Polemic and Historiography of a Religious Minority Between 1510 and 1712

Religious Minorities: The Waldenses

Sources from 28 libraries in 7 countries completely covering the subject

Title list available at: www.idc.nl/ez/15

Advisor: Dr. Albert de Lange (Karlsruhe) The Waldenses: Precursors to the Reformation? This new installment in IDC’s series on religious minorities features 200 rare books and manuscripts concerning the Waldenses, many of which are the only copies known to have survived. The titles have been brought together from 28 libraries in 7 countries, both in Europe and North America. The series documents the historiography and polemic about the Waldenses between 1510 and 1712. It comprises pamphlets as well as major reference works by such figures as Crespin, Pantaleon, Flacius Illyricus and Bossuet. These works remain essential for historical research on “heretical” movements during the Middle Ages and the Protestant “martyrs” of the 16th century. Other installments in this series will focus on, among others, the Pietists and the Huguenots.

Precursors of the Reformation Nowadays “new” is considered good and “old” obsolete. Values were different in the 16th century, when “antiquity” symbolized truth and goodness, while anything new was suspect. That was why Catholic theologians accused Luther, Zwingli and Calvin of devising a new doctrine and founding new churches. Protestant theologians disagreed, arguing that the aim of the Reformation was to do away with the novelties unrelated to the Bible that popes had introduced over the preceding centuries, such as the doctrines of purgatory, transubstantiation and papal primacy. The Reformation was an effort to restore the “old” doctrine of the “old” church rather than a quest for innovation. As had been the case in the old Apostolic Church, the Bible should once again become the sole standard for the Christian doctrine and way of life. Protestant theologians interpreted “antiquity” as the return to the Bible and the Apostolic Church rather than continuation of the medieval church. They regarded the Middle Ages as a period in which the Catholic Church had suppressed the old Biblical truth and substituted its own novelties. Yet they believed that even in these dark ages God had preserved a “remnant” faithful to the Bible. Such individuals as John Wycliffe, Jan Hus and Savonarola, who were condemned by the Catholic Church as heretics, were considered representatives of this remnant and henceforth counted as “precursors” to the Reformation.

History of the Waldenses In 1556 Flacius Illyricus published his Léger, Jean. Histoire générale... Leyde, 1669. major work Catalogus testium veritatis, in which he paid tribute to the the border between France and Italy. In decided to travel around in poverty as a Waldenses by assigning them an 1532 they joined the Reformation and preacher in 1174. Since the 13th century, honorary position in “the chain of by 1556 were starting to form their own however, the Waldenses themselves witnesses to the truth.” The Waldenses communities after the model of Calvin claimed to have their basis in the were one of the few remaining medieval in Geneva. Historically, the Waldenses apostles. They maintained this stand heretical movements. They had survived originated with Waldo of Lyon, who, after joining the Reformation all persecutions in the Western Alps on following the example of the apostles, movement. Mother Church of the Reformation “de-mythologized” the Waldenses by This series features a unique collection Flacius Illyricus remained sceptical presenting sources linking the of rare books and pamphlets, many of about this legend. In the 17th century, Waldenses to Waldo and refuting any which are the only copies known to however, many Reformed, Lutheran and ties to the apostles. In addition, it is exist. They have been collected from 28 Anglican theologians believed the demonstrated in modern historiography libraries, though the majority was reports in the Waldensian that the Waldenses abandoned virtually filmed at the library of the Società di historiographies that this group dated all their medieval traditions upon Studi Valdesi in Torre Pellice and the back to the apostles and regarded the joining the Reformation and therefore Biblioteca Reale in Turin. The first-time adherence of the Waldenses to the can not be considered as Protestants availability of these scattered sources in Reformation as proof that Protestantism avant la lettre. Nonetheless, the one collection makes it of tremendous had truly restored the “old” doctrine and Waldenses retained a special value for the study of the Waldenses, church. Henceforth, the Waldensian significance in Protestant circles. They the early modern period and the history Church came to be regarded as “the continue to be regarded as “precursors” of the book. The series comprises some mother Church of the Reformation” to the Reformation, and some churches major reference works by Jean Crespin, (mater Reformationis). This view in North America, such as the Baptists John Foxe, Heinrich Pantaleon, became so widespread that the and the Adventists, even claim to be Matthias Flacius Illyricus and Jean- Waldenses consistently received rooted in the medieval Waldenses. Bénigne Bossuet, which remain political and financial support from essential for historical research on Protestants throughout Europe This collection “heretical” movements during the whenever they were persecuted. This series documents the Middle Ages and the Protestant historiography and polemic about the “martyrs” of the 16th century. Modern historiography Waldenses between 1510 and 1712 and I would like to thank Daniele Tron of Catholic theologians, on the other hand, reveals how prominently the Waldenses the Società di Studi Valdesi at Torre had by the Middle Ages already figured in the debate over whether the Pellice for his indefatigable help and challenged the view that the Waldenses Reformation churches were old or new. encouragement. Also, I gratefully had their basis in the apostles. This Accordingly, it is worthwhile both for acknowledge my debt to all libraries polemic climaxed with Bossuet’s historical research on the identity and private persons that have Histoire des variations published in building of the Reformation and for the cooperated in this project. 1688. The modern historiography of the very current question as to the raison th th d’être of Protestant churches today. 19 and 20 centuries has definitively Dr. Albert de Lange, Karlsruhe

