Johann Heinrich Alsted 1588-1638: Between Renaissance, Reformation, and Universal Reform (Oxford Historical Monographs) [Hardcover]

Howard Hotson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0198208286 | ISBN-13: 978-0198208280 | Publication Date: May 25, 2000

Johann Heinrich Alsted, professor of philosophy and theology at the Calvinist academy of Herborn, was a man of many facets. A deputy to the famous Synod of Dort and the greatest encyclopaedist of his age, he was also a pioneer of Calvinist millenarianism and a devoted student of astrology, alchemy, Lullism, and the works of Giordano Bruno. This intellectual biography opens up unexpected perspectives on the central European Reformed tradition as a whole and provides an invaluable introduction to many of the central ideas, individuals, and institutions in this neglected area of intellectual history.

Editorial Reviews

Review

`[We] have here a highly significant book that, in its detail, defies easy review and demands careful scrutiny by all interested in the development of Protestant thought in the century after the Reformation.'' Calvin Theological Journal

`'The author combines the approaches and methods of political history, church history, the history of ideas, and the history of science, and he succeeds admirably. The book is a strong argument for intellectual history that crosses the boundaries between present-day disciplines, and combines different methodologies and explanatory approaches.'' Bulletin of the German Historical Institute

`'Both traditional intellectual historians with their focus on exposition, analysis and comparison as well as new cultural historians with their demand for bridges from the world of thought to other areas will find themselves wondering why such a fascinating topic hasn't already been more widely examined. . . . This recreation of the inner and public worlds of an influential teacher who exemplifies the tensions of his age should spur further interest in this area from specialists and non-specialists alike.'' H-Net: Humanities and Social Sciences OnLine

`'Howard Hotson's outstanding intellectual biography of Johann Heinrich Alsted (1588-1638) expands interest in a neglected area of intellectual history ... Both traditional intellectual historians with their focus on exposition, analysis and comparison as well as new cultural historians with their demand for bridges from the world of thought to other areas will find themselves wondering why such a fascinating topic hasn't already been more widely examined ... This recreation of the inner and public worlds of an influential teacher who exemplifies the tensions of his age should spur further interest in this area from specialists and non-specialists alike.'' Susan R. Boettcher, H-Net Review

About the Author

Howard Hotson is a Lecturer in the Department of History at University of Aberdeen.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (May 25, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198208286
• ISBN-13: 978-0198208280
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,487,597 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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