Reformation thought: an introduction (review)

Short notices 197 Marsiglio of Padua, Defensor minor and De translatione Imperii, ed. and trans. Cary J. Nederman (Cambridge texts in the history of political thought), Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1993; paper; pp. xxvii, 92; R.R.P. AUS$35.00. The Defensor minor is no substitute for the Defensor pads, but it is a useful addition, giving a summary of Marsilius' main theses with numerous references to the more extended treatment given in the main work. As the editor's introduction points out, there is also some new material in the Defensor minor, including discussions of indulgences and of the Papal claim to absolve from vows, and there is also a passage that may throw some light on the vexed question of what Marsilius meant in the Defensor pads by the valentiorpars. De translatione imperii is perhaps not of great interest for the history of political thought, even though Marsilius' distinctive theories surface in it briefly in several places; for example, 'Such deposition of a king and establishment of another for a reasonable cause never pertains only to a single bishop or cleric, or assembly of them, but to all the inhabitants of the region, citizens and nobles, or the greater part of them' (p. 73). However, the work is mostly historical narrative. The editor's introduction is excellent and the translation is usually accurate, if not always. For example, Tt may be added to the gloss that one is not capable of pride who has been humbled by such correction' (p. 16) should read, Tt is added in the gloss that no proud man should despise such correction'. Again, 'One cannot prove . . . that any individual ought to be compelled to confess to a faithful Christian' (p. 21) should read, 'One cannot prove . . . that any unbeliever should be compelled to confess the Catholic faith'. Of course every translation must be used with caution. John Kilcullen School of History, Philosophy, and Politics Macquarie University McGrath, Alister E., Reformation thought: an introduction, second ed., Oxford & Cambridge Mass., Blackwell, 1993; paper; pp. xi, 285; R.R.P. US$45.00 (distributed in Australia by Allen & Unwin). This is a substantial revision of McGrath's book, which wasfirstpublished in 1988. The length of the text has almost doubled, a new chapter entitled "The impact of Reformation thought upon history' has been added, many of 198 Short notices the chapters have been reorganised, numerous chapter sections have been inserted and there has been considerable rewriting. Most of the added sections relate to Calvin, Calvinism, or the Tridentine Catholic reform, and more specifically to their elaboration of such themes as justification, scripture, and the sacraments. McGrath also expands his text in dealing with topics such as the varieties of European humanism and their relationship to different reform programmes, the role of anticlericalism in the acceptance of reform ideas, the social role of religious ideas, and the nature of the radical Reformation. Many of these additions are a response to reviews of the first edition. Some reviewers had stressed that the heavy emphasis in the book on late medieval scholasticism and humanism meant that almost half was concerned with the pre-Reformation, rather than the Reformation, period. The additions to the second edition certainly make for a more balanced account, and many of them clearly grow out of the recent studies of Calvin and later Calvinism by this most prolific of historians of late medieval and Reformation theology. However, the inclusion of other sections which deal with such areas as the social context of the Reformation and popular religion does little to change McGrath's rather narrow approach to 'ideas' as separate from social processes of communication and appropriation. McGrath's text has been considerably enlivened by numerous examples which help clarify aspects of his argument. This certainly enhances the value of this book, the clear purpose of which is to introduce the intellectual debates of the Reformation to the non-specialist, student reader. With the help of a more rounded account of the European Reformation, such as can be found in the recent book by Evan Cameron for instance, this revised version of McGrath's study will certainly be a useful guide in making sense of...