Reformation Thought: An Introduction

Reformation Thought , 4th edition, offers an ideal introduction to the central ideas of the European reformations for students of theology and history. Written by the bestselling author and renowned theologian Alister E. McGrath, this engaging guide is accessible to students with no prior knowledge of Christian theology. This new edition of a classic text has been updated throughout with the very latest scholarship Includes greater coverage of the Catholic Reformation, the Counter–Reformation, and the  impact of women on the Reformation  Explores the core ideas and issues of the Reformation in terms that can be easily understood by those new to the field Student–friendly features include images, updated bibliographies, a glossary, and a chronology of political and historical ideas This latest edition retains all the features which made the previous editions so popular with readers, while McGrath′s revisions have ensured it remains the essential student guide to the subject.

Detailed Contents vii List of Figures xiii Preface to the Fourth Edition xv How to Use This Book xix Map xxi 1 The Reformation: An Introduction 1 2 Christianity in the Late Middle Ages 23 3 Humanism and the Reformation 35 4 Scholasticism and the Reformation 59 5 The Reformers: A Biographical Introduction 75 6 The Return to the Bible 91 7 The Doctrine of Justifi cation by Faith 115 8 The Doctrine of the Church 141 9 The Doctrine of the Sacraments 163 10 The Doctrine of Predestination 191 11 The Political Thought of the Reformation 207 12 The Religious Ideas of the English Reformation 223 13 The Diffusion of the Thought of the Reformation 241 14 The Impact of Reformation Thought upon History 253 Appendix 1 A Glossary of Theological and Historical Terms 269 Appendix 2 English Translations of Major Primary Sources 277 Appendix 3 Standard Abbreviations of Major Journals and Sources 281 Appendix 4 How to Refer to Major Primary Sources 285 Appendix 5 Referring to the Psalms in the Sixteenth Century 289 Appendix 6 Updating Reformation Bibliographies 291 Appendix 7 Chronology of Political and Intellectual History 295 Index 301

Alister E. McGrath is the Head of the Centre for Theology, Religion & Culture at King′s College London, having previously been Professor of Historical Theology at Oxford University. He is one of the world′s leading Protestant theologians and has long been involved in theological education. McGrath is also the author of some of the world′s most widely used theological textbooks, including the bestselling Christian Theology: An Introduction (2010, Wiley–Blackwell), now in its fifth edition. He is in constant demand as a speaker at conferences throughout the world.

“Anyone looking to understand the theological and sociopolitical world of the Protestant Reformation – and it’s present influence – would do well to look nowhere else but this latest edition of  Reformation Thought .”   ( Jacob Sweeney′s Blog , 17 May 2012) "[McGrath] is one of the best scholars and teachers of the Reformation ... Teachers will rejoice in this wonderfully useful book." ( Teaching History (of a previous edition))