The Covenant with Moses and the Kingdom of God

Thomas Hobbes and the Theology of the Old Covenant in Early Modern England

Series: 

Covenant theology was a popular and controversial topic in early modern England. In particular, the biblical old covenant with Moses generated tremendous theological and political debates during the years of the English Civil Wars. And yet, the disciplinary boundaries of historical theology and the history of political thought make it hard to understand why early modern preachers and philosophers wrestled over this topic with such vigour. This interdisciplinary historical theological study explains the development of the covenant theology in the major works of Thomas Hobbes and his contemporaries, including Bishop Robert Sanderson and the puritan and presbyterian circles of the Westminster Assembly.

Prices from (excl. shipping):

$132.00
Add to Cart
Andrew J. Martin, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University, is Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis. His publications include contributions to The Oxford Handbook of Reformed Theology, The Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity, and Richard Hooker and Reformed Orthodoxy.
Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

1 Early Modern Covenant Theology and Political Thought in Conversation
 1 Introduction

 2 Summary of Chapters


2 Covenantal Conformity  Robert Sanderson’s Anti-Puritan Covenant Theology
 1 Introduction

 2 The Faithfulness of Moses and the Unfaithfulness of Non-conformity

 3 Sanderson’s “Moderation” and Terminology for the Old and New Covenants

 4 Covenant Conditions and Mediators

 5 Covenantal Calling, Public Persons, and the Relationship between Nature and Grace

 6 Israel, the Leviathan, and the Relationship between Spiritual and Temporal Jurisdiction

 7 “Law as a Rule” and “Law as a Covenant”

 8 Conclusion


3 Covenant Continuity, Part  i   The Covenant with Moses in Presbyterian Covenant Theology in the 1640s
 1 Introduction

 2 The Taxonomy of Samuel Bolton

 3 The Taxonomy of John Ball

 4 The Taxonomy of Anthony Burgess

 5 The Taxonomy of Edmund Calamy

 6 Conclusion


4 Covenantal Continuity, Part  ii   The Covenant with Moses in Presbyterian Covenant Theology in the 1650s
 1 Introduction

 2 The Taxonomy of Thomas Blake

 3 The Taxonomy of Samuel Rutherford

 4 The Taxonomy of Francis Roberts

 5 Conclusion


5 Covenantal Consent, Part  i   Covenant Theology and Political Legitimation in Thomas Hobbes’ The Elements of Law (1640)
 1 Introduction

 2 The Nature and Definition of Covenants in The Elements of Law

 3 Covenants, Consent, and Authority in The Elements of Law

 4 Covenants and Resistance Theories in The Elements of Law

 5 The Possibility of Covenants with God in The Elements of Law

 6 Covenants, The State of Nature, and Natural Liberty in The Elements of Law

 7 Covenantal Conditions, Faith and Works in The Elements of Law

 8 Conclusion


6 Covenantal Consent, Part  ii   Covenant Theology and Political Legitimation in Thomas Hobbes’ De Cive (1642) and Leviathan (1651)
 1 Introduction

 2 Covenantal Developments in De Cive

 3 Covenants and Law in De Cive

 4 The Old Covenant in De Cive

 5 The New Covenant in De Cive

 6 Covenants and Spiritual and Temporal Authority in De Cive

 7 Covenants and The Kingdom of Heaven in De Cive

 8 Covenants in Leviathan

 9 Not in the Garden of Eden: The Original Covenant in Leviathan

 10 The (Eschatological) New Covenant in Leviathan

 11 Conclusion


Conclusion  Early Modern Covenant Theology and Political Thought in Conversation

Bibliography

Index

This work will appeal to scholars and researchers working on seventeenth-century theology and political philosophy, as well as to specialists working on Thomas Hobbes, the history of Presbyterianism, the theology of the Westminster Assembly, the development of covenant theology, and the history of early modern England. Keywords: puritan, presbyterian, political thought, political theory, historical theology, Reformation, Reformed, civil covenant, ecclesiology, Robert Sanderson, Samuel Rutherford, Westminster Assembly, English Civil Wars, Interregnum, Early Stuart.
  • Collapse
  • Expand

Manufacturer information:
Koninklijke Brill B.V. 
Plantijnstraat 2
2321 JC
Leiden / The Netherlands
productsafety@degruyterbrill.com