Protestants

by OZMENT, STEVEN

• ISBN13: 9780385471015
• ISBN10: 0385471017
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 1993-10-01
• Publisher: Image

Summary

Who were the first men and women who abandoned the Church of Rome and became the world's first Protestants? Harvard historian Steven Ozment does not present us with the remote, dusty figures of history, but rather with the shoemakers and housewives, students and politicians who were among the first followers of Martin Luther. Using pamphlets, diaries, letters, and other primary soruces, Ozment examines the origins of the Reformation and the nature of Protestantism. Rather than seeing the Reformation as the progenitor of German absolutism, as do many scholars of the period, Ozment sees in Protestantism the historic assertion of key Western values--social reform, individual religious conviction, hard work, and the rejection of corruption, hypocrisy, and empty ritual.

Author Biography

Steven Ozment is a professor of history at Harvard University, a recipient of Guggenheim and NEH fellowships, and winner of the Schaff History Prize from the American Church History Society in 1981. He is the author of ten books, all in print. His Magdalena and Balthasar and Three Behaim Boys were selections of the History Book Club. His Age of Reform was an American Book Award nominee. He is coauthor of The Western Heritage, a widely used textbook.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction	p. 1
In Search of the Reformation	p. 9
Turning the World Upside Down	p. 11
Religious Origins and Social Consequences	p. 32
Theology and Propaganda: The Reformation Envisioned	p. 43
The Revolution of the Pamphleteers	p. 45
Evangelizing the Real World	p. 67
From Propaganda to Law: The Reformation Enacted	p. 87
Gaining a Big Stick: Ordinance and Catechism	p. 89
Luther's Political Legacy	p. 118
From Law to Life: The Reformation Embraced	p. 149
Luther on Family Life	p. 151
Turning Protestant: The Revolution Within	p. 169
The Religious Beliefs of Teenagers	p. 193
Conclusion	p. 215
Appendix: A Digest of Theories about the Reformation	p. 218
Notes	p. 220
Index	p. 259
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