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The Penguin History of the Church #4
The Church and the Age of Reason, 1648-1789
This span in the history of the Christian Church estretches from the age of religious and civil strife which existed before the middle of the seventeenth centuryto the age of industrialization and republicanism which followed the French Revolution and the beguining of the Napoleonic wars...
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1960
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 4, 2017
It seems that this should really be titled "The Churches and the Age of Reason" since he covers many different Christian groups, not just Catholics. An interesting look at the relationship between religion and the changing intellectual mores.
June 22, 2013
Cragg's history of the church from the Peace of Westphalia to the beginnings of the French Revolution is a delightful read. Yes, it was first published in 1960, and then revised in 1970, so it is missing the newest findings of cultural history. Instead it is structured around political and the intellectual events, an order that makes sense as the churches, whether Protestant or Catholic, were reactive during this time period, being pushed aside by developing nation states and coping with the intellectual force of the Enlightenment. Cragg is broader on Protestantism than Catholicism, discussing Methodism and Pietism but missing depth on the new devotional movements that drew in Catholic worshippers. He does not address the rise in witchcraft accusations across Europe during his time period (another item of more recent interest to historians). He is deepest in England, his particular area of expertise. I began to fear early chapters on England would swamp me with detail, but that ended quickly and Cragg settled into the judicious summary he is so excellent in providing. It is not simple prose and he assumes you know something of the larger European history being addressed, but he also does an excellent job describing the political, from Louis XIV's reign to the enlightened despotism of Frederick the Great and Joseph II, and intellectual backgrounds, from Descartes through Locke and up to Kant. He addresses the increasing authority of the state and the search for intellectual authority in reason. The book is divided geographically and temporally and finished with one chapter on art, especially architecture and music. He writes with authority, with judicious opinion, and with a style that kept me from skimming the book.
On American Christianity: " The Puritans had stressed the church's responsibility for the whole of life; they believed that every aspect of the community was subject to divine judgment and should be brought into subjection to God's will. Revivalism minimized the role of the church and ignored the religious significance of man's corporate life. Preoccupation with the inner experience of each soul deflected attention from the political, economic, and intellectual implications of the Gospel."
"Wherever Whitefield went he left an overpowering impression of impassioned eloquence; wherever Wesley went he left a company of men and women closely knit together in a common life."
"As the eighteenth century drew to a close, Paley accurately reflected its spirit, and epitomized its strength and its weakness: its lucidity, its vigorous intelligence, its robust common sense (trembling on the brink of pedestrianism), its limited outlook, and its obtuseness to mystery and wonder."
On American Christianity: " The Puritans had stressed the church's responsibility for the whole of life; they believed that every aspect of the community was subject to divine judgment and should be brought into subjection to God's will. Revivalism minimized the role of the church and ignored the religious significance of man's corporate life. Preoccupation with the inner experience of each soul deflected attention from the political, economic, and intellectual implications of the Gospel."
"Wherever Whitefield went he left an overpowering impression of impassioned eloquence; wherever Wesley went he left a company of men and women closely knit together in a common life."
"As the eighteenth century drew to a close, Paley accurately reflected its spirit, and epitomized its strength and its weakness: its lucidity, its vigorous intelligence, its robust common sense (trembling on the brink of pedestrianism), its limited outlook, and its obtuseness to mystery and wonder."
April 26, 2014
I had begun to think this book had taught me nothing at all--Cragg works in the historiographical tradition of "allude to names, ignore biography", so there's lots of "The evidence that a new day had dawned was furnished by the respect with which Cardinal Consalvi was received at the Congress of Vienna." Aside from the slightly tortuous syntax, that's the only mention of Cardinal Consalvi in this book, and it comes in the Epilogue. So a fair bit went over my head.
That said, I was able to work out a reasonable narrative from the book as a whole: the power of the state rises throughout this period, with the church often losing power (even, he suggests, in places like Spain, otherwise a strong supporter of Rome). This is aided by the tide of rationalism, deism and so on, which undermined the justifications for church power. And then, after the French revolution and its consequences, the restored monarchies or states took on the solid-seeming traditionalist mantle of religion: Catholicism in France, Protestantism elsewhere.
So, in the eighteenth century, we see Christian churches slowly lose power and influence, while the state gains it; after the revolutions, the church and state come together to create a very new, 'traditional' body of power. And that works wherever you look--the nineteenth century Anglican church was buried deep in the political structures of England; Catholicism was buried deep in the political structures of France and Spain, and so on and so forth.
