Bruce Gordon is professor of Reformation history, Yale Divinity School. He is author and editor of a number of books, including The Swiss Reformation.
"This biography excels in providing a scrupulous, detailed
narrative from the ground up . . . [Gordon] always, across 340
pages of detailed narrative, gives us the story in its full
complexity."—James Simpson, Times Literary Supplement
"In this 500th year of Calvin's birth, Gordon . . . has produced a
scholarly yet accessible study that is not hagiography but an
honest assessment of a man who had great talent and great faith and
also great flaws. While writing from a Reformed perspective, Gordon
offers a balanced view."—Augustine J. Curley, Library Journal
"Bruce Gordon's magisterial biography . . . sets the
theologian in his 16th-century context and portrays Calvin
as a prophet and an apostle whose genius lay in his ability to
interpret the Bible and express a coherent, penetrating and lucid
vision of God's abiding love."—Henry Carrigan, Publishers
Weekly
"Masterful . . . [this] biography succeeds spectacularly by
allowing a vivid insight into the life and world of Calvin, using
generous quotations from his correspondence."—Hilmar Pabel, The
Tablet
". . . a considered book, balanced and fair, and very informative,
written in an accessible manner . . . what is so salutary . . . is
the sanity of tone and the justice of the assessments. . . .
Disliked in his day as a foreigner, and disparaged now as a
fanatic, poor Calvin deserves reassessment, and Bruce Gordon’s
biography achieves this well."—Edward Norman, Literary Review
"Those who want to engage with the facts should read Bruce Gordon’s
book Calvin, which is outstanding."—David A. Robertson,
Prospect
"Gordon does an excellent job of incorporating several decades of
developments in the social and cultural history of early modern
Europe into his discussion and analysis of Calvin’s life, work and
historical context. . . . Gordon’s success in producing a biography
that will be valued by specialists, students and general readers
alike lies partly in his engaging written style."—Karen E.
Spierling, English Historical Review
". . . this biography paints a vibrant portrait of Calvin the man,
as well as Calvin the great thinker and reformer, and makes
enthralling reading."—Good Book Guide
"Perhaps better than any previous study, Gordon’s book replaces the
iconic image of an impassive Calvin with the impassioned man of
flesh and blood, reconstructing a fraught life lived between
'divine calling and human frailty'. In this quincentenary of the
reformer’s birth, scholars and general readers will be indebted to
Gordon for having made Calvin comprehensible without compromising
his complexity."—Brad Gregory, University of Notre Dame, author of
Salvation at Stake
"A very stimulating book—extensive, detailed, in many respects
brilliant."—Euan Cameron, Union Theological Seminary
"Bruce Gordon’s lively new biography presents Calvin embedded in
his surroundings, developing his ideas as events unfolded."—Merry
Wiesner-Hanks, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
"At last, a balanced biography of Calvin: Bruce Gordon's unblinking
and unblinkered book brings a searching light to bear on one of the
most private of the sixteenth century's most influential public
figures."—Richard Rex
|
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
