Anyone know of good books about Calvin's Geneva, Scotland, or the Puritans?

[XemaSab]

I am so ignorant about these things that I don't know where to look.

Thanks in advance!

[CTyankee]

1. When I want to read more about a subject but don't know where to go I

go to my library and look under "Subject" in the database on statewide libraries (we can get books on loan from nearly everywhere in our state). If that doesn't work, and it often doesn't, I just Google it, or I go on Amazon's website. They'll list a title, then if you want a free library book you can look up the book by Title instead of Subject at your library's database. I find LOTS of books that way! It is especially helpful in cases like yours, which is specific to a city and time in history.

I get curious about lots of very obscure historical stuff so I loved your question. My family thinks I am very strange because I get excited about the Albigensian Heresy of the 12th century...but it's just the way I roll...

[Spider Jerusalem]

2. You might try the references here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covenanter#References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_calvin#References

[EFerrari]

3. What are you after?

[unc70]

4. Jean Cauvin (Calvin) was awful

I blame him for much of the idiocy we still see in our country.

He almost makes the Taliban seem like liberals. That's going too far, but he did burn to death some who wrote opposing views, using their own books to fuel the fires.

Bringing in Scotland and the Puritans makes it hard to know what you are trying to understand.

[XemaSab]

9. I'm interested in the history of Calvinism

as modern Calvinists understand it to be.

[HubertHeaver]

5. I would suggest a college bookstore. I don't think Shasta Community College will be of any help.

Last edited Sun Jun 24, 2012, 04:32 AM - Edit history (1)

I checked their course offerings and did not see any classes dealing specifically with the reformation period. A four-year school should have the course offerings and therefore the required and recommended texts to support the classes.

Shasta public library may be of some help. they have five volumes dealing with Calvin.

[Sedona]

6. try this

its quite good,

http://www.amazon.com/The-Wordy-Shipmates-Sarah-Vowell/dp/1594489998

[Jim__]

7. "The Death of Adam" - Marilynne Robinson

This is a book of essays and not all of them are on Calvin or the Puritans, but three of then are: Puritans and Prigs, Marguerite de Navarre, and Marguerite de Navarre, Part II. Robinson is Presbyterian and her views on both Calvin and the Puritans are contrarian, but well-worth reading.

[EFerrari]

8. Okay, if you want to learn something about Scotland on this topic

you want to read about John Knox more than Calvin although they hook up a littler later.

If you want to read about the process and the revolution, the political side of the protestant ethic, Christopher Hill, "The World Turned Upside Down" is a good read, iirc, and it will tip you off to other authors and directions.

[FarCenter]

10. History of the Christian Church, Volume VIII: Modern Christianity. The Swiss Reformation.

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/hcc8.html

Available free online. It is old, but the history of Geneva and Calvin hasn't changed much.

Jean Calvin's book Institutes of Christian Religion is also available online.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institutes_of_the_Christian_Religion