Calvinism and Religious Toleration in the Dutch Golden Age

by R. Po-chia Hsia (Editor), Henk van Nierop (Editor)

Dutch society has enjoyed a reputation, or notoriety, for permissiveness since the sixteenth century. The Dutch Republic in the Golden Age was the only society that tolerated religious dissenters of all persuasions in early modern Europe. Paradoxically, it was committed to a strictly Calvinist public Church and also to the preservation of religious plurality. R. Po-chia Hsia and Henk van Nierop have brought together a group of leading historians from the U.K., the U.S. and the Netherlands. Their outstanding essays probe the history and myth of Dutch religious toleration.

196 pages, Hardcover

First published July 31, 1998

About the author

Ronnie Hsia is the Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of History at Penn State University, Pennsylvania, USA.

His research is focused on the history of the Protestant Reformation, Catholic Renewal, anti-Semitism, and the encounter between Europe and Asia.

Reviews

[Jessica Zu]

Different shades, styles, roots of 'religious toleration'. Only read 5-6 chapters. Will revisit this book as needed.