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The Puritans: A Transatlantic History
A panoramic history of Puritanism in England, Scotland, and New England
This book is a sweeping transatlantic history of Puritanism from its emergence out of the religious tumult of Elizabethan England to its founding role in the story of America. Shedding critical new light on the diverse forms of Puritan belief and practice in England, Scotland, and New England, David Hall provides a multifaceted account of a cultural movement that judged the Protestant reforms of Elizabeth's reign to be unfinished. Hall's vivid and wide-ranging narrative describes the movement's deeply ambiguous triumph under Oliver Cromwell, its political demise with the Restoration of the English monarchy in 1660, and its perilous migration across the Atlantic to establish a "perfect reformation" in the New World.
A breathtaking work of scholarship by an eminent historian, The Puritans examines the tribulations and doctrinal dilemmas that led to the fragmentation and eventual decline of Puritanism. It presents a compelling portrait of a religious and political movement that was divided virtually from the start. In England, some wanted to dismantle the Church of England entirely and others were more cautious, while Puritans in Scotland were divided between those willing to work with a troublesome king and others insisting on the independence of the state church. This monumental book traces how Puritanism was a catalyst for profound cultural changes in the early modern Atlantic world, opening the door for other dissenter groups such as the Baptists and the Quakers, and leaving its enduring mark on what counted as true religion in America.
This book is a sweeping transatlantic history of Puritanism from its emergence out of the religious tumult of Elizabethan England to its founding role in the story of America. Shedding critical new light on the diverse forms of Puritan belief and practice in England, Scotland, and New England, David Hall provides a multifaceted account of a cultural movement that judged the Protestant reforms of Elizabeth's reign to be unfinished. Hall's vivid and wide-ranging narrative describes the movement's deeply ambiguous triumph under Oliver Cromwell, its political demise with the Restoration of the English monarchy in 1660, and its perilous migration across the Atlantic to establish a "perfect reformation" in the New World.
A breathtaking work of scholarship by an eminent historian, The Puritans examines the tribulations and doctrinal dilemmas that led to the fragmentation and eventual decline of Puritanism. It presents a compelling portrait of a religious and political movement that was divided virtually from the start. In England, some wanted to dismantle the Church of England entirely and others were more cautious, while Puritans in Scotland were divided between those willing to work with a troublesome king and others insisting on the independence of the state church. This monumental book traces how Puritanism was a catalyst for profound cultural changes in the early modern Atlantic world, opening the door for other dissenter groups such as the Baptists and the Quakers, and leaving its enduring mark on what counted as true religion in America.
526 pages, Hardcover
First published November 12, 2019
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494 people want to read
About the author
David D. Hall
41 books10 followers
For the Fenland Survey historian, see David D. Hall.
Professor David D. Hall is an American historian, and was Bartlett Professor of New England Church History, at Harvard Divinity School.
He graduated from Harvard University, and from Yale University with a Ph.D. He is well known for introducing Lived religion to religious studies scholarship in the United States, most notably at Harvard Divinity School.
Hall was Bartlett Professor of New England Church History until 2008, when he became Bartlett Research Professor. He writes extensively on religion and society in seventeenth-century New England and England.
His books include The Faithful Shepherd: A History of the New England Ministry in the Seventeenth Century; Worlds of Wonder, Days of Judgment: Popular Religious Belief in Early New England; Puritans in the New World: A Critical Anthology and, most recently, A Reforming People: Puritanism and the Transformation of Public Life in New England (2011). He has edited two key collections of documents: The Antinomian Controversy of 1636–1638: A Documentary History and Witch-Hunting in Seventeenth-Century New England: A Documentary History, 1638–1693.
Another interest is the "history of the book," especially the history of literacy and reading in early America. He edited, with Hugh Amory, The Colonial Book in the Atlantic World, the first of a five-volume series of which he was the general editor.
He continues to study and write about religion and culture in early America, with particular attention to "lived religion," and is presently writing a general history of Puritanism in England, Scotland, and New England c. 1550 to 1700, to be published by Princeton University Press.
Professor David D. Hall is an American historian, and was Bartlett Professor of New England Church History, at Harvard Divinity School.
He graduated from Harvard University, and from Yale University with a Ph.D. He is well known for introducing Lived religion to religious studies scholarship in the United States, most notably at Harvard Divinity School.
Hall was Bartlett Professor of New England Church History until 2008, when he became Bartlett Research Professor. He writes extensively on religion and society in seventeenth-century New England and England.
His books include The Faithful Shepherd: A History of the New England Ministry in the Seventeenth Century; Worlds of Wonder, Days of Judgment: Popular Religious Belief in Early New England; Puritans in the New World: A Critical Anthology and, most recently, A Reforming People: Puritanism and the Transformation of Public Life in New England (2011). He has edited two key collections of documents: The Antinomian Controversy of 1636–1638: A Documentary History and Witch-Hunting in Seventeenth-Century New England: A Documentary History, 1638–1693.
Another interest is the "history of the book," especially the history of literacy and reading in early America. He edited, with Hugh Amory, The Colonial Book in the Atlantic World, the first of a five-volume series of which he was the general editor.
