William J. Bouwsma (1923–2004)
Author of John Calvin A Sixteenth Century Portrait
About the Author
William J. Bouwsma was Sather Professor of History at the University of California, Berkeley.
Works by William J. Bouwsma
Associated Works
The New History: The 1980s and Beyond (Studies in Interdisciplinary History) (1983) — Contributor — 17 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Bouwsma, William J.
- Legal name
- Bouwsma, William James
- Birthdate
- 1923-11-22
- Date of death
- 2004-03-02
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Harvard University (BA|1943|PhD|1950)
- Occupations
- historian
professor emeritus - Organizations
- University of California, Berkeley
Harvard University
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
American Historical Association (President, 1978)
United States Army Air Forces (WWII) - Awards and honors
- American Philosophical Society (1981)
American Academy of Arts & Sciences (1971)
Nancy Lyman Roelker Mentorship Award (1992) - Short biography
- William James Bouwsma (November 22, 1923–March 2, 2004) was an American scholar and historian of the European Renaissance. He was Sather Professor of History Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley.
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Place of death
- Berkeley, California, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Reviews
The really isn't a biography of Calvin so much as it is an analysis of his religious creed, with particular attention to 16th century "anxiety" and its personal effect on Calvin's religious beliefs. The book's emphasis is strongly theological, with minimal attention to Calvin's biography and even less attention to the historical setting within Reformation Europe and in Geneva itself. I would have liked to have seen more on the relationships between Calvin and Luther, Melancthon, and Zwingli show more among others; on Calvin's role in the martyrdom of Michael Servetus; and on the historical and cultural setting within Geneva. Additionally, this is definitely not a "beginner's book" and presupposes a greater familiarity with the Institutes, Commentaries, and other writings than the casual reader will be likely to have. On the plus side, though, it has encouraged me to download an inexpensive translation of the Institutes for Kindle browsing. show less
Not even Prof. Bouwsma could make the life of John Calvin interesting! Here is a figure of undoubted historical importance, yet I've never been able to find anything that makes him accessible as a human being. Why is that? I suppose he might say that it doesn't matter.
The Waning of the Renaissance, 1550-1640 (Yale Intellectual History of the West Se) by William J. Bouwsma
100 pages in and just wasn’t that into it. There are better books on the topic
Lists
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 13
- Also by
- 1
- Members
- 686
- Popularity
- #36,874
- Rating
- 3.3
- Reviews
- 5
- ISBNs
- 18
- Languages
- 3