Inherited flaws: The problem of circularity in Hooker's "Of the Lawes of Ecclesiasticall Politie".
Item
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Title
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Inherited flaws: The problem of circularity in Hooker's "Of the Lawes of Ecclesiasticall Politie".
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Identifier
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AAI9108110
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identifier
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9108110
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Creator
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Goldblatt, Mark Meyer.
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Contributor
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Adviser: W. Speed Hill
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Date
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1990
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Literature, English | Theology | Religion, Philosophy of
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Abstract
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The question of the proper sphere of human reason, to a considerable extent, underlay the late 16th century exchange between Richard Hooker and his Puritan antagonists. Hooker saw the exercise of reason as a God-sanctioned activity, and thus he considered "reasonableness" a viable criterion by which to assess even a spiritual practice. The Puritans argued, on the contrary, that reason was merely a secular tool--and thus of no moment in issues pertaining to the salvation of the soul. What follows from the Puritan position is an extreme reliance upon the revealed word of God, the Bible, as a guide to every aspect of Christian life. By contrast, Hooker regarded reason and revelation as complementary. The role of scripture was to reveal that which was necessary for a man's salvation that he could not otherwise discover by the light of his own reason.;Although the debate within the English Church concerned ecclesiastical polity, its intellectual roots can be traced back through the respective theologies of Saint Thomas and Saint Augustine, and even further back to the philosophies of Aristotle and Plato. It is my contention that Hooker's epic defense of the English Church, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiasticall Politie, rests upon a dogmatic assertion, derived from Thomas, of the spiritual efficacy of natural reason. Hooker premised what his opposition would never allow, namely a rational God. From this premise, the lines of his case follow. But I argue that the concept of a rational God, even in Saint Thomas, is itself problematic enough to render Hooker's reliance upon it an act of supernatural faith. Because Hooker's premise cannot be justified in strictly rational terms, his argument must be considered circular.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
