History of the Polish Reformation

Stanislas Lubieniecki's History, composed in the middle of the seventeenth century, remains the most comprehensive account of the people and events of the period. Written after the Polish Brethren and Sisters were exiled, his History uniquely captures "from the egg" the century of theological speculation, ethnic and political ferment, and international strife that culminated in the banishment of the Polish Brethren from their homeland in 1660. Beneath the tumult and intrigue, Lubieniecki (d. 1675) also conveys one movement's ardent and prolonged search for a pure and simple life of gospel values, an intellectual honesty that did not flinch from the doctrinal consequences, and authentic community that freely and openly debated religious matters. Capping a quarter century of work in these primary sources, renowned Reformation historian George Huntston Williams has made Lubieniecki's History the centerpiece of this treasury from that period. Williams's translations from Latin and Polish, extensive Introduction, and magisterial annotations to the History and related documents, with maps, nearly 300 illustrations and full commentaries on them, constitute a lavish and authoritative resource for interpreting this important but often neglected stage in European religious history.