Fallible Heroes
Inside the Protestant Reformation
- History & Biography
- Publisher: Wipf and Stock
- Published: 2022
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Publisher's Description
To the casual observer the major contributors of the Protestant Reformation include a select few--Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin, and perhaps Philip Melanchthon. However, the movement might have easily perished in its infancy were it not for a very unique and courageous company of more obscure individuals who worked together across continental Europe during the sixteenth century--Martin Bucer, Wolfgang Capito, Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz, Matthew and Katarina Zell, Menno Simons, John Oecolampadius, Andreas Karlstadt, and Heinrich Bullinger, to name a few. This book draws the reader into three often-ignored elements of the Reformation: first, the interaction the reformers had with each other through dialogues, letters, debates, and colloquies; second, the weaknesses, blemishes, and misdeeds of the reformers (in addition to their strengths and accomplishments); and third, the contributions of the lesser-known reformers in addition to the prominent ones. It is a story as vividly powerful as any adventure novel--it is a story of Fallible Heroes.
Endorsements (4)
“Amidst the deluge of scholarship on the Protestant Reformation, Fortosis and Atkinson’s book carves out a space for itself as it shines light on a less familiar cast of the Magisterial and Radical Reformations traditionally overshadowed by more famous, heavyweight contemporaries. Written in a crisp, flowing, style easily read by non-specialists, Fallible Heroes shows adept use of an interesting array of oft unused primary sources in raising probing questions about the Reformers’ frailties and shortcomings.”
“A clear and accessible history of the Reformation movement from its earliest impulses, narrated through vivid biographic accounts of the key figures and their sometimes-overlooked support cast. It concludes with stimulating reflections on the wisdom to be retrieved from these narratives and then applied to the challenges of the present moment.”
“Fallible Heroes is a welcome and valuable contribution in the study of Protestant Reformation. The authors, with sensitivity and attentiveness, have researched the lesser-known actors on the Reformation canvas of Europe. Readers will enjoy and reap the benefits of their findings—fresh and engaging, sympathetic and honest, insightful and instructive.”
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