Benjamin J. Kaplan is Professor of Dutch History, University College London and the University of Amsterdam.
In this remarkable book, Kaplan challenges the generally accepted
narrative that modern tolerance arose out of the crucible of the
religious wars of the early modern period and triumphed during the
Enlightenment as reason replaced religion's hold over people...This
is a masterful synthesis, engagingly written and compellingly
argued, that will appeal both to scholars and those concerned about
current religious tensions. -- J. Harrie "Choice" (08/01/2008)
Kaplan argues convincingly that the breakdown of the religious
consensus made toleration less rather than more likely. Before the
Reformation, some devotional diversity had existed under the
Catholic umbrella, but from the late sixteenth century onwards,
Christian denominations demonized one another in a desperate
attempt to shore up their versions of religious truth: tensions
were created where none had existed before...Kaplan demonstrates
that religious violence continued well into the age of
Enlightenment...His employment of facts on the ground is an
effective way of countering myths about the early modern period,
and his objection to the notion that "ideas have autonomous power,
separate from the human beings who generate, transmit, accept, or
reject them" is an appropriate response to previous studies of
toleration which have lifted the ideas of Locke and Bayle out of
their historical context. -- Eliane Glaser "Times Literary
Supplement" (07/04/2008)
[A] splendid book...The book is worth a look merely for its
fascinating vignettes of religious life in [Switzerland, the Low
Countries, and the German principalities that made up the Holy
Roman Empire]. One striking discovery is that there was more
religious freedom in the 16th century than after the wars of
religion ended a century later...It would be a long time before
Europe's Christians rediscovered such a spirit of religious
tolerance. That is something critics of today's Islamic world
should remember, as should unquestioning believers in the virtue of
the European Enlightenment. As well as its fine story-telling, Mr.
Kaplan's book has the great merit of reinstating religion and
quarrels about religious practice at the heart of the modern
European history--where they clearly belong.
Kaplan creates a brilliant survey of that most fraught of religious
eras, the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, and ranges with
engaging humor and perception across Europe. -- Diarmaid MacCulloch
"Times Higher Education Supplement" (12/14/2007)
At this moment, there may be no more important story than the one
Europeans and Americans proudly tell themselves about the rise of
religious toleration. So please take note of Benjamin J. Kaplan's
argument that the story may be dangerously flawed...Contrary to the
once-popular notion that religious toleration rose steadily from
the Middle Ages through the Protestant Reformation and on to the
Enlightenment, Mr. Kaplan maintains that religious toleration
declined from around 1550 to 1750..."Divided by Faith" ends with
five words that sum up its message and could serve as a motto for
historical studies generally: "the possibility of other options."
-- Peter Steinfels "New York Times" (11/24/2007)
Kaplan examines the sometimes lurid and always remarkable history
of religious conflict and tolerance in Europe during the period
between the Reformation and the French Revolution (from the 16th to
the late 18th centuries). Conceding this is a thoroughly plowed
field of inquiry and eschewing the establishment of new facts,
Kaplan's detail-laden yet thoroughly accessible text acknowledges
the roles of contemporary philosophers, theologians, and leaders
(e.g., Oliver Cromwell, John Locke, and Voltaire) in quieting a
continent contorted by religious conflict. Kaplan's major
contribution, however, is to redirect the level of analysis to
"peasants and craftsmen, women and minorities" who developed the
ability to get along on a day-to-day, shoulder-to-shoulder basis
despite religious toleration at the time often having been
considered heresy in and of itself. -- James R. Kuhlman "Library
Journal" (10/15/2007)
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