He continues to study and write about religion and culture in early America, with particular attention to "lived religion," and is presently writing a general history of Puritanism in England, Scotland, and New England c. 1550 to 1700, to be published by Princeton University Press.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
February 10, 2020
This book is really an essential book for someone to read if someone wants to understand the Puritans on their own terms and grasp the complexity of the experience of the Puritans in the English-speaking world during the 16th and 17th centuries and their relevance for today. To be sure, I do not know how many people have a deep interest in the question of the Puritans and their existence, but all the same this is a question that relates strongly to the religious history of England, Scotland, and the United States so at least a few religiously minded students of history will find this book to be of great interest, especially if they desire a fair-minded and detailed look at how it was that the relationship of the Puritans and the government shaped the different response of Puritans in those three countries. Those different responses are not without consequences, as the somewhat paranoid American response to government when it comes to religious freedoms, a paranoia I happen to share (and not without reason), relates strongly to the religious experience involved in those national cultures and their history. And those consequences have lasted a long time in the English-speaking world.
This book is a sizable one at a bit more than 350 pages and it is divided into nine chapters. The book begins with an introduction that sets the author's intent and ends with an epilogue that discusses the different fate of Puritanism in England, Scotland, and the United States after the middle of the 17th century. First the author talks about how things shifted from being Protestant to being Reformed in the English-speaking world (1) as well as how a movement emerged for a deepening of the reformation (2). After that the author explores the reformation in Scotland (3) as well as the practical aspect of Puritan religious thought (4) and the desire that Puritans had to lead a reformation of manners that was sadly but generally unsuccessful (5). After that the author discusses the royal policies and local alternatives that shaped the Puritan experience (6) as well as the look for a new Zion in the colonies (7). Finally, the author discusses the period between 1640 and 1660 as being decisive in the division between Puritan responses in different places (8) as well as the change and continuity that followed (9), after which there is the usual acknowledgements, notes, and index.
Ultimately, this book tells a story of how it is that the Puritans had a very different experience in England, Scotland, and New England, and how it was that groups of people with very similar (but not identical) beliefs who all wanted to purify the church in their areas came to ultimately have very different experiences and ultimately very different fates within their areas. The author explores very thoughtfully how this came to be in the face of the American colonial experience and in the ambivalent relationship between Puritanism, which sought to reform a state church, and separatism, which saw the state church as being beyond salvation and requiring an exit from those who were devout, that ended up proving decisive in creating the ultimate disagreement between Puritans in different countries. In Scotland, of course, there had been a great success for Presbyterians in cleansing the Kirk, but eventually those who would be considered Puritans had to leave for the Scottish Free Church. In England, Puritans briefly were successful in the English Civil War but were permanently removed from political power after the restoration. And in the United States, Puritans and separatists lived side by side in neighboring colonies and eventually set up a regime that provided for religious freedom at least to the present day.
This book is a sizable one at a bit more than 350 pages and it is divided into nine chapters. The book begins with an introduction that sets the author's intent and ends with an epilogue that discusses the different fate of Puritanism in England, Scotland, and the United States after the middle of the 17th century. First the author talks about how things shifted from being Protestant to being Reformed in the English-speaking world (1) as well as how a movement emerged for a deepening of the reformation (2). After that the author explores the reformation in Scotland (3) as well as the practical aspect of Puritan religious thought (4) and the desire that Puritans had to lead a reformation of manners that was sadly but generally unsuccessful (5). After that the author discusses the royal policies and local alternatives that shaped the Puritan experience (6) as well as the look for a new Zion in the colonies (7). Finally, the author discusses the period between 1640 and 1660 as being decisive in the division between Puritan responses in different places (8) as well as the change and continuity that followed (9), after which there is the usual acknowledgements, notes, and index.
Ultimately, this book tells a story of how it is that the Puritans had a very different experience in England, Scotland, and New England, and how it was that groups of people with very similar (but not identical) beliefs who all wanted to purify the church in their areas came to ultimately have very different experiences and ultimately very different fates within their areas. The author explores very thoughtfully how this came to be in the face of the American colonial experience and in the ambivalent relationship between Puritanism, which sought to reform a state church, and separatism, which saw the state church as being beyond salvation and requiring an exit from those who were devout, that ended up proving decisive in creating the ultimate disagreement between Puritans in different countries. In Scotland, of course, there had been a great success for Presbyterians in cleansing the Kirk, but eventually those who would be considered Puritans had to leave for the Scottish Free Church. In England, Puritans briefly were successful in the English Civil War but were permanently removed from political power after the restoration. And in the United States, Puritans and separatists lived side by side in neighboring colonies and eventually set up a regime that provided for religious freedom at least to the present day.
July 3, 2021
Very good for delineating the confessional issues underlying the English Civil War, motivations of American Puritans and where these histories diverged or interacted with one another. The reader will find detailed treatment of topics such as the Scottish Kirk, the entanglement of church and state issues, the connection between the elimination of traditional censors and a burst in heterodox tracts (including John Milton licensing the publication of a Socinian catechism), the birth and evolution of Baptists and Quakers, Cromwell's religious views and their impact as well as apocalyptic prophecy and its outsized role in shaping the expectations of actors during this period. Hall's sympathy towards his subject, theological knowledge and jargon-free telling make this an excellent book to discover the religious issues that unsettled the English-speaking world during this period.
March 5, 2025
Hall set out to write a “panoramic” history of the English and Scottish Reformations alongside New England Puritanism—and he delivers. He does a great job linking the English and Scottish Reformations—often treated separately—as well as New England Puritanism, situating them within the broader Reformed International movement and their broader historical and contemporary contexts.
One of the most fascinating aspects of the book is how Hall traces the interplay between theology and politics from Henry VIII to Charles II. He weaves together key theological themes that reappear throughout the century, showing how they shaped and were shaped by political events. His chapters on practical divinity and what he calls the “reformation of manners” stood out, especially in the way they capture the tension between theological ideals, zeal for God, and the messy realities of a world where kings and commoners alike often resisted the church’s influence (for good and for bad).
