A brefe dialoge bitwene a Christen father and his stobborne sonne : the first Protestant catechism published in English / William Roye ; edited by Douglas H. Parker and Bruce Krajewski.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A new critical edition of the first Protestant catechism to be published in English. The editors' introduction establishes the historical, religious, social and cultural contexts out of which the work was born.

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CHOICE Review

Parker and Krajewski (English, Laurentian Univ.) provide a scholarly, critical examination of William Roye's English translation of the catechism of Wolfgang Capito (1478-1541). The editors emphasize correctly that this is the first Protestant catechism published in English, but they fail to describe the effect it had. Citations of Roye, a rather contentious former Franciscan observant, by Catholic officials such as Thomas More and Cuthbert Tunstal in lists of condemned or prohibited books are not sufficient evidence. Thomas Cranmer's discarded 1548 catechism comes from a Martin Luther/Andreas Osiander/Justus Jonas background, but the brief 1549 catechism in the Book of Common Prayer clearly has English origins. Catechistic instruction was of great importance in the 16th century on both sides of the religious controversy (e.g., note the Council of Trent's almost 600-page catechism). All recognize that while faith might have been strong, knowledge and understanding of Christianity were weak. While these editors note the literary qualities of catechistic works (e.g., Milton), they have little concern with their pedagogical effects. With extensive commentary, Latin text, and glossary, this is a book for a limited audience at the graduate level and above. D. P. King; emeritus, Whitman College