Examining the emergence of modernity within the philosophical and political debates of the sixteenth century, "Religion and the Rise of Modernity" resumes the analysis of the "great confusion" introduced in Volume IV of "History of Political Ideas." Encompassing a vast range of events ignited by Luther's Ninety-Five Theses, this period is one of controversy, revolution, and partiality.

Despite the era's fragmentation and complexity, Voegelin's insightful analysis clarifies its significance and suggests the lines of change converging at a point in the future: the medieval Christian...