The book is rich in detail—sometimes to great effect, sometimes to the point where a bit of trimming might have helped. Overall, great book but not for the faint of heart or for someone new to the period.
One of the most fascinating aspects of the book is how Hall traces the interplay between theology and politics from Henry VIII to Charles II. He weaves together key theological themes that reappear throughout the century, showing how they shaped and were shaped by political events. His chapters on practical divinity and what he calls the “reformation of manners” stood out, especially in the way they capture the tension between theological ideals, zeal for God, and the messy realities of a world where kings and commoners alike often resisted the church’s influence (for good and for bad).
The book is rich in detail—sometimes to great effect, sometimes to the point where a bit of trimming might have helped. Overall, great book but not for the faint of heart or for someone new to the period.
January 22, 2020
This is not an easy read though the author does a good job keeping the subject interesting.
Definitely have to revisit the material at some point . On second reading, I’m sure it will still seem new to me.
Definitely have to revisit the material at some point . On second reading, I’m sure it will still seem new to me.
March 1, 2023
I have a rough understanding of what was happening in 17th Century England and North America but it was not enough to easily follow this book. I had to constantly Wikipedia many of the figures the author discusses to understand what he was writing about. Others with more in-depth knowledge of the time period may enjoy it more. I personally was perhaps overly ambitious in reading this. I kind of felt like the author named dropped a lot of religious leaders but never explained who they were. My suggestion to others before picking this one up is to have a basic understanding of several things: schisms within the Church of England in the 16th and 17th Century, Scottish history of the 17th Century (i.e., what the “Kirk” is) and the policies of British monarchs from Elizabeth I to Charles II. Also I don’t recommend this if you are looking for a biography on James I, Cotton, or Cromwell. I was out of my depth on this, but could totally see how others would enjoy it if you know more about the historical context.
March 1, 2020
Four stars because the overall narrative and overview of the more radical side of the English reformation was good. The rating would otherwise be lower. The book is a reasonably good overview of the origins and development of Puritanism that's crippled by two large flaws.
First, the author states that his goal, at least in part, is to rehabilitate the reputation of the Puritans. But in order to do so, he frequently blurs the lines between Puritan and non-Puritan in the early parts of his narrative. As a result, I don't really know that he's achieved his goal.
Second, the author seems to have given up on creating chapter divisions in the second half of the book. The last three chapters are as long as the first six. It hurt to get through the second half of the book.
First, the author states that his goal, at least in part, is to rehabilitate the reputation of the Puritans. But in order to do so, he frequently blurs the lines between Puritan and non-Puritan in the early parts of his narrative. As a result, I don't really know that he's achieved his goal.
Second, the author seems to have given up on creating chapter divisions in the second half of the book. The last three chapters are as long as the first six. It hurt to get through the second half of the book.
March 16, 2020
way too much detail for a casual reader. Perhaps by focussing on theological issues, a reader who is less familiar with the political situation may not get a good sense of the times. On the other hand, by the penultimate chapter, the theological conflicts become more comprehensible and provide an opening to 18th and 19th century Protestant theology in the U.S.
And this week, the BBC "In Our Time" podcast is about the Covenanters. Check it out.
And this week, the BBC "In Our Time" podcast is about the Covenanters. Check it out.
February 24, 2025
Read for PhD seminar
January 4, 2025
This is an in-depth discussion of Puritanism that assumes the reader already has a broad knowledge of relevant definitions and events and also a genuine desire for a detailed understanding of the emergence, development, and decline of Puritanism in 17th-century England and America. The author certainly delivers the goods, but one must be prepared to schedule large blocks of time to read complete chapters because each is a coherent argument with no obvious subdivisions. Thankfully, the prose is beguilingly smooth, which makes sustained reading relatively effortless—not for the casual reader though.
October 20, 2022
This is a very thorough accounting of the evolution of the Puritan movement. This shatters many preconceptions of Puritans, in that those who opposed them turned them into stodgy villains through fictional works like The Scarlet Letter.
Numerous references and historical contexts provide great insight to the shifting views of people who were attempting to move beyond the obvious corruption of the Catholic church and how it intentionally kept parishioners ignorant of scripture.
Puritans looked to make Christianity open and available to all, with the "purity" being the return to fundamental principles of faith without the manmade rituals and idolatry.
Numerous references and historical contexts provide great insight to the shifting views of people who were attempting to move beyond the obvious corruption of the Catholic church and how it intentionally kept parishioners ignorant of scripture.
Puritans looked to make Christianity open and available to all, with the "purity" being the return to fundamental principles of faith without the manmade rituals and idolatry.
May 27, 2023
Dull in places but helpful
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May 2, 2022This book isn't afraid to get into the theological weeds of parochial Puritan debates and beliefs, covering both the political and religious elements of the Puritan movement as it existed from the mid-16th to late 17th centuries. Interestingly, Hall presents Presbyterians in Scotland and Puritans in England as belonging to the same larger British "Puritan" movement. Although each focussed on different issues, had different origins, and diverged over time, both movements affected each other intellectually, theologically, and politically. He also covers the Puritan movement in New England and how it emerged and differed from Puritan movements that remained in Europe.
