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Histoire de la Réformation du XVIe Siècle #2
History of the Great Reformation in Europe in the Times of Luther and Calvin Part 2
In Two Volumes. Comprising Germany, Switzerland, Geneva, England, France, Italy, Etc. Through The Labors Of Luther, Calvin, Melancthon, Erasmus, Zwingle, Farel, Wickliffe, Tyndale, Cranmer, Latimer, Berquin, Olivetan, Roussel, Fryth, Berthelier, Celolampadius, Bucer, Myconius, And Many Other Reformers.
588 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1837
About the author
Jean-Henri Merle d'Aubigné
524 books16 followersJean-Henri Merle d'Aubigné (16 August 1794 – 21 October 1872) was a Swiss Protestant minister and historian of the Reformation.
D'Aubigné was born at Eaux Vives, a neighbourhood of Geneva. A street in the area is named after him. The ancestors of his father, Robert Merle d'Aubigné (1755–1799), were French Protestant refugees. The life Jean-Henri's parents chose for him was in commerce; but in college at the Académie de Genève, he instead decided on Christian ministry. He was profoundly influenced by Robert Haldane, the Scottish missionary and preacher who visited Geneva and became a leading light in Le Réveil, a conservative Protestant evangelical movement of spiritual revival.
When d'Aubigné went abroad to further his education in 1817, Germany was about to celebrate the tercentenary of the Reformation; and thus early he conceived the ambition to write the history of that great epoch. Studying at Berlin University for eight months 1817–1818, d'Aubigne received inspiration from teachers as diverse as J. A. W. Neander and W. M. L. de Wette.
In 1818, d'Aubigné took the post of pastor of the French Protestant church at Hamburg, where he served for five years. In 1823, he was called to become pastor of the Franco-German Brussels Protestant Church and preacher to the court of King William I of the Netherlands of the House of Orange-Nassau.
During the Belgian revolution of 1830, d'Aubigné thought it advisable to undertake pastoral work at home in Switzerland rather than accept an educational post in the family of the Dutch king. The Evangelical Society had been founded with the idea of promoting evangelical Christianity in Geneva and elsewhere, but a need arose for a theological seminary to train pastors. On his return to Switzerland, d'Aubigné was invited to become professor of church history in such a seminary, and he also continued to labor in the cause of evangelical Protestantism. In him the Evangelical Alliance found a hearty promoter. He frequently visited England, was made a D.C.L. v Oxford University, and received civic honours from the city of Edinburgh. He died suddenly in 1872.
The first portion of d'Aubigne's Histoire de la Reformation – History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century – which was devoted to the earlier period of the movement in Germany, i.e., Martin Luther's time, at once earned a foremost place among modern French ecclesiastical historians, and was translated into most European languages. The second portion, The History of the Reformation in Europe in the Time of Calvin, dealing with reform in the French Reformer's sphere, exhaustively treats the subject with the same scholarship as the earlier work, but the second volume did not meet with the same success.
Among minor treatises authored by d'Aubigné, the most important are his vindication of the character and the aims of Oliver Cromwell, and his sketch of the trends of the Church of Scotland.
(From Wikipedia)
D'Aubigné was born at Eaux Vives, a neighbourhood of Geneva. A street in the area is named after him. The ancestors of his father, Robert Merle d'Aubigné (1755–1799), were French Protestant refugees. The life Jean-Henri's parents chose for him was in commerce; but in college at the Académie de Genève, he instead decided on Christian ministry. He was profoundly influenced by Robert Haldane, the Scottish missionary and preacher who visited Geneva and became a leading light in Le Réveil, a conservative Protestant evangelical movement of spiritual revival.
When d'Aubigné went abroad to further his education in 1817, Germany was about to celebrate the tercentenary of the Reformation; and thus early he conceived the ambition to write the history of that great epoch. Studying at Berlin University for eight months 1817–1818, d'Aubigne received inspiration from teachers as diverse as J. A. W. Neander and W. M. L. de Wette.
In 1818, d'Aubigné took the post of pastor of the French Protestant church at Hamburg, where he served for five years. In 1823, he was called to become pastor of the Franco-German Brussels Protestant Church and preacher to the court of King William I of the Netherlands of the House of Orange-Nassau.
