In Search of Authority 1 : Anglican Theological Method from the Reformation to the Enlightenment

Anglican theology has been a hotbed of debate about the issue of authority since the Reformation. What do we really appeal to when attempting to decide matters of doctrine, worship, ministry or ethics? The debate is very much alive today, between Evangelical, Liberal and Catholic Anglicans around the world. This proposed book focuses on the understanding of authority in Anglican theology. It looks at the way that Anglican theologians, in the past and today, have developed their theories of authority in relation to burning issues. Avis critiques them in a continuous dialogue or running commentary and set them in an ecumenical context, comparing Anglican positions with Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Protestant ones. In each area - Bible, tradition, reason, experience -he sets out a new understanding of authority in a constructive and persuasive way, moving to a series of overall conclusions and recommendations. The sharp critiques of various positions will help to make it the subject of discussion and debate. Title Page Copyright Page Contents Preface Abbreviations used in the Footnotes and Bibliography Chapter 1 Authority in the theology of the Reformation: I. Polemics and the Bible The Protestant conscience John Jewel The centrality of Scripture Bible translation and commentary Sola scriptura: What does it mean? Medieval biblical interpretation Biblical scholarship in Renaissance humanism98 The Reformers and the authority of Scripture The authority of Scripture in the English Reformation William Whitaker on the authority of Scripture Richard Field on authority in theology Chapter 2 Authority in the theology of the Reformation: II. History and tradition Orientation to the Reformers on tradition Historical consciousness in the Reformation Ambivalence about tradition The authority of Fathers and Councils The authority of the Church to order its life The doctrinal authority of the monarch The liturgical expression of doctrine Chapter 3 Richard Hooker’s theological method Understanding Richard Hooker Hooker on authority in theology The realm of law Hooker, Luther and the Puritans Scripture Reason Moral certainty and human weakness Tradition Antiquity The ethical dimension: Hooker, Aquinas, Luther and Calvin Reflection Chapter 4 Classical Anglican theology: I. Method, Scripture and tradition Key aspects of authority Francis Bacon Scripture and tradition Consensus of the Fathers? Chapter 5 Classical Anglicanism: II. The authority of reason and the validity of tradition Latitudinarians and Cambridge Platonists Thomas Hobbes Thorndike’s vindication of tradition Chapter 6 Classical Anglicanism: Doubt, risk and probability How sure can we be? Montaigne, Charron and Pascal Descartes and Spinoza Liberal Anglicans Pierre Bayle Changing concepts of probability Chapter 7 Aspects of the Anglican Enlightenment Let there be light! An age of reason? Tradition and development Hume and Gibbon The Christian Enlightenment Chapter 8 Founders of the Enlightenment attitude John Locke Isaac Newton The deists Chapter 9 Exponents of the Anglican Enlightenment William Law John Wesley Joseph Butler Edmund Burke The Anglican Enlightenment in perspective Bibliography of works cited Index of Names In this new three-part book series, Avis tackles a series of issues relevant to Anglicanism in the current day. The first book, In Search of Authority, seeks to examine Anglican Theology in relation to questions of authority. Anglican theology has been a hotbed of debate about the issue of authority since the Reformation. What do we really appeal to when attempting to decide matters of doctrine, worship, ministry or ethics? The debate is very much alive today, between Evangelical, Liberal and Catholic Anglicans around the world. This book focuses on the understanding of authority in Anglican theology. The issue of authority has been contended in Anglican Theology since the Reformation, and remains very much alive today. Setting his critique within its ecumenical context, Avis examines the way that Anglican theologians throughout history have developed their theories of authority in relation to the Bible, tradition, reason and experience.