A Holy Commonwealth (Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought)

Book info: A Holy Commonwealth (Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought) (Hardcover, 253 pages) – Cambridge University Press, 1994. Language: English.

A Holy Commonwealth was written in 1659 by the Puritan minister Richard Baxter (1615-91), and is a candid confession as to why a conservative Puritan fought for Parliament in the Civil War and gave his support to the Cromwells. Baxter publicly repudiated the work in 1670, and in 1683 the Oxford University authorities ordered it to be part of a book-burning that included the works of Hobbes and Milton. This modern edition makes available the work's unique perspective on the relation between Church and magistrate and the origins of the English Civil War. Editorial Reviews Review "Lamont's edition of 'A Holy Commonwealth' judiciously extracts the substance of the full work, including, for the first time in a modern edition, all of the three hundred eighty theses as well as those explanatory comments which contain new material....For the first time, students have access to the full range of Baxter's arguments without having to wade through the original, parts of which are redundant. The result is brilliant." Richard Greaves, Church History Book Description First modern edition of a controversial seventeenth-century political and religious work.