Roland BaintonReseñas

Very dense and worth the effort.

The Martin Luther Easter Book contains the sermons that Luther wrote for the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus.

Great biography of Martin Luther, the reformer of the 1500s.

Over 40 years ago one of my professors recommended that I read Roland Bainton. I think he was meant Bainton's work on Luther but this book about Erasmus was worth it too. Erasmus was right in the middle of the Renaissance and the Reformation. His ideas were far ahead of the most of the educated world. He was for toleration, peace and openness at a time when heretics were still burned at the stake and political enemies of kings were beheaded. Erasmus stood in the middle, friends with Henry VIII and Thomas More and several Popes. His work on the New Testament paved the way for scholars to look at it critically. His humor and satire still make me laugh nearly 500 years later. I think Bainton has really done justice to Erasmus. Other writers accused Erasmus of having a weak character because he avoided conflict and in some cases refused to take a stand. Some in the reformed party thought he was weak because he would not leave the Catholic Church. Others in the Catholic party claimed that Erasmus failed the Church because he would not condemn the reformers and had many reformation ideas himself. I have read several books about Erasmus and I would like to say that Erasmus of Christendom is one of the better ones.

what a wonderful surprise of a book!!! i had no background on it... but WOW!!! more than a biography... lots of explaining and reconciling. this book is GREAT!

Great!

This was a great book. It brought Martin Luther’s life.... to life. I have always loved reading about Luther but this really helped synthesize all of the history that I have read about him. The book was well written and I found it easy to read.

Here is a comprehensivbe, critical portrait of Christianity from its beginnings to the present, warts and all. It is a synoptic portrait which only a master could depict. Dr. Bainton draws upon lifelong research that takes into account hundreds of monographs and that relates social, political and theological developments. Liturgical and artistic creations are also included. Especially illuminating is the comparative analysis of the different branches of Christendom, including a comparison of social, ethical, and institutional patterns - the decisive constructive accomplishments, the fanaticism, and the perversions. Here we observe an outstanding feature of the whole work: the discriminating selection of the representative, the dramatic, the symbolic detail.

Professor Roland Bainton has written a clear and illuminating account of the whole history of Christianity. He has a keen eye for significant detail as well as a mastery of the sweep of Christian history. His book should serve as a valuable introduction to the subject for the student and the layman.

Here I Stand : A Life of Martin Luther, by Roland Bainton, is considered one of the best biographies of Luther. It has been a classic for many years and is easy to read and has many woodcut illustrations. This is one of the source books Dr. Dwight Johnson used in writing his wonderful play. It is found in the Biography section under the number B/LUT.

The history of Christianity spans over 2000 years, across three then five continents, and numerous individuals doing their best to follow the example of Jesus. Roland H. Bainton’s Christianity is a survey of the history, theology developments, and impact of the faith has had on society over the length of its existence since the ministry of Christ on earth.

Beginning with the various cultural backgrounds that influenced the life of Jesus and the society he lived and teach in, Bainton writes an easily read survey of Christianity. Everything from the Apostolic Age through the persecution by the Roman Empire then its long progression of conversation through the Western Empire’s fall is covered very well. However with Rome’s fall, the book’s focus begins to be firmly placed in Western Europe—later to expand to the Americas—with all the culture, historical, political, and theological developments that are well-known to anyone with a general knowledge of the history of Western civilization. Given the book is less than 400 pages in length, Bainton’s having to choose the best way to get through the history of Christianity meant having to neglect the developments of East Orthodox, Oriental, and Coptic Christianity in favor to everything connected to Western Christianity.

Though not all facets are covered, Roland H. Bainton’s Christianity is a well-written survey that covers the basics of everything related to Western Christianity. For anyone looking for general information of Christianity, I recommend this book to you.

Tutto quello che è importante sapere per farsi una buona (anche se non aggiornatissima) idea della Riforma protestante (da allora ad oggi!) e tantissimi spunti per rifletterci sopra da soli con cognizione di causa. Il tutto in un libretto, [formato p.b.e. einaudiano] che supera appena le 200 pagine e, che, per finire, ha circa settanta anni di vita. Mitico

Martin Luther was one of the most influential men in Western Civilization over the past half-millennium. Most people today do not know enough history to understand someone like Luther, who was really a medieval theologian. Bainton does a wonderful job of placing Luther in his own time, educating the reader on the religious and political landscape of the time. Without this context, Luther no doubt would appear bizarre to the modern reader. Bainton praises Luther for his bravery in standing for what he believed to be true, and for his long-held hope that the Pope would change course if only he knew about the abuses in the church. Bainton takes Luther to task for his indefensible positions regarding persecution of Jews and Anabaptists, but makes sure the reader understands Luther's full position, which was not as simple as hatred and prejudice. The modern person who believes that a straight line can be drawn from Luther to the Holocaust is most misinformed. The most moving portions of the book are certainly the earlier chapters which detail Luther's personal spiritual struggle, which will find resonance in any Christian's heart.

