Title: Reformation: Europe\u27s house divided 1490-1700. Author: MacCulloch, Diarmaid Reformation xxviii, 832 p. Publisher: London : Allen Lane, 2003

Cole-Arnal, Oscar

English

Wilfrid Laurier University

ConsensusVolume 30Issue 1 Globalization Article 155-1-2005Reformation: Europe's house divided 1490-1700Oscar Cole-ArnalFollow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensusThis Book Reviews is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by anauthorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.Recommended CitationCole-Arnal, Oscar (2005) "Reformation: Europe's house divided 1490-1700 ," Consensus: Vol. 30 : Iss. 1 , Article 15.Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol30/iss1/15Reformation: Europe’s House Divided, 1490-1700Diarmaid MacCullochLondon: Allen Lane (Penguin Books), 2003832 pages, $52.50 Hardcover Finally, after twenty-eight years of teaching courses on theReformation, I find a textbook that far outshines all others in thefield. Finally, I have a Reformation textbook that would force me tobe incredibly picky about finding any serious faults. Finally, I hold inmy hands this fat volume of 708 narrative pages that I finished aftertwo months of faithful morning reading over coffee, and I still feelmy heart soaring. No, I am not author MacCulloch’s agent, though Ishould be. No, he has not paid me for such effusive praise, for thatwould be “simony,” and as we all know the Reformation, bothCatholic and Protestant, attacked this all too common practice.So why do I find this back-breaking tome so spectacular? Thereare three chief reasons for my eulogy.First, MacCulloch’s Reformation is far and above the mostcomprehensive book on the Reformation I have ever read; I findnothing left out that he has not covered. For example, he handles withbreadth and depth both Protestant and Catholic Reformations. Hedeals with Reformation literate elites as well as illiterate commonersgiving each its due. Women emerge as significant players in all facetsof life during the epoch covered, and European Jews and anti-Semiticresponses to them are not ignored. Not only does MacCullochdescribe the standard Reformation areas of German lands andWestern Europe; also we learn of Reformation in Scandinavia,Poland-Lithuania, Hungary and Transylvania. Beyond that he givessolid attention to missionary expansion by Catholics (largely theJesuits) in India, China and the western hemisphere. With depth andsensitivity the last portion of the book deals with changes in dailymores (i.e., the impact of the new Gregorian calendar, the evolutionof sexual ethics and practices, the tensions between fanaticism andtolerance, etc.). MacCulloch leaves no stone unturned in thismasterful blend of breadth, depth and literary finesse. Second, the author has produced a fair and balanced textbookwithout falling into that bland and phoney academics which poses as“objectivity.” Instead he exemplifies profound empathy with all hissubjects – even those, I suspect, he finds distasteful. How would I128 ConsensusPublished by Scholars Commons @ Laurier, 2005describe his point of view? I surmise that he has a broad humanist(Erasmian) foundation that seems to reflect the capacity to straddlethe two main western Christian traditions with a comfortable foot ineither camp. However, I must confess that this assessment does notdemonstrate any prophetic gifts on my part. MacCulloch says asmuch in his own words. (xxv) Yet what I find so compelling, evenbeyond his “catholic” sympathies, is that marvellous capacity toempathize with all the players of the Reformation drama. Thisrenders his book inspiring on top of being scholarly.Finally, MacCulloch’s Reformation affirms one of myshibboleths willy-nilly. He dispenses with the standard Reformationtextbook format of “great MAN” history with “great ideas” thattrickle down to the masses hungry for the Gospel. Yes, he does dealwith Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, Cranmer, Ignatius, Contarini, et al. andtheir ideas, but his text also gives women their due (and not only as a“politically correct” add-on), and he portrays a whole world ofturbulence and change (social, political, economic) without ignoringsome of the leading figures who emerged as leaders. Nonetheless, I will point out two negatives. First, I can’t for thelife of me understand the value of the brief three-page appendix oftexts, even given MacCulloch’s introductory apologia for the same. Ithink it adds nothing of real value to an already remarkable text.Finally, Reformation is too bloody expensive. Of course, that is nofault of Diarmaid MacCulloch. So, shape up Penguin Books. Let’sget this out in paperback and halve the cost. Then I will requireReformation for my introductory course in church history rather thanjust highly recommending it. Oscar Cole-ArnalWaterloo Lutheran SeminaryBook Reviews 129http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol30/iss1/15

