The expansion of tolerance : religion in Dutch Brazil (1624-1654)

Of all the European powers, the Dutch were considered the most tolerant of minority religious practices in their colonies. In __The Expansion of Tolerance__, a pair of historians examines this unusual sensitivity in the case of the seventeenth-century Dutch colonies of Brazil. Jonathan Israel demonstrates that religious tolerance under Dutch rule in Brazil was unprecedented. Catholics and Jews coexisted peacefully with the Protestant majority and were allowed freedom of conscience and unfettered private worship. Stuart Schwartz then considers the Dutch example in light of the Portuguese colonies in Brazil, revealing that the Portuguese were surprisingly tolerant as well. This collaboration will be of interest to anyone studying colonial history or the history of religious tolerance. The History Of Tolerance In The Early Modern Dutch Republic Is A Topic That Has Fascinated Generations Of Scholars, And Continues To Do So. Tolerance, In The Long Run, Proved To Be The Best And Most Pragmatic Solution To The Problem Of Religious Pluriformity, And, As The Seventeenth Century Progressed, Came To Be Regarded As A Political Virtue With Clear Social And, More Importantly, Economic Benefits. Hence The Dutch West India Company Exported This Tradition Of Tolerance To Its New World Colonies, Most Notable To Dutch Brazil. This Volume Analyses The Unprecedented Degree Of Toleration In The Colony Known As New Holland Between The Arrival Of The Dutch In 1624 And Their Surrender To The Portuguese In 1654. Special Attention Is Devoted To The Position Of Sephardic Jews In Recife And Mauritsstad, And To Portuguese Responses To Religious Tolerance.--book Jacket. Religious Toleration In Dutch Brazil (1624-1654) / Jonathan Israel -- Portuguese Attitudes Of Religious Tolerance In Dutch Brazil / Stuart B. Schwartz. Jonathan Israel And Stuart B. Schwartz ; Introduction By Michiel Van Groesen. Includes Bibliographical References. This volume about religious tolerance in early modern Brazil comprises two articles. Jonathan Israel, in his contribution, argues that Dutch tolerance in Brazil was unprecedented in the seventeenth century. Catholics and particularly Jews were given freedom of conscience and freedom of private worship in accordance with Dutch guide-lines. Stuart Schwartz, in his article, demonstrates that religious toleration in Dutch Brazil was not exclusively the domain of the Dutch. The Portuguese also widely approved of tolerance at grassroots level, accepting an individual's preference to follow his own path to salvation Two renowned experts on religious tolerance in early modern Brazil