A tract, is a literary work, and in current usage, usually religious in nature. The notion of what constitutes a tract has changed over time. By the early part of the twenty-first century, these meant small pamphlets used for religious and political purposes, though far more often the former. They are often either left for someone to find or handed out. However, there have been times in history when the term implied tome-like works. Old book bindings at the Merton College library. ... Religious is a term with both a technical definition and folk use. ... The 21st century is the present century of the Anno Domini (common) era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... A pamphlet is an unbound booklet (that is, without a hard cover or binding). ... A tome is a variety of large book, often a large volume of a multi-volume scholarly work. ...

History

The distribution of tracts pre-dates development of the printing press, with the term being applied by scholars to religious and political works at least as early as the 13th century. They were used to disseminated the teachings of John Wycliffe in the 14th century. As a political tool, they proliferated throughout Europe during the 17th century. They were printed as persuasive religious material from the time of Gutenberg's invention. The printing press is a mechanical device for printing many copies of a text on rectangular sheets of paper. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Movable metal type, and composing stick, descended from Gutenbergs invention Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg (c. ...

Religious tracts

As religious literature, they were used throughout the turbulence of the Protestant Reformation, and various uphevals of the 17th century. They came to such prominence again in the Oxford Movement that it became known as Tractarianism, after the publication in the 1830s and 1840s of a series of religious essays collectively called Tracts for the Times. The Oxford Movement was a loose affiliation of High Church Anglicans, most of them members of the University of Oxford, who sought to demonstrate that the Church of England was a direct descendant of the Christian church established by the Apostles. ... Events and Trends Electromagnetic induction discovered by Michael Faraday Dutch-speaking farmers known as Voortrekkers emigrate northwards from the Cape Colony Croquet invented in Ireland Railroad construction begins in earnest in the United States Egba refugees fleeing the Yoruba civil wars found the city of Abeokuta in south-west Nigeria... // Events and Trends Technology First use of general anesthesia in an operation, by Crawford Long The first electrical telegraph sent by Samuel Morse on May 24, 1844 from Baltimore to Washington, D.C.. War, peace and politics First signing of the Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti o Waitangi) on February... An essay is a short work of writing that treats a topic from an authors personal point of view. ...

These tracts were written by a group of Church of England clergy including John Henry Newman, John Keble, Henry Edward Manning, and Edward Pusey. They were theological discourses that sought to establish the continuity between the Church of England and the patristic period of church history. They had a vast influence on Anglo-Catholicism. They were learned works and varied in length from four to over 400 pages.^[1] An important center for the spreading of tracts was the London-based Religious Tract Society.^[2] The Church of England is the officially established Christian church[1] in England, and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ... Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. ... J H Newman age 23 when he preached his first sermon. ... John Keble John Keble (April 25, 1792- March 29, 1866) was an English churchman, one of the leaders of the Oxford Movement, and gave his name to Keble College, Oxford (1870). ... 1882 caricature from Punch Henry Edward Cardinal Manning (July 15, 1808 - January 14, 1892) was an English Roman Catholic Archbishop and Cardinal. ... Edward Bouverie Pusey (August 22, 1800 - September 16, 1882), was an English churchman, one of the leaders of the Oxford Movement. ... Theology (Greek θεος, theos, God, + λογια, logia, words, sayings, or discourse) is reasoned discourse concerning religion, spirituality and God or the gods. ... The Church Fathers or Fathers of the Church are the early and influential theologians and writers in the Christian church, particularly those of the first five centuries of Christian history. ... The history of Christianity concerns the history of the Christian religion and the Church, from Jesus and his Twelve Apostles to contemporary times. ... The terms Anglo-Catholic and Anglo-Catholicism describe people, groups, ideas, customs and practices within Anglicanism that emphasise continuity with Catholic tradition. ... The Religious Tract Society, founded 1799, a major publisher of Christian literature intended for evangelism, and including literature aimed at children, women, and the poor. ...

The publishing of tracts for religious purposes has continued unabated. In the United States, the American Tract Society has continuously published literature of this type since 1825. As evangelistic tools, tracts became promininent in the Jesus Movement. One of the most widely distributed was "The Four Spiritual Laws" authored by Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ and first published in 1965. "This Was Your Life" was the first of many tracts written by Jack Chick. Later Chick tracts followed the pattern vivid cartoon images and began to focus on vehement Anti-Catholic opinions. The American Tract Society (ATS) is a publishing organization that publishes evangelistic literature. ... The Four Spiritual Laws is an evangelistic Christian tract created by Bill Bright (founder of Campus Crusade for Christ) in 1956. ... Bill and Vonette Bright, 1951 Dr. William R. Bill Bright (October 19, 1921 _ July 19, 2003) was an American evangelist. ... Each March, U.S. college students spend Spring Break participating in “Big Break,” a Campus Crusade outreach to Panama City Beach vacationers Campus Crusade for Christ is an interdenominational Christian mission organization, focusing on evangelism and discipleship in over 190 countries around the world. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A cartoon is any of several forms of illustrations with varied meanings that evolved from its original meaning. ... The neutrality of this article is disputed. ...