I sometimes found myself overwhelmed by the jargon used, and the author assumes a basic understanding of Puritan beliefs and history that can be intimidating for a lay reader. However, certain trends are still discernable. It covers the period from early vestarian debates, the ever-present fear of Catholic resurgence, the Elizabethan settlement & the Thirty Nine Articles, and the rise of presbyterian church organization in Scotland. He then goes on to recount reversals in Scotland under James I, the New England Puritan political project, the English civil war & the Bishop's wars, the Stuart Restoration, and the eventual end of Puritanism as a cohesive movement.
Beyond political history, Hall also focusses on evolutions within Puritan doctrine. He explores Presbyterian experimentation in Scotland and debates over monarchical doctrinal authority, and contrasts it with the more conservative reformation in England where the Overton window limited more moderate Puritans to engage in debates over vestments and the validity of episcopacy. He also covers the more extreme congregationalist element in New England, and the eventual emergence of competing factions of Baptists, Quakers, Levelers, and Fifth Monarchists during the Civil War era. He also reveals the fast-paced nature of Puritan evolution of ideas: presbyterianism was considered radical in the late 16th century, but by the Civil War era congregationalists in England was painting Presbyterianism as only slightly better than Episcopal forms of governance, to many Scots' chagrin.
Attention is also paid to everyday Puritan spirituality, explaining the unique "practical divinity" envisioned by British Puritans that focussed on: 1) redemption as a series of covenants (based on human & societal obligations to God), 2) the "chain of grace" by which the science of conversion/salvation was explained. Sinners were expected to convert over the course of a lifetime by responding to various "means of grace", 3) adherence to to the ten commandments as a means of receiving grace, 4) a focus on Divine Providence, signs, and wonders, and 5) a firmly Calvinistic belief in predestination. Throughout its history, Puritanism grappled with the relationship between grace, human agency, and the law, leading to a degree of splintering between orthodox, Antinomian, and Arminian camps. The doctrine of predestination weighed heavily on many Puritans, who were in a constant state of insecurity about their salvation, the relationship between works & faith, and whether they truly had faith. This especially became an issue among Congregationalist Puritans, who implemented stringent membership criteria and interviews to find evidence of grace among potential members. In reference to the ever-present fear of total moral or theological anarchy, a "Reformation of Manners" was also envisioned (and fully implemented in Scotland & New England) that empowered the state to uphold Godly standards of behaviour and a thorough moral reformation of society.
Overall, the book explains in detail this fascinating religious movement that contributed in its own way to modern anglo-culture ideas of equality, separation of church and state, and democratic governance.
I sometimes found myself overwhelmed by the jargon used, and the author assumes a basic understanding of Puritan beliefs and history that can be intimidating for a lay reader. However, certain trends are still discernable. It covers the period from early vestarian debates, the ever-present fear of Catholic resurgence, the Elizabethan settlement & the Thirty Nine Articles, and the rise of presbyterian church organization in Scotland. He then goes on to recount reversals in Scotland under James I, the New England Puritan political project, the English civil war & the Bishop's wars, the Stuart Restoration, and the eventual end of Puritanism as a cohesive movement.
Beyond political history, Hall also focusses on evolutions within Puritan doctrine. He explores Presbyterian experimentation in Scotland and debates over monarchical doctrinal authority, and contrasts it with the more conservative reformation in England where the Overton window limited more moderate Puritans to engage in debates over vestments and the validity of episcopacy. He also covers the more extreme congregationalist element in New England, and the eventual emergence of competing factions of Baptists, Quakers, Levelers, and Fifth Monarchists during the Civil War era. He also reveals the fast-paced nature of Puritan evolution of ideas: presbyterianism was considered radical in the late 16th century, but by the Civil War era congregationalists in England was painting Presbyterianism as only slightly better than Episcopal forms of governance, to many Scots' chagrin.
Attention is also paid to everyday Puritan spirituality, explaining the unique "practical divinity" envisioned by British Puritans that focussed on: 1) redemption as a series of covenants (based on human & societal obligations to God), 2) the "chain of grace" by which the science of conversion/salvation was explained. Sinners were expected to convert over the course of a lifetime by responding to various "means of grace", 3) adherence to to the ten commandments as a means of receiving grace, 4) a focus on Divine Providence, signs, and wonders, and 5) a firmly Calvinistic belief in predestination. Throughout its history, Puritanism grappled with the relationship between grace, human agency, and the law, leading to a degree of splintering between orthodox, Antinomian, and Arminian camps. The doctrine of predestination weighed heavily on many Puritans, who were in a constant state of insecurity about their salvation, the relationship between works & faith, and whether they truly had faith. This especially became an issue among Congregationalist Puritans, who implemented stringent membership criteria and interviews to find evidence of grace among potential members. In reference to the ever-present fear of total moral or theological anarchy, a "Reformation of Manners" was also envisioned (and fully implemented in Scotland & New England) that empowered the state to uphold Godly standards of behaviour and a thorough moral reformation of society.
Overall, the book explains in detail this fascinating religious movement that contributed in its own way to modern anglo-culture ideas of equality, separation of church and state, and democratic governance.
February 24, 2025
I was looking for a thorough and objective one-stop-shop book about the Puritans, and this was it! It is definitely a scholarly book - not a "for fun" read - but thats what made it good. Most other materials I have interacted with have either been glowing praise or disdainful criticism, but this book leans into the complexity of history and refuses to paint one side as the "bad guys". I do wish it was organized more clearly; Hall opted for a mixed thematic and chronological structure making it hard to follow at times. Over all, a very good book from someone who clearly knows his theological history like the back of his hand.
