Conciliation and Confession: The Struggle for Unity in the Age of Reform,1415-1648 Book

"Moderates did exist amidst the bitter religious conflicts in the Age of Reform, and they received even worse treatment then than they do in our own religiously contentious age. The editors have brought together an impressive group of experts to examine this neglected and almost forgotten side of the often told story. I much commend this book." ?John W. O?Malley, Weston Jesuit School of Theology "This is a valuable collection of essays from an extraordinary group of scholars." ?David Whitford, Claflin University Religious conciliators have always faced resistance and critique as they mediate between groups devoted to ideological agendas that leave little room for maneuver and negotiation. From the conciliar to the confessional age the normal challenges that peacemakers perennially face were magnified. The church was divided, and there did not appear to be any obvious solution to the crisis that began in the late fourteenth century with the Great Western Schism (1378-1415). This volume investigates the activities of those who worked for the restoration of ecclesial unity, first in the conciliar era, then in the early years of the Protestant reformations, and finally during the "confessional age" when theological and cultural differences between competing religious groups began to emerge more clearly. Throughout, special attention is paid to the religiously diverse communities of central and eastern Europe, an area that has often been overlooked by scholars who have focused more exclusively on Protestant/Catholic relations in the western half of the continent.Read More