One reviewer of this book was confused in thinking that he or she would find an extensive bibliography and that there would be an objective view of the martyrs and the Catholics. Evidently that reviewer did not realize that this text was written during the Protestant Reformation from first hand accounts and that any accounts of martyrs being told will have some degree of subjectivity especially if the accounts are being written at a time of persecution when hundreds of Protestants were being tortured and burned at the stake. The Catholic Church at that time would of course have a bad reputation and might be thought of as not Christian. An historical understanding of the period would be very helpful to the reader and especially that reviewer.

Long live the Reformation! Thank you, Mr. Foxe.

Not exactly for the weak constitution, the audio version of Foxe is quite good. It is obviously trimmed back from the written version, but still contains the mainstream content (all of the most important martyrs are present). Foxe, a significant figure in the Protestant Reformation, was an eye witness to many Christians being killed for their faith (both Protestant and Catholic). This persecution lead him to delve into other persecutions throughout the Church's history with the result being this book. The audio is read by a woman (unknown) who has a clear speaking voice and comes across without boring the listener. Well worth the purchase price. Run Time: 90 minutes.

. . but the anti-Catholic polemicists will ignore such proper scholarship.

As a non-Roman Catholic historian and theologian, I have seen far too many Protestant "apologists" (read, anti-Catholics) use Foxe's Book of Martyrs as a condemnation of 2000 years of Catholicism, or as a support for the Protestant Reformation, or any number of off-track purposes. This is not fair to either history, or Catholicism.

The Reformation in England was a bloody time. No reputable historian would doubt it. Foxe presents a tiny snapshot (more or less a decade) in which the Catholics (under the aptly named "Bloody" Mary I) executed a number of leading Protestant theologians and clergymen. This much is history. Incorporated with the history are the personal polemics of Foxe, which have little or nothing to do with the history of the times.

It's interesting to note that the Catholics could just as easily present their own book of martyrs, taken from pretty much the same time period, in order to justify denouncing Protestants! Henry VIII was just as unpleasant to Catholics as his daughter was to Protestants! And Elizabeth I executed as many Catholics as Mary I did Protestants.

None of this is intended to justify violence in the Name of God -- such is reprehensible no matter who participates in it. But both Catholics and Protestants have dirty hands, and finger pointing serves no purpose.

Consider this book in its context, but don't try to draw modern polemic conclusions from it.

Sometimes the truth hurts. Religious persecution has come in many forms all throughout history. Neither the Catholics nor the Protestants are completely innocent of spilling the blood of the faithful. The difficulty lies in trying to place the blame on genuine Christianity, which cannot be done. The 'faithful few' Christ has chosen throughout history (because of their obedience to the faith!) have always been the persecuted, despised and forsaken. It's only been since modern times that satan has been able to pass off his counterfeit version of Christianity as the truth to most who profess to believe.
Anyone who would involved themselves in the trial and death of their fellow human being for 'religious' reasons, is certainly NOT a true Christian. 1John3:15 makes perfectly clear that 'no murderer' has eternal life abiding in him!
For the true Christians the weapons of warfare are NOT carnal, but spiritual for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. (2Cor10:5) Opposing the forces of evil in such manner brings persecution and often death, but such is the price of holding forth the words of life as you will see from the faithful first century Martyrs who gave their lives for the truth.
One discrepancy I discovered is the author's information about John Calvin and the Geneva Council who ordered the execution of the Spanish Physician Michael Servetus in 1553. He holds Calvin innocent of the death of Servetus, claiming that he made numerous attempts to have his life spared (if he would recant) and finally succumbed to the overwhelming desire of the Council to burn Servetus. This is a distortion of the facts. Calvin was zealous for the death of Servetus and others who opposed his view of theology and penned in his own hand years after the horrible execution his 'approval' of such acts against all 'heretics!' Congratulating himself for 'having purged the Church of so pernicious a monster!' (quoted from a letter written by Calvin in 1562, out of 'History of the Christian Church' VolIII pp690, 691)
Although many today remain deceived as to the true nature of John Calvin this information is contained in many books and reference material. Why Fox mis-represented it I know not, but the fact remains. Calvin was among the blood letting heretics of the Middle Ages and his so-called theology is a product of the devil. Beware of men who continue to esteem his works as a great contribution to Christianity.
Otherwise this book remains a fascinating read about the trials and tribulations of true Christians who sealed their testimony in their own blood. May we NEVER Deny Him when thrown into the furnace of affliction.

This book is a must for anyone who is interested in the history of God's people and their incredible faith in the face of unimaginable persecution. After you've read the book, you'll understand Revelation 17 and exactly who "the woman" is. Not a pleasant read, but a valuable one if you cherish your faith and the truth!

This book is to Foxe's original work as a pocket dictionary is to a full size, complete Webster's (the kind that requires a stand).

Foxe's original work is nearly 7.000 pages in eight volumes! But the really sad thing is that this particular edition has been so carelessly edited, rewritten, and corrupted. There is even a chapter about John Calvin, whom FOXE NEVER WROTE ABOUT!

