The Intellectual Origins of the European Reformation, 2nd edition

Being something of an armchair church historian, it was with a good bit of interest that I picked this book up. The Reformation was a very complex set of events on religious, political, technological and economic fronts; to understand the theological developments that gave rise to someone such as Luther is often made difficult amidst the seemingly unending narratives of socio-political upheaval and the rise of merchant classes. Hence, a volume such as this, devoted to the intellectual origins of the Reformation, comes for this reader as a welcome addition to my library.Towards the end of the book McGrath, citing B. B. Warfield, sums up what the Reformation was: the triumph of Augustine's theology of grace \*over\* Augustine's theology of the Church. The Reformation, often mis-characterized as a return to the Scriptures was, in fact, the cementing of a particular reading of Augustine which was, at the same time, a hermeneutic for reading the Bible. In fact, the Reformation owes very little to any real theological break; certain trends in late Medieval thought are what gave Luther (more so than Zwingli) the tools for cementing a theology that eventually broke the mold that gave birth to it.McGrath is a thorough historian, noting that the Reformation was really a collection of local reformations, the earliest of which were the Lutheran and Swiss. The difference between the Lutheran and Swiss reformations could not have been more different, it would seem; the former was concentrated in certain readings of Augustine and confined to the university, while the latter was concerned far more with moral exactitude among the clergy. The Lutheran Reformation appears to be far more in keeping with late medieval Scholasticism, whereas the Swiss Reformation appears to be more of a break done along moralistic-political lines.This book focuses more upon the origins of the Reformation, and therefore the Reformation in its earlier stages; references to reformers such as John Calvin are largely to the side. However, what McGrath offers are tantalizing bits - particularly a short statement that Calvin did much to bring the Swiss and Lutheran reformations together. Yet, because Calvin is among second generation of Swiss reformers, McGrath does not follow up on this noodle.This is an excellent, excellent volume. I highly recommend it to everyone interested in the Reformation, particularly those who view the Reformation as being either extremely disastrous or as being extremely triumphant. It was neither. Rather, it was the triumph of a particular reading - and questions of hermeneutics present themselves constantly throughout the book - of Augustine and through Augustine, the Bible. It was the triumph of particular themes at the expense of others - most problematically, the sacrifice of any notion of the Church as a catholic (= universal) and unified body.Regardless of how one feels about how the Reformation ended (has it ended???), it is well worth noting how it began: and this book illuminates just that. The Intellectual Origins of the European Reformation: Second Edition......Page 6 Contents......Page 8 Preface......Page 10 Abbreviations......Page 13 Introduction......Page 14 Part 1: The Intellectual Context......Page 22 The Rise of Lay Religion......Page 24 The Crisis of Authority Within the Church......Page 28 The Development of Doctrinal Diversity......Page 31 Forerunners of the Reformation......Page 42 Humanism: The Problem of Definition......Page 47 Characteristic Features of Northern European Humanism......Page 53 Humanism and the Origins of the Reformed Church......Page 57 Humanism and the Origins of the Lutheran Church......Page 71 3 Late Medieval Theology and the Reformation......Page 80 Nominalism: The Problem of Definition......Page 81 Via Moderna......Page 86 Schola Augustiniana Moderna......Page 95 Late Medieval Theology and the Origins of Reformed Theology......Page 101 Late Medieval Theology and the Origins of Lutheran Theology......Page 116 Part 2: Sources and Methods......Page 130 4 Scripture: Translation, Text, and Tradition......Page 132 The Medieval Consensus on the Theological Priority of Scripture......Page 133 The Vulgate Translation of the Bible......Page 134 The Humanist Return Ad Fontes......Page 138 The Critique of the Vulgate......Page 143 The Concept of Tradition......Page 150 The Principle Sola Scriptura......Page 157 Scholasticism: The Fourfold Sense of Scripture......Page 161 Humanism: The Letter and the Spirit......Page 163 Hermeneutics and the Origins of the Reformed Church......Page 166 Hermeneutics and the Origins of the Lutheran Church......Page 172 6 The Patristic Testimony......Page 180 The Scholastic Reception of Augustine......Page 181 The Humanist Reception of Augustine......Page 186 The Patristic Testimony and the Origins of the Reformed Church......Page 187 The Patristic Testimony and the Origins of the Lutheran Church......Page 189 Conclusion: The Intellectual Heterogeneity of the Early Reformation......Page 195 Notes......Page 203 Select Bibliography......Page 267 Index......Page 286 It is widely recognized that the sixteenth-century Reformation remains one of the most fascinating and exciting areas of scholarship. A central and important question, raised by intensive modern research on the Renaissance and late medieval scholasticism, concerns the intellectual origins of the Reformation. This updated and expanded version of the original, highly acclaimed edition of 1987 explores the complex intellectual roots of the Reformation, offering a sustained engagement with the ideas of humanism and scholasticism. McGrath demonstrates how the intellectual origins of the Reformation were heterogeneous, and draws out the implications of this finding for our understanding of the Reformation as a whole. McGrath's reading of the Reformation against its complex intellectual background opens up new insights into this highly significant historical phenomenon. Yet this is more than a fascinating exploration in the history of ideas; it is also a defense of the entire enterprise of intellectual history in the face of social historical approaches, and a reaffirmation of the importance of ideas to the development of history.