July 4, 2024
Audible book. I love sections of history like this that dive into the details of a specific time frame and specific group of people. And it shows me how much of history I don’t really know and why doctrine does matter. What we get in a history of the Puritans in many works is not balanced, and we don’t get both sides of the story, and the many deputes over what constituted right worship. This reminds me again that orthodoxy must be fought for in every generation.
January 30, 2021
For those deeply interested in American Christianity, I cannot recommend this book enough. That being said, it's so detailed that I had trouble connecting larger themes throughout. That may be my fault as a reader, but I prefer non-fiction that operates in broader strokes, which is why, despite it's thorough research and articulate descriptions, this merits an average score from me.
October 2, 2020
A scholarly work, it's still immensely readable and accessible to the general reader who is interested in the history of religion. Needs plenty of time to digest it.
January 21, 2021
(NOTE: I'm stingy with stars. For me 2 stars means a good book or a B. 3 stars means a very good book or a B+. 4 stars means an outstanding book or an A {only about 5% of the books I read merit 4 stars}. 5 stars means an all time favorite or an A+ {Only one of 400 or 500 books rates this!).
Most books on the Puritans are either 100% sympathetic or 100% negative. This is a more balanced historical account that avoids either extreme.
A few quotes:
John Calvin was “the dominant theological influence in Elizabethan England,” published and republished more times than any native theologian. His one serious rival was William Perkins of Cambridge, but the writings of Theodore Beza, who assumed the leadership of the Geneva church after Calvin’s death in 1564, rank third in a tabulation of editions, with Heinrich Bullinger of Zurich in sixth place, just after Luther. (17-18)
What made it singular were six arguments or assumptions, all of which shaped the reformations underway in England and Scotland. (20)
1. A critique of “idolatry” that encompassed the whole of Catholic worship. (20)
The reformers in mid-sixteenth-century Scotland and England shared Calvin’s interpretation of the Catholic mass as idolatrous. (21)
2. An understanding of divine revelation as fixed or constant, and therefore a reverence for the Bible as a “completely reliable” record of sacred history and God’s plans for humankind. (21)
3. High praise for the church on earth—the “visible” church—as God’s instrument of grace and His means of bringing Christians together in a special kind of community where they would sustain each other. (22)
4. “Discipline” as a necessary feature of the Christian community. (23)
5. An evangelical and social activism predicated on transforming self, church, and society into a “new order” approximating the kingdom of Christ. (24)
6. Divine providence and apocalypticism (but not “millenarianism”) as ways of understanding the divine-human relationship and the history of the church. (26)
the most dangerous enemy of the true church was the papacy, which Protestants regarded as the institutional presence of the Antichrist. (26)
The promise of a perfect reformation of both national churches gave way to internal divisions and, by the 1650s, to the collapse of the Reformed project. (36)
PURITANISM AS A MOVEMENT within the Church of England came to an end in 1662, when some 1,600 ministers who refused to conform were “ejected” and, thereafter, became known as Dissenters (or Dissent). Anyone who accepted the provisions of the Act of Uniformity of May 1662 had to prove that a bishop had ordained him or accept ordination anew. (342)
What happened to doctrine is more complex but also similar. One by one, the canons of Dordt and the arguments enshrined in the Westminster Confession were set aside or simply abandoned. Creeds ceased to matter. In their place, piety, sentiment, or sympathy reigned, as did free agency and reason. Rear-guard battles on behalf of “Calvinism” flared up in Scottish, English, and American Presbyterian circles on both sides of the Atlantic, but in 1865 a national conference of American Congregationalists was unwilling to endorse the Confession and, in 1880, the denomination’s most stringently orthodox seminary (Andover) reclassified its understanding of Reformed theology as “progressive orthodoxy.” Behind this phrase lay a very different understanding of past and present than what was implied in the Confession. Biblical truth or divine law were not fixed or revealed in some timeless manner, for the Andover “liberals” had reached the point of associating truth and religion itself with development over time, a description that required the seminary to practice an ethics of free inquiry.
(346)
Is there really no means of appropriating the Puritan movement for our own times? Within Anglo-American evangelicalism, a handful of scholars, most significantly the Anglican James I. Packer and those influenced by him, have rediscovered the richness of Puritan spirituality. Yet in the main, the “evangelical” historians who narrate the religious history of the United States begin with the awakenings of the mid-eighteenth century. For them, Puritanism is too magisterial and disciplining and therefore not really the ancestor of a culture that extols human agency and a loving God. Even Jonathan Edwards becomes suspect.
Meanwhile, anti-puritanism remains alive and well, refreshed in present-day America by a sympathy for everyone in the past who was denied full freedom and cultural autonomy—in particular, Native Americans and the Africans brought to this country as slaves, but also dissidents of various kinds, especially women like Anne Hutchinson. (354)
Most books on the Puritans are either 100% sympathetic or 100% negative. This is a more balanced historical account that avoids either extreme.
