The Panther and the Hind: A Theological History of Anglicanism [Paperback]

Aidan Nichols OP (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0567292320 | ISBN-13: 978-0567292322 | Publication Date: November 14, 2000 | Edition: 1st Ed.

A clear summary and analysis of the history of the Church of England that also explains the context of the common issues currently under discussion by Anglicans and Catholics.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Equipped with a first-class mind, Fr. Aidan is excellently qualified in both historical knowledge and theological insight."--The Tablet (Tablet, The )

About the Author

Aidan Nichols entered the Dominican Order in 1970, and has since worked in Edinburgh, Oslo, Rome and Cambridge, where he now lives. His other publications include The Art of God Incarnate and The Shape of Catholic Theology, among others.

Product Details

• Paperback: 186 pages
• Publisher: T&T Clark Int'l; 1st Ed. edition (November 14, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0567292320
• ISBN-13: 978-0567292322
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #985,819 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very good Tour de Force of Anglican Theology, July 18, 2008

By 

Quentin D. Stewart - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: The Panther and the Hind: A Theological History of Anglicanism (Paperback)

Aidan Nichols does an excellent job of provding one of the few historical theologies of Anglicanism. Anglicanism becomes a dizzying array of complexities as it progresses from the Reformation era to the present. Nichols does a fine job of portraying this complex portrait of Anglicanism fairly even though he himself is Roman Catholic. I enjoyed the work immensely but was surprised to find Nichols relied primarily on secondary sources. That said, this is one of the best historical introductions to Anglicanism out there.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, but ..., October 24, 2008

By 

Grigorii (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Panther and the Hind: A Theological History of Anglicanism (Paperback)

This is an excellent introduction to Anglicanism for the non-Anglicans!

For those of us who are perplexed and sometimes positively at a loss about the different faces of Anglicanism, Fr. Nichols has provided a guide to begin to understand. Anglicanism - as a united whole - has never existed. There are three distinct, irreconcilable, groups within Anglicanism that do not share a doctrinal/spiritual life. There are Evangelical Protestants, orthodox Catholics, and Liberal Relativist bound my not much more than the name 'Anglican'.

How these theologically divers groups were all forced under one name is part of Fr. Nichol's story. After having read the book in about 3 to 4 days (I have a busy schedule) I am no expert on Anglicanism but at least I have gained a basic understanding why it is that Abp. Rowan Williams feels perfectly at peace visiting Lourdes and venerating the Blessed Virgin, and why a J. I Packer would probably be very reluctant if not totally opposed to doing so. Both are Anglicans but they both have a very different background.

Every once in a while Fr. Nicholas evaluation of something is un-apologetically colored by Roman Catholic beliefs - after all he writes as a Roman Catholic for Roman Catholics. For me, as an Orthodox Christian, such evaluations are interesting observations but limited in usefulness. For example, he will evaluate matters Anglican from the point of view of the "teaching magsisterium" of the Roman Catholic Church (particularly it's Bishops and Pope). Conclusions that, for Fr. Nichols, are definitive need not be so for an Orthodox reader.

On the downside .... Yes there is one, as noted by the previous reviewer. Fr. Nichols relies almost entirely on secondary sources so that his information is almost always second hand. This means, for me, that the book is a great introduction to Anglicanism but clearly limited in usefulness because Fr. Nichols' narrative is only as accurate as are the secondary sources he has used and interpreted. This would have been a 5-start book for me but for lack of using original material I gave 3 stars.

On the whole Fr. Nichols writes honestly, lovingly, and without polemics. In my opinion it is a must-read for non-Anglicans interested to find out what Anglicanism is for the purposes of Ecumenical relations or other such interests.

Dcn. Gregory Wassen

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not perfect, but perhaps the best available, April 3, 2009

By 

Dr. William Campbell (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Panther and the Hind: A Theological History of Anglicanism (Paperback)

In teaching Episcopal/Anglican seminarians, I have been deeply frustrated by the lack of a good single textbook that covers Anglican history in the British Isles from the pre-Reformation period to recent days. J.R.H. Moorman was perhaps a better bishop than he was a scholar; his survey, like his books Church Life in England in the Thirteenth Century and A History of the Franciscan Order, is deeply colored by his own prejudices, of which he is not particularly self-critical. Stephen Neill's history -- also written by a bishop with his own preconceptions, rather than a disinterested scholar -- is also becoming dated. There is an enormous amount of excellent scholarship going on right now on Anglican history, but no available one-volume synthesis that I could recommend to my students, other than this one. Because it is written by a non-Anglican, at least it has the advantage of challenging rather than reinforcing some of my students' preconceptions. And while it is indeed heavily reliant on secondary sources, it does at least present a reasonably fresh perspective. Read it for what it is; and if you want primary-source based research, go to a decent library and find narrower, more detailed studies.