General Information Title List Scope 200 titles The title list can be downloaded Number of fiche 490 from www.idc.nl/ez/15 If you prefer a printed title list, Size of fiche 105 x 148 mm. please contact us at [email protected] Film type Positive silver halide Reduction ratio Varies depending on the size of the original Internal Eye-legible headers on every fiche indicating the author, finding aids abbreviated title, place and date of printing of each item External Bibliographic records for all titles ordered are supplied finding aids in MARC21 format with the microfiches Online Waldensian Bibliography All titles in this collection will be included in a new online Waldensian bibliography at www.bibliografia-valdese.com. This bibliography is a joint project of the Centro Culturale Valdese in Torre Pellice, the Società di Studi Valdesi in Torre Pellice and the Johannes a Lasco Bibliothek in Emden. Editor of the bibliography is Dr. Albert de Lange.

Religious Minorities This collection is part of a series on Religious Minorities. The series focuses on jewish, christian and moslim minorities. Other parts include The Anabaptist, Mennonite and Spiritualist Reformation, The People called Methodists and Old Believers. Forthcoming parts will focus on the Pietists, the Huguenots, the Karaits and Wahhabi islam.

For more information and package deals please contact IDC Publishers at [email protected]. The barbarous & inhumane proceedings… London, 1655. The works in this collection have been brought together from 28 libraries in 7 countries

Italy Biblioteca della Società di Studi Valdesi, Torre Pellice Related Collection Biblioteca Reale, Turin Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Milan Waldensian Manuscripts at Trinity College, Dublin Switzerland Apart from this collection of printed works on the Bibliothèque publique et universitaire, Geneva Waldenses, IDC also offers a collection of Musée historique de la Réformation, Geneva Waldensian manuscripts from Trinity College, Zentralbibliothek Zürich, Zurich Dublin. This collection was originally published by World Microfilms Publications in London. France Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris The conversion of the original film to fiche has Bibliothèque municipale de Lyon, Lyon greatly improved the readability of the manuscripts, Bibliothèque municipale d’étude et d’information, Grenoble since each individual manuscript was given the Bibliothèque municipales de Chambéry, Médiathèque Jean-Jacques optimal exposure. Access to the manuscripts was Rousseau, Chambéry further enhanced by providing MARC21 catalog records to the collection. England The Waldensian manuscripts at Trinity College date The British Library, London from the 15th to the 17th century. They include The Bodleian Library, Oxford poems, sermons and tracts, as well as a Waldensian Cambridge University Library, Cambridge Bible. Other documents deal with the examination and sentencing of Waldensian “heretics”. The The Netherlands manuscripts are described in T.K. Abbott’s Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The Hague Catalogue of the Manuscripts in the Library of Bibliotheek der Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Groningen Trinity College, Dublin, p. 38-40 (ms. 258-269). Universiteitsbibliotheek Amsterdam, Amsterdam Universiteitsbibliotheek Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam A title list can be downloaded from www.idc.nl. Universiteitsbibliotheek Leiden, Leiden If you prefer a printed title list, please contact us at Universiteitsbibliotheek Utrecht, Utrecht [email protected]. Netherlands Institute for Scientific Information Services, Amsterdam General Information Germany Scope 11 titles Universitätsbibliothek Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Sachsen-Anhalt, Halle Number of fiche 67 Waldensermuseum “Henri-Arnaud-Haus”, Ötisheim-Schönenberg Film type positive silver halide United States Internal Eye-legible headers on every The Huntington Library, San Marino, CA finding aids fiche indicating the title and date The Newberry Library, Chicago, IL of each item Princeton University Library, Princeton, NJ External Bibliographic records for all titles Two private collections finding aids ordered are supplied in MARC21 format

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