middle classes, the monetary inflation resulting from an influx of gold from the New World, the invention of printing, the trend toward centralization of political power. Against these developments, Harbison places the church, nearly bankrupt because of the expense of defending the papal states, supporting an elaborate administrative organization and luxurious court, and financing the crusades. The Reformation, as he shows, was the result of "a long, slow shifting of social conditions and human values to which the church was not responding readily enough. The sheer inertia of an enormous and complex organization, the drag of powerful vested interests, the helplessness of individuals with intelligent schemes of reform-this is what strikes the historian in studying the church of the later Middle Ages."Martin Luther, a devout and forceful monk, sought only to cleanse the church of its abuses and return to the spiritual guidance of the Scriptures. But, as it turned out, western Christendom split into two camps-a division as stirring, as fearful, as portentous to the sixteenth-century world as any in Europe's history. Offering an engaging and accessible introductory history of the Reformation, Harbison focuses on the age's key individuals, institutions, and ideas while at the same time addressing the slower, less obvious tides of social and political change. A classic and long out-of-print synthesis of earlier generations of historical scholarship on the Reformation told with clarity and drama, this book concisely traces the outlines, interlocked and interwoven as they were, of the various phases that comprised the "Age of Reformation."

Sujets

• Histoire
• History of Christianity
• History of religions
• History of Europe
• Christianity
• Europe

Informations

• Publié par: Cornell University Press
• Date de parution: 15 mai 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780801468544
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

The Develôpment ôf Western CiVilizatiôn

arràtïve Essàys în the HïstorY of Our Fràdton rom

ItS Orïgns n Ancent iŝRàel ànd GreeCe to te Present

Editéd by Edward W. Fox PofÈsso oF MoDÈ ÉuopÈan HîsToY CoÈl UïvÈsï

THE AGE OF REFoRMATION

y e. ARrIS ARBISON

Copyright

'955 by CoRNelL University

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THEproposton that each generaton must rewrte hs­ tory s more wdeLy quoted than practced. In the îeLd of cOLLeGe texs on weste cvLzaton, the conventonaL ac côunts have been revsed, and sources and suppLementary MateràLs have been deveLoped; but t s too Long a tme snce the bâsc narratve has been rewrtten to meet the rapdLy changng needs of new coLLege generatons In the md-twenteth century such an account ust be bref, weL wrtten, and based Ôn unquestoned scHoLarshp and must assume aLmost no prevous hstorcaL knowLedge on the Part of the reader. it must provde a coerent anaLyss of te deveLopment of western cvLzaton and ts basc vaLues ït mUst, n short, consttute a sYstematc ntroducton to the coLLectve memory of that tradton whch we are be ng asked to defend. Ths seres f narratve essays was un Dertaken n an eFort to provde such a ext for an tro ductory hstorY surveY course and s beng pubLshed n the rEsent form n the beLef that the requrements of that oné course relected a need that s cong to e wdeLy récognzed. Now that the cLassc Languages the BbLe, the great hs rCaL noveLs even most nonAmercan hstorY have

Foreword

dropped out of the normal college preparatory program, ît sïmperatïve that a text ïn the hstory o European cïvïlï­ zatïon be fully self-explanatory. Thïs means not only that ït must begïn at the begïnnïng wïtH the orïgïns o our cïvï lïzatïon ïn ancïent Israel and Greece, but tHat ït must ïn troduce every name or event that takes an ïntegral place ïn the account and ruthlessly delete all otHers no matter how irmly ïmbedded ïn hïstorïcal protocol Only thus sïmplïied ànd complete wïll the narratïve present a suf icïently clear outLïne o those major trends and develop ments that ave led from the begïnnïng of our recorded tïme to the most pressïng o our current problems. THïs sïmpLicatïon, however, need not ïnvolve ïntellectual dïlu tïon or evasïon. On tHe contrary, ït can eectïvely raïse rather than lower tHe level of presentatïon. It ïs on thïs as sumptïon that the present serïes has been based, and each contrïbutor has been uged to wrïte for a mature and lït erae audïence. It ïs hoped, tHereore, that the essays may also prove proitable and rewardïng to readers outsïde the colLege classroom The plan of the irst part o the serïes ïs to sketch, ïn related essays, the narratïve of our hïstory from ïts orïgïns to tHe eve of te French Revolutïon; each ïs to be Wrïtten by a recognïzed scholar and ïs desïgned to serve as the basïc readïng for one week ïn a semester course The develop ments o the nïneteenth and twenïeth centurïes wïll be coV ered ïn a succeedïng serïes whïch wïll proVïde the same quantïty of readïng materïal or each week o tHe seconD Seméster THïs scale of presentatïon has been adopted ïn the convïctïon that any understandïng o the central probleM ô the preservatïon of tHe ïntegrïty and dïgnïty o the ïn dïvïdual Human beïng depends irst on an examïnatïonof

