Susquehanna University Press

Pierre Bayle, (d.1706), author of the Critical and Historical Dictionary, was an important French philosopher, literary critic, and historian. He was committed to the Calvinist Reformed faith and suffered as a Huguenot refugee. Although Bayle is most often known as an advocate of universal religious toleration, in this book Tinsley emphasizes his contributions to the interpretation of the Reformation era. Based on numerous articles throughout the Dictionary, Tinsley (visiting scholar in history, Stanford Univ.) explores Bayle's understanding of 13 significant Reformation figures. Most major reformers are included (Erasmus, Luther, Calvin, Loyola), as are several radical reformers (Spiritualists and Antitrinitarians). Bayle is shown to be a diligent historian who was eager to set the record straight. Rather than extolling the Protestant Reformation as a glorious breakthrough, Bayle more often lamented the intolerance and persecution that resulted. This book is most appropriate for scholars and graduate students; it will not easily be understood unless readers are already familiar with 16th-and 17th-century European intellectual history. The book also suffers from jumbled organization in several chapters. However, it is packed with interesting information and offers valuable insight into the early Enlightenment and its understanding of history. -G.J. Miller, Malone College

CHOICE February, 2002 <Top>

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