# Steven E. Ozment -- A Historian of the Reformation



## Casey (Mar 15, 2008)

Over the summer I read a book by Ozment called _The Age of Reform_. I read it again in January as assigned reading for a class in Reformation Church History. The book was a joy to read, and I particularly liked the first half of the book where he meticulously prepares you for the Reformation and shows the streams of thought that flowed. A great gook.

Another book by Ozment, called _The Reformation in the Cities_, takes a more detailed look at the appeal of the Reformation to the laity. He finds (or translates himself) various documents (such as confessional manuals, etc.) that demonstrate rather clearly what lay piety was like. The Reformers hit a real sore spot for people who wanted to be devout Christians but for whom they had only two real means of expressing that devotion: confession (knowing painful burdens for penance would be put on them) and the Eucharist (which very few laity ever had access to anyway). I give a short summary of Ozment's main arguments with plenty of quotes here:

The Reformation in the Cities by Steven E. Ozment « Paradise Regained

I highly recommend both books!


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## Philip A (Mar 15, 2008)

StaunchPresbyterian said:


> Over the summer I read a book by Ozment called _The Age of Reform_. I read it again in January as assigned reading for a class in Reformation Church History. The book was a joy to read, and I particularly liked the first half of the book where he meticulously prepares you for the Reformation and shows the streams of thought that flowed. A great book.



I'll second that!  I haven't read the second one you mention, but I might have to now.


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## Casey (Mar 17, 2008)

Anyone read any of his other works, such as the following?

Amazon.com: When Fathers Ruled: Family Life in Reformation Europe (Studies in Cultural History): Steven Ozment: Books

Amazon.com: Protestants: The Birth of a Revolution: Steven Ozment: Books

Amazon.com: The Burgermeister's Daughter: Scandal in a Sixteenth-Century German Town: Steven Ozment: Books


(More listed here: Steven Ozment - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Mar 17, 2008)

I have _When Fathers Ruled_. It's good. 

HT: Chris Rhoades

http://www.puritanboard.com/f32/whe...-life-reformation-europe-steven-ozment-14050/


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## Philip A (Mar 18, 2008)

VirginiaHuguenot said:


> I have _When Fathers Ruled_. It's good.



I have it too, though I haven't gotten to it yet.

_The Reformation in the Cities_ arrives tomorrow based on Casey's review.


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## Casey (Mar 18, 2008)

Philip A said:


> _The Reformation in the Cities_ arrives tomorrow based on Casey's review.


Great! Let me know what you think of it after you give it a read.


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