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Revelation and revolution: Basic writings of Thomas Müntzer
Book Reviews
133
Marx). At the same time, these essays are full of sharp insights and affronts to conventional wisdom. A valuable read, especially for those concerned with 'reinventing' the left. Christopher Pierson
University of Stirling
Revelation and Revolution: Basic Writings of Thomas Miintzer, trans, and ed. Michael Baylor (Bethlehem: Lehigh University Press, 1990), 256 pp., n.p.g. In a carefully edited and translated edition, in which he outlines the problems with other editions, Michael Baylor makes available to general readers the writings of one of the most creative and controversial figures of the Reformation. As a leader in the German Peasants' War of 1525, Thomas Miintzer has been labelled a millenarian fanatic and a leader in social justice reform. Was he a deluded mystic or a creator of a unique social theology? Baylor has selected the material that can allow the reader to formulate at least a tentative answer. Baylor has carefully made selections among Miintzer's published writings and letters in order to present the key works that can allow the reader to follow the evolution of Miintzer's thought. Among others, they include 'The Prague Protest', 'Open Letter to the Brothers at Stolberg', 'Protest or Offering', and 'On Contrived Faith'. Recognising the importance that liturgy played in the Reformation, Baylor has also included several of Miintzer's works on liturgy. The Reformation generated emotional fire, and so it is only fitting that Baylor has also added some 'Selected Letters' that capture the temperament of this very aggressive reformer. Miintzer was rooted in the Platonic/Augustinian opposition of matter and spirit. Not surprisingly, then, he focused on spiritual ends and stressed the repression of fleshly desires. 'The Prague Protest', (1521) for example, combines an intensely mystical conception of faith with a virulent attack on the corrupt clergy. Indicative of the intellectual path that he would travel until his death in 1525, this pamphlet links personal salvation to the religious and moral life of society. With his reliance on 'Scripture alone', Luther challenged the structure of the Roman church. But Miintzer's demand for an 'experienced faith', grounded in the dark night of the soul, could even more radically sever traditional religious authority from the Christian community. By 1521, he had organised the superstructure of his religious initiative. Basically, the intimate relationship between personal salvation and the public sweeping transformation of society continued to be the touchstone of his future theological development. Liturgical reform was the lynchpin necessary for the maturation of the community transformation. In his view, liturgy shapes and reflects the faith of the entire community. Since it was to be in the vernacular, liturgy was available for all and did not belong exclusively to an elite priestly class. Feeling that the Bible must be explored thoroughly, Miintzer stressed that excerpts had to be understood in the context of the whole passage to deepen the faith experience of the people. Ultimately, liturgy was to raise personal faith experience to the communal level. Mtintzer is probably better known for his political activity and printed works. Central to his thought is the theme that threads itself through all his works - - the corruption that has befallen Christendom. In his opinion, the authority given to princes to rule was
Volume 21, No. 1, February 1995
134
Book Reviews
conditional on punishing the wicked and furthering the interests of the people of God. Here was a platform for resistance and not obedience. Mtintzer seemed to see the sociopolitical transformation that was offered by the Peasants' War as a development consonant with the personal transformation received through reflection on God's revelation. One can understand why Luther referred to M0ntzer as 'the Satan of Allstedt.' To most initial readers of Miintzer, it will be Baylor's inclusion of a selection of Miintzer's letters that will attest to the unique value of this volume. The letters reveal what Miintzer's theology meant in the light of the specific relationships that he had with his contemporaries. His letters reveal that he rejected passive resistance, which actually helped support rulers. The letters inform us that Miintzer was pragmatic and determined to overcome the problems of the revolution. He was not a Utopian dreamer. Miintzer's writing has been controversial and has revolved around the question of whether he is rooted in a formless mystical tradition or whether he is 'doing' theology and synthesising varied streams of the Christian tradition. These selections will allow the reader to develop text-based conclusions. For those interested in expanding their understanding of Miintzer and the Protestant reform movements, Baylor has included a superb bibliography. This work is not just a collection of texts; it offers the reader an opportunity to explore intimately one man's development in the religious explosion of the early sixteenth century. Donald J. Dietrich
Boston College
The Noble Savage: Jean-Jacques Rousseau 1754-1762, Maurice Cranston (Chicago University Press, 1991), xi + 399 pp., $29.95 cloth. Maurice Cranston's The Noble Savage is the second volume in a three volume projected work on the biography of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The first volume, Jean-Jacques: The Early Life and Work, now available in paperback, gives us an image of Rousseau that is allegedly based on the 'facts'. In both volumes, Cranston's biography is not based on 'the din of interpretation, commentary and analysis' but on 'the voices of Rousseau and his contemporaries' (IX) as well as the vast amount of material now catalogued and assembled in libraries and private collections. Indeed the numerous reviews already published on The Noble Savage all seem to agree that Cranston has done an admirable work in painstakingly assembling this vast amount of material in a readable and interesting prose. There were some exciting episodes in Rousseau's life, such as his flight from France to avoid arrest because of his controversial Emile, and, of course, his hobnobbing with the aristocracy and the famous Philosophes is sufficiently unique, in comparison to most people's lives, to give his story an interesting quality; but scholarship and prose aside, what is the essential difference between a biography and a tabloid? They both seem to appeal to the same need for a certain emotional excitement. The point here is not to imply some psychological perversity that gives rise to such a need, bu rather the relevance of exposing a person's life, whether with acceptable scholarly acumen or otherwise, to the reason why he has been singled out for such treatment. To put it into simple, logical terms, Rousseau's life (as a cause) is not sufficient explanation for his philosophical and political ideas - - the only reason for his being singled out. Indeed, one can question whether there is any causal relation at all.