In the 1980s and 1990s Last Days Ministries reprinted articles in the Last Days Newsletter by Keith Green and other contemporary and historic writers including David Wilkerson, Leonard Ravenhill, Winkie Pratney, Charles Finney, John Wesley, and William Booth. More recently Living Waters Publications prints tracts such as "The Atheist Test" or "Are You Good Enough to Go to Heaven?", as well as tracts which feature attention-getting illusions or gags. These include the "Million Dollar Bill", which caused a legal controversy in June 2006. Keith Green Keith Green (October 21, 1953 - July 28, 1982) was an American gospel singer, songwriter, and pianist from Sheepshead Bay, New York. ... Keith Gordon Green (October 21, 1953 – July 28, 1982) was an American gospel singer, songwriter, and pianist originally from Sheepshead Bay, New York. ... David Wilkerson (born May 19, 1931 in Hammond, Indiana) is an American Christian evangelist, most famous for his book The Cross and the Switchblade. ... Leonard Ravenhill at age 81 Leonard Ravenhill-(1907-1994) was one of Britain’s foremost outdoor evangelists of the 20th century, a pillar of Christian renewal movement in the world and one of the greatest authorities on revival. ... Winkie Pratney, youth communicator. ... Charles Grandison Finney (1792-1875), often called Americas foremost revivalist, was a major leader of the Second Great Awakening in America that had a profound impact on the history of the United States. ... John Wesley (June 17, 1703 – March 2, 1791) was an 18th-century Anglican clergyman and Christian theologian who was an early leader in the Methodist movement. ... William Booth (April 10, 1829 – August 20, 1912) was the founder and 1st General (1878-1912) of The Salvation Army. ... Living Waters Publications is a Christian evangelism ministry headquarted in Bellflower, California. ... The Great News Network is a Christian ministry based in Denton, Texas, and founded by Christian businessman Darrel Rundus in late 2003. ...

Political tracts

Main article: Pamphlet

Brochure-like tracts, also known as pamphlets, advocating political positions have also been used throughout history as well. They were used throughout Europe in the 17th century. In the 18th century, they featured prominently in the political unrest leading up to the American Revolution. A well-known example of a far-reaching tracts from this era is Common Sense by Thomas Paine. Polish soldiers reading a German leaflet during the Warsaw Uprising A pamphlet is an unbound booklet (that is, without a hard cover or binding). ... Polish soldiers reading a German leaflet during the Warsaw Uprising A pamphlet is an unbound booklet (that is, without a hard cover or binding). ... Common Sense by Thomas Paine Common Sense was a pamphlet first published anonymously on January 10, 1776, before the American Revolution, written by Thomas Paine. ... Thomas Paine Thomas Paine (Thetford, England, 29 January 1737 – 8 June 1809, New York City, USA) was a pamphleteer, revolutionary, radical intellectual, and deist. ...

Tracts were used for political purposes throughout the 20th century. They were used to spread Nazi propaganda in central Europe during the 1930s and 1940s. According to Jack Chick, his impetus to design cartoon-based religious tracts was brought on by hearing of a similar promotional tool used by Communists in China to wide success. ^[3] In the months before the John F. Kennedy assassination, Lee Harvey Oswald handed out pamphlets promoting Fidel Castro and Communist Cuba on the streets of New Orleans, Louisiana. Kennedy Assassination redirects here. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: Lee Harvey Oswald diary Lee Harvey Oswald (October 18, 1939 – November 24, 1963) was, according to four United States government investigations, responsible for the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, on November 22, 1963. ... Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (born on August 13, 1926) is the current President of Cuba but on indefinite medical hiatus. ... Communism is an ideology that seeks to establish a classless, stateless social organization based on common ownership of the means of production. ... Nickname: Location in the State of Louisiana and the United States Coordinates: Country United States State Louisiana Parish Orleans Founded 1718 Government  - Mayor Ray Nagin (D) Area  - City  350. ...

See also

• Nezikin
• Minor Tractates
• Pamphlet

Nezikin (Hebrew: סדר נזיקין, The Order of Damages) is the fourth order of Mishna (also the Tosefta and Talmud). ... The Minor Tractates are essays from the tannaitic period or later dealing with topics about which no formal tractate exists in the Mishnah. ... Polish soldiers reading a German leaflet during the Warsaw Uprising A pamphlet is an unbound booklet (that is, without a hard cover or binding). ...

References

1. ^ Modern History Sourcebook: The Tracts for the Times, 1833-1841 [1]
2. ^ The article traktatsällskap in Nationalencyklopedin, web edition, visited 2006-11-22 (Swedish)
3. ^ Biography of Jack Chick[2]