Although deeply political, economic,
and social, the European Reformations
of the sixteenth century were at heart
religious disputes over core Christian
theological issues. Denis Janz's A
Reformation Reader is unabashed
in its generous selection of key
theological and related texts from
five distinct Reformation sites. Along
with plenty on the late-medieval
background, the Lutheran, Calvinist,
Radical, English, and Catholic
Reformations are all well-represented
here.
Janz's selection of more than 100
carefully edited primary documents
captures the energy and moment of
that tumultuous time. The new edition
incorporates a dozen readings by and
about women in the Reformation,
adds a new chapter on Thomas
Müntzer and the Peasants' War, and
adds illuminating graphics.