https://smile.amazon.com/dp/1848250...olid=2QLNPSEE1XM07&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it Got an Amazon gift card for Christmas. Is this a good read?
Beauty of Holiness: The Caroline Divines and Their Writings That is the name of the book. Maybe it will not show up because I am logged on to my amazon account
I finished the book a bit ago. It had some really good chapters. Some chapters I could have done without ever reading. It was hit or miss. I give it a 3 out of 5. Its first chapter is worth the book though.
WHat would you said is the thesis of the first chapter? I have been considering this book for my library and would be glad to know of the review from a trusted source such as yourself
The first chapter was masterful. He went over in some detail some of the theological crisis of the 16th century. It talks about the synod of dort and other such things. Basically it traces the theological controversies of the time and how Charles was eventually deposed and beheaded. The chapters of the book I did not like were on the Royal Touch and the sections of church poems. I just did not glean much from them. The last chapter or two was also very good when it talks about confession and the Eucharist.
The author is Hans J. Hillerbrand, who was a professor at Duke Divinity School at the time of publication of the book (my phone autofilled several extra letters on his name.) To sum it up, his argument is that the Reformation was the culmination of a number of political and theological struggles that had been shaping European history since the 12th century. Hillerbrand's book is especially commendable for it's thorough coverage of the shape the Reformation took in all of its iterations (English, German, Swiss, etc.) He even gives some time to the Roman figures such as Savonarola and Philip Neri. I have not encountered better coverage of the Radical Reformation (Anabaptists) in a comprehensive work. And it's actually a pleasant read. I return to the book often.