Joshua Mitchell

John Locke and the Theological Foundation of Liberal Toleration: A Christian Dialectic of History

Lockes doctrine of toleration is best understood in the context of his larger argument about the political significance of Christ. Christ, Locke argues, separated the spiritual and political realm. His argument for separating the two realms, his basis for insisting that magistrates be tolerant of religious heterodoxy, is essentially theological. This claim is further developed by exploring Lockes thoughts of the unconcealment of foundation of moral duty which Christ was purported to have brought about. The bearing this unconcealment has on Lockes thoughts of the necessity of toleration is also explored. Finally, some comparisons between Locke and Hobbess understanding of the significance of Christ are made, with a view to providing a new theoretical approach to their thought.

Luther and Hobbes on the Question: Who Was Moses, Who Was Christ?

The debate about the identity of early liberal thought can be gainfully entered into by considering how important the political identity of Christ and Moses (whom Christ purports to fulfill) was in early liberal thought. I first consider the outlines of the debate about the relationship between Christianity and early liberal thought, then discuss Luthers understanding of the meaning of Christs fulfillment, suggesting how, on theoretical grounds, it could be disruptive of political order. I then turn to Hobbess understanding of Moses and of Christ. Hobbess abiding concern for the unity of sovereignty rests, I argue, on the claims of reason and on his understanding of Christs fulfillment of Moses. It is this later understanding which is something of an answer to Luthers stark dialectic according to which Christian faith was said to have superseded the law of the Old Testament. I conclude that notwithstanding his indebtedness to reason, Hobbess thought is within the Protestant orb.

Hobbes and the equality of all under the one

La theorie de la souverainete de Hobbes ne devrait pas etre percue comme une theorie politique absolutiste, mais comme une application du modele theologique

Protestant Thought and Republican Spirit: How Luther Enchanted the World.

Arguments about the emergence of modern political theory often claim that Protestantisms significance was that it evacuated the political world, that a more properly political ethic took its place, a “disenchanted” one. I shall consider Luthers understanding of biblical history, thoughts on the Christian prince, and view of the “bonds of union” between Christians in order to understand the relationship between the political and spiritual realms. I suggest that even though Luther argues for the separation of the two realms, his political realm is by no means disenchanted. His politics can only be understood in light of his claims about the purview of God the Father and God the Son. “Political vacuum theories,” I suggest, misconstrue the relationship between politics and religion in Protestant thought.