Abstract

This essay examines the use of Hebrew sources in debates on church and state in civil war England. It fits within a developing historiography that seeks to uncover the deeper texture of early modern political discourse, and also poses questions about the prevalence of statist and secular understandings of public power in the context of the English civil war. Its specific focus is on debates on church government in the 1640s, studies of the Hebrew commonwealth in the 1650s, and the use of Hebraism by Hobbes and Harrington as an antidote to clericalism.

Highlights

  • Between 1640 and 1642, England experienced a collapse of Church and state

  • 9 where Nelson's aim was to establish how the early modern Hebrew revival influenced the development of three large themes, this essay focuses more narrowly on the problem of how political Hebraism featured in debates on church and state in the civil war period. 10

  • I have argued that Hebraic sources were prominent in discussions of church and state in the period of the English civil war

Read more

Summary

The problem of church and state

In early modern England, political thought was not defined by a strict adherence to normative categories or a commitment to an exclusive secularism. Consider the example of Henry VIII: the lawyers and scholars seeking to establish evidence of his ecclesiastical supremacy drew upon the examples of Hezekiah, who set upon and destroyed symbols of idolatry, and Jehosaphat, who rescued his people from error and apostasy This use of sacred history to illustrate precedents of regal power over religion is central to the Act of Appeals and its ‘sundrie ancient histories and chronicles’. In the complex historical argument that followed the break from Rome, writers made ample use of Hebrew examples that offered – as Greek and Roman writers did not – precedents for religious kingship, temple worship, covenants, and laws of divine origin While this helped to flesh out the historical foundations of the sacred powers of Kings, it elevated the status of the clergy.

Hebraism and history
The Hebrew commonwealth in history
Sovereignty and prudence
Conclusion

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.