Two Reformations: The Journey from the Last Days to the New World

by Heiko A. Oberman, Donald Weinstein (Editor)

In this last collection of his vital, controversial, and accessible writings, Heiko A. Oberman seeks to liberate and broaden our understanding of the European Reformation, from its origins in medieval philosophy and theology through the Puritan settlers who brought Calvin’s vision to the New World. Ranging over many topics, Oberman finds fascinating connections between aspects of the Reformation and twentieth-century history and thought―most notably the connection to Nazism and the Holocaust. He revisits his earlier work on the history of anti-Semitism, rejects the notion of an unbroken line from Luther to Hitler to the Holocaust, and offers a new perspective on the Christian legacy of anti-Semitism and its murderous result in the twentieth century.

Oberman demonstrates how the simplifications and rigidities of modern historiography have obscured the existential spirits of such great figures as Luther and Calvin. He explores the debt of both Luther and Calvin to medieval religious thought and the impact of diverse features of “the long fifteenth century”―including the Black Death, nominalism, humanism, and the Conciliar Movement―on the Reformation.

255 pages, Hardcover

First published June 10, 2003

About the author

Heiko Augustinus Oberman was a Dutch historian and theologian who specialized in the study of the Reformation. After earning his doctorate in theology from the University of Utrecht in 1957, he taught at the Harvard Divinity School from 1958 until 1966 and then at the University of Tübingen, Germany from 1966 until 1988, when he became Regents Professor of History at the University of Arizona, Tucson.

Reviews

[Радостин Марчев · Rating 4 out of 5]

Точно когато реша, че бие встрани от темата и достигам до някой брилянтен пасаж. Оберман съчетава оригиналност, честност и емоциоанлна полемичност в историческо съчинение, което е значително постижение. Понякога може да бъде дори дразнещ, но рядко скучен.