In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Reviewed by:
  • Friars on the Frontier: Catholic Renewal and the Dominican Order in Southeastern Poland, 1594–1648
  • Dariusz M. Bryćko
Friars on the Frontier: Catholic Renewal and the Dominican Order in Southeastern Poland, 1594–1648. By Piotr Stolarski. [Catholic Christendom, 1300–1700.] (Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing. 2010. Pp. xvi, 265. $124.95. ISBN 978-1409-40595-5.)

The gist of Piotr Stolarski’s argument lies in the underappreciated (if not forgotten) role of the mendicant Orders, especially Dominicans, and the overestimated role of Jesuits in the Counter-Reformation of Poland-Lithuania. For Stolarski, the mendicant Orders—more than the Jesuits—should be credited with bringing the genuine spiritual renewal that ushered in consensual and internalized conversion of Protestants to Catholicism. Jesuits, he argues, were actually less effective, as they were generally perceived as arrogant, intolerant, manipulative, and supportive of absolute monarchy; and thus they were distrusted by the freedom-loving Polish szlachta.

The advantage of the mendicants, Stolarski argues, was in their longevity (they predated the Council of Trent and the formation of the Society of Jesus), theological realism, religious irenicism, and openness to mixed monarchy. He also mentions miraculous healings credited to the intercession of friars and humble piety expressed in vows of poverty—both of which made the mendicants better-equipped agents for the genuine spiritual renewal that encouraged reconversions of Protestants back to Rome.

Certainly, this book is to be valued for bringing to the surface the role of the Dominicans, which has been sorely neglected, and for seeking continuities with the pre-Trent role of the mendicants in Poland-Lithuania. The author’s commitment is to look into Catholic orthodoxy “on its own terms”—carefully avoiding interpretive frameworks that are unhelpful (especially for Poland-Lithuania)—thus bringing greater complexity and understanding to the post-Reformation period. Further, religious historiography of early-modern Poland-Lithuania (both Polish and English) is insufficient, and Stolarski fills gaps, offers analysis of interesting primary sources, and provides a provocative thesis that will galvanize a much-needed discussion on the issue.

However, the book has some serious drawbacks, especially when commenting on Reformed theology. For instance, the author shows unfamiliarity with the Protestant realist tradition, equating Protestantism with nominalism (pp. 39, 190). Furthermore, when Stolarski comments on the writings of Fabian Birkowski, he fails to mention how the Dominican preacher misrepresented Protestant theology (p. 127), giving the impression that Birkowski accurately presented Reformed teaching. Similarly, when the author comments on Dominican-Jesuit disputes over the doctrine of grace (pp. 39–40), he seems unaware of the doctrinal proximity between the Reformed Scholastics and Dominicans, who both took a stance against Alfred Molina’s Middle Knowledge. Finally, Stolarski seems unable to differentiate between the terms Calvinist and Reformed. These should be used and defined carefully, as Henrich Bullinger, Jan Laski, and others greatly influenced the Polish [End Page 813] Reformed Church, not simply John Calvin. Broadly speaking, the author’s general notion that the victory of Polish Catholicism is due to its spiritual vibrancy and doctrinal coherence alone is overstated. The fall of the Polish Reformed Church was more complex than that, partially owing to the schism it suffered that resulted in the emergence of the anti-Trinitarian Polish Brethren (later known as Socinians or Unitarians). The schism weakened the Polish-Lithuanian Reformed Church from within and made it a feeble rival, compared to the Reformed Church in the West.

Despite these drawbacks, the book may help to further discussion and achieve a more balanced view of the reasons behind the fall of the Polish-Lithuanian Reformation.

Dariusz M. Bryćko
Grand Rapids, MI
...

pdf

Share