The focus of this book is the nature of religious change over more than two centuries, here examined in tribute to John McManners on his eightieth birthday. Ranging across Europe (with a particular emphasis on France and Britain), chapters survey individual responses to crises in the religious life of the state, discuss contacts between communions, note changing patterns of worship and devotions, and explore the ways in which religion (and the lessons of the past) can offer help or consolation in the conduct of life. Some contributors deal with the close, often tense, links between religion, c ... More

The focus of this book is the nature of religious change over more than two centuries, here examined in tribute to John McManners on his eightieth birthday. Ranging across Europe (with a particular emphasis on France and Britain), chapters survey individual responses to crises in the religious life of the state, discuss contacts between communions, note changing patterns of worship and devotions, and explore the ways in which religion (and the lessons of the past) can offer help or consolation in the conduct of life. Some contributors deal with the close, often tense, links between religion, churchmen, and the formation and evolving character of the state; others consider the survival and adaptability of minority groups such as 18th-century monks, or British Jews, in response to external considerations. In all of the chapters, the interaction of private and public life is a strong feature, a reflection of its own importance in Professor McManners' own writings.