The Divine Feudal Law: Or, Covenants with Mankind, Represented (Natural Law and Enlightenment Classics)

Originally published posthumously, in Latin, in 1695, The Divine Feudal Law sets forth Pufendorf’s basis for the reunion of the Lutheran and Calvinist confessions. This attempt to seek a “conciliation” between the confessions complements the concept of toleration discussed in Of the Nature and Qualification of Religion in Reference to Civil Society. In both works Pufendorf examines the proper way to secure the peaceful coexistence of different confessions in a state. Although he argued in Of the Nature that maintaining peace and order in the state does not require all subjects to share one belief, Pufendorf also believed that “true” Christianity was beneficial to society. For that reason he advocated a reunion of the confessions on the basis of fundamental truths that he believed were contained in the Bible, saying a conciliation should be enforced not by law but by mutual agreement of the dissenting parties. Therefore, the reunion of the confessions must be accompanied by toleration. Samuel Pufendorf (1632–1694) was one of the most important figures in early-modern political thought. An exact contemporary of Locke and Spinoza, he transformed the natural law theories of Grotius and Hobbes, developed striking ideas of toleration and of the relationship between church and state, and wrote extensive political histories and analyses of the constitution of the German empire. Theophilus Dorrington (1654–1715) was an Anglican clergyman and polemicist against Dissent. Simone Zurbuchen is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. Knud Haakonssen is Professor of Intellectual History at the University of Sussex, England. Samuel Von Pufendorf (1632-94), German Historian And Theorist Of Natural Law, Was Renowned In Europe As One Of The Founding Fathers Of The Modern Theory Of Natural Law. Influenced By The Writings Of Both Grotius And Hobbes, Pufendorf's Works On Natural Law Were Textbooks For All Of Europe For Over A Century And Were Far More Widely Read Than Any Other Treatments Of The Subject. The Divine Feudal Law (1695) Can Be Seen As A Complement To His 1687 Treatise On Toleration, Of The Nature And Qualification Of Religion In Reference To Civil Society (2002, Liberty Fund), Which Was Written In Reaction To Louis Xiv's Revocation Of The Edict On Nantes In 1685 And Which Clarifies That Toleration Should Be Applied Only When The Unification Of Denominations Proves Impossible. In The Divine Feudal Law Pufendorf Attempts To Demonstrate That A Union Of Lutherans And Calvinists Is Possible. The Aim Is Not To Eliminate Disagreements In Religion But To Take Away The Evils That Arise From Those Disagreements, And Pufendorf Advises That The Proper Means Of Securing The Peaceful Coexistence Of Different Confessions Should Occur Via A Mutual Agreement Rather Than Enforcement By Law. It Is Important To Note That Pufendorf Did Not Propose To Unite The Protestants With The Roman Catholic Church, In Part Because Protestants Would Never Accept The Infallibility Of The Pope, The Principle On Which The Church Of Rome Is Founded. Further, As Simone Zurbuchen Writes, Pufendorf Explains That Toleration Should Be Taken Not As Good In Itself But Rather As A Temporary Means Of Overcoming Religious Diversity. Where Toleration Applies, Advises Pufendorf, 'religious Parties Live Together As If There Were No Dissention Among Them.'--book Jacket. Samuel Pufendorf ; Translated By Theophilus Dorrington ; Edited And With An Introduction By Simone Zurbuchen. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 227-228) And Index. Publisher Provided Annotation Originally published posthumously, in Latin, in 1695, The Divine Feudal Law sets forth Pufendorf's basis for the reunion of the Lutheran and Calvinist confessions. This attempt to seek a "conciliation" between the confessions complements the concept of toleration discussed in Of the Nature and Qualification of Religion in Reference to Civil Society. In both works Pufendorf examines the proper way to secure the peaceful coexistence of different confessions in a state Pufendorf, The Divine Feudal Law (1695)......Page 1 Title Page......Page 7 Contents......Page 9 Introduction, p. ix......Page 11 The Divine Feudal Law: Or, Covenants with Mankind, Represented, p. 1......Page 23 Advertisement, p. 3......Page 25 An Epitomy of the Following Book, p. 4......Page 27 Seleced Bibliography, p. 227......Page 249 Index, p. 229......Page 251 End of the Book, p. 246......Page 274 This work sets forth Pufendorf's basis for the reunion of the Lutheran and Calvinist confessions. This attempt to seek a "conciliation" between the confessions complements the concept of toleration discussed in "Of the Nature and Qualification of Religion in Reference to Civil Society".