Synopses & Reviews
The mid-seventeenth century saw both the expansion of the Baptist sect and the rise and growth of Quakerism. At first, the Quaker movement attracted some Baptist converts, but relations between the two groups soon grew hostile. Public disputes broke out and each group denounced the other in polemical tracts. Nevertheless in this book, Underwood contends that Quakers and Baptists had much in common with each other, as well as with the broader Puritan and Nonconformist tradition. By examining the Quaker/Baptist relationship in particular, Underwood seeks to understand where and why Quaker views diverged from English Protestantism in general and, in the process, to clarify early Quaker beliefs.
Review
"If significant books are those which rearrange our perception of some important matter of inquiry, then this is a significant book....Underwood's meticulously researched and carefully argued monograph is a major contribution to our understanding of radical religion in seventeenth-century England."--Church History
"The book makes a distinct contribution to our understanding of Puritan dissent and will be found useful by a broad range of readers."--Journal of Religion
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 167-181) and index.