Das zweischneidige Schwert der Friedfertigkeit. Die Bibel als Ressource im politischen Diskurs des 17. Jahrhunderts am Beispiel der frühen Quäker

Abstract

Summary The Double-Edged Sword of Pacifism. The Bible as a Resource in 17th-Century Political Discourse Using the Example of the Early Quakers The article engages with recent work about the biblical legitimation of violence in pre-modern Europe and with research on the Quakers. It aims to add nuances to the hypothesis that passages of the Apocalypse were among the most popular biblical texts used for the legitimation of violence, and discusses two examples from 17th-century England. The “Door of Hope”, which has ties to Thomas Venner’s revolt, uses passages of the Apocalypse to propagate violent political rebellion. The “Quaker Peace Testimony”, on the other hand, uses some of the same biblical passages to propagate absolute pacifism. As this comparison shows, the mere selection of certain biblical passages says little about how a text uses those passages in its argument; a more in-depth analysis is necessary. Such an analysis also shows that the pacifism of the “Quaker Peace Testimony” does not only resu...