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Christianity in the West, 1400-1700
A study not of the institution of the Church but of Christianity itself, this book explores the Christian people, their beliefs, and their way of life, providing a new understanding of Western Christianity at the time of the Reformation. Bossy begins with a systematic exposition of traditional or pre-Reformation Christianity, exploring the forces that tended to undermine it, the characteristics of the Protestant and Catholic regimes that superseded it, and the fall-out that resulted from its disintegration.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
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About the author
John Bossy
9 books7 followersJohn Antony Bossy, FBA, Ph.D. (Queens' College, Cambridge, 1961), was Professor Emeritus of History at the University of York. He specialised in the history of religion, focusing on that of Christianity during and after the Reformation. He lived and lectured in London and Belfast, and was a member of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton. In 1993 he was elected a Fellow of the British Academy.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 26, 2025
He's funny and interesting, but he should have come see me in the writing center for help on organizing the structure of the book
January 19, 2018
I can well imagine someone throwing this book out of their window, but if like this kind of thing, you'll like it. Bossy calls this an essay, and that's quite accurate: there's no narrative, little political history, lots of generalization, and a tremendously unhelpful structure, which makes it almost impossible to know what is actually in a given chapter. Broadly speaking, he writes about changes to family structure, the understanding of sin, and the degree to which Christianity during different periods matched up with Durkheim's idea about religion being a projection of society.
If this sounds interesting, you might plunge in, but with the warning that Bossy's prose tends to the Jamesian, which can obscure rather than clarify. It's very well-written, it's just not easy to read. If you have a decent story in your head about the period, then, this is a very worthwhile book. If you're looking for an explanation of why the Reformation happened, rather than musings on what the Reformation did to pre-Reformation Christianity, you might need to put off reading this for a while.
If this sounds interesting, you might plunge in, but with the warning that Bossy's prose tends to the Jamesian, which can obscure rather than clarify. It's very well-written, it's just not easy to read. If you have a decent story in your head about the period, then, this is a very worthwhile book. If you're looking for an explanation of why the Reformation happened, rather than musings on what the Reformation did to pre-Reformation Christianity, you might need to put off reading this for a while.
August 22, 2022
Very interesting and well-written study on the changes wrought by the Reformation - particularly as they affected Christians' understanding of what it meant to be Christian and to live in a Christian society.
The title is perhaps regrettably chosen: this is not a narrative history beginning in 1400 and ending in 1700 which takes the reader over the course of events and why they occurred. In the preface Bossy notes that he had originally wished to subtitle the work 'An essay' but was dissuaded from doing so. Perhaps he should simply have renamed the whole thing. As such, parts of the work rested on a background which I did not possess but had begun the book in hopes of acquiring, though this is hardly a fault of the book itself. I learnt much nonetheless.
Comparing the birth of the internet to the invention of the printing-press has long become a cliché, but as ideological conflict in the west continues to be exacerbated and opinion to splinter, I think study of the Reformation on common attitudes becomes of increasing interest.
The title is perhaps regrettably chosen: this is not a narrative history beginning in 1400 and ending in 1700 which takes the reader over the course of events and why they occurred. In the preface Bossy notes that he had originally wished to subtitle the work 'An essay' but was dissuaded from doing so. Perhaps he should simply have renamed the whole thing. As such, parts of the work rested on a background which I did not possess but had begun the book in hopes of acquiring, though this is hardly a fault of the book itself. I learnt much nonetheless.
Comparing the birth of the internet to the invention of the printing-press has long become a cliché, but as ideological conflict in the west continues to be exacerbated and opinion to splinter, I think study of the Reformation on common attitudes becomes of increasing interest.
May 29, 2012
This was a dry read that took a lot of time to work through. Definitely not something I would suggest to anyone but an enthusiast.
October 8, 2025
An insightful look at the social history of Christianity in the West.
Starts with the unified Western Christianity and progresses through the changes in religious practice, society, and government that developed from the influence of such events as the Reformation, the printing press, and political and economic developments.
