Salvation at Stake - Christian Martyrdom in Early Modern Europe

Thousands of men and women were executed for incompatible religious views in sixteenth-century Europe. The meaning and significance of those deaths are studied here comparatively for the first time, providing a compelling argument for the importance of martyrdom as both a window onto religious sensibilities and a crucial component in the formation of divergent Christian traditions and identities.Brad Gregory explores Protestant, Catholic, and Anabaptist martyrs in a sustained fashion, addressing the similarities and differences in their self-understanding. He traces the processes and impact of their memorialization by co-believers, and he reconstructs the arguments of the ecclesiastical and civil authorities responsible for their deaths. In addition, he assesses the controversy over the meaning of executions for competing views of Christian truth and the intractable dispute over the distinction between true and false martyrs. He employs a wide range of sources, including pamphlets, martyrologies, theological and devotional treatises, sermons, songs, woodcuts and engravings, correspondence, and legal records. Reconstructing religious motivation, conviction, and behavior in early modern Europe, Gregory shows us the shifting perspectives of authorities willing to kill, martyrs willing to die, martyrologists eager to memorialize, and controversialists keen to dispute.

About the author

Brad S. Gregory

Summary

Thousands were executed for incompatible religious views in 16th-century Europe. The meaning and significance of those deaths are studied here comparatively, providing an argument for the importance of martyrdom as a window onto religious sensibilities and a crucial component in the formation of divergent Christian traditions and identities.

Product details

• Authors: Brad S. Gregory, Gregory Brad S.
• Publisher: University Presses
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 15.11.2001
• EAN: 9780674007048
• ISBN: 978-0-674-00704-8
• Weight: 889 g
• Illustrations: 8 halftones, 28 line illustrations
• Series: Harvard Historical Studies; Harvard Historical Studies
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History; Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Religion: general, reference works; History, Europe, European History, HISTORY / Europe / Western, c 1500 onwards to present day, 17th century, c 1600 to c 1699, Religious intolerance, persecution and conflict, 16th century, c 1500 to c 1599, Blasphemy, Heresy, Apostasy