Lewis W Spitz

This book consists of a series of statements from men and women dating between 1501 to 1559. These statements illustrate the ideas, beliefs, and sometimes the fates, of the people who had come to share a profound discontent with the church as it then existed and a positive determination to change it.Writings includeErasmus and Hutten the humanistsLuther and MelanchthonZwingliSattler the AnabaptistServetus the UnitarianCalvin the theologian and lawgiverthe English reformers, a special breed -- from the rabble-rousing Fish to Cromwell the administrator, Starkey the moderate, the King and the Archbishop of CanterburySpitz provides historical and theological context for each document and a reading list for further exploration.

The particular interest of Professor Spitz has been the close relationship and synergy between humanism and religious reform in the transformation of European culture in the 16th century. Within the general cultural and intellectual context of the Renaissance and Reformation movements, the present volume focuses on Luther and German humanism; a subsequent collection looks more particularly at the place of education and history in the thought of the time. The articles here discuss Luther's imposing knowledge of the classics, his attitudes towards learning, the religious and patriotic interests of the humanists, and the role of a younger generation of humanists in the Reformation. Also included is a far-reaching appraisal of the impact of humanism and the Reformation on Western history.