Cross, Crown & Community (Paperback)

Peter J. Balderstone

ISBN 10: 3039100165 / ISBN 13: 9783039100163

Published by Verlag Peter Lang, Pieterlen, 2004

About this Item

Paperback. The values and institutions of the Christian Church remained massively dominant in early modern English society and culture, but its theology, liturgy and unity were increasingly disputed. The period was overall one of institutional conformity and individual diversity: the centrality of Christian religion was universally acknowledged; yet the nature of religion and of religious observance in England changed dramatically during the Reformation, Renaissance, and Restoration. Further, because English culture was still biblical and English society was still religious, the state involved itself in ecclesiastical matters to an extraordinary extent. Successive political and ecclesiastical administrations were committed to helping each other, but their attempts to mould religious beliefs and customs were effectively attempts to modify English culture. Church and state were complementary, yet because they were ultimately distinct estates, they could work only, at best, uneasily in partnership with each other. Cultural output is thus an ideal lens for examining this period of tension in the church, state and society of England. The case studies contained in this volume examine the intersection of politics, religion and society over the entire early modern period, through distinct examples of cultural texts produced and cultural practices followed. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9783039100163

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Cross, Crown & Community (Paperback)
• Publisher: Verlag Peter Lang, Pieterlen
• Publication Date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 3039100165
• ISBN 13: 9783039100163
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

The values and institutions of the Christian Church remained massively dominant in early modern English society and culture, but its theology, liturgy and unity were increasingly disputed. The period was overall one of institutional conformity and individual diversity: the centrality of Christian religion was universally acknowledged; yet the nature of religion and of religious observance in England changed dramatically during the Reformation, Renaissance, and Restoration.
Further, because English culture was still biblical and English society was still religious, the state involved itself in ecclesiastical matters to an extraordinary extent. Successive political and ecclesiastical administrations were committed to helping each other, but their attempts to mould religious beliefs and customs were effectively attempts to modify English culture. Church and state were complementary, yet because they were ultimately distinct estates, they could work only, at best, uneasily in partnership with each other.
Cultural output is thus an ideal lens for examining this period of tension in the church, state and society of England. The case studies contained in this volume examine the intersection of politics, religion and society over the entire early modern period, through distinct examples of cultural texts produced and cultural practices followed.

About the Author

The Editors: David J. B. Trim and Peter J. Balderstone are, respectively, lecturers in History and English at Newbold College.
David J. B. Trim is also Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Reading, and has published many articles on aspects of early modern military and cultural history. He is editor/co-editor of three other volumes of essays published or forthcoming, and is an Associate Editor of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
Peter J. Balderstone edited the Themes of Shakespeare CD-Rom series, and directed the Shakespeare: Critical Guides educational video series. He was Assistant Director of the 1999 film King Lear. His research area is Shakespeare on Film, and he has published articles in film studies journals.