Religious Transformations in New Communities of Interpretation in Europe (1350–1570): Bridging the Historiographical Divides ed. by Élise Boillet, and Ian Johnson (review)

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• Religious Transformations in New Communities of Interpretation in Europe (1350–1570): Bridging the Historiographical Divides ed. by Élise Boillet, and Ian Johnson
• Grace May Howe

Boillet, Élise, and Ian Johnson, eds, Religious Transformations in New Communities of Interpretation in Europe (1350–1570): Bridging the Historiographical Divides ( New Communities of Interpretation, 3), Turnhout, Brepols, 2023; hardback; pp. 275; R.R.P. €85.00; ISBN 9782503601779.

This book, jointly edited by Élise Boillet and Ian Johnson, comprises eleven essays examining various religious transformations over Europe's long fifteenth century (1350–1570). In the 'Introduction', Johnson observes that medieval and early modern scholars, most especially scholars of religious history, often find their respective fields of research divided by the jubilee year of 1500. The purpose of this collection is to reassess this historiographical fracture. Indeed, while this turn of the century has traditionally been described as one of sharp rifts and discontinuity, each contributor uncovers abundant evidence of continuum: 'familiar yet strange composites of continuity and transformation' (p. 19). Johnson proposes that such familiar echoes present throughout the long fifteenth century require the period to be 're-understood as junctures, joins, and meeting points' (p. 19). This observation highlights the need for (and value of) ongoing collaborative engagement between scholars of the medieval and early modern world. [End Page 306]

The collection opens with Mareen Cré's fascinating examination of Gertrude More's contemplative work, Confessiones Amantis. Gertrude, an ardent recusant and great-great-granddaughter of Sir Thomas More, crossed the Channel to help establish an English Benedictine monastery in Cambrai. Cré highlights that the very existence of religious communities like that of Cambrai was one way that devout English recusants sustained the memory of a pre-Reformation Catholic Europe. Indeed, having gained complete freedom to perform the religious offices of the medieval church, More and her sisters in religion became extensions of it and ensured its survival for future generations (p. 22). More's transition to monastic life was not seamless. The newly professed nun struggled to observe the Ignatian prayer method adopted by her convent. She struggled too with her monastery's confessor, Augustine Baker. But it was through Baker that More was introduced to the works of Constantin de Barbanson, whose contemplative writings provided not only a source of spiritual consolation and encouragement to the disconsolate nun but also prompted her to embark on her own literary pursuits (p. 22). The Confessiones Amantis is one example, comprising fifty confessions with topics ranging from her sinful struggles as a young novice to her gratitude for Baker's spiritual counsel. Just as her monastic vocation situated More in a rich tradition of medieval Catholic piety, so too would her literary writings. Alongside that of St Augustine's Confessions, More's devotional writings took inspiration from famed medieval mystics such as Julian of Norwich (p. 36). Cré's essay makes a convincing argument, providing countless examples where Confessiones Amantis can be seen to appropriate Julian's A Revelation. And in doing so, Cré contends that More helped 'bridge a historical divide' for both her and her sisters in religion, enabling them to live out an 'enclosed spirituality continuous with medieval traditions' (p. 26).

Daniela Solfaroli Camillocci, meanwhile, examines how Catholic popular piety and devotion suffered criticism and censorship in French propaganda. This essay uses the reformist works of Pierre Viret as its case study. It begins by outlining the Lausanne reformers' scathing textual attacks against the Catholic worship of the mother of God. In one such attack, Viret drew comparisons between praying the rosary and witchcraft and referred to the Hail Mary as food poisoned by Satan's henchmen (pp. 75–76). However, Camillocci notes that despite Viret's more zealous condemnations of what he perceived to be cultish veneration of the Virgin Mary, his later writings reveal a greater lean towards finding accord with the sustained popularity of traditional Marian devotion. Camillocci observes that this softer and more moderate approach was in all likelihood prompted by concerns surrounding the honour and dignity owed to Mary's special status as the mother of Christ—not to mention the fear concerning how demoting her might pose theological implications amongst the more evangelical...