Begins with the strongly kin-focused aspect of medieval Christian practice. A way of being in the world that thinks about relationships as degrees of kinship. An example being the prohibition of marriage to persons ‘related’ by godparentage. Social cohesion was the primary good. Under this rubric, things later considered abominable were tolerated, brothels for example.
Another key shift was from sin as prototypically outlined in the seven deadly sins to sins as outlined in the Ten Commandments. This shifted the view of sin as a social phenomenon of personal vice (and corresponding virtue) to a system of legal rules. The commandments deemphasized things like pride, sloth, envy, and other habitual vices.
Under this social paradigm, sacraments like baptism, marriage, confession, and penance functioned to enhance social cohesion. Marriages, for example, didn’t take place inside the church but at the church door, signifying the in-between sacred and secular nature of marriage. Confessions were done, not in a confession box, but at the front of the sanctuary, in pubic view.
Covered as well are the practices of priests, the operation of the Mass, and the relationship of the dead to the living. The dead were seen as part of the community as a whole. Not so much belonging to a particular family, as the graveyards were communal. Once the bones were all that remained, they were gathered together, and the plot reused. The dead were not seen as being departed so much as existing in the cold dampness of the cemetery. The annual festival of All Souls with bonfires provided rare warmth for the collective dead.
The printing press seems to have had a large effect on religious practice and on the Reformation itself. That much is clear. But he shows that the effects on the corresponding Counter-Reformation are equally transformative. The shift from social practice to the text as the most important shifted the ideal of the good.
There was also a transference of the sacred onto the monarchy. Rather than the collective unity of early medieval times, the state took on a separate parallel place alongside the church and Christendom. This ultimately had the effect of sacralizing the secular government.
A truly eye-opening look at late medieval and early modern Christianity. It requires a certain level of background in the basic history, theology, and practice of the church. It was written in the mid-seventies and assumes a pretty comprehensive English public school education.
Highly recommended.
Starts with the unified Western Christianity and progresses through the changes in religious practice, society, and government that developed from the influence of such events as the Reformation, the printing press, and political and economic developments.
Begins with the strongly kin-focused aspect of medieval Christian practice. A way of being in the world that thinks about relationships as degrees of kinship. An example being the prohibition of marriage to persons ‘related’ by godparentage. Social cohesion was the primary good. Under this rubric, things later considered abominable were tolerated, brothels for example.
Another key shift was from sin as prototypically outlined in the seven deadly sins to sins as outlined in the Ten Commandments. This shifted the view of sin as a social phenomenon of personal vice (and corresponding virtue) to a system of legal rules. The commandments deemphasized things like pride, sloth, envy, and other habitual vices.
Under this social paradigm, sacraments like baptism, marriage, confession, and penance functioned to enhance social cohesion. Marriages, for example, didn’t take place inside the church but at the church door, signifying the in-between sacred and secular nature of marriage. Confessions were done, not in a confession box, but at the front of the sanctuary, in pubic view.
Covered as well are the practices of priests, the operation of the Mass, and the relationship of the dead to the living. The dead were seen as part of the community as a whole. Not so much belonging to a particular family, as the graveyards were communal. Once the bones were all that remained, they were gathered together, and the plot reused. The dead were not seen as being departed so much as existing in the cold dampness of the cemetery. The annual festival of All Souls with bonfires provided rare warmth for the collective dead.
The printing press seems to have had a large effect on religious practice and on the Reformation itself. That much is clear. But he shows that the effects on the corresponding Counter-Reformation are equally transformative. The shift from social practice to the text as the most important shifted the ideal of the good.
There was also a transference of the sacred onto the monarchy. Rather than the collective unity of early medieval times, the state took on a separate parallel place alongside the church and Christendom. This ultimately had the effect of sacralizing the secular government.
A truly eye-opening look at late medieval and early modern Christianity. It requires a certain level of background in the basic history, theology, and practice of the church. It was written in the mid-seventies and assumes a pretty comprehensive English public school education.
Highly recommended.
June 17, 2020
I enjoyed this book but found it hard to read. Maybe it is just me but I found the construction of some sentences very hard to understand.
Also I found some things were touched upon as though everyone should know their significance. I ended up doing a few Google searches to discover who some of these characters were and what they said.
