Hobbes on the church, state and religion
 |
|
Hobbes,
Leviathan |
Suggested reading
Religion
Curley, Edwin, "'I durst not write so boldly,'" in Hobbes e
Spinoza: atti del convegno di Urbino 14-17 ottobre 1988, 497-593.
[Argues that Hobbes was an atheist.]
Curley, Edwin, Calvin and Hobbes, or, Hobbes as an Orthodox
Christian. Journal of the History of Philosophy 34(1996), 257-283.
[More
of the same, aimed at Martinich.]
Curley, Edwin. "Religion and Morality in Hobbes," in Rational Commitment and Social Justice: Essays for Gregory Kavka, edited by J. L. Coleman and C. W. Morris. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998.
Foisneau, Luc, and Wright, George (eds) New Critical perspectives on Hobbes's Leviathan, Milan 2004.
Glover, Willis B., 'God and Thomas Hobbes', in Keith C. Brown, ed.,
Hobbes Studies, Cambridge Mass., 1965, 141-68.
[Hobbes as theist.]
Halliday, R.J., Kenyon, T., and Reeve, A., 'Hobbes's belief in God',
in Political Studies 31(1983), 418-33.
[Hobbes as believer.]
Hepburn, R.W., 'Hobbes on the knowledge of God',
in M.Cranston and R. Peters, eds., Hobbes and Rousseau, New
York 1972, 85-108.
[Useful survey of Hobbes' statements.]
Johnson, Paul J., 'Hobbes's Anglican doctrine of salvation', in Ralph
Ross et al, eds., Thomas Hobbes in his time, Minneapolis 1974,
102-25.
[Hobbes as an Anglican.]
Lister, Andrew, "Scepticism and pluralism in Thomas Hobbes's political thought", in History of Political Thought XIX (1998), pp 35-60.
Lloyd, S.A., Ideals as interests in Hobbes'
Leviathan: the power of mind over matter, Cambridge 1992.
[Argues that the last two parts of the book are the most important.]
Martinich, A. P., The Two Gods of Leviathan:
Thomas Hobbes on religion and politics, Cambridge 1992.
[Argues that Hobbes was an orthodox Calvinist.]
Martinich, A. P. "On the Proper Interpretation of Hobbes's
Philosophy," in Journal of the History of Philosophy 34 (2):273-283.
[Reasserts his views.]
Pacchi, Arrigo, 'Hobbes and the problem of God', in G.A.J. Rogers and Alan Ryan, eds., Perspectives on Thomas Hobbes, Oxford 1988, 177-87.
Pocock, J.G.A., 'Time, history and eschatology in the thought of Thomas Hobbes', in Pocock's Politics, language and time, 1973, 148-201.
Sommerville, Johann P., Thomas Hobbes: political ideas in historical context, London/ New York 1992, pp.108-13, 135-49
Sorrell, Tom and Rogers, G.A.J., Hobbes and History, New York 2000 [Collection of essays, some connected with religion and church history.]
Spinoza, Benedict, Tractatus theologico-politicus,
trans. Samuel Shirley, Leiden 1989; extracts from
this book are in The political works of Spinoza, ed. A.G. Wernham,
Oxford 1958, 48-255.
[Interesting texts, worth comparing to Hobbes.]
Thornton, Helen, State Of Nature Or
Eden?: Thomas Hobbes And His Contemporaries On The Natural Condition Of Human
Beings, Rochester UP, 2005
[Interesting, informed, provocative book.]
Wright, George, see Foisneau above.
Church, state, and toleration
Eisenach, Eldon J., 'Hobbes on church, state andreligion', in History of Political Thought 3(1982), 215-43.
Farr, James, 'Atomes of Scripture: Hobbes and the politics of biblical interpretation', in Mary G. Dietz, ed., Thomas Hobbes and political theory, Lawrence 1990, 172-96.
Hill, Christopher, The world turned upside down, London 1972,
[Classic discussion of radicalism in mid-seventeenth-century England,
useful on background to Hobbes' ideas.]
Hooker, Richard, Of the lawes of ecclesiasticall
politie,
[Many printed editions; most famous statement of Anglican theory of
church-state relations.]
Jordan, W.K., The development of religious
toleration in England, 4 vols, Cambridge Mass., 1932-40.
[Full
but dull.]
Locke, John, A letter concerning toleration (1689; Popple's trans. of Epistola de Tolerantia); ed. R. Klibansky and J. W. Gough, Oxford 1968; J. Tully, Indianapolis 1983.
Marsilius of Padua, The defender of the peace,
1324; translated by Alan Gewirth, New York 1956.
[Classic
statement of a theory not far from Hobbes's.]
Sommerville, Johann P., Thomas Hobbes: political ideas in historical context, London/ New York 1992, pp. 113-34, 149-60.
Sommerville, Johann P.,“Hobbes and Independency,” in Rivista di storia della filosofia 21(2004), 155-73.Sommerville, Johann P., “Hobbes, Behemoth, Church-State Relations, and Political Obligation,” in Filozofski vestnik 24/2(2003), 205-222.
Tuck, Richard, 'The civil religion of Thomas Hobbes', in Nicholas Phillipson and Quentin Skinner, eds., Political discourse in early modern Britain, Cambridge 1993,
120-38,
[Amplifies arguments in his Richard, Hobbes, Oxford 1989.]
Tuck, Richard, 'Hobbes and Locke on toleration', in Mary G. Dietz,
ed., Thomas Hobbes and political theory, Lawrence 1990, 153-71.
[Argues that Hobbes favored toleration.]
Walker, D.P., The decline of hell, Chicago 1964.
[Survey of growth of belief in non-existence of hell.]
|
Questions |
|
Was Hobbes an atheist? Was he a Christian, and, if so, of what variety? Why are there such extreme disagreements amongst the commentators about Hobbes' religion? How did Hobbes differ from most of his contemporaries - including Anglicans as well as Presbyterians and Catholics - on church-state relations? How tolerant was Hobbes? |
