This fresh exploration of the life, work and writing of Archbishop Pole, focuses particularly on Pole’s final years (1556-58) as Archbishop of Canterbury. Fully integrating Pole’s English and Continental European experiences, John Edwards places these in their historical context and signposts lessons for contemporary issues and concerns. Stressing the events and character of Pole's 'English' life, up to his exile in the 1530s, as well as in his final years in England (1554-58), this book explores his close relationship, both genealogical and emotional, with Henry VIII and Mary I. Portraying Pole as a crucial figure in the Catholic-Protestant division, which still affects Britain today, this book details the first, and so far last, attempt to restore Roman Catholicism as the 'national religion' of England and Wales by telling the life-story of the hinge figure in forging English religious and political identity for several centuries. The final section of this book draws together important and illuminating source material written by Pole during his years as Archbishop of Canterbury.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1841.

The first volume of The Oxford History of British & Irish Catholicism explores the period 1530-1640, from Henry VIII's break with Rome to the outbreak of the civil wars in Britain and Ireland. It analyses the efforts to create Catholic communities after the officially implemented change in religion, as well as the start of initiatives that would set the course of British and Irish Catholicism, including the beginning of the missionary enterprise and the formation of a network of exile religious institutions such as colleges and convents. This work explores every aspect of life for Catholics in both islands as they came to grips with the constant changes in religious policies that characterised this 110-year period. Accordingly, there are chapters on music, on literature in the vernaculars, on violence and martyrdom, and on the specifics of the female experience. Anxiety and the challenges of living in religiously mixed societies gave rise to new forms of creativity in religious life which made the Catholic experience much more than either plain continuity or endless endurance. Antipopery, or the extent to which Catholics became a symbolic antitype for Protestants, became in many respects a kind of philosophy about which political life in England, Scotland, and colonised Ireland began to revolve. At the same time the legal frameworks across both Britain and Ireland which sought to restrict, fine, or exclude Catholics from public life are given close attention throughout, as they were the daily exigencies which shaped identity just as much as devotions, liturgy, and directives emanating from the Catholic Reformation then ongoing in continental Europe.

Who's Who in Christianity is an invaluable reference guide to the leading men and women who have influenced the course of Christian history, including the founding fathers, monarchs, popes, saints, philanthropists, heretics, theologians and missionaries. The book encompasses the Eastern and Western Churches, and the lives and opinions of personalities who have shaped the past twenty Christian centuries, from Jesus of Galilee to Pope John Paul II, Paul of Tarsus to Mother Teresa. Who's Who in Christianity provides: * an accessible and user-friendly A-Z layout * detailed bibliographical information on each prominent figure * a glossary of technical terms * a chronological table of the chief historical events * an invaluable guide for scholars, teachers, clergy, students and general readers.

A life of Reginald Pole (1500-1558), among the most important of sixteenth-century international notables.

“Arthur Hildersham is, to a large extent, a forgotten Puritan. Since Samuel Clarke compiled a thirteen-page account of his life in the seventeenth century, there has been no biography of Hildersham. But during his lifetime, Hildersham was one of the most revered and prominent Puritan figures. His story, combined with a study of his printed works, is rewarding in a number of ways. Hildersham is a guide who can help us better understand the rapidly changing and often confusing religious scene of the later Elizabethan and early Stuart period. He faced challenges and big questions that are still relevant. Although we may not agree with all of Hildersham’s conclusions, his way of thinking through issues according to biblical principles is instructive. There is often a temptation to spiritualize heroes of the past by concentrating solely on their preaching. The exclusion of their ordinary lives, mundane domestic routines, and business affairs can sometimes leave us feeling inadequate and guilty by comparison. This study of Hildersham will attempt to redress that imbalance by painting a well-rounded portrait of a man who lived for his Master not only in the pulpit but also in daily life, in “secular” activities, in friendships, and in trials.” — from the preface by Lesley A. Rowe Table of Contents: Preface: Why Bother with Arthur Hildersham? Beginnings (1563–1576) University Life (1576–1587) Lecturer at Ashby-de-la-Zouch (1587–1593) At Home in Ashby Vicar of Ashby (1593–1605) Hildersham’s Message Hildersham and the Church of England Suspensions and Sufferings (1588–1605) The Interrupted Years (1606–1614) The Silent Years (1613–1625) ‘The Evil Day’ (1615–1625) The Final Years (1625–1632) Hildersham’s Legacy Epilogue: Ten Lessons from Hildersham for Us Today Appendix: “Epitaph on Mr Hildersham 1632” by Thomas Pestell Hildersham Who’s Who?—A Guide to People in the Book