Conciliation and Confession

Howard P. Louthan is associate professor of history at the University of Florida.Randall C. Zachman is professor of Reformation studies at the University of Notre Dame. He is the author of The Assurance of Faith.

"Zachman has written a tour de force on the interplay in John Calvin's theology between image and word. Too often, Zachman demonstrates, people have a caricatured view of Calvin's hostility to religious iconography. Zachman argues that Calvin did have a hostility to 'dead images,' but was open to using sights and images that allowed viewers to comprehend the Word of God in different ways than hearing alone. . . . Anyone who seeks to be engaged in Calvin scholarship or Calvinist theology will have to read and engage Zachman. Essential." —Choice"[Zachman's] discussion of Calvin's understanding of divine self-manifestation by means of visions, oracles, and the 'manifestations of piety in the church' leads us away from the overly intellectualistic reading of Calvin that has characterized scholarship, and opens up a refreshing consideration of Calvin as a theologian of experience." —Renaissance Quarterly"Moderates did exist amidst the bitter religious conflicts in the Age of Reform, and they received even worse treatment then than they do in our own religiously contentious age. The editors have brought together an impressive group of experts to examine this neglected and almost forgotten side of the often told story. I much commend this book." —John W. O'Malley, Weston Jesuit School of Theology"The various pieces, written by professors and published scholars in the field, examines moderation and conciliatory efforts at unification during what was arguably the most polarized time in the history of western world: the Great Western Schism. ...excellent introduction.... The contributors to this volume come from a varied and distinguished selection of key scholars in the field. The novelty of the subject material as well as the excellent scholarship and research of the volume make it an excellent addition to theological and university libraries." —Catholic Library World"In the two centuries after the Reformation there were a number of territories across Europe where one confessional party failed to establish hegemony. Such circumstances inspired a variety of responses, and even encouraged an occasional statesman or theologian to pursue tentative plans for conciliation: sometimes by concentrating on theological positions held in common, sometimes by pursuing the dream of reunification. A variety of these interesting experiments are considered in this collection of essays, which range across Europe and establish a helpful context with precedents from before the Protestant and Catholic divisions of the Reformation. " —English Historical Review"This is an impressive volume. A number of its contributors rank among the best early modern scholars in the world at present, and all of them are accomplished. Moreover, the subjects treated here are interesting, whether they cover well-known figures, such as Calvin and Melanchthon, or less familiar ones, such as Eugenikos and Alvinczi. These essays are preceded by a fine introduction which sets the stage for the essays that follow."—Sixteenth Century Journal"The Roman Catholic "struggle for unity in the age of reform, 1415-1848" is the subject of a book - that quotation is the subttitle - of notable essays edited by Howard P. Louthan & Randall C. Zachman. The contributors are a distinguished lot. The anthology is an attractive one." —Bibliotheque D'Humanisme et Renaissance,"Eleven essays of varying length, quality, and engagement with primary soures explore the nature of appeals for conciliation of differences among Christian groups engaged in disputes from the conciliar movement to the mid-seventeenth century. . . all those interested in the history of irenicism in the late medieval and early modern periods will profit greatly from these studies." —Religious Studies Review"The essays in this collection provide a wealth of evidence to show that princes, statesmen, bishops, theologians and intellectuals tried at many stages to preserve or restore the unity of the Church by peaceful means. The authors of these scholarly essays analyse ideas and events in countries from France and Italy to Hungary and Poland, introducing readers to a variety of now little-known figures and to scholarship in a wide variety of European languages. This volume constitutes an invaluable collection of essays on a subject about which to little is known, especially in Anglo-American circles. It is authoritative on irenicism in central Europe.... Students of early modern Europe will benefit enormously...." —Journal of Ecclesiastical History