HOOKER, Richard.
£1,250 · Offered by Sokol Books
A very good copy of this most important Anglican work; the influential theologian Richard Hooker (1554-1600) is arguably the co-founder (with Thomas Cranmer and Matthew Parker) of Anglican theological thought. Hooker was born near Exeter and educated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, where he became a fellow in 1577. In 1584 he married, resigned from his college position, and became rector of a parish, followed by appointments in London, Salisbury Cathedral, Wiltshire and Kent. The first four books of this work were published in 1594, the fifth in 1597, and the final four posthumously. The present copy, contains all parts of Hooker s treatise within a single volume. (Here the part titles are dated 1636 not 1631 but otherwise identical to STC 13719) The Lawes argued for a middle way ( via media ) between the positions of the Roman Catholics and the Puritans. Hooker argued forcefully that reason and tradition were important when interpreting the Scriptures, and suggested that it was important to recognise that the Bible was written in a particular historical context, in response to specific situations: Words must be taken according to the matter whereof they are uttered (Lawes IV.11.7). The principal subject of this compendious work is the proper governance of the church. The Puritans were at this time advocating the demotion of clergy and ecclesiasticism, and Hooker attempts to establish which methods of organising churches are best. What was at stake was the position of the
- Binding: Hardcover
Found via Rare Books Intel, a search across rare-book dealers, auction houses and marketplaces worldwide.