The chapters are more thematic than chronological so one was going back and forward in time from chapter to chapter. Surprisingly there wasn't a chapter devoted specifically to the Reformation. However the book's treatment makes out that the reformation was much more a process that evolved that an event even for some of the main protagonists whose theology and outlook evolved too.
Despite all that there was some fascinating insights into the evolution of Western Civilization in this book and some interesting information about how the marriage rites became part of a church tradition, the significance of feast days and how they changed over time.
Also I found some things were touched upon as though everyone should know their significance. I ended up doing a few Google searches to discover who some of these characters were and what they said.
The chapters are more thematic than chronological so one was going back and forward in time from chapter to chapter. Surprisingly there wasn't a chapter devoted specifically to the Reformation. However the book's treatment makes out that the reformation was much more a process that evolved that an event even for some of the main protagonists whose theology and outlook evolved too.
Despite all that there was some fascinating insights into the evolution of Western Civilization in this book and some interesting information about how the marriage rites became part of a church tradition, the significance of feast days and how they changed over time.
June 5, 2019
Classic religious history. Concerned primarily with lived religion in Western Europe, though with attention to how intellectual developments also shaped experiences. Argues that Christianity before the "Reformation" was more communal than what developed afterwards, which was more concerned with individual relationships with God. At times difficult to follow due to the sheer scope of the subject (and compressed into less than 200 pages), but a very worthwhile read, and well-argued.
March 5, 2024
impressively thorough for how short the book is, and I found Bossy’s analysis of late medieval “traditional” Christianity as well as his thesis of the “Social Miracle” to be rather compelling. However, his contentions post-Reformation in the “Christianity Translated” section I found less convincing. Also a frustrating lack of citations.
August 10, 2020
In many ways good in that it sets the Reformation period in a wider context, but Bossy seems to be no fan of Luther and that bias becomes a little too obvious at times. Also, the style is not easy going for today's readers (I know since I have tried this one out on my students).
January 2, 2026
Read this for class, and it's pretty good. I think it has an interesting view of the Church from a laity or cultural/societal perspective. A perspective that has affected my own thinking. Really great.
January 23, 2019
Fascinating book interweaving theory and philosophy with manifestations in the real historical world.
September 30, 2024
my first step to becoming a nun
February 17, 2017
If you are looking for a comprehensive and critical study of Christianity in the West during the Reformation period, look no further.
Bossy details everything you need to know in order to be an informed scholar on this particular subject. He even lists the many limitations such scholars face during the studies. Very accessible.
Bossy details everything you need to know in order to be an informed scholar on this particular subject. He even lists the many limitations such scholars face during the studies. Very accessible.
November 20, 2010
Ahimé, il volume richiede basi di storia ben solide per poter seguire il disegno che prova a tracciare.
Essendone privo in gran parte, non ho modo di valutare se John Bossy scriva sorprendenti illuminazioni o fanfaluche solenni sui tre secoli che prende in esame.
Andando a intuito, mi sembra più la prima che la seconda... mi sembra meriti d'essere affrontato. Anche se più dagli specialisti che non dai profani o dai semplici curiosi. Immagino sia un po' in incubo prepararlo come testo d'esame, specie per il suo andamento rapsodico, disordinato e scarsamente lineare.
Una nota di demerito al testo in quanto tale: manca di indice analitico dei nomi!
Una nota di demerito al titolo dell'edizione italiana. Ho il dubbio se sia stato il frutto di una inconsapevole ingenuità o d'una furbesca operazione, fatto sta che parlare di "Occidente cristiano" porta sùbito a pensare a quei discorsi di chi vorrebbe identificare in toto (e a torto) questa misteriosa entità chiamata "Occidente" con la religione (o le istituzioni) cristiane... quando il libro di Bossy, invece, narra proprio come avvenne quella progressiva divaricazione che sancì, tra il 1400 e il 1700, la nascita di religione e società come due enti distinti.
Ben diverso, e molto più neutro e meno ideologicamente connotato (o a rischio di connotazioni ideologiche) il titolo originale: Christianity in the West, ovvero "Il Cristianesimo in Occidente" (o, a volere, anche "dell'Occidente", in contrapposizione all'ortodossia greca).