During the Belgian revolution of 1830, d'Aubigné thought it advisable to undertake pastoral work at home in Switzerland rather than accept an educational post in the family of the Dutch king. The Evangelical Society had been founded with the idea of promoting evangelical Christianity in Geneva and elsewhere, but a need arose for a theological seminary to train pastors. On his return to Switzerland, d'Aubigné was invited to become professor of church history in such a seminary, and he also continued to labor in the cause of evangelical Protestantism. In him the Evangelical Alliance found a hearty promoter. He frequently visited England, was made a D.C.L. v Oxford University, and received civic honours from the city of Edinburgh. He died suddenly in 1872.
The first portion of d'Aubigne's Histoire de la Reformation – History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century – which was devoted to the earlier period of the movement in Germany, i.e., Martin Luther's time, at once earned a foremost place among modern French ecclesiastical historians, and was translated into most European languages. The second portion, The History of the Reformation in Europe in the Time of Calvin, dealing with reform in the French Reformer's sphere, exhaustively treats the subject with the same scholarship as the earlier work, but the second volume did not meet with the same success.
Among minor treatises authored by d'Aubigné, the most important are his vindication of the character and the aims of Oliver Cromwell, and his sketch of the trends of the Church of Scotland.
(From Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 14, 2018
Excellent, comme le premier tome, je ferai une recension complète, Dieu voulant, quand j'aurai lu les 5 tomes.
May 2, 2022
The drama of Reformation continue. Martin Luther of Germany and Zuinglius of Switzerland, two person whom independent and not being in contact, at the same time burning with the fire of Reformation.
April 10, 2016
If there is one problem with J.H. Merle D'Aubigne's histories of the Reformation, it is the scope of the work and the sheer size of it, and the number of names which make an appearance. I had never read much about the Reformation before I started reading Merle D'Aubigne's books and they are a bit overwhelming. They are fascinating and fantastic to read. Merle D'Aubigne writes with such vigour. It reads more like a novel, or a serial, than a history book. It is full of life and pace. But it is confusing. You forget who all the different figures are who keep making their appearance, and forget what their concern is in the events going on and how they are all connected or related to one another. So in many respects it would probably be advisable to read a much shorter account of the Reformation first to get a general grasp of the overall picture, before immersing yourselves in the finer details. But I have never done that and I am ploughing on with Merle D'Aubigne and thoroughly enjoying it.
Towards the end of this volume, chronicling events in Geneva as the city sought to free itself from political powers and Rome, it does feel a bit long-winded or repetitive, but it is perhaps necessary in setting the scene for what is going to be coming in the following volumes. So in itself this volume might lose half a star, but I will round it up because of how much I recommend Merle D'Aubigne. He breathes life into history, and traces the hand of God at work, as he seeks to stir up wonder at the change that God has wrought in people's lives, and make us treasure the religious liberties and doctrine that have been passed down to us through the sacrifices and labours of these men (and women) of five hundred years ago. He provides us with much to praise God for, and much cause for penitence at the way we take our many blessings, and the glorious doctrines of the Reformation, for granted.
Towards the end of this volume, chronicling events in Geneva as the city sought to free itself from political powers and Rome, it does feel a bit long-winded or repetitive, but it is perhaps necessary in setting the scene for what is going to be coming in the following volumes. So in itself this volume might lose half a star, but I will round it up because of how much I recommend Merle D'Aubigne. He breathes life into history, and traces the hand of God at work, as he seeks to stir up wonder at the change that God has wrought in people's lives, and make us treasure the religious liberties and doctrine that have been passed down to us through the sacrifices and labours of these men (and women) of five hundred years ago. He provides us with much to praise God for, and much cause for penitence at the way we take our many blessings, and the glorious doctrines of the Reformation, for granted.
November 29, 2008
"In all ages it has been seen how great is the power of any predominant idea to work upon the inert mass of mankind, to rouse the spirit of a nation, and to urge its votaries by thousands, if need be, into the field of battle and the very jaws of death. But if an idea whose origin is earthly has a potency so great,--what limit shall we set to the power of one communicated from above, when God himself has opened men's hearts to receive it?"
Good stuff...
Good stuff...
October 17, 2010
Wonderful stuff
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews