The Mayflower Pilgrims

The book was not what I expected and turned into a History lesson on the divisions in the Christian Church in England and Northern Europe 16th and 17th Centuries. While it was interesting from an academic perspective delving into the personal relationships of the characters and families involved, leading up through the years to the sailing of the Mayflower, I was left ‘hanging’ to hear the story of the journey itself. That journey and the subsequent troubles need to be an essential part of the story in this book as it relates directly to what this book is about. The complete tale can only be told by reading two books in sequence to make any sense to this part of history as there is too much myth surrounding this episode and the one benefit from the book is giving the background historical facts to the prelude of the Mayflower sailing.

First sentence: Is there such a thing as a Christian country? If so, what would it look like?

I'll be honest I was shocked when I saw that this one was 256 pages. Why? It felt like it was twice that long! Perhaps because the chapters tended to be on the longer side. 

This one is all about putting the Mayflower Pilgrims into context, a specific time and place. The story of the Mayflower Pilgrims does not begin at the dawn of the seventeenth century--far from it. At least the way Derek Wilson tells it. He grounds HIS story into the English Reformation--the split from Roman Catholicism. This alone places us a hundred years back. But even that isn't quite far enough, deep enough. For Martin Luther was not the first nor the only to become disgruntled with the status quo and begin asking questions. Before Luther there was Wycliffe and his Lollards--just to name one. No, this story tells the history of religious (and to some extent religious and political dissent) in England (it only touches on Europe in bits and pieces here and there.)

Primarily it focuses on the years 1520 to 1620. (As I mentioned above, it goes a bit further back here and there as context demands.) It is important for readers to understand from page one that this story ends BEFORE a single pilgrim steps aboard the Mayflower. If you go into the book thinking that it will end with the Pilgrims arriving in America, or dare I say the Pilgrims celebrating the first year or two of survival--celebrating with a feast. You'll be mighty disappointed.

From the introduction, "If we really want to discover, as best we can, who the 1620 pioneers were, we need to probe their past, their heritage and their response to that heritage. And we also need some understanding of their context in the world they grew up in, the convictions they embraced, the assumptions they rejected and the changes with which they attempted–not always successfully–to cope. That is why the following narrative does not begin with the 180-ton Mayflower, after a series of false starts, clearing Plymouth harbour. Rather, it ends there. The huddle of religious separatists on the ship’s deck, watching their past disappear over the eastern horizon, believed they knew what a Christian commonwealth would be like and that, far from the satanic influences of the Old World, they could, under God, create it. We know that they were wrong. The communities they planted replicated the vices and the virtues of the ones they had left. The seeds of corruption lay within themselves. The perfect human society is a chimera. But we would do well to guard against cynical superiority."

This story touches on just about everything--royalty, politics, church politics, war, navigation and exploration, literature, philosophy, science, theology, and BUSINESS. (To name just a few sub-topics).

It explores essentially one question WHY. Why would anyone--man, woman, boy, or girl--set off into the unknown, risking their life??? The voyage across would be dangerous. But after that voyage, then what?!?! Talk about true unknowns and great uncertainty. There is no simple single answer to the WHY question. The answers would be varied and much more complex than we can imagine.

There were a few chapters that I just loved, loved, loved. I found them insightful and interesting. Other chapters I found overwhelming--it seemed the narrative was flying way over my head...and as a result, I found the reading dull. But not every chapter was like that. There were some truly great moments. And I think readers may have to work at staying engaged with the text.

One of my favorite chapters was on the first Bible translations in English. It was fascinating.

How is the Christian supposed to live a Biblical life? What happens when one's conscience is out of step with the surrounding religious culture? Can a true Christian commonwealth exist this side of eternity? And where does one look for to find the authority to settle the difficulties that these issues inevitably raise?

This book is an attempt to show us how the 'Pilgrim Fathers' came to be - and this takes place  over 150 years, taking us from London to Cambridge, to Geneva, to the Midlands, to Lieden, and finally to the Mayflower, and then to the colonies. Not only are we taken on a whirlwind tour of time and place, but we are also given a broad glimpse into the surrounding culture of the Renaissance and the Reformation. The book seeks to place the formation of the Puritan movement into its proper social and historical context, and this is anything but narrow. 

The author begins with the somewhat unexpected foray into the discovery of the New World, and what this meant for the Catholic Church, for the Humanist movement, and the general culture. The author details the questions this raised for theology, and eschatology in particular. For the Second Coming to occur, Jerusalem had to be restored, and the gospel  preached to *all* peoples, and this was now a more significant task than previously.  

Not only had a New World been discovered, but the certainties of the Old World were swiftly passing away. Two particular themes occur again and again throughout the text - the impact of the printing press on the distribution of new ideas and controversies, and the increasing migration of peoples in response to political and religious conflict, both Catholic and Protestant. The 16th century was fluid in a way that previous centuries were not, and both of these themes lead to the group that became the Pilgrim Fathers. 

