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The reformation of the heathen
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15 December 2026
'The Reformation of the Heathen is an ambitious, agile, and erudite investigation of the interplay between theology, language, race, and evangelism in the early modern Atlantic world. In Patrick McGhee’s hands, ‘heathenism’ becomes an illuminating lens onto the dynamic, complex and troubling process by which Protestantism implanted itself in Britain and its colonies. This marvellous book opens a fascinating new window into the religious politics of global expansion and the Long Reformation.'
– Professor Alexandra Walsham, University of Cambridge
'“Heathen” is one of those weighty words that historians prefer to edge around. McGhee’s book shows what can be done when you look a term like this head-on, and use sharp-eyed close reading and a rigorous historical imagination to tease out its many meanings – more complex and, even, more positive than we might have guessed. He properly helps us see the strange, wide Atlantic world through early modern English eyes.'
– Professor Alec Ryrie, University of Durham
'A work of intellectual religious history, The Reformation of the Heathen: Theology, History and Nature in the Protestant Atlantic World, 1500–1700 takes a potentially dry and complex subject and makes it both engaging and clear. Focusing on English Protestants’ changing perceptions of the heathen, Patrick McGhee’s book ranges across England, Ireland, Virginia, and New England. In teasing out the changing meanings of the concept of heathen, it elucidates Anglo-Protestant religious culture with great sensitivity.'
– Professor Carla Gardina Pestana, UCLA
Introduction
1 The ‘heathen’ in English Bibles
2 The ‘heathen’ and early Christianity
3 The ‘heathen’ in early modern England
4 The ‘heathen’ and early modern Ireland
5 The ‘heathen’ and early modern Virginia
6 The ‘heathen’ and early modern New England
Conclusion
Bibliography