352 Pages
by
Routledge
352 Pages
by
Routledge
Also available as eBook on:
Despite the importance of the subject to contemporaries, this is the first monograph to look at the institution of godparenthood in early modern English society. Utilising a wealth of hitherto largely neglected primary source data, this work explores godparenthood, using it as a framework to illuminate wider issues of spiritual kinship and theological change. It has become increasingly common... Read more
Contents: Preface; Introduction; The Context of Spiritual Kinship: The Sources; Baptism and the spiritual community; The concept of spiritual kinship; Spiritual Kinship and Local Society: Local society: three case studies; The structure of spiritual kinship; English naming systems; Diversity and Social Change: The roles of spiritual kin; Determinants of spiritual relationships; The fortunes of a social institution; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.
Biography
Will Coster
'[This] thoughtful book is a worthy addition to a distinguished series.' Northern History 'Charting the changes in the perception of spiritual kinship in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, this volume makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the processes of religious change, and the impact that the Reformation had upon religious practice.' History '... by the end of the book we are convinced that the significance of spiritual relationships may have been greater than historians have imagined. It is the organic quality of this book - melding social, economic, religious and political facets of the institution that has allowed Coster to achieve so much. The result is the standard work on early modern English godparenthood.' Parergon 'This monograph on the institution of godparenthood is a carefully researched and impressively detailed piece of social history... The detail and precision of Coster's work, and the thoughtfulness of his interpretation, will make it a reference point on this topic for decades to come.' Reformation
