The beginning of the sixteenth century brought increasing pressure within the Western Church for Reform. The popes could not keep Western Christendom united, and there was confusion regarding the reform of the Church. What some believed to be abuses, others saw as acceptable. Nevertheless, over the years, three emergent goals arose: the reform of clerical requirements, the correction of doctrinal errors, and the improvement of the moral conscience of society. As a result, Western Europe was divided into a Catholic South and a Protestant North. Alongside this executive space, the fiercest religious wars in the history of Christianity were fought.

This third volume of the ‘Summary of Church History’ from Penguin deals with the formative work of Erasmus, Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin, and analyzes the specific circumstances of the English Reformation, as well as the Jesuits and the Counter-Reformation.

Pages: 464, Dimensions: 12.9x12.9cm