Religion and Nationality in Europe

Throughout European history, the relationship between religion and nationality has been varied and complex. Numerous times religion has been a bearer of national traditions and a nation has been a bearer of religious traditions, as can be seen in the Church’s conciliarism and the use of the Biblical image of Israel in Christian Hebraism. However, there have also existed sharp tensions between religion and nationality, as can be seen in how the New Testament has been understood and in Canon law. These variations must be accounted for. Why and how has religion both contributed to the consolidation and continued existence of a nation, and been disruptive of that consolidation and continued existence? When pursuing answers posed by these questions, a more accurate understanding of culture, religion, and nationality will be necessary by taking into account the distinction between unity and uniformity.

Introduction

After a short preface defining the geographical and temporal boundaries and terminology of this monograph, the introduction sketches the history of biblical scholarship in Western Europe from Valla to Scaliger. This Introduction shows that biblical scholarship reached an advanced level of sophistication in the course of the sixteenth century, stimulated by the rise of Christian Hebraism. Both Catholic and Protestant parties used philology to buttress their own religious arguments and interpretations of history, although some of the new evidence begged for negotiation before it could be suitable for their confessional identities. The rise of biblical philology posed challenges to religion that were similar to those caused by developments in philosophy and the natural sciences.