Their story perhaps begins with the Lollards of the 14th century, Their critique of the English Church would be taken up almost word for word in the Reformation. We are also shown the Humanist tradition of Biblical scholarship in  the growing reaction to Scholasticism. Much time is spent on the origins of the Reformation, and the importance of the relationship of the individual to God. "Those who experienced the [Henrican] Reformation, like those who have lived through an earthquake, were never quite the same thereafter." English Protestantism now had open interaction with the Continent, and this raised tensions with the compromises of the 1500s, and these would increase throughout the century. 

For this is key question of the book - how does the individual stand before God, before scripture, before the monarch, and before the world? And with this comes the rise of radicalism,  pursued by those who ask such questions and tear down the assumptions of previous centuries, who are guided only by a personal interpretation of the Bible and the prompting of the Holy Spirit - 'The axe laid to the root of the concept of medieval society.' The book charts the rise and fall of the various radical groups, which lay the ground for the Pilgrims to arrive.. 

All this in just the first two chapters! Chapter 3 covers the fascinating rise of the Vernacular Bible and the various translations and Chapter 4 the consequences of constant religious change and tension on the population, with great detail on the experimental religious communities in Geneva. Chapter 5 covers the new prominence on preaching, and the phenomenon of 'lecturing' - of detailed, public, sponsored, religious instruction, and 'prophesying' - inspired, personal, exegetical preaching. 'The increased emphasis on preaching gave ordinary people the right to enter the [theological] debate.' This, of course, lay in tension with the episcopal administration of England, and their licensed preachers. 

Then perhaps the book takes an unexpected turn, with Chapter 6 covering the international tensions with Spain, the development of the missionary activity in the New World and  the impact upon this on business and commerce. 'Voyages to strange lands and the hazards of seaborne voyages had taken root in the English imagination.'

We then return to England in Chapter 7, with the detailed growth of the 'Brownists' - those who sought to separate themselves from society. The question of the visible church is raised again  here and throughout the book - where can the true church be found, and what does one have to do to keep it pure? It also details the fascinating growth of religious satire, and the rise of Cambridge as a centre for Protestant theology. Separation means movement, and we learn of those who forsook England to carve out a religious life in the Netherlands, which will, of course, lead to the Pilgrim Fathers. Chapter 8 focuses on the Midlands, and the particular concentration of non-conformist thought, culture and specific family networks. It also details the rise of a quasi-Presbyterian system co-existing with the Church of England. 

We then come to the mere second half of the book! Chapter 9 takes us through the changes in government, the religious responses of the various monarchs, and the growth of popular discontent with Puritanism. Chapter 10 introduces us to the key figures in the Puritan movement - based in Scrooby - who will lead us to the Pilgrim Fathers, and their tense relationships with England, the church, and the Netherlands.  Chapter 11 takes us back to the New World, covering the political and religious developments that have taken place since 1600, where the scene will be set for the coming of the Pilgrims.

Did I enjoy this book? Not whilst reading it. It took me four or five starts over three months, and every time I put it down in preference for something lighter or more appealing. As other reviewers have said, it feels almost painfully long, which I think might be due to the chapters being of such varying lengths. It also felt that I was reading three different books which had been combined - the story of the finding of the new world; the rise of Puritanism in England, and the Protestant Reformation on the Continent. My opinion probably shifted only after reading the final chapter, which drew all the threads together - but I think this perhaps would have been better placed at the beginning. 

Did I learn from this book? Certainly. The book excels in placing people into the narrative of history, and glancing through the author's other works. He obviously does this well - you get a real feel for the great figures of the period, Thomas More, Erasmus, Luther, Henry VIII, Tyndale, John Calvin, Elizabeth, Whitgift and Cromwell. I enjoyed the broad swathe and the development of the cultural history, and I felt most engaged with the details of post-Reformation life in England of which I learnt great deal. What I struggled with were the chapters that focused in  great detail on the particular families that led to the Pilgrim Fathers. The book is praiseworthy in its panoramic view, but perhaps exhausting in its level of detail.

Would I recommend this book? Yes. There are many books on the Reformation, especially since the anniversary a few years ago. This is perhaps a text directed towards a popular readership, but I’m afraid I simply don’t know that many people for whom the Pilgrim Fathers and Puritanism are of particular interest.
 (One point of particular frustration. The author uses contemporary colloquialisms that distracted my line of thought - the ecclesiastical top brass; the Genie of the Bible freed from the lamp of church-state control; God's PR men; his Mister Fix-it.)

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Great descriptions and enjoyable plot and characters! I've not read this author before but will do so again in the future!