History of European Ideas
133
Marx). At the same time, these essays are full of sharp insights and affronts to conventional wisdom. A valuable read, especially for those concerned with 'reinventing' the left. Christopher Pierson
University of Stirling
Revelation and Revolution: Basic Writings of Thomas Miintzer, trans, and ed. Michael Baylor (Bethlehem: Lehigh University Press, 1990), 256 pp., n.p.g. In a carefully edited and translated edition, in which he outlines the problems with other editions, Michael Baylor makes available to general readers the writings of one of the most creative and controversial figures of the Reformation. As a leader in the German Peasants' War of 1525, Thomas Miintzer has been labelled a millenarian fanatic and a leader in social justice reform. Was he a deluded mystic or a creator of a unique social theology? Baylor has selected the material that can allow the reader to formulate at least a tentative answer. Baylor has carefully made selections among Miintzer's published writings and letters in order to present the key works that can allow the reader to follow the evolution of Miintzer's thought. Among others, they include 'The Prague Protest', 'Open Letter to the Brothers at Stolberg', 'Protest or Offering', and 'On Contrived Faith'. Recognising the importance that liturgy played in the Reformation, Baylor has also included several of Miintzer's works on liturgy. The Reformation generated emotional fire, and so it is only fitting that Baylor has also added some 'Selected Letters' that capture the temperament of this very aggressive reformer. Miintzer was rooted in the Platonic/Augustinian opposition of matter and spirit. Not surprisingly, then, he focused on spiritual ends and stressed the repression of fleshly desires. 'The Prague Protest', (1521) for example, combines an intensely mystical conception of faith with a virulent attack on the corrupt clergy. Indicative of the intellectual path that he would travel until his death in 1525, this pamphlet links personal salvation to the religious and moral life of society. With his reliance on 'Scripture alone', Luther challenged the structure of the Roman church. But Miintzer's demand for an 'experienced faith', grounded in the dark night of the soul, could even more radically sever traditional religious authority from the Christian community. By 1521, he had organised the superstructure of his religious initiative. Basically, the intimate relationship between personal salvation and the public sweeping transformation of society continued to be the touchstone of his future theological development. Liturgical reform was the lynchpin necessary for the maturation of the community transformation. In his view, liturgy shapes and reflects the faith of the entire community. Since it was to be in the vernacular, liturgy was available for all and did not belong exclusively to an elite priestly class. Feeling that the Bible must be explored thoroughly, Miintzer stressed that excerpts had to be understood in the context of the whole passage to deepen the faith experience of the people. Ultimately, liturgy was to raise personal faith experience to the communal level. Mtintzer is probably better known for his political activity and printed works. Central to his thought is the theme that threads itself through all his works - - the corruption that has befallen Christendom. In his opinion, the authority given to princes to rule was
Volume 21, No. 1, February 1995
134
Book Reviews
conditional on punishing the wicked and furthering the interests of the people of God. Here was a platform for resistance and not obedience. Mtintzer seemed to see the sociopolitical transformation that was offered by the Peasants' War as a development consonant with the personal transformation received through reflection on God's revelation. One can understand why Luther referred to M0ntzer as 'the Satan of Allstedt.' To most initial readers of Miintzer, it will be Baylor's inclusion of a selection of Miintzer's letters that will attest to the unique value of this volume. The letters reveal what Miintzer's theology meant in the light of the specific relationships that he had with his contemporaries. His letters reveal that he rejected passive resistance, which actually helped support rulers. The letters inform us that Miintzer was pragmatic and determined to overcome the problems of the revolution. He was not a Utopian dreamer. Miintzer's writing has been controversial and has revolved around the question of whether he is rooted in a formless mystical tradition or whether he is 'doing' theology and synthesising varied streams of the Christian tradition. These selections will allow the reader to develop text-based conclusions. For those interested in expanding their understanding of Miintzer and the Protestant reform movements, Baylor has included a superb bibliography. This work is not just a collection of texts; it offers the reader an opportunity to explore intimately one man's development in the religious explosion of the early sixteenth century. Donald J. Dietrich
Boston College
The Noble Savage: Jean-Jacques Rousseau 1754-1762, Maurice Cranston (Chicago University Press, 1991), xi + 399 pp., $29.95 cloth. Maurice Cranston's The Noble Savage is the second volume in a three volume projected work on the biography of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The first volume, Jean-Jacques: The Early Life and Work, now available in paperback, gives us an image of Rousseau that is allegedly based on the 'facts'. In both volumes, Cranston's biography is not based on 'the din of interpretation, commentary and analysis' but on 'the voices of Rousseau and his contemporaries' (IX) as well as the vast amount of material now catalogued and assembled in libraries and private collections. Indeed the numerous reviews already published on The Noble Savage all seem to agree that Cranston has done an admirable work in painstakingly assembling this vast amount of material in a readable and interesting prose. There were some exciting episodes in Rousseau's life, such as his flight from France to avoid arrest because of his controversial Emile, and, of course, his hobnobbing with the aristocracy and the famous Philosophes is sufficiently unique, in comparison to most people's lives, to give his story an interesting quality; but scholarship and prose aside, what is the essential difference between a biography and a tabloid? They both seem to appeal to the same need for a certain emotional excitement. The point here is not to imply some psychological perversity that gives rise to such a need, bu rather the relevance of exposing a person's life, whether with acceptable scholarly acumen or otherwise, to the reason why he has been singled out for such treatment. To put it into simple, logical terms, Rousseau's life (as a cause) is not sufficient explanation for his philosophical and political ideas - - the only reason for his being singled out. Indeed, one can question whether there is any causal relation at all.
History of European Ideas