Abstract

This collection of papers written in the last 30 years illustrates Bainton's rare combination of detailed scholarship and witty, urbane style. Although the level of generality is uneven, with an essay on the origin of date for Epiphany following a study of the ideas of history in Patristic Christianity, certain common themes unify the collection: philosophy of history, attitudes toward scholarship, the interplay of secular, moral, and pious interests, and the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance and Reformation. The title is a bit misleading, since only four of the essays treat periods prior to the late Middle Ages and Renaissance. A selected bibliography of Bainton's works is included.--R. C. N.