John Knox

About this book

The classic biography of the Scottish Reformer and founder of Scottish Presbyterianism, bringing out the complexities of the man and establishing his significance in the context of the Reformation as a whole. John Knox has suffered in this century from the common trick of the popular imagination that seizes on one aspect of a historical figure and elevates it into the whole man. At one time he was the foremost Scottish genius, but in our day there have been those who would have us believe that he was a ranter, an iconoclast and perhaps a hypocrite. The author of this classic biography has sought to find the truth between these two extremes. He shows us Knox against the disturbed currents of the Continent, where medieval Christendom was at an end and no new order had yet emerged from its chaos of creeds and philosophies. No man could stem these currents, but John Knox in his own country gave them a direction. He became, if not the leader, at least the inciter of a revolution. He set his mark indelibly on history, and not only that of his native land; his influence upon the English court was considerable, but he also became a figure of European significance. "No grander figure can be found, in the entire history of the Reformation in this island, than that of John Knox," wrote the historian Froude. The author provides us with a balanced assessment of the life and times of this remarkable man. (Publisher).