Burning zeal : the rhetoric of martyrdom and the Protestant community in Reformation France, 1520-1570 / Nikki Shepardson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Shepardson, Nikki, 1969-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Reformation--France.

Reformation.

France.

Martyrdom--Christianity.

Martyrdom.

France--Church history.

Church history.

Physical Description:

206 pages ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Bethlehem : Lehigh University Press, [2007]

Summary:

In the chaos of the Reformation, a declaration of one's faith was not solely a religious matter, but at times a choice between life and death. Sixteenth-century Europe witnessed a renaissance of martyrdom and the rebirth of a specific rhetoric that celebrated the sacrifice, constancy, and conviction of the martyr. This rhetoric shaped and defined the experiences and worldview of the French Calvinist community. This study, spanning the years 1520-1570, explores this rhetoric of martyrdom and situates it firmly in the historical context of Reformation France. It examines the ways in which martyrdom and its accompanying language became powerful tools for the Reform movement, providing the means to resist persecution and legitimate the existence of the faith, to strengthen and mobilize the movement from within, and to recruit new followers. The focal points of this investigation include questions of authority, gender, and community.

Contents:

The rebirth of the rhetoric of martyrdom

The trial and death of Anne du Bourg

The making of a martyr

Gender and the rhetoric of martyrdom

Nicodemism and the community

Epilogue: St. Bartholomew's day, 1572

Conclusion.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 191-202) and index.

ISBN:

0934223874

9780934223874

OCLC:

69734462