A few quotes:
John Calvin was “the dominant theological influence in Elizabethan England,” published and republished more times than any native theologian. His one serious rival was William Perkins of Cambridge, but the writings of Theodore Beza, who assumed the leadership of the Geneva church after Calvin’s death in 1564, rank third in a tabulation of editions, with Heinrich Bullinger of Zurich in sixth place, just after Luther. (17-18)
What made it singular were six arguments or assumptions, all of which shaped the reformations underway in England and Scotland. (20)
1. A critique of “idolatry” that encompassed the whole of Catholic worship. (20)
The reformers in mid-sixteenth-century Scotland and England shared Calvin’s interpretation of the Catholic mass as idolatrous. (21)
2. An understanding of divine revelation as fixed or constant, and therefore a reverence for the Bible as a “completely reliable” record of sacred history and God’s plans for humankind. (21)
3. High praise for the church on earth—the “visible” church—as God’s instrument of grace and His means of bringing Christians together in a special kind of community where they would sustain each other. (22)
4. “Discipline” as a necessary feature of the Christian community. (23)
5. An evangelical and social activism predicated on transforming self, church, and society into a “new order” approximating the kingdom of Christ. (24)
6. Divine providence and apocalypticism (but not “millenarianism”) as ways of understanding the divine-human relationship and the history of the church. (26)
the most dangerous enemy of the true church was the papacy, which Protestants regarded as the institutional presence of the Antichrist. (26)
The promise of a perfect reformation of both national churches gave way to internal divisions and, by the 1650s, to the collapse of the Reformed project. (36)
PURITANISM AS A MOVEMENT within the Church of England came to an end in 1662, when some 1,600 ministers who refused to conform were “ejected” and, thereafter, became known as Dissenters (or Dissent). Anyone who accepted the provisions of the Act of Uniformity of May 1662 had to prove that a bishop had ordained him or accept ordination anew. (342)
What happened to doctrine is more complex but also similar. One by one, the canons of Dordt and the arguments enshrined in the Westminster Confession were set aside or simply abandoned. Creeds ceased to matter. In their place, piety, sentiment, or sympathy reigned, as did free agency and reason. Rear-guard battles on behalf of “Calvinism” flared up in Scottish, English, and American Presbyterian circles on both sides of the Atlantic, but in 1865 a national conference of American Congregationalists was unwilling to endorse the Confession and, in 1880, the denomination’s most stringently orthodox seminary (Andover) reclassified its understanding of Reformed theology as “progressive orthodoxy.” Behind this phrase lay a very different understanding of past and present than what was implied in the Confession. Biblical truth or divine law were not fixed or revealed in some timeless manner, for the Andover “liberals” had reached the point of associating truth and religion itself with development over time, a description that required the seminary to practice an ethics of free inquiry.
(346)
Is there really no means of appropriating the Puritan movement for our own times? Within Anglo-American evangelicalism, a handful of scholars, most significantly the Anglican James I. Packer and those influenced by him, have rediscovered the richness of Puritan spirituality. Yet in the main, the “evangelical” historians who narrate the religious history of the United States begin with the awakenings of the mid-eighteenth century. For them, Puritanism is too magisterial and disciplining and therefore not really the ancestor of a culture that extols human agency and a loving God. Even Jonathan Edwards becomes suspect.
Meanwhile, anti-puritanism remains alive and well, refreshed in present-day America by a sympathy for everyone in the past who was denied full freedom and cultural autonomy—in particular, Native Americans and the Africans brought to this country as slaves, but also dissidents of various kinds, especially women like Anne Hutchinson. (354)
August 18, 2023
"'Christ never spoke in English,' a Catholic official interrogating a Protestant pointed out, only to be told that 'neither spoke he any Latin; but always in such a tongue as the people might be edified thereby.' With Catholic assumptions about the authority of priests and tradition thrust aside, Scripture became the doorway to knowing God and the most important source of rules for Protestants to follow as they organized churches, ministry, and worship." - David Hall
A dense, weighty history of Puritanism on both sides of the Atlantic. Hall seeks balance in his approaching by recounting the history as well as the theological emphases at play. It is both a strength and a weakness: a strength because you get a clear sense of the theological underpinnings of the history, and yet also a weakness because the theological underpinnings are so vast that Hall doesn't have enough space to delve into them deeper.
Hall does best when he draws out the theology of the Puritans (I found chapter 4 "The Practical Divinity" to be excellent) and I simply wish he did more of it. Perhaps this is due to the fact that as a Protestant Evangelical, I have found the writings of the Puritans to be incredibly rich in Biblical truth and application. The retelling of the history is excellent, although Hall is so familiar with his sources that oftentimes one can get lost in the complexities of 16th and 17th century English religious and political developments. I also felt a little shortchanged by the final chapters. The book abruptly ends essentially with the coming of Charles II back to throne and the Act of Uniformity (1662) in which over 2,000 Puritan ministers were expelled. Perhaps "Puritanism" as a political movement was essentially over, but what about all the dissenting ministers like Owen and Bunyan? What did the rest of their lives and respective ministries entail? I know a book has to end somewhere, I just enjoyed Hall's work and wanted some more!
In sum, if you want a non-evangelical, historical-theological look at Puritanism, I think this is an excellent work. Not the first book I would hand someone on the subject. As a Christian, I still think Worldly Saints by Leland Ryken is the most accessible and enjoyable book introducing these brothers and sisters in Christ who came before on their own terms and in their own words.
A dense, weighty history of Puritanism on both sides of the Atlantic. Hall seeks balance in his approaching by recounting the history as well as the theological emphases at play. It is both a strength and a weakness: a strength because you get a clear sense of the theological underpinnings of the history, and yet also a weakness because the theological underpinnings are so vast that Hall doesn't have enough space to delve into them deeper.