No doubt this is the kind of wild generalization that will infuriate better informed contemporary scholars, but at least I got something from the book other than a chuckle at Cragg's deep repugnance for Unitarianism. Poor unitarianism.
That said, I was able to work out a reasonable narrative from the book as a whole: the power of the state rises throughout this period, with the church often losing power (even, he suggests, in places like Spain, otherwise a strong supporter of Rome). This is aided by the tide of rationalism, deism and so on, which undermined the justifications for church power. And then, after the French revolution and its consequences, the restored monarchies or states took on the solid-seeming traditionalist mantle of religion: Catholicism in France, Protestantism elsewhere.
So, in the eighteenth century, we see Christian churches slowly lose power and influence, while the state gains it; after the revolutions, the church and state come together to create a very new, 'traditional' body of power. And that works wherever you look--the nineteenth century Anglican church was buried deep in the political structures of England; Catholicism was buried deep in the political structures of France and Spain, and so on and so forth.
No doubt this is the kind of wild generalization that will infuriate better informed contemporary scholars, but at least I got something from the book other than a chuckle at Cragg's deep repugnance for Unitarianism. Poor unitarianism.
January 4, 2026
In our age, reason and piety live in polar ends; the distinction was much different in Isaac Newton's time: as a matter of fact, Newton allied his physical world theories to divinity.
On the outset of the scientific revolution, religion fought and partly won the battle between reason and faith. This book covers the other half; how religion lost to control or the human soul to reason.
The book's title,'The Church and the Age of Reason', provides more knowledge on the Church and much leass about Reason. The author's background as a Professor of Church History betrays that fact.
In the last sections, the book deviates from Reason and the Church; dwelling on architecture and music - an unnecessary commentary. Deservedly, the book's earns a three star - an okay read.
On the outset of the scientific revolution, religion fought and partly won the battle between reason and faith. This book covers the other half; how religion lost to control or the human soul to reason.
The book's title,'The Church and the Age of Reason', provides more knowledge on the Church and much leass about Reason. The author's background as a Professor of Church History betrays that fact.
In the last sections, the book deviates from Reason and the Church; dwelling on architecture and music - an unnecessary commentary. Deservedly, the book's earns a three star - an okay read.
January 11, 2019
Definitely the weakest of the histories in the series, but this mainly is due to poor editing. Nonetheless, still an extremely sound and interesting history of an underappreciated period of Christian history.
February 14, 2023
Decent introductory survey.
February 16, 2015
It is often difficult for historians to read outside their period of specialised research. One reason for this tendency is owing to the fact that much historical work is poorly written, and thus fails to hold peoples' interest; thus historical periods are confined to enthusiasts only, as you need to be dedicated enough to read the unattractive prose. This complaint cannot be made about Gerald Cragg's overview of the church during the so-called age of reason. It is a superb overview of religious, social, and philosophical trends during this period, which does not get bogged down in too much detail, but yet adequately covers a wide range of material.
Obviously, as with all surveys, there is not enough specialist research for its conclusions to be deemed decisive, but it is a very good introduction to the period. One especially important point that is made toward the end is the convergence of Enlightenment and Romantic thought in Rousseau. The Enlightenment and Romanticism are often seen as being entirely at odds, but this conclusion is not wholly accurate; in some ways, they can be viewed as complimentary movements.
Obviously, as with all surveys, there is not enough specialist research for its conclusions to be deemed decisive, but it is a very good introduction to the period. One especially important point that is made toward the end is the convergence of Enlightenment and Romantic thought in Rousseau. The Enlightenment and Romanticism are often seen as being entirely at odds, but this conclusion is not wholly accurate; in some ways, they can be viewed as complimentary movements.
May 20, 2012
I really struggled through this book. It was the first book on Church history I've ever read, and I feel like that colors this review. I had to keep a dictionary handy, to look up terms he uses frequently that I'd never heard before and that he doesn't define. The content of the book is accurate, the scholarship seems sound, the readability is the reason for the 3 star rating.
December 27, 2015
None of the volumes of this series has been disappointing. I appreciate the clarity and quality of the prose which is backed by insight. Specially of interest to me was his chapter "Christianity and Culture in the Baroque Age." Would more historians were as thought provoking on matters of architecture and music as Cragg.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews