Five Women of the English Reformation

by Paul F.M. Zahl

Presents profiles of Anne Boleyn, Anne Askew, Katharine Parr, Jane Gray, and Catherine Willoughby.

Genres: Nonfiction, Christian, Biography, Church History, History, Tudor Period

128 pages, Hardcover

First published May 31, 2001

About the author

The Very Rev. Dr. Paul Francis Matthew Zahl is a retired Episcopal priest. He formerly was rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Chevy Chase, MD, and dean and president of Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry, Ambridge, PA.

He studied at Chapel Hill, Harvard, St. John's College (Nottingham), the University of Nottingham, Trinity College (Bristol), Wycliffe Hall (Oxford) and the University of Tubingen, where he received his doctorate in systematic theology in 1994. He has also served as rector of Episcopal churches in Scarborough, NY and Charleston, SC; was Curate of Grace Church in New York City; and was Dean of the Cathedral Church of the Advent (Episcopal) in Birmingham, AL. He and his wife, Mary, are the parents of three sons, John, David and Simeon.

Reviews

[SK Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last two women “poems” (words not formed in sentences)

Jane Grey
Pray for those who persecute you
Persecuted
Used
For politics and religion
Yet she remained faithful until death
Only 16
Only 9 days a queen
Not loved by many
But her tutor was kind
Though her father lead her to her death
He honored her in his own
By holding fast to her faith

Catherine Willoughby
She ought to be a willoughby
For divine will sustained her being
Yet at the end did her grief catch up?
2 lost sons
A foreign in a foreign land
A refugee
Naomi with no Ruth
Yet she thanked the Lord
Not bitter till the end
Getting older doesn’t always mean growing

[Jeremy]

Referenced positively here (pp. 16, 30n16).

[Megan Norred · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a smaller book with chapters on different women of the reformation. Each chapter should provide a snapshot of each woman. The writing was ok and sometimes I felt confused. The author tried to include too much information into each chapter. Although I did learn from this book, it was sometimes hard to follow.

[James Horgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The lives of Anne Boleyn, Anne Askew, Katherine Parr, Jane Grey and Catherine Willoughby are explored in this short work by retired evangelical Episcopal minister Paul FM Zahl.

Each chapter looks briefly at their lives, their writings, and what we can learn from them today.

All of the women were flawed (aren't we all) but their faith is seen in the practicalities of living at a dangerous time. Three were executed, one died in childbirth, only the last died at anything approaching old age. It mattered what you believed and if you believed firmly you would find your life threatened at some point in the Tudor age.

Zahl is clearly most sympathetic to Jane Grey, a precocious believer who had no control over her life other than seeking the interiority of learning and books and, of course, a firm faith in Christ. Her bravery before her interrogator Feckenham, make her life iconic.

Boleyn and Parr were both caught up in the politics of Reformation, which did for one but not the other. Both had roles promoting the Reformation in England for which we should be thankful showing genuine faith. Both left behind statements of their trust in Christ.

Askew is a stern martyr. Separated from her husband and bravely willing to suffer without compromising herself or her friends. Her letters from prison always ending with the injunction, 'pray, pray, pray'.

Willoughby is a more minor character and I wonder if Zahl is entirely fair to her struggles in later life which he characterises as coming from a peevish attitude, though the letters printed seem to me to continue to express a dependence on divine providence. One can understand her disappointment, along with that of other Marian exiles, at the lukewarmness of Elizabeth.

The Epilogue by the author's wife, Mary Zahl, strikes a jarring anachronistic note suggesting that these women would have approved setting in train a Reformation that led to the ordination of women. Better are her injunctions to study the Bible and be courageous seeing God as our only authority.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed Five Women of the English Reformation. Any book which makes me, compels me, to do further research as I am reading it, is worth 5/5 stars in my book! The lives of these five women (Anne Boleyn, Anne Askew, Katherine Parr, Jane Grey, and Catherine Willoughby) are extraordinary. I am grateful to researchers like Paul Zahn who study those from the past and understand what they have done to bring us to where we are today. So very grateful.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good information, but the text needed an editor.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but the author's style was not to my liking. Too much analyses and references to events, books, and movies that I was not familiar with, and not enough actual biography.

[Ava · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of short biographies of women during the English Reformation.

[Matthew Robinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good content, but poorly written. The best part was the excerpts of these women's writing in the back of the book.

[Ruthe Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book full of so much great information. I learned so much! Paul Zahl does a masterful job of presenting the lives, the faith and the courage of five women of the English Reformation. He begins with Anne Boleyn, 2nd wife of Henry VIII and mother of future Queen Elizabeth I, who was beheaded and buried in an unmarked grave. The author continues with the stories of four women who were part of a “inner circle” of believers who loved to study their illegal bibles together. They were able to encourage and strengthen each other in their faith. They include Anne Askew, who was burned at the stake; Katherine Parr, who hosted the gatherings in her chambers as the 6th wife of Henry VIII and actually outlived him. She was a mother-figure to Lady Jane Grey, who lived a short and sad life, abused by her parents, forced into a marriage, then forced to be queen. When they tried to force her to recant her beliefs, she stood firm – and was beheaded for it. Catherine Willoghby was the only one of this inner circle to live beyond 30, but not without trials and tragedy. These women have left us a legacy to follow – to read our bibles, be courageous in our beliefs, see God as the only authority, and pray for those who are still persecuted for their faith.

[Shawn Trautman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting content. I quite enjoyed this brief overview of these five women, their beliefs, and how they helped to shape the English reformation. At times however, I found the structure of the book to be cumbersome, making it slightly difficult to enjoy. At the same time it was a quick read, and well worth the time. This book whet my appetite to study these women further.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

contrary to what the author believes,if you are interested in the history of the anglican church or king henry the eighth, you will recognize the majority of the women he wtites about.good over view of these women and the beginnings of the anglican church.

[Renae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good starting point for people interested in the topic. Not at all exhaustive; just enough info to whet my appetite for more. His favorable opinion of Anne Boleyn led me to read more on her, and I'm looking forward to doing the same with Lady Jane Grey, the author's favorite reformer.

[Linda Kriese · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't really enjoy the setup of the book... I did enjoy learning about each women, but I didn't like how each section was chopped up, not easy to read.

[Victoria]

came across during Lady Jane Grey research...viewed online