Hall does best when he draws out the theology of the Puritans (I found chapter 4 "The Practical Divinity" to be excellent) and I simply wish he did more of it. Perhaps this is due to the fact that as a Protestant Evangelical, I have found the writings of the Puritans to be incredibly rich in Biblical truth and application. The retelling of the history is excellent, although Hall is so familiar with his sources that oftentimes one can get lost in the complexities of 16th and 17th century English religious and political developments. I also felt a little shortchanged by the final chapters. The book abruptly ends essentially with the coming of Charles II back to throne and the Act of Uniformity (1662) in which over 2,000 Puritan ministers were expelled. Perhaps "Puritanism" as a political movement was essentially over, but what about all the dissenting ministers like Owen and Bunyan? What did the rest of their lives and respective ministries entail? I know a book has to end somewhere, I just enjoyed Hall's work and wanted some more!
In sum, if you want a non-evangelical, historical-theological look at Puritanism, I think this is an excellent work. Not the first book I would hand someone on the subject. As a Christian, I still think Worldly Saints by Leland Ryken is the most accessible and enjoyable book introducing these brothers and sisters in Christ who came before on their own terms and in their own words.
May 18, 2025
Protestant theology is not a topic I normally care a great deal about, in as much as I was brought up a Catholic, and I'm essentially "unchurched" these days. However, I do care a great deal about Early Modern European history, when theology was essentially political ideology, so I thought engaging with what seemed like a fair-minded examination of the "Puritans" (those of the "Reformed" mentality did not care for that term) was in order.
Though I got a great deal out of this book, it's far from an easy read. Hall is writing more of a thematic than a chronological study, and he really presumes the equivalent of a BA's worth of historical background in regards to the period and the societies under discussion.
So what did the Anglophone Reform Protestants really want? They wanted a state church, with a theological monopoly. They wanted a strong alliance between secular and clerical leadership. They wanted the government to pick up the tab. And they wanted the relevant monarchs to just attend service and keep their hands off church governance. The last was the biggest ask and one can see why the likes of Charles Stewart and Elizabeth Tudor muttered about republican tendencies.
In the end the English Civil Wars basically imploded the Reform/Calvinist project, as having gotten people to think about salvation and theology, the target audience didn't stop thinking, and started to question Reform concepts. Another thing is that none of the relevant statesman of the time could afford to run their state for the sake of a self-serving religious minority; not James Stewart, Elizabeth Tudor, or Oliver Cromwell. Particularly as the Reform project became more and more exclusionist.
Apart from that, I might note that the chapters dealing with the "Practical Divinity," and the proposed reformation of manners, might be the most useful to a lot of readers, in terms of outlining how this new "Zion" on Earth was supposed to function.
After awhile I reached saturation point with this book, but I anticipate returning to it at some point in the future.
Though I got a great deal out of this book, it's far from an easy read. Hall is writing more of a thematic than a chronological study, and he really presumes the equivalent of a BA's worth of historical background in regards to the period and the societies under discussion.
So what did the Anglophone Reform Protestants really want? They wanted a state church, with a theological monopoly. They wanted a strong alliance between secular and clerical leadership. They wanted the government to pick up the tab. And they wanted the relevant monarchs to just attend service and keep their hands off church governance. The last was the biggest ask and one can see why the likes of Charles Stewart and Elizabeth Tudor muttered about republican tendencies.
In the end the English Civil Wars basically imploded the Reform/Calvinist project, as having gotten people to think about salvation and theology, the target audience didn't stop thinking, and started to question Reform concepts. Another thing is that none of the relevant statesman of the time could afford to run their state for the sake of a self-serving religious minority; not James Stewart, Elizabeth Tudor, or Oliver Cromwell. Particularly as the Reform project became more and more exclusionist.
Apart from that, I might note that the chapters dealing with the "Practical Divinity," and the proposed reformation of manners, might be the most useful to a lot of readers, in terms of outlining how this new "Zion" on Earth was supposed to function.
After awhile I reached saturation point with this book, but I anticipate returning to it at some point in the future.
November 7, 2023
I really didn't like the way this was organized. I thought at first it was by concept, but every concept is discussed in every chapter. Then I thought maybe by geography, but we bounced around from Scotland to New England back to Scotland within a few paragraphs, as evidenced by the volume of "refer to chapter X" sprinkled through out the text, without any clear justification for doing so. It certainly wasn't chronological, which I think would have been the most helpful as the reader could have traced the evolution of ideas. Instead we're talking about Cromwell, then a little later in the same chapter we're talking about what "King Charles" did in Scotland BUT NOT CHARLES II AS YOU WOULD REASONABLY EXPECT nope, we're back to Charles I which you only find out after several paragraphs. WHICH CHARLES, HALL. The chronology is very hard to trace through the theological ideas because these people were, quite frankly, extremely nitpicky and very dramatic. Everything that a certain person didn't agree with at that exact moment was "popish" (even if it wasn't an idea Catholicism ever endorsed) and evidence of the Anti-Christ. So many Anti-Christs. And then the person would change their mind and the previous idea they held is popish.
I suspect this book contains all the details one could want about the Puritans, but I can't say for sure, because I couldn't follow what these goobers were doing besides freaking out.
I suspect this book contains all the details one could want about the Puritans, but I can't say for sure, because I couldn't follow what these goobers were doing besides freaking out.
April 14, 2024
A reasonably dense, but readable account of a substantial spiritual and cultural movement in the 17th Century. Puritans defined themselves merely as intense reformers of the Church of England, partnered with an extreme dislike of Catholicism. Concerned with personal morality and worthiness before God, Puritans assigned great importance to Communion, to cite only one example. The practice of kneeling down before God, or even crossing oneself during worship became the basis for debate and conflict within the movement.
