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vanlaw's review against another edition
2.0
Although scholarship at the time had focused on Catholicism as a weakening religion within England, merely requiring a catalyst, Duffy argues that it was an important and powerful part of daily life before the Reformation. This argument rejects the notion that the English Reformation was inevitable, instead seeing it as a movement imposed from above by the English crown.
Aspects of Duffy's book is unconvincing (mainly because of his obvious bias), but ultimately it is largely convincing - at least that we need to look at the Reformation with more than just hindsight.
Aspects of Duffy's book is unconvincing (mainly because of his obvious bias), but ultimately it is largely convincing - at least that we need to look at the Reformation with more than just hindsight.
ory12's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
5.0
It’s biased. But it’s factual and his conclusions are convincing based on the facts. The people of England lost their religion and culture all within 50 years. It’s the equivalent of what communist Russia did to its culture or probably even more so the Cultural revolution of China. Ancient symbols, meaning, and community structure swept away. His argument is convincing that the majority of English people didn’t want it to happen but were complacent in following what the regimes did, but only because they had no option. I’ve learned two things.
1. The Church of England was no longer an Apostolic Church according to the Cyprianic definition of Apostolic Sucession probably within fifty years of the break with Rome.
2. It’s a phenomenal case study of what not to do during reform, no matter how needed it is.
Mirroring that second point, I think it gave me as a reader a lot of ideas and a good foundation to properly inculturate the Gospel. Missionaries should in many senses try to do what the reformers did. Create a nation church with autonomy/patrimony and unique cultural Christianity that is faithful to Christ, the apostolic church (the reformers didn’t try to do this though) and the culture it’s in.
1. The Church of England was no longer an Apostolic Church according to the Cyprianic definition of Apostolic Sucession probably within fifty years of the break with Rome.
2. It’s a phenomenal case study of what not to do during reform, no matter how needed it is.
Mirroring that second point, I think it gave me as a reader a lot of ideas and a good foundation to properly inculturate the Gospel. Missionaries should in many senses try to do what the reformers did. Create a nation church with autonomy/patrimony and unique cultural Christianity that is faithful to Christ, the apostolic church (the reformers didn’t try to do this though) and the culture it’s in.
bennought's review against another edition
5.0
I was even more impressed and engaged with this book as I was with his more recent 'Fires of Faith.' Well written, chock full of well-placed and interesting facts and analysis, and always using extant information or materials that have been elided or ignored in the past to rethink our understandings of history, Duffy's 'Stripping of the Altars' is essential for anyone who wants to study and understand the context and process of the English Reformation in the sixteenth century.
Although at points it can be a bit slow (especially towards the last 100 pages of the first section), this is an incredibly well-written and -reasoned accounting of the state, practices, and accouterments of traditional religion in England going into the 16th century, and how the various processes of reformation altered, accommodated, and took them apart. It is an absolutely fascinating read (at least it was for me), and was game-changing at the time of its original publication in the early 1990s. Though many of his conclusions have become commonplace and accepted within the academic community, the outdated (and, frankly, wrong) understanding/narrative of the English Reformation still persists in the general populace.
Although at points it can be a bit slow (especially towards the last 100 pages of the first section), this is an incredibly well-written and -reasoned accounting of the state, practices, and accouterments of traditional religion in England going into the 16th century, and how the various processes of reformation altered, accommodated, and took them apart. It is an absolutely fascinating read (at least it was for me), and was game-changing at the time of its original publication in the early 1990s. Though many of his conclusions have become commonplace and accepted within the academic community, the outdated (and, frankly, wrong) understanding/narrative of the English Reformation still persists in the general populace.
samiwise's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
siria's review against another edition
4.0
One of those classics of late medieval/early modern history that it's assumed anyone in the field has read, and that I've thus long felt guilty for never having done so. In my defense it is a brick of a book, crammed full of evidence for the vitality of religious life on a personal and parochial life in an England on the verge of the Reformation.
Eamon Duffy marshalls a wide array of sources—wills, journals, liturgies, and more—to I think successfully make the case that, contra many centuries of historiography that was Protestant in its sympathies, Catholicism in late medieval England was far from moribund, at least at a grass-roots level. I would also agree with him that the shift of the general population's religious convictions, identities, and preferences took place over a span of generations and was not so abrupt as had often been assumed. As for Duffy's framing of the actions of the reformers overall actions and the chronological framework he employs, your feelings about it will probably be shaped by whether your allegiances lie with Rome (as Duffy's clearly do) or against.
Eamon Duffy marshalls a wide array of sources—wills, journals, liturgies, and more—to I think successfully make the case that, contra many centuries of historiography that was Protestant in its sympathies, Catholicism in late medieval England was far from moribund, at least at a grass-roots level. I would also agree with him that the shift of the general population's religious convictions, identities, and preferences took place over a span of generations and was not so abrupt as had often been assumed. As for Duffy's framing of the actions of the reformers overall actions and the chronological framework he employs, your feelings about it will probably be shaped by whether your allegiances lie with Rome (as Duffy's clearly do) or against.
kamahi's review against another edition
3.0
Okay, so I didn't technically read all of this book, just what I needed for my research. I did find it helpful though.
merricatct's review against another edition
4.0
This was a hugely dense and detailed book that touches on every aspect of religious life during the noted years. Part 1 of the book is dedicated to researching and educating on the practices of late medieval Catholicism in England, followed by Part 2's discussion of the changes brought about by the Tudors. This took me awhile to read, but it was worth the investment.
2016 reading challenge: a book about religion
2016 reading challenge: a book about religion
shaunnow38's review against another edition
3.0
I will admit that I had to heavily skim this one to get through it in a timely manner, but I feel that Duffy puts his argument out enough times in prominent places that I have understood much of what the book is trying to say.
