02556cam a22003013u 450000100060000000300070000600500170001300600020003000700050003200800410003704000110007804100170008905000070010610000510011324501240016426400510028830000470033933600260038633700260041233800360043850000310047450802320050552013840073753400450212165300280216685600430219499900170223752160UtSlPG20260610134213.0mcr n260607r2016||||utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d  aUtSlPG 7aen2iso639-1 4aBL1 aRobertson, J. M.q(John Mackinnon),d1856-193312aA Short History of Freethought Ancient and Modern, Volume 2 of 2 :bThird edition, Revised and Expanded, in two volumes 1aSalt Lake City, UT :bProject Gutenberg,c2016  a1 online resource :bmultiple file formats  atextbtxt2rdacontent  acomputerbc2rdamedia  aonline resourcebcr2rdacarrier  aRelease date is 2016-05-25  aProduced by Jeroen Hellingman and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net/ for Project
Gutenberg (This file was produced from images generously
made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)  a"A Short History of Freethought Ancient and Modern, Volume 2 of 2" by J. M. Robertson is a historical account written in the early 20th century. The book explores the evolution of freethought through various significant periods and events, particularly focusing on England, Germany, France, and other European contexts from the Reformation through to the 19th century. This volume highlights the struggles, persecution, and intellectual developments surrounding the rise of rationalism and secular thought in the face of prevailing religious dogmas.  The opening portion of the work discusses the transition to modern freethought in England during a turbulent historical period that included the reigns of Henry VIII, Mary, and Elizabeth. It highlights the harsh penalties faced by those expressing heterodox beliefs, such as Anabaptists and Unitarians, emphasizing the severity of religious persecution. Additionally, the text documents various notable freethinkers from this era, their philosophical explorations, and the cultural conditions that fostered skepticism, as well as the tensions between belief and criticism within the literary and scientific communities of the time. This early discussion sets the stage for a broader examination of the development of freethought and rationalism across Europe in subsequent chapters. (This is an automatically generated summary.)  nOriginal publication data not identified  aFree thought -- History40uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/52160  c92994d92994