Hall makes a slight error about the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), which he promised to be kind enough to correct, should he have the opportunity to update this edition. I made a point to reach out to him about the mistake and he was quite kind enough to respond to my email. Hall refers to the "Inner Light" of George Fox, when he should have used the term "Inward Christ" or "Inward Light."
A quibbling point, perhaps, but a substantial one. In any case, having some basic understanding of the English Civil War, Oliver Cromwell, and the English Republic will serve the reader well.
Hall makes a slight error about the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), which he promised to be kind enough to correct, should he have the opportunity to update this edition. I made a point to reach out to him about the mistake and he was quite kind enough to respond to my email. Hall refers to the "Inner Light" of George Fox, when he should have used the term "Inward Christ" or "Inward Light."
A quibbling point, perhaps, but a substantial one. In any case, having some basic understanding of the English Civil War, Oliver Cromwell, and the English Republic will serve the reader well.
June 8, 2022
This is a great work of Puritan history. Unlike many modern scholars, who tend to assume the falseness of the Puritan worldview and then evaluate their actions based on that assumption, Hall does an excellent job reading the Puritans with sympathy. While not condoning all their actions and decisions, he attempts to understand them within the framework of the Practical Calvinism they endorsed. Furthermore, he demonstrates an awareness with scholarship on the Reformed tradition in general (most notably Richard Muller) in order to inform his reading of how the Puritans adopted, or at times changed, the Reformed tradition. His reading of American moralism (prohibition, blue laws, and more) as Puritanism without theology is insightful, and similar to the argument put forward by Murray Rothbard in his work on the progressive era.
August 15, 2024
A wonderful overview of the Puritan project. So much can be learned from these men. Their triumphs and their failures are something that modern day evangelicals should note. The turmoils they went through in their day don't seem too dissimilar to what Evangelical seem to be experiencing in our culture or very well may experience. The Puritan was a very complex man, his belief system truly influenced everything he did. This alone is worth imitating and current Christian life. This book is a scholarly work, it's thorough, and at the same time you could dive deeper into the topics written about and never find the bottom.
I do recommend this to the person who wants to know more. It is not going to be a easy read, but it'll be worth it.
I do recommend this to the person who wants to know more. It is not going to be a easy read, but it'll be worth it.
February 23, 2022
Picked this up because, as a Catholic who stumbled into the Early American history museums job field, I was fascinated and confused by the differences of the early American reformed churches, especially after reading Battle for Christmas, a book I read in December on New England Christmas (or lack of it). I was very interested in the topic but I could safely say about 40% of this went over my head. It wasn't a bad book but I wouldn't recommend it for anyone who doesn't have a good foundation of Scottish history and Christian theology. Also very little of it is American history, which, fair enough, it does say transatlantic history in the subtitle.
July 27, 2023
Covering expressions of Puritanism in Britain, Scotland, and America from its beginnings in the sixteenth-century to its decline in the seventeenth, Hall has provided what will like become the standard history of the Puritans. Though no era of church history is easy, the Puritan movement and that which attended it is one of the hardest histories to read with the constant infighting, distrust of others, and the various attempts to maintain control and power. I say this as someone who has benefited from Puritan writings. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a thoroughgoing history of the Puritans.
May 25, 2023
I say 'not work related' reading but I wish I'd had this book when I wrote my own, particularly the epilogue and the creation of the Puritans of popular myth by the Victorians.
I listened to the audio and plan to do so again because it's so dense but I really really enjoyed this and learned so much.
My beloved (an early medievalist) asked: 'but did most ordinary people care about theology' and this book answers that. If there is one thing that defines Puritans it's not a specific theological idea, it's a passionate interest in theology and it's next world outcome.
I listened to the audio and plan to do so again because it's so dense but I really really enjoyed this and learned so much.
My beloved (an early medievalist) asked: 'but did most ordinary people care about theology' and this book answers that. If there is one thing that defines Puritans it's not a specific theological idea, it's a passionate interest in theology and it's next world outcome.
February 24, 2024
To call this thorough would be a gross injustice. It's meticulous to a fault, at least for the novice that I am. Reading other (shorter) books on the subject and going over course material from grad school helped me navigate the latter parts of the book a little better. I highly recommend it to anyone who would like a very in-depth look at puritanism and its ramifications in early New England, but you do need to have a solid background in European, and especially English, history and theology to digest all the information.
April 22, 2025
A comprehensive history of the Puritan movement within the established church in England and Scotland, and as translated to New England. Hall exhibits a keen insight into the theological issues and sets them in the political turmoil of the era. We get a perspective on the English civil war and the way in which the unique aspects of the English reformation influenced the struggle with republicanism, generally missing from historical treatments of the period.
April 12, 2020
Via Audible.
A good survey that gives a fair overview and culminates in the legacy as seen in the American and Methodist revivals, and nineteenth century literature as diverse as Little Women and Walter Scott, and it’s holding in the present day. Without being blind to the faults, the strengths are given due credence .
A good survey that gives a fair overview and culminates in the legacy as seen in the American and Methodist revivals, and nineteenth century literature as diverse as Little Women and Walter Scott, and it’s holding in the present day. Without being blind to the faults, the strengths are given due credence .
August 16, 2023
Comprehensive overview of the history of the Puritans from the middle of the 16th century to the second half of the 17th. Accurate theologically and full of historical details. Easy to follow even for a newbie of the history of this period. Requires some commitment to finish the book as it is not an introduction to the topic but I’ve very much enjoyed the book.
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