Duffy's book is a elegiac piece of historical writing that attempts to recapture the spirit and historical fact of "traditional religion" in England. The traditional religion here is to me a bit misleading, as it asserts a primacy of Christian religion in the isles, even as paganistic religions existed as a more "traditional" form. Mainly, the traditional religion to which Duffy refers is Catholicism before and during the Reformation, with some digressions as to the strict definitions of Catholic belief. He is attempting to reconstruct a world of mystery and tradition that many writers of religious history miss in late medieval/Reformation England. Often, as Duffy asserts, historians see the time before the Reformation as a weakening of the Catholic hold on English lay people. In addition, it was widely believed that religion was not practiced in the same way by lay aristocratic people as it was by lay peasants and merchant class people. Duffy dismantles these commonly held gems of academic knowledge and demonstrates effectively that late medieval Catholic religion was in fact practiced by all in the community and served an important performative, social, and personal role in the lives of people.
Duffy takes a deep dive into the individual practices of Catholic England, and demonstrates effectively, if often tediously, the pervasiveness of religion in the lives of everyday people. Duffy tackles religious primers, offerings, death rites and wills, and all sorts of other religious images to illustrate how all-encompassing the religious experience of the late medieval world was. Often I feel Duffy is simply pushing a counter-narrative rather than fully interrogating the other historians he is disputing. Often Duffy will toss aside an assertion by saying "It should not be overestimated". The views he presents are somewhat totalizing, and often leads to a strong sense of historical bias. The book is certainly important and Duffy presents his case compellingly, but the writing is less balanced than I would like.
The book does eventually turn to the "stripping of the altars" of the Reformation. The book then shows how much (sometimes it was not much as all) resistance to these changes by Henry VIII and his court actually occurred. Often, Duffy points out, people were unwilling to give up the religion they had cherished for their whole lives, and were eager to restore their traditional practices once Mary came to to power. The march towards a Protestant England is restored in the end by Queen Elizabeth, and Duffy takes this as a moment to write poignantly about what has been lost. This shows his hand a bit, and reveals he might be writing from a less than historically neutral place, but overall I felt his interpretation of much of the evidence was largely objective. Some of the analysis slanted towards a highly pro-Catholic rhetoric, but otherwise the book presents a comprehensive understanding of Pre-Reformation England.
The book is comprehensive and oftentimes very difficult to read through because of this. Duffy has a plurality of examples for each phenomena he describes, and writes thoroughly through each piece of evidence. He necessarily uses a wide range of textual and artistic sources to prove his point, and because of this gives a varied and textured account of the history. However, as a nonspecialist, I found the thoroughness often very difficult to engage with. Overall, the book was informative, and presents a strongly differing opinion than my own about the religious practices of the period. It has informed a newish perspective because of this, but overall the book was just fine for me.
Duffy's book is a elegiac piece of historical writing that attempts to recapture the spirit and historical fact of "traditional religion" in England. The traditional religion here is to me a bit misleading, as it asserts a primacy of Christian religion in the isles, even as paganistic religions existed as a more "traditional" form. Mainly, the traditional religion to which Duffy refers is Catholicism before and during the Reformation, with some digressions as to the strict definitions of Catholic belief. He is attempting to reconstruct a world of mystery and tradition that many writers of religious history miss in late medieval/Reformation England. Often, as Duffy asserts, historians see the time before the Reformation as a weakening of the Catholic hold on English lay people. In addition, it was widely believed that religion was not practiced in the same way by lay aristocratic people as it was by lay peasants and merchant class people. Duffy dismantles these commonly held gems of academic knowledge and demonstrates effectively that late medieval Catholic religion was in fact practiced by all in the community and served an important performative, social, and personal role in the lives of people.
Duffy takes a deep dive into the individual practices of Catholic England, and demonstrates effectively, if often tediously, the pervasiveness of religion in the lives of everyday people. Duffy tackles religious primers, offerings, death rites and wills, and all sorts of other religious images to illustrate how all-encompassing the religious experience of the late medieval world was. Often I feel Duffy is simply pushing a counter-narrative rather than fully interrogating the other historians he is disputing. Often Duffy will toss aside an assertion by saying "It should not be overestimated". The views he presents are somewhat totalizing, and often leads to a strong sense of historical bias. The book is certainly important and Duffy presents his case compellingly, but the writing is less balanced than I would like.
The book does eventually turn to the "stripping of the altars" of the Reformation. The book then shows how much (sometimes it was not much as all) resistance to these changes by Henry VIII and his court actually occurred. Often, Duffy points out, people were unwilling to give up the religion they had cherished for their whole lives, and were eager to restore their traditional practices once Mary came to to power. The march towards a Protestant England is restored in the end by Queen Elizabeth, and Duffy takes this as a moment to write poignantly about what has been lost. This shows his hand a bit, and reveals he might be writing from a less than historically neutral place, but overall I felt his interpretation of much of the evidence was largely objective. Some of the analysis slanted towards a highly pro-Catholic rhetoric, but otherwise the book presents a comprehensive understanding of Pre-Reformation England.
The book is comprehensive and oftentimes very difficult to read through because of this. Duffy has a plurality of examples for each phenomena he describes, and writes thoroughly through each piece of evidence. He necessarily uses a wide range of textual and artistic sources to prove his point, and because of this gives a varied and textured account of the history. However, as a nonspecialist, I found the thoroughness often very difficult to engage with. Overall, the book was informative, and presents a strongly differing opinion than my own about the religious practices of the period. It has informed a newish perspective because of this, but overall the book was just fine for me.