Post-Medieval Preachers cover

Post-Medieval Preachers

Rating 3.5
Word count
397K words
Chapters
40

Tags

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today. Post-Mediæval Preachers by S. Baring-Gould. Author: Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine), 1834-1924. Language: English. Class: BV: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Christianity: Practical theology, Worship. Release Date: Nov 17, 2017

Editor's review

This book is Baring-Gould's survey of post-medieval English sermons and preachers, falling within the field of practical religion and preaching history. Taking individual figures as its thread, the author assesses the style, theological stance, and historical setting of preachers across different periods, in prose marked by the erudition and judgment of a Victorian scholar. For readers studying English religious history, preaching rhetoric, and church life, it offers relatively primary source leads and a genealogy of figures rather than a systematic theoretical work. It is best read as a collection of historical essays: begin with the introductory chapters to grasp the overall outline, then read individual preachers as interest dictates, taking care to distinguish the author's evaluations from historical fact. This public-domain electronic edition is suitable as a course supplement or reference for specialized research, and for casual reading by anyone interested in sermon literature.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • Scholars and students of English religious and church history
  • Readers interested in sermons, preaching rhetoric, and religious literature
  • Instructors seeking public-domain English historical sources for themed reading

Not a good fit for

  • Readers expecting systematic theology or a modern preaching guide
  • General readers seeking light stories with no interest in religious history

Reading tips

  1. Read the table of contents and preface first to understand the arrangement of figures and the period covered.
  2. Read by figure or theme, noting after each chapter the author's judgments and source leads.
  3. Read alongside a general history of English religion to avoid understanding preachers in isolation.
  4. The English original can be read slowly with notes; look up unfamiliar proper names before continuing.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39
  40. 40

FAQ

Is this book a systematic history of preaching?
No. It is closer to a collection of critical essays organized by preacher, arranged by figure and period and carrying the author's personal judgments. It is best used as source leads and themed reference, not as a systematic textbook of preaching history.
Can I read it without a theology background?
Yes, but it takes some patience. The book involves church tradition, theological positions, and historical figures; without background, one may grasp only the evaluations and miss the overall thread. It is advisable to acquire some basic knowledge of English religious history first.
What should I keep in mind when reading the electronic edition?
This is a public-domain e-book with text-based formatting and may contain old spellings and variant forms of names. Use the table of contents to navigate, look up unfamiliar proper names first, and do not feel obliged to read straight through page by page.

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About the author

S. Baring-Gould (Sabine Baring-Gould, 1834–1924) was a prolific British author, with 49 of his works held in this collection. Public information about him is limited, but his writing interests clearly centered on religion, history, folklore, and local topography. His representative works include the multi-volume The Lives of the Saints, which presents saints' lives month by month; Curious Myths of the Middle Ages and A Book of Ghosts, which reveal his fondness for legend and the supernatural; and Strange Survivals, which explores ancient customs surviving in human history. He also wrote A History of Sarawak under Its Two White Rajahs 1839–1908, the travel book In Troubadour-Land on Provence and Languedoc, and Conscience and Sin, a Lenten devotional. His style combines erudition with accessibility, weaving historical sources, legends, and travel observations into highly readable narratives.