The Catholic Priesthood and the English Reformation [Hardcover]

The religious changes of Henry VIII and Edward VI had a profound effect upon the clergy of the English church, raising questions as to its status, jurisdiction, and proper place in the divine scheme of salvation. This is the first full examination of the cumulative impact of these changes upon the relationship between priests in the parishes and the lay men and women who depended upon them for spiritual nourishment and religious instruction, and who frequently found them wanting in these and other respects. It provides a perceptive exploration of the role of the Catholic priesthood in the church and in the life of the community. Using a wide range of contemporary sources, Marshall demonstrates how the practical consequences of the Reformation undermined the fragilemodus vivendithat had sustained the late medieval system.

Marshall deftly steers the reader through a wide range of sources....We emerge with an enlarged perception of prevailing platitudes as well as changing attitudes. --Times Literary Supplement

[A] number of provocative and exciting insights and...has added a great deal of texture to our knowledge of the clergy and the laity in the sixteenth century. --American Historical Review

Marshall's work on the Catholic priesthood is a major contribution to revisionist historical literature on the English Reformation. --Church History

Marshall's interesting and well-documented study enhances our knowledge of lay attitudes... --Albion

An original and richly detailed study of the parochial priesthood in the English church... --Religious Studies Review