Book Description

A selected history of religious miracles from seventeenth-century Belgium, offering insight to the beliefs of Catholic Europeans in the Age of Reformation. In the tradition of The Return of Martin Guerre and The Great Cat Massacre, Miracles at the Jesus Oak is a rich, evocative journey into the past and the extraordinary events that transformed the lives of ordinary people. In the musty archive of a Belgian abbey, historian Craig Harline happened upon a vast collection of documents written in the seventeenth century by people who claimed to have experienced miracles and wonders. In Miracles at the Jesus Oak, Harline recasts these testimonies into engaging vignettes that open a window onto the believers, unbelievers, and religious movements of Catholic Europe in the Age of Reformation. Written with grace and charm, Miracles at the Jesus Oak is popular history at its most informative and enlightening. Praise for Miracles at the Jesus Oak "In his usual manner, lively and fresh, [Harline] not only brings ordinary people front and center but also offers startling insight into the political and religious dynamic of the time. His approach and writing style, although historically responsible, are enjoyable for non-specialists as well. . . . His work makes clear what professional historians alas sometimes forget an enjoyable story need not be taboo.” —Tertio (Belgium) “More than simply a collection of delightful tales. . . . Miracles still enthrall.” —Commonweal