Francesco Quatrini – författare

This interdisciplinary edited collection reconsiders how sacrificial ideas – encompassing guilt, justice, punishment, atonement, and community formation – shaped debates over sovereignty, legal authority, religious identity, and the cultural imagination in early modern political theology.Major works in Reformation and early modern historiography still tend to overlook how deeply intertwined religion, politics, and literary culture were in this period, often framing secular modernity as the product of a steady cultural break from religion. These essays juxtapose early modern understandings of sacrifice and sovereignty with modern debates, revealing how foundational the category of sacrifice was to both religious and political discourse. From conflicts between Catholics and Protestants to the contested meanings of martyrdom, from legal and inquisitorial texts to travel narratives, poetry, and drama, this volume traces how sacrificial language structured early modern visions of collective life. Engaging a wide range of confessions and traditions – magisterial, dissenting, and non-Christian alike – it offers a fresh perspective on the formation of early modern communities and reopens the question of how religion and literature contributed to the making of modernity, challenging familiar stories of secularization.This book will be of interest to intellectual historians and literary scholars, particularly those studying the interrelations between early modern religion and politics.

An innovative and groundbreaking study into women’s contribution to the development of religious, metaphysical, and political concepts in early modern Europe.By examining the engagement of women in both the daily practice of religion, and theological and political discussions following the Reformation, this collection expands our understanding of women’s position in post-Reformation churches and their participation in theological debates.What role did women play in these congregations and what social interactions did they have with each other and their male fellows? What literary genres did they choose to convey new ideas and new approaches to religion and society? Did religious authorities use universal strategies when dealing with religious dissent, or was there a gendered bias towards dissenting women? A team of scholars from philosophy, early modern studies, intellectual history and theology address these questions and more, providing a multidisciplinary exploration of women’s active participation in religious communities. Focusing on their contribution to foundational Enlightenment concepts, they shed light on the development of democracy, egalitarianism, freedom of conscience and of expression, and tolerant co-existence.Covering countries such as Britain, the Netherlands, France, and Italy between 1500 and 1700, this is a much-needed comparative overview. We see how a different approach to the history of European women and their religious engagement can challenge the accepted view of an avowedly secular Enlightenment.

In Adam Boreel (1602-1665): A Collegiant’s Attempt to Reform Christianity, Francesco Quatrini offers a reassessment of the life and thought of Adam Boreel, a leading member of the Dutch nonconformist Collegiant movement. Usually regarded as a less important member of this religious group, Boreel is described as a forerunner whose ideas influenced later Collegiants.Drawing on both archival and published sources, Francesco Quatrini provides the first modern biography of Boreel as well as a critical analysis of his writings. He corrects misconceptions about Boreel, who appears here as an intriguing figure who drew his views from several different sources. In this way, Francesco Quatrini revealed that Boreel was a major leader in the era’s intellectual discourse.