From Icons to Idols

The debate over religious images was fundamental to the development of the Reformation. Even before the Reformation, iconoclasm and the critique of image devotion were marks of religious radicalism. Protestant reformers embraced iconoclasm as a means of condemning Catholic corruption and illustrating their war against idolatry. From Icons to Idols provides an accessible, important edition of primary sources on this critical aspect of the Reformation in England. The documents in this collection track the image debate across the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, highlighting the complexities and diversity of arguments and positions held by both Protestants and Catholics. The documents also demonstrate the variety of individuals who engaged in the debate over images. Included here are bishops and theologians, printers and inquisitors, cardinals and artists, suggesting that the question of idolatry was no mere academic exercise.