Luther and Calvin on Secular Authority (Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought) - Softcover

Calvin, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0521349869 ISBN 13: 9780521349864

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1991

Synopsis

Martin Luther and John Calvin were the principal 'magistral' Reformers of the sixteenth-century: they sought to enlist the cooperation of rulers in the work of reforming the Church. However, neither regarded the relationship between Reformed Christians and the secular authorities as comfortable or unproblematic. The two pieces translated here, Luther's On Secular Authority and Calvin's On Civil Government, constitute their most sustained attempts to find the proper balance between these two commitments. Despite their mutual respect, there were wide divergences between them. Luther's On Secular Authority would later be cited en bloc in favour of religious toleration, whereas Calvin envisaged secular authority as an agency for the compulsory establishment of the external conditions of Christian virtue and the suppression of dissent. The introduction, glossary, chronology and bibliography contained in this volume locate the texts in the broader context of the theology and political thinking of their authors.

About this title

Product Description:

Luther and Calvin were the principal 'magistral' reformers of the 16th century: they sought to enlist the co-operation of rulers in the work of reforming the Church. These essays attempt to find a balance between obedience to the will of God and the need to maintain order in Church and polity.

Review:

'Dr Höpfl has provided his readers with an excellent translation of two seminal reformation texts realting to secular authroity ... It deserves to become a standard text for any concerned with sixteenth-century political thought.' Journal of Theological Studies

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 1991
• ISBN 10: 0521349869
• ISBN 13: 9780521349864
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 144