This 2005 book proposes a model for understanding religious debates in the Churches of England and Scotland between 1603 and 1625. Setting aside 'narrow' analyses of conflict over predestination, its theme is ecclesiology - the nature of the Church, its rites and governance, and its relationship to the early Stuart political world. Drawing on a substantial number of polemical works, from sermons to books of several hundred pages, it argues that rival interpretations of scripture, pagan, and civil history and the sources central to the Christian historical tradition lay at the heart of disputes between proponents of contrasting ecclesiological visions. Some saw the Church as a blend of spiritual and political elements - a state Church - while others insisted that the life of the spirit should be free from civil authority.

This 2005 book proposes a model for understanding religious debates in the Churches of England and Scotland from 1603 to 1625.

About the Author
Charles W. A. Prior is a Research Fellow in the Faculty of History at the University of Cambridge. He is the editor of Mandeville and Augustan Ideas: New Essays (2002).

Reviews
Review of the hardback: 'The not unreasonable claim made by this book is that we should try to interpret and decipher the ecclesiological dynamics of the Jacobean Church by distancing ourselves, as far as we can, from narrow theological concerns.' The Journal of Ecclesiastical History



Book Information
ISBN 9780521848763
Author Charles W. A. Prior
Format Hardback
Page Count 314
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 650g
Dimensions(mm) 235mm * 161mm * 28mm