The sixteenth-century Reformation remains a fascinating and exciting area of study. The revised edition of this distinguished volume explores the intellectual origins of the Reformation and examines the importance of ideas in the shaping of history.

• Provides an updated and expanded version of the original, highly-acclaimed edition.
  
• Explores the complex intellectual roots of the Reformation, offering a sustained engagement with the ideas of humanism and scholasticism.
  
• Demonstrates how the intellectual origins of the Reformation were heterogeneous, and examines the implications of this for our understanding of the Reformation as a whole.
  
• Offers a defence of the entire enterprise of intellectual history, and a reaffirmation of the importance of ideas to the development of history.
  
• Written by Alister E. McGrath, one of today's best-known Christian writers.

The sixteenth-century Reformation remains a fascinating and exciting area of study. The revised edition of this distinguished volume explores the intellectual origins of the Reformation and examines the importance of ideas in the shaping of history.

• Provides an updated and expanded version of the original, highly-acclaimed edition.
  
• Explores the complex intellectual roots of the Reformation, offering a sustained engagement with the ideas of humanism and scholasticism.
  
• Demonstrates how the intellectual origins of the Reformation were heterogeneous, and examines the implications of this for our understanding of the Reformation as a whole.
  
• Offers a defence of the entire enterprise of intellectual history, and a reaffirmation of the importance of ideas to the development of history.
  
• Written by Alister E. McGrath, one of today’s best-known Christian writers.

The sixteenth-century Reformation remains a fascinating and exciting area of study. The revised edition of this distinguished volume explores the intellectual origins of the Reformation and examines the importance of ideas in the shaping of history. This book provides an updated and expanded version of the original, highly-acclaimed edition. It explores the complex intellectual roots of the Reformation, offering a sustained engagement with the ideas of humanism and scholasticism. The book demonstrates how the intellectual origins of the Reformation were heterogeneous, and examines the implications of this for our understanding of the Reformation as a whole. McGrath offers a defense of the entire enterprise of intellectual history and a reaffirmation of the importance of ideas to the development of history. - Publisher "This updated and expanded version of the original edition of 1987 explores the complex intellectual roots of the Reformation, offering a sustained engagement with the ideas of humanism and scholasticism. McGrath demonstrates how the intellectual origins of the Reformation were heterogeneous, and draws out the implications of this finding for our understanding of the Reformation as a whole." --Book Jacket The shape of late medieval religious thought Humanism and the Reformation Late medieval theology and the Reformation Scripture: translation, text, and tradition The interpretation of scripture The Patristic testimony The intellectual, social, and spiritual upheavals of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries define the context within which the development of the Reformation of the sixteenth century must be approached. Alister E. Mcgrath. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [254]-272) And Index.