Reformation: Europe\u27s house divided 1490-1700

Scholars Commons

Consensus
Volume 30
Issue 1 Globalization Article 15
5-1-2005
Reformation: Europe's house divided 1490-1700
Oscar Cole-Arnal
Follow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus
This Book Reviews is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by an
authorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.
Recommended Citation
Cole-Arnal, Oscar (2005) "Reformation: Europe's house divided 1490-1700 ," Consensus: Vol. 30 : Iss. 1 , Article 15.
Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol30/iss1/15
Reformation: Europe’s House Divided, 1490-1700
Diarmaid MacCulloch
London: Allen Lane (Penguin Books), 2003
832 pages, $52.50 Hardcover 
Finally, after twenty-eight years of teaching courses on the
Reformation, I find a textbook that far outshines all others in the
field. Finally, I have a Reformation textbook that would force me to
be incredibly picky about finding any serious faults. Finally, I hold in
my hands this fat volume of 708 narrative pages that I finished after
two months of faithful morning reading over coffee, and I still feel
my heart soaring. No, I am not author MacCulloch’s agent, though I
should be. No, he has not paid me for such effusive praise, for that
would be “simony,” and as we all know the Reformation, both
Catholic and Protestant, attacked this all too common practice.
So why do I find this back-breaking tome so spectacular? There
are three chief reasons for my eulogy.
First, MacCulloch’s Reformation is far and above the most
comprehensive book on the Reformation I have ever read; I find
nothing left out that he has not covered. For example, he handles with
breadth and depth both Protestant and Catholic Reformations. He
deals with Reformation literate elites as well as illiterate commoners
giving each its due. Women emerge as significant players in all facets
of life during the epoch covered, and European Jews and anti-Semitic
responses to them are not ignored. Not only does MacCulloch
describe the standard Reformation areas of German lands and
Western Europe; also we learn of Reformation in Scandinavia,
Poland-Lithuania, Hungary and Transylvania. Beyond that he gives
solid attention to missionary expansion by Catholics (largely the
Jesuits) in India, China and the western hemisphere. With depth and
sensitivity the last portion of the book deals with changes in daily
mores (i.e., the impact of the new Gregorian calendar, the evolution
of sexual ethics and practices, the tensions between fanaticism and
tolerance, etc.). MacCulloch leaves no stone unturned in this
masterful blend of breadth, depth and literary finesse. 
Second, the author has produced a fair and balanced textbook
without falling into that bland and phoney academics which poses as
“objectivity.” Instead he exemplifies profound empathy with all his
subjects – even those, I suspect, he finds distasteful. How would I
128 Consensus
Published by Scholars Commons @ Laurier, 2005
describe his point of view? I surmise that he has a broad humanist
(Erasmian) foundation that seems to reflect the capacity to straddle
the two main western Christian traditions with a comfortable foot in
either camp. However, I must confess that this assessment does not
demonstrate any prophetic gifts on my part. MacCulloch says as
much in his own words. (xxv) Yet what I find so compelling, even
beyond his “catholic” sympathies, is that marvellous capacity to
empathize with all the players of the Reformation drama. This
renders his book inspiring on top of being scholarly.
Finally, MacCulloch’s Reformation affirms one of my
shibboleths willy-nilly. He dispenses with the standard Reformation
textbook format of “great MAN” history with “great ideas” that
trickle down to the masses hungry for the Gospel. Yes, he does deal
with Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, Cranmer, Ignatius, Contarini, et al. and
their ideas, but his text also gives women their due (and not only as a
“politically correct” add-on), and he portrays a whole world of
turbulence and change (social, political, economic) without ignoring
some of the leading figures who emerged as leaders. 
Nonetheless, I will point out two negatives. First, I can’t for the
life of me understand the value of the brief three-page appendix of
texts, even given MacCulloch’s introductory apologia for the same. I
think it adds nothing of real value to an already remarkable text.
Finally, Reformation is too bloody expensive. Of course, that is no
fault of Diarmaid MacCulloch. So, shape up Penguin Books. Let’s
get this out in paperback and halve the cost. Then I will require
Reformation for my introductory course in church history rather than
just highly recommending it. 
Oscar Cole-Arnal
Waterloo Lutheran Seminary
Book Reviews 129
http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol30/iss1/15


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