The Church and the Age of Reformations (1350–1650): Martin Luther, the Renaissance, and the Council of Trent

By Joseph T. Stuart and Barbara A. Stuart

In 1517, Augustinian monk Martin Luther wrote the infamous Ninety-Five Theses that eventually led to a split from the Catholic Church. The movement became popularly identified as the Protestant Reformation, but Church reform actually began well before the schism.

In The Church and the Age of Reformations (1350–1650), historian Joseph T. Stuart and theologian Barbara A. Stuart highlight the watershed events of a confusing period in history, providing a broader—and deeper—historical context of the era, including the Council of Trent, the rise of humanism, and the impact of the printing press. The Stuarts also profile important figures of these tumultuous centuries—including Thomas More, Teresa of Ávila, Ignatius of Loyola, and Francis de Sales—and show that the saints demonstrated the virtues of true reform—charity, unity, patience, and tradition.

You will learn:

• Reform efforts in the Catholic Church were underway before Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses.
• The Church did not sell the forgiveness of sins with indulgences.
• Millions of people did not die in the Spanish Inquisition; there were less than 5,000 deaths during a 350-year period. Inquisitions led to legal advances such as grand juries, the need for multiple witnesses, and defendant protections that are still in place today.
• The so-called Catholic Reformation was conducted in four stages and exhibited respect for Church authority, human free will, and the saints, and focused on the new universal reach of the Church around the globe due to missionary work.

A map and chronology are included.

Books in the Reclaiming Catholic History series, edited by Mike Aquilina and written by leading authors and historians, bring Church history to life, debunking the myths one era at a time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ave Maria Press
• Release date: Apr 8, 2022
• ISBN: 9781646800346

Joseph T. Stuart

Joseph T. Stuart is an assistant professor of history and a fellow of Catholic studies at the University of Mary. He is the author of Rethinking the Enlightenment: Faith in the Age of Reason and Christopher Dawson: A Cultural Mind in the Age of the Great War. He earned an associate’s degree from Ferris State University, a bachelor’s degree from Franciscan University of Steubenville, a master’s degree in modern history from the University of St. Andrews, and a doctorate in modern intellectual history from the University of Edinburgh. Stuart is a land surveyor and an onion farmer, and he coproduced an original play called North Dakota Voices of the Great War. He has been a guest on a variety of Catholic podcasts and radio stations, including Sacred Heart Radio, Ave Maria Radio, Real Presence Radio, and Guadalupe Radio Network. His work has been featured in Zenit and MercatorNet. He has written for Prime Matters, The Imaginative Conservative, 360 Review, Homiletic and Pastoral Review, and St. Austin Review. Stuart lives in Bismarck, North Dakota, with his wife, Barbara, and their three children.

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