Clerical Marriage and the English Reformation : Precedent Policy and Practice - Helen L. Parish

Clerical Marriage and the English Reformation

Precedent Policy and Practice

By: Helen L. Parish

Hardcover | 10 August 2000

At a Glance

Hardcover


RRP $284.00

$200.95

29%OFF

or 4 interest-free payments of $50.24 with

 or 

Available for Backorder. We will order this from our supplier however there isn't a current ETA.

This volume is an examination of the debate over clerical marriage in Reformation polemic, and of its impact on the English clergy in the second half of the sixteenth century. Clerical celibacy was more than an abstract theological concept; it was a central image of mediaeval Catholicism which was shattered by the doctrinal iconoclasm of Protestant reformers. This study sets the debate over clerical marriage within the context of the key debates of the Reformation, offering insights into the nature of the reformers' attempts to break with the Catholic past, and illustrating the relationship between English polemicists and their continental counterparts. The debate was not without practical consequences, and the author sets this study of polemical arguments alongside an analysis of the response of clergy in several English dioceses to the legalisation of clerical marriage in 1549. Conclusions are based upon the evidence of wills, visitation records, and the proceedings of the ecclesiastical courts. Despite the printed rhetoric, dogmatic certainties were often beyond the reach of the majority, and the author's conclusions highlight the chasm which could exist between polemical ideal and practical reality during the turmoil of the Reformation.
Industry Reviews
'...this careful and thoughtful study does much to flesh-out an important and multi-faceted topic.' History, 2001 'Thorough and carefully argued ... a fine monograph from a promising young scholar.' Albion '... well researched and timely...' Religious Studies Review 'This learned and lively monograph meets a longstanding need for a thorough account of the English debate concerning clerical marriage... (Parish's) book, while conveying a vivid impression of the depth of feeling on both sides of the debate, is also scrupulously impartial. It constitutes a most distinguished debut...' Journal of Ecclesiastical History Vol.53/3 'The great strength of this work is that it succeeds in convincing the reader of the theological importance of the issue of clerical marriage... a valuable resource for Reformation scholars seeking to connect the debate on clerical marriage to major ideological issues of the day.' The Catholic Historical Review

More in British & Irish History

The Journals of Captain Cook : Penguin Classics - James Cook
Normal Women : 900 Years Of Making History - Philippa Gregory
Colonialism : A Moral Reckoning - Nigel Biggar

RRP $34.99

$31.75

Unruly : A History of England's Kings and Queens - David Mitchell

RRP $36.99

$33.25

10%
OFF
The Catalpa Rescue - Peter FitzSimons

RRP $36.99

$33.25

10%
OFF
Churchill : Walking with Destiny - Andrew Roberts

RRP $35.00

$31.75

Unruly : A History of England's Kings and Queens - David Mitchell
War and Misrule (1307-1399) - A. Audrey Locke
War Medals and Their History - William Augustus Steward

RRP $48.91

$45.90

Jane Austen at Home : A Biography - Lucy Worsley

RRP $26.99

$25.75