Presents the many strands that made up the Reformation in a single, brilliantly coherent account.

Great read. The first half reads like a fast paced novel chronicling his life and the second explores specific aspects of his character, thought, and influence. This makes the first half more fun than the second, but the whole book is worth the read.

Well structured book on the life of Erasmus. Conveys that Erasmus was always trying to position himself as a peacemaker, and trying to avoid contention and violence as much as possible. However, in the end the result was that he supported neither 'side' and was disliked by both - the Reformers and the traditional Roman church.

Interesting that his first name 'Desiderius' is never mentioned.

Martin Luther was one of the titans of the Protestant Reformation. It was Luther, along with John Calvin and Huldrych Zwingli, who gave the Reformation its defining and enduring shape, influencing it in ways that continue today. This biography by Bainton is perhaps not exhaustive, but it is comprehensive, as it considers Luther’s life and times. We look into his life and see how Luther’s overriding passion, i.e. the love of God above all else and the consequent desire to reform the church, according to God’s self-revelation in the Bible played out on the stage of 16th century Europe.

Luther didn’t plan to reform the church. Following his father’s wishes he was studying to become a lawyer. But he had an experience that set him on a different path, one which began benignly as he fulfilled a vow to become a monk. And to use a modern phrase, one thing led to another, and Christianity has never been the same.

Bainton honestly explores the different phases of Luther’s life, pointing out both the highs and the lows. I was a little familiar with both aspects of Luther’s life previous to reading this book and found that there was much more to learn about Luther and the way he intersected with his time and its culture. An example would be from some of the polemical material of Luther’s late career, where Bainton highlights the nuances that we don’t easily appreciate 500 years later.

Bainton has painted a rich portrait of a complex man, a man who above all served a sovereign, gracious and holy God. It is a biography written over 60 years ago but which has held up well for good reason. I highly commend it.

It has been said by others that Martin Luther was the first 'celebrity' - his fame of his breach with the Roman Catholic Church spread across the whole or Europe. Yet as this book shows, it was not something he wanted; he preferred reform of the church. He certainly did not agree at all with the radical derivations of German revolt against external oppression, like Munster.
Luther would have been exciting to be around. He loved a beer, enjoyed company, singing and music. Yet he also suffered from depression, and ill health. Bainton wonders whether this is related to his struggle with God, but it appears his depression may have been clinical.
The book is thorough in its discussion and analysis of Luther's interaction with the Roman Catholic Church, the local princes, and with Erasmus, his Bible translation and how he changed life in Germany. It covers his efforts to maintain peace (he was against the violence of Munster and others), but little is said of his influence on further reformers; for example, John Calvin is not mentioned.
The author concludes the book by briefly covering the latter years of his life; very briefly regarding his death which gets one sentence. He does cover the less pleasant aspects of Luther - his anti-Semitic writings (which he has is religious, not racial) and his coarseness (not uncommon in those days). It is these things that opponents of Luther grasp to discredit him and his legacy.

A brief but careful historical survey with great insight. A book that remains startlingly relevant 50 years after its publication.½

An interesting if not particularly enjoyable read. The author's adoration of Luther comes across quite clearly, so it's a useful book for comparing different perspectives. I would never consider this a history text, but this would likely be a worthwhile book for anyone interested in religious history, regardless of which side of whatever fence you stand on. Also, I can't deny that Martin Luther is a major historical figure, so I'm glad to have read at least one biography on him, even if it was this one.

This is a well written book. It covers a life which is difficult to describe, without allowing one's personal prejudices to come to the fore: Erasmus is one of those people about whom, it is hard not to be either firmly pro, or anti. Mr. Bainton leaves Erasmus to speak for himself wherever possible and, when this is not the case, the author does his utmost to put both sides of any dispute.

The downside of this approach, such as there is one, is that Erasmus sometimes comes across as vacillating or, indeed, just plain calculating. It is, of course entirely possible that he was very careful never to be the one whose head was furthest above the parapet; this may have been sound sense in a time when the removal of that head could be ordered for the eating of an egg in Lent.

I enjoyed reading this work although sometimes I feel like I'm reading a sermon rather than a biography. I would recommend this book to anyone who wanted to start reading a biography explicitly about Martin Luther's life.½

Competent but rather dull. Boynton's shifts from commentary to quotation (or a summary of Luther's and others' positions and writings) are not well-marked. His copious endnotes are not actually noted in the text, but left for the reader to find out; there are several for just about every page.

Traces the history of Christianity from the birth of Christ to modern times.

A fantastic biography of Martin Luther. This is the standard against which all others are measured.½

An excellent, brief overview of the Reformation. This is a great introduction. Bainton introduces all the major players and themes of the Reformation.