A revelatory biography of a remarkable Renaissance man whose rationalist convictions changed not only the development of the church and Europe post-Reformation, but also who exercised a profound influence on how the individual relates to society.
DEREK WILSON is well known through his books, radio and TV appearances, frequent journalistic features and festival appearances as one of the UK's leading narrative historians. Among his critically acclaimed and bestselling books are- The King and the Gentleman- Charles Stuart and Oliver Cromwell 1599-1649 In the Lion's Court- Power, Ambition and Sudden Death in the Reign of Henry VIII All the King's Women- Love, Sex and Politics in the Life of Charles II Charlemagne- The Great Adventure
It has been over half a century since Here I Stand, Roland Bainton's popular biography of Martin Luther, appeared. Times have changed: today many know little of the life and significance of the great reformer. In addition, since Bainton (and in part because of him), we know more about popular religion during the Reformation. The reader familiar with the literature on Luther will find no new discoveries in this fine new book, but historian Wilson (Charlemagne) has written a respectful, balanced, and elegantly expressed biography of the man who, more than any other, precipitated the Protestant Reformation, and, in its wake, major changes in our mindset and lives. Wilson explicates the religious issues involved in Luther's revolt from the Catholic Church and provides a sympathetic account of his personal life, not slighting the political context within which he acted out his drama. To make the man accessible to today's reader, Wilson occasionally uses recent, thus anachronistic, terms to describe events almost 500 years ago, e.g., that Wittenberg was not an "avant-garde" university. But by and large, Wilson succeeds in what he set out to do: make Luther accessible to a new generation of lay readers. Highly recommended for all collections.-David Keymer, Modesto, CA Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.
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