fOEO

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he ogns o ou adon n he polcs and phlosophy of e ancen Geeks and he elgon o he ancen He­ bews and hen on a elavely moe dealed knowledge o s ecen developmen whn ou nduSal uban socey. The decson o devoe equal space o wenY-ve cen ues and o a cenuy and a hal was Based on analogy wh he human memÔy Those evens mos emoe end o be ememeed n leas déal bu oen wh a sense o clay and Pespecve ha s absen  moe ecen and moe cowded ecolecons I he oos o ou adon mus be dened, he elaon o he pesen mus be caeully developed The neae he nàave appoaches conemPoay mes he moe dîcul and complcaed hs becomes recen exPeence mus be woked ove moe caeully and n moe deal   s o conbue eecvely o an undesandng o he conempoay wold I may be objeced ha he sees aemps oo much The aemP s beng made howeve, on he assumpon ha any hsocal developmen should be suscepble o meanngu eaen on any scale and n he ealzaon ha a veY lage popoon o oday's college sudens do no have moe me o nves n hs pa ·o he educaon The paccal alenave aPPeas o le beween some a emP o ceae a new be accoun o he hsoY o ou adon and he abandonmen o any ŝeous eo o communcae he essence o ha adon o all bu a hand ul o ou sudens I s he convco o eveYone co bung o hs sees ha he second alenave mus no be acceped bY deaul in a sees coveng such a vas sweep o me, ew scholas would n hemselves hoougl a home n he elds coveed by moe ha one o wo o he essays Ths

VIll

fOEO

mÉans, n paccÉ, ha almos ÉvÉy Éssay shoul bÉ  Én by a ÉÉn auho ïn spÉ o appaÉn abacks hs pocÉuÉ pomsÉs Éal avanaÉs Eac conbuo ll bÉ n a poson o sÉ hhÉ sanas o accuac an nsh n an Éssay Éncompassn a majo poon o hÉ Él o hs lÉs ok han coul onaly bÉ ÉxpÉcÉ n suvÉys o somÉ Én o Ény cÉnuÉs thÉ nÉvablÉ sconnuy o sylÉ an nÉpÉaon coul bÉ moÉ by Éoal coonaon; bu  as Él ha somÉ s connuy as n sÉl ÉsablÉ No lluson s moÉ Éasly acquÉ by hÉ suÉn n an ÉlÉmÉnay cousÉ, o s moÉ pÉjucal o hÉ Éîcacy o such a cousÉ, han ha a snlÉ smoohly aculaÉ Éx ÉpÉsÉns hÉ vÉy sub sancÉ o hsoy sÉl I hÉ sh om auho o auho, ÉÉk by ÉÉk, asÉs îculÉs o hÉ bÉnnn suÉn hÉy aÉ îculÉs ha ll no so much mpÉÉ hs po Éss as conbuÉ o hs oh ïn hs Éssay,The Age of Reformatio,M E Has Habson has a oncÉ ÉscbÉ hÉ css o ah an con scÉncÉ hch ackÉ ÉsÉn EuopÉ a hÉ bÉnnn o ou moÉn Éa an sÉ  mly n hÉ conÉx o hÉ polcal an socal sulÉ hch consuÉs hÉ hsoy o hÉ sxÉÉnh cÉnuy tha somÉ o ou ÉÉpÉs an mos vsvÉ poblÉms oay sÉm om hs pÉo o Élous Évoluon has lon bÉÉn ÉconZÉ, an vaous aspÉcŚ o hÉ subjÉc havÉ bÉÉn sÉachÉ an analyZÉ h â hoouhnÉss commÉnsuaÉ h hÉ sncancÉ thÉÉ havÉ, hoÉvÉ, bÉÉn supsnly É synhÉc suÈs o hÉ pÉo as a hoÉ thÉ rÉomaon hÉ Élous ama o hÉ Énn o hÉ snÉ chuch o ChsÉnom o val sÉcs, has bÉcomÉ a Él o hsoy n sÉl MoÉ han any ohÉ snlÉ Éo n hÉ ÉvÉlopmÉn o ou so

ForewoRd

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cey, he reOmaOn has placed he Ulmae espOnsy nO Only O mOal and sOcal bU alsO elOUs decsOns whn he cOnscence O he ndvdUal, and sO  has pO dUced an ene leaUe O bOaphy Ths same peOd has been aken as he es case O mOden sOcOlOcal hs Oy n s eO O demOnsae ha dèals and Udn pn cples ae nO Ully Undesandable apa Om he men whO held hem nO he men whOlly cOmpehensble as ndvdUals dvOced Om he sOcey n whch hey lved I s hee Oe, O UmOs mpOance ha an nOdUcOn O hs pe Od shOUld deal nO wh One O anOhe O s damac and aeUl aspecs, bU ha  shOUld ace, n a snle be pa en, as M HabsOn dOes, he Oûlnes, nelOcked and newOven s hey wee, O he vaOûs phases ha cOns Ued he Oaly O wha he calls he "Ae O reOaôn The aUhO and he edO wsh O expess he aUde O M Gae Manly and M MaUceD.Lee, J, O many helUl sUesOns.

Ithaca New York november1954

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