John Donne And The Protestant Reformation

The early transition from Catholicism to Protestantism was a complicated journey for England, as individuals sorted out their spiritual beliefs, chose their political allegiances, and confronted an array of religious differences that had sprung forth in their society since the reign of Henry VIII. Inner anxieties often translated into outward violence. Amidst this turmoil the poet and Protestant preacher John Donne (1572-1631) emerged as a central figure, one who encouraged peace among Christians. Raised a Catholic but ordained in 1615 as an Anglican clergyman, Donne publicly identified himself with Protestantism, and yet scholars have long questioned his theological orientation. Drawing upon recent scholarship in church history, the authors of this collection reconsider Donne's relationship to Protestantism and clearly demonstrate the political and theological impact of the Reformation on his life and writings. The collection includes thirteen essays that together place Donne broadly in the context of English and European traditions and explore his divine poetry, his prose work, the Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions, and his sermons. It becomes clear that in adopting the values of the Reformation, Donne does not completely reject everything from his Catholic background. Rather, the clash of religion erupts in his work in both moving and disconcerting ways. This collection offers a fresh understanding of Donne's hard-won irenicism, which he achieved at great personal and professional risk.

Sellin examines the view of the Protestant Reformation as held by John Donne by recounting the poet's actions and words as a diplomat at the Hague, as well as throughout the Netherlands.

Percy's continental travels in the 1580s may be related to the early travels of Donne and to the plans of Catholic exiles for an invasion of England six years before the defeat of the Armada.

From 1570 to 1640, Protestantism became the leading moral and intellectual force in England. During these seven decades of rapid social change, the English Protestants were challenged to make "morally and spiritually comprehensible" a new pattern of civilization. In numerous sermons and tracts such men as Donne, Hall, Hooker, Laud, and Perkins explored the meaning of man and his society. The nature of the Protestant mind is a crucial question in modern historiography and sociology. Drawing on the writings of these important years, the authors find that the real genius of the Protestant mind was not “Puritanism,” but the via media, the reconciliation of religious and social tensions. “'Puritanism,’” the authors show, “is a word, not a thing.” Originally published in 1961. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

John Donne: In the Shadow of Religion explores the life of one of the most significant figures of the English Renaissance. The book not only provides an overview of Donne’s life and work, but connects his writing and thinking to the ideas, institutions, and networks that influenced him. The book shows how Donne’s faith underpinned his career, from aspirational courtier to phenomenally successful clergyman and preacher, when he became dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral. Donne emerges as a figure obsessed with himself, tormented by the fear that his transgressions may have condemned him to eternal damnation. This fine new account uses Donne’s correspondence, writing, and poetry to give a rounded portrait of a bold, experimental thinker, who was never afraid of taking risks that few others would have countenanced.

This book remedies the lack of scholarly attention given to the conforming Church of England under James I (1603-25). The Jacobean church was not a lax hiatus between the Elizabethan and the Laudian, but a vibrant, positive force for writers like George Herbert and John Donne. Shown by recent historians to be clearly Protestant in its leadership, it maintained a middle way that included at its center both moderate and conforming puritans as well as Calvinist bishops. An examination of their writings reveals differences between Arminian "custodians of order" like Hooker and Andrewes, and Calvinist "preaching pastors" like Donne and Herbert. This book also explores significant resonances between Herbert and Richard Sibbes, a fully conforming puritan whose writings Herbert likely knew.

"Because the theological ferment of the seventeenth century so influenced and involved the society as a whole, this study not only sheds new light on Donne's poems but also on the reading audience of the time and the ways in which they received and responded to these "poetic sacraments.""--BOOK JACKET.