All the Catholic/Protestant quibbling about Foxe's book is pathetically stupid, especially between people who've never even laid eyes upon the complete work. Besides, the REAL church was started over two hundred fifty years before Rome laid claim to Christianity -- and the first Christian church building was erected in England within three years of the crucifixion. So true Christianity is neither Catholic (never was) NOR Protestant (having never been Catholic, there was nothing for REAL Christians to protest except the way they were treated by both groups).

The truth is that Foxe accurately chronicled Roman Catholic atrocities of his time, but he also wrote in support of the Reformed (Protestant) church which used very similar tactics. He also reached some incorrect conclusions, for which he can easily be forgiven, since they are not central to his work and he did not have the research tools we have available today.

But the real point is that THIS BOOK IS NOT FOXE'S WORK and bears almost no resemblance to it. If you are interested in obtaining a a reprint of the REAL Foxe work, contact swrb(dot)com on the world wide web -- select "Rare Bound Photocopies" then look under "F" for Foxe's work. I am not necessarily endorsing any of the other works they sell, but they are the only current source I know for the complete Foxe work.

Any Christian foolish enough to think they've read "Foxe's Book of Martyrs" after reading the Thomas Nelson edition (or most other "modern" versions) is probably unlearned enough to call himself Catholic or Protestant.

Some historians have pointed out that Foxe was biased against Catholics. Although his personal conflict against Catholicism likely drove his effort to put this book together, one has to recognize that the very abuses described in this book are a large part of WHY he was set against Catholicism in his own day in the first place. So far as I know, most or all of the stories of burning heretics, which Foxe describes, are true. All of which is a part of what Pope John Paul II has begun apologizing for at the change of the millennium.

But Foxe also spends an equal amount of time retelling the stories of Christians who were killed for their faith during the days of ancient Rome. As a result, I don't think the book builds Roman Catholic resentment in most readers. Instead, it reveals the real fabric of Christian faith. Those who like only a rosey picture of the Church are no different than those who like only a rosey picture of the real world we live in. This book describes the dark times in Christian history, but the light is never lost in that darkness. And that is what this book is really about--the inability of the darkness to snuff out the light of true faith--whether it is an internal darkness within the Church or an external darkness that tries to engulf the Church.

This book should be read by everyone who calls themselves "Christian."Anytime I get to feeling life is too tough,and I start feeling like God isn't close,this book and the book of Job are the books to get me back to reality.When you read the book of martyrs and you read the horrible ways these Christians were tortured and killed you realize you have no reason to complain and every reason to be thankful.Thankful not only to Jesus Christ and the apostles, but to the Christians all over the world who are being killed every day for the Gospel.If you have ever wondered how the apostles died, this book tells you.Incidentally, John was the only apostle who died of old age.Humbling and educational

It's possible to find several modern-day "editions" of John Foxe's _Acts and Monuments_--better known by its abridged title, _The Book of Martyrs_--on Amazon. Aside from the recent scholarly edition, released on CD-ROM, most of these titles have little or nothing to do with what Foxe himself wrote. As it happens, this state of affairs is nothing new. Penny takes on a subject of genuine import to anyone interested in Victorian theological debates, namely, Foxe's reception in the nineteenth century. As Penny points out, it is surely of interest that no less than four complete editions of the _Acts_ were published in the Victorian period. Of interest indeed, but Penny's handling of the matter leaves much to be desired.

In actuality, this book deals mostly with S. R. Maitland's quarrels with the Cattley/Townsend edition (reprinted in the 20th c. by AMS). When Penny sticks solely to Maitland and his critiques, he is on solid ground. He expounds Maitland's criticisms carefully and discusses their strengths and weaknesses fairly, although it's clear that Penny does not find Maitland himself particularly charming. But when he leaves Maitland, trouble arises. Put simply, it is not at all clear that Penny--whose earlier work was on Tudor theology--knows much about the Victorian period or, for that matter, ecclesiastical history outside his own narrow specialization. It's not just that his attempts at contextualizing what could be called "the Foxe renaissance" are skimpy, or that some of his secondary sources are peculiar. Surely it does not help his credibility when he thinks that Norman F. Cantor (a medievalist!) is an appropriate scholar to turn to for generalizations about Victorian habits of mind, or that Mark Noll (a historian of American evangelicalism!) ought to be cited for his comments on the Albigensians. He cites Newman's _Apologia_ not from the original text, but from Basil Willey. Given his interest in Foxe's reliability, or lack thereof, one would have expected more references to those modern scholars (e.g., the medievalist Anne Hudson) who have explained their rationales for using him as a source.

To make matters worse, this book's production values are absolutely atrocious. Typos abound, the formatting is inconsistent, and the capitalization sometimes bizarre. One would hope that Edwin Mellen could do better than this! It's really too bad, because Maitland's war against Cattley/Townsend is an intriguing moment in the history of nineteenth-century British scholarship.