The History Of Protestantism

by James Aitken Wylie

When Martin Luther rebelled against the Church of Rome and nailed his Ninety-five Theses to a church door in Wittenberg he sent shock waves through the Christian World.

This was the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, which would cleave Christendom in two.

But where did Luther’s ideas come from?

And what actually occurred during the Reformation?

James Aitken Wylie in his seminal work, The History of Protestantism explains the origins of this religious revolution through to its impact across the world.

Through exposing the precursors of Protestantism, such as the Waldenses, and explaining how the Roman Catholic church had developed since the fall of the Roman Empire, Wylie is able to explain how mid-sixteenth century Europe became a hotbed of discussions on religion and the position of the Church of Rome.

He uncovers how the founding fathers from Luther and Hus to Calvin and Zwingli forged their churches under the oppression of the Roman Catholic leaders, and sometimes in conflict with other Protestant churches.

Wylie uncovers how different nations reacted to the advent of Protestantism through the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, including Switzerland, France, Scandinavia, England and the multitude of German states in the Holy Roman Empire.

Protestantism had no centralized organization to define doctrine so across these varying regions differing churches developed. Wylie explains their different theological positions and why such differences arose.

The History of Protestantism is essential reading for anyone interested in how this faith broke with Rome and survived through its tumultuous first few centuries to develop into the religion that it is recognizable as today.

James Aitken Wylie was a Scottish historian of religion and Presbyterian minister. He was a prolific writer and is most famous for his twenty-four book long The History of Protestantism, which was first published in 1878. Wylie died before completing his History of the Scottish Nation in 1890.

Genres: History, Christianity, Religion, Church History

3983 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1878

About the author

Rev. James Aitken Wylie was a Scottish historian of religion and Presbyterian minister. He was a prolific writer and is most famous for writing The History of Protestantism. Wylie was born in Kirriemuir, Scotland and his father, James Aitken was an Auld Licht Antiburgher minister in the Original Secession Church. Wylie was educated at Marischal College, University of Aberdeen where he stayed for three years before studying at St. Andrews under Thomas Chalmers. He followed his father's example, entering the Original Secession Divinity Hall, Edinburgh in 1827, and was ordained in 1831. In 1852, after joining the Free Church of Scotland, Wylie edited their Free Church Record until 1860.

He published his book The Papacy: Its History, Dogmas, Genius, and Prospects in 1851. The Protestant Institute appointed him Lecturer on Popery in 1860. He continued in this role until his death in 1890, publishing in 1888 his work The Papacy is the Antichrist. Wylie's classic work, The History of Protestantism (1878), went out of print in the 1920s.

Reviews

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very interesting and well written book. The amount of research that must have gone into this book is impressive. It must have taken up a considerable amount of time just to write it.

The author gives a very readable history of Protestantism and the trials and tribulations that it encountered mainly from the Roman Catholic authorities. When people began to read and understand the Bible for themselves not only were their eyes opened to the error of what they had been taught but they came to understand that their ignorance was due to most of the clergy being ignorant themselves! Their rule of faith was what they found in the pages of the Bible and not the so-called authoritative pontifications of a priesthood whose authority derived not from the Bible but the Pope. They broke off the shackles of a corrupt belief system and grew in the knowledge of the Truth. This was not done without great difficulty however. The Roman Catholic institution was unwilling to let others decide for themselves what was and is acceptable worship and practice so attempts were made to win or most often coerce the people back into the fold of darkness. The struggles of Protestantism endured for centuries until it was finally accepted by not only the populace at large but by those in authority and persecution by the Roman Catholic authorities ceased.

There are a number of typos but I believe that this may be due to the book being scanned and prepared as an eBook. In my humble opinion I do not think that this in any way diminished the quality or worth of the book.

I cannot recommend this book too highly and I think that any and all who call themselves Protestants can and will benefit from reading it.

[John Lowery · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the finest books you will read and it will stir your heart as you feel yourself immersed in the Reformation. Published in 3 volumes, it traces the history of protestantism from the eraly church to the Glorious Revolution of 1688. I don't know whether it is available other than as second hand. There is a .pdf version on the internet at http://www.reformation.org/wylie2.html

[Kenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

If a brief survey of the reformation is what your looking for like look elsewhere. This is an extensive narrative of the reformation in every country it touched. Set aside 3-6 months to complete.

[Wesley Hankins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well worth the time required to read

While the perspective of the author would perhaps have shifted had he been aware of future events, his grasp of the events of the reformation is incredible. Anyone who wonders to what depth humanity, in its quest for power shrouded in an accommodating religion, is willing to go will find these books enlightening. The battle waged by the evil on still rages; the actors may change and we may feel that we, humanity, are too civilized now to behold such things in our day, but watch closely as modern history plays itself out using the lower desires of our race. Hard times are coming for many and will proclaim the return of our deliverer.

[David Means · Rating 2 out of 5]

Posturing mixed with History

This book reads like a novel written by a love-struck biographer. There are facts to be had, but you’ll find yourself parsing them out of the copious verbosity flowery prose.

The concept of “just the facts, ma’am” rarely crosses the mind of this historian.

[Alister · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of outdated