Essendone privo in gran parte, non ho modo di valutare se John Bossy scriva sorprendenti illuminazioni o fanfaluche solenni sui tre secoli che prende in esame.
Andando a intuito, mi sembra più la prima che la seconda... mi sembra meriti d'essere affrontato. Anche se più dagli specialisti che non dai profani o dai semplici curiosi. Immagino sia un po' in incubo prepararlo come testo d'esame, specie per il suo andamento rapsodico, disordinato e scarsamente lineare.
Una nota di demerito al testo in quanto tale: manca di indice analitico dei nomi!
Una nota di demerito al titolo dell'edizione italiana. Ho il dubbio se sia stato il frutto di una inconsapevole ingenuità o d'una furbesca operazione, fatto sta che parlare di "Occidente cristiano" porta sùbito a pensare a quei discorsi di chi vorrebbe identificare in toto (e a torto) questa misteriosa entità chiamata "Occidente" con la religione (o le istituzioni) cristiane... quando il libro di Bossy, invece, narra proprio come avvenne quella progressiva divaricazione che sancì, tra il 1400 e il 1700, la nascita di religione e società come due enti distinti.
Ben diverso, e molto più neutro e meno ideologicamente connotato (o a rischio di connotazioni ideologiche) il titolo originale: Christianity in the West, ovvero "Il Cristianesimo in Occidente" (o, a volere, anche "dell'Occidente", in contrapposizione all'ortodossia greca).
January 19, 2010
Re-read January 18, 2010. I don't like this book any more on re-read, which is a shame, as my supervisor loves it. In an overly subtle argument (which I will admit to not having got the first time, and probably only understand now because NT explained it to me), Bossy argues that in the fifteenth century, "Christianity" encompassed a society of believers who were united through belief and the practice of ritual; but that by the end of the seventeenth century, "Christianity" was, instead, a collection of societies that were delineated less by practice and more by the written, printed and spoken word, and were united less through ritual than through a collected awareness of the ideas (expressed through words) that marked their unique corner of Christian society. A compelling argument, but utterly exhausting to read. Expects a high degree of familiarity with Catholic, Lutheran, Calvinist, and Anabaptist (and other radical reform groups) theologies -- which I have, but oh my god so exhausting to puzzle through, as Bossy seems to think (for example) that the ridiculousness of a Ranter catechism (p. 114) is self-evident.
November 17, 2013
Not a long book, but packed with detail and opinion. Bossy defends the Christendom created by medieval, "traditional," Catholicism with a discussion of everyday life and the rituals, practices and identities of the common people. With a slight emphasis on England, which he knows the best, he does not find the changes of the Reformation to have been all that positive as both Protestants and Catholics lost the social life (in heaven, with the kin network that was the saints, and on earth), the communal identity, and the sacramental worldview that had developed in medieval Catholicism. This is not a romantic vision of the past, and while I certainly have disagreements, Bossy is a sharp writer and his sarcasm is just delightful. A wonderful book that offers much to think about in our efficient and withdrawn world.
October 17, 2013
This is a decent history of Christianity on the eve of the Reformation, which explains what the average Christian of the time believed. Overall, it seems that Christians of this period were far more knowledgeable about their faith than later observers gave them credit for. The second part of the book, on the Reformation, was much more abstract, and somewhat difficult to follow, making it hard to compare the average Christian's worldview after the Reformation with what was available beforehand.
April 4, 2013
A revealing and by turns entertaining book about the years surrounding the various reformations in the West. Especially good in helping to debunk the nonsense about the "wars of religion" that would be used by the modern state to justify its self-creation.
June 6, 2007
This book is a very good short introduction to pre-Reformation Christianity, specifically as it was practiced in everyday life.
November 13, 2016
Set text for Open University module AA307 (Religion in History: Conflict Conversion and Coexistence)
Turgid!
Turgid!
Read
October 11, 2016Pretty sure I read this for my independent study on Christianity and community with Prof. Kaufman back in 2007, but I just noticed I don't have it logged in my Goodreads account.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews