Heroes and Heretics of the Reformation

by Phillip Campbell

Not since the birth of Christ has an event shaken the foundations of the Western world like the Reformation. Now, 500 years after Luther nailed his ninety-five theses to the door at Wittenberg—the sound of which served as the thunder presaging the storm to come—Phillip Campbell, author of The Story of Civilization, casts fresh eyes on that
tumultuous time and its most influential characters.
 
It was a tumultuous time, filled with heroes, heretics, and some who were a little bit of both. It was a time of destruction and rebuilding. Some sincerely sought reform while others sought merely to profit by it, and some—perhaps too few—used the events of the time to become saints.
 
In these pages meet as you’ve never met before:
• Martin Luther: the tortured Augustinian monk whose act at Wittenberg called forth the storm
• Thomas Müntzer: the radical who, inspired by the new way of thinking and his own apocalyptic views, sought to use the sword to usher in the reign of God; he would feel the sting of Luther’s words and the bite of the executioner’s blade.
• The queens: Mary and Elizabeth Tudor, who were at different times bastardized and delegitimized by their father Henry VIII, but who each reigned during this period of upheaval. One is known to history by a derogatory epithet, while the other, “bloodier” still, has an epoch named in her honor.
• The popes: Paul III and Pius V, each of whom sought to save what could be saved of Christendom, one through the calling of the Council of Trent, which codified an authentic Catholic Reform, and the other through the calling of a new crusade to fend off the ever-threatening Turks.
• St. Peter Canisius: who lived a life of sanctity as he tried to reconcile those who had drifted away back to the Church.
 
Through the lives of those above and others, dramatically unfolded in Campbell’s stirring narrative, learn how the heroes and heretics of the tumultuous sixteenth century shook the world, for better or for worse.
 

Genres: History, Christianity, Catholic, Religion

324 pages, Hardcover

Published September 27, 2017

Reviews

[Julie Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

With the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation last year we naturally have seen many books on the subject. I'll be honest, I'm not that interested in the reformation. I was offered a few review copies of books by Protestants who espoused ecumenism but whose samples showed their even-handedness came from embracing Catholics who agreed with them. And you just can't be Catholic and fully agree with the Protestant point of view. There's always that pesky topic of the Eucharist getting in the way for one thing.

So my interest was piqued by this book which says in the introduction that, although every effort is made for historical objectivity, it is written from a Catholic viewpoint and presumes the claims of the Catholic Church are true. I was further interested when reading an Amazon review saying, in part:

Frankly, I was surprised that I enjoyed this book so much. Its publisher, TAN books, is a highly-conservative Catholic publishing company, and I had feared -- especially in light of the title -- a biased, one-sided defense of Rome's handling of the Reformation. Instead, I found a well-written, well-balanced account of the forces that led to the Reformation, the major players in the drama, their beliefs, and the Counter-reformation that followed.

What I found was a well written book that somehow managed to be so interesting I couldn't put it down. That is high praise indeed for a book about a topic I didn't care about in the first place.

This epic, complex ideological struggle is examined first by following the progress of the Protestants who fueled the Reformation (Luther, Calvin, Knox, etc.). The last third of the book looks at major Catholic figures of the Counter-Reformation. Philip Campbell is skilled at untangling the threads so that we can see each person's background, motivations, influence and the historical backdrop for the entire situation.

One of the things that I really liked was the afore mentioned even-handedness. It was often apparent when telling about someone's major objection to Catholicism. Philip Campbell would then clarify what the Catholic teaching was and put the person's objection into context. Perhaps they'd misunderstood the teaching or they'd come across a grievous abuse or any of a number of other possibilities. He doesn't use that moment to judge the person. The history is past. He just uses it to help modern readers gain further context.

The book ends by connecting the Reformation with our world now. Campbell answers a typically modern question, "Why fight over religion?" by examining various aspects of understanding what faith means today and how the 16th century struggle still has relevance. He also considers where subsequent years have taken the Protestant-Catholic relationship.

I've been bending the ear of everyone who would listen to tell them how wonderful this book is. Now it's your turn. Go get it, even if you don't think you'll like the topic. It's fascinating.

[Lucy’s reading corner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this!!! I’ve never been so entertained reading a book for school.
Clear, concise, and explaining these monumental events in world and church history that I have learned so much from.
I believe the Protestant reformation is very important to understand as it affects our world today more than ever.

[Doug Schreiber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Campbell tackles the nitty gritty of history at the same time he confronts the questions of theology raised in the troubled 16th century. It is a very readable book and breaks the Protestant schism into its parts while showing the true reform of the Catholic church in the 16th century.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is exactly what I wanted. Great introduction to the reformation period from a catholic perspective. It’s well-written too. I’ll probably read this again in a couple of years.

[Paul Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an extremely readable book. The author does an excellent job of both telling the history of the Reformation in an informative way and making it interesting by focusing on specific figures in that history, both good guys and bad guys. That he manages to do this chronologically and such that he covers the events in England, Germany, France, and the Netherlands, is quite a feat.
The only drawback is that he tries to justify the Vatican II approach to Protestants at the end of the book, the ecumenical approach which, ironically, comes from Protestantism and so is just another way in which Protestantism has been destructive of the Church.

[Brenda Torres · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a perfect companion to any study of the Protestant Reformation, as it gives the reader a glimpse behind the curtain into the lives and motivations of some of the key figures of this era. Though it is certainly a scholarly book, it reads like a novel at times.

[Billy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of the Reformation told through the short biographies of over two dozen notables, both Catholic and Protestant. It's an engaging read that serves as a reminder that history is about people, not just events. Inexcusable that there isn't an index.

[Patrick O'Hannigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written, well-balanced, and altogether fascinating