The Catholic Enlightenment

Ulrich L. Lehner's recent work has forged a new field of historical scholarship on the significant but forgotten role Catholics played in advancing the goals of the Enlightenment. ... Lehner has uncovered a fresh picture of the Catholic past that calls seriously into question any view of Catholics as straightforwardly anti-Enlightenment. He has also shown the common view of the Enlightenment as an anti-religious movement to be largely false. Lehner's excellent work brings into view paths not taken, insights obscured or forgotten by history, and possibilities still latent for religion in contemporary life. * American Catholic Studies *
Lehner undoubtedly makes an outstanding, original, and persuasive contribution to Enlightenment studies and to Catholic history. He has contributed significantly to the historiography of the "many Enlightenments" and makes a strong case for repudiation of the false but enduring myth that Enlightenment ideas and Catholicism were and are necessarily at odds. * Journal of Church and State *
For those who continue to see modernity fundamentally in tension with traditional Catholicism, Lehner's narrative will be difficult to stomach ... The Catholic Enlightenment's impartiality remains its greatest strength. Lehner attempts to stand above much of the historiographical in-fighting that has marked Enlightenment studies in the twenty-first century. The benefit is a measured book that, when it reaches paperback, will be a standard for courses on the history of Catholicism, and the Enlightenment. * Grant Kaplan, Modern Theology *
This is an important book that should be read not just by historians of Catholicism and the eighteenth century but also by journalists and pundits wanting to understand the Catholic Church...Without doubt, Lehner's ground-breaking book is essential reading for everyone studying the Enlightenment. It should not be sidelined merely as a history of one religious response to the Enlightenment, but rather received as a hugely significant contribution to our understanding of the history of ideas. * Francis Young, British Catholic History *
Lehner's spirited and engaging prose in the pages of his thematic tour de force through eighteenth century styles of Enlightenment Catholicism has accomplished something that is long overdue, very important, and admirable in its intent...[His] insights and very readable approach to the topic promises to engender spirited debate and fascinating scholarship about a topic that has been until quite recently, if not precisely "forgotten," then certainly under-appreciated and woefully under-examined by students of the eighteenth century. * Jeffrey D. Burson, Journal of Jesuit Studies *
Lehner's book is full of new and interesting insights, and proves a provocative and engaging read * Robin Mills, Global Intellectual History *
A masterful reinterpretation of the relationship between Roman Catholicism and the Enlightenment. * H-Net *
Excellent â With a sure-handed mastery of both primary and secondary literature, Lehner provides a generous survey of Roman Catholic contributions to the development of genuinely 'modern' values. * Journal of the American Academy of Religion *
Ulrich L. Lehner is the leading scholar of the Catholic Enlightenment: he knows more about it, and has done more to make it accessible, than anyone else. His brief survey, The Catholic Enlightenment: The Forgotten History of a Global Movement, is a pioneering survey that everyone interested in religion in the modern world should study and savor. * David Sorkin, author of The Religious Enlightenment: Protestants, Jews, and Catholics from London to Vienna *
This book synthesizes an extraordinary range of material with eye-opening implications for our understanding of both the European Enlightenment and modern Roman Catholicism. Lehner shows multiple ways in which the robust, global Catholic Enlightenment continued trajectories developed in the sixteenth-century Catholic Reformation. He also makes a strong case for the abiding relevance of the Catholic Enlightenment today. An outstanding achievement and a must-read for both scholars and students. * Brad Gregory, Dorothy G. Griffin Professor of Early Modern European History, University of Notre Dame *
Upending conventional wisdom, Ulrich L. Lehner persuasively demonstrates that normal oppositions, conservative versus progressive, Enlightener versus Catholic, modern versus traditional are unhelpful in coming to grips with the fascinating history of Catholic engagements with the Enlightenment. His beautiful prose and captivating historical narrations are as enjoyable to read as they are profound. The Catholic Enlightenment deserves to be well read and discussed not only by historians and theologians, but also by anyone seeking to come to grips with our moment in history and Catholicism's rich contributions to it. This work will make you rethink what you thought you knew. * D. Stephen Long, Cary M. Maguire University Professor in Ethics, Southern Methodist University *
This well-researched and intelligently written book, which may be enjoyed by experienced scholars in the field, as well as non-experts thanks to its accessible style, sheds new light on the development of Catholic scholarship, philosophy, and theology in the Age of Enlightenment. * Diego Lucci, Intellectual History Review *
This is an important book that should be read not just by historians of Catholicism and the eighteenth century but also by journalists and pundits wanting to understand the Catholic Church. * Francis Young, British Catholic History *
Aside from its compelling conclusion, The Catholic Enlightenment's impartiality remains its greatest strength. Lehner attempts to stand above much of the historiographical in-fighting that has marked Enlightenment studies in the twenty-first century. The benefit is a measured book that, when it reaches paperback, will be a standard for courses on the history of Catholicism, and the Enlightenment... it is a book that deserves the strong readership that it will no doubt receive. * Grant Kaplan, Modern Theology *