The Reformation was a period of change in which there was a distinct break between the medieval tradition and the Early Modern Period. Divine Right to Rule, the doctrine that states monarchs derive their right to rule from and are only answerable to God, became a central point in Early Modern political theories, such as in The Six Bookes of the Commonwealth by Jean Bodin. Sovereignty was described in absolutist terms that stressed obedience to the ruler and denied resistance under any circumstances. The cultural phenomenon of obedience and non-resistance largely emerged through the doctrines of Reformation writers such as Martin Luther and William Tyndale. This thesis attempts to trace the intellectual origins of the Divine Right theory from the medieval antipapal polemics to Bodin¡¦s concrete definition of sovereignty. This thesis uses a cultural studies approach to trace the ideas which eventually led to the emergence of the Divine Right theory. It finds similarities in the historical circumstance, which influenced the production of each, individual work, and finds similarities between the texts of different historical periods. It also explores the influence each text had on its contemporaries and on later generations. To start, Bodin¡¦s The Six Bookes of the Common-Weale will be examined to determine the definition of absolutism defined by divine right as seen by sixteenth century intellectuals. It is important to note that Bodin did not always support royal absolutism, but like many other political thinkers, the chaos of the French Civil Wars led him to the conclusion that only a strong king has the ability to unify a country. Bodin¡¦s Six Bookes set out to clearly define the meaning of sovereignty and the obligations of the sovereign. He determined a sovereign has to have supreme, unshared power that is not limited by any subject. Moreover, a sovereign ruler recognizes no higher authority, save God. Therefore, Bodin justifies royal absolutism through Divine Right. This becomes clear through his stance on resistance¡Xactive resistance, rebellion and tyrannicide are forbidden under all circumstances. The ideas highlighted in Six Bookes will be compared with the philosophy presented by Marsilius of Padua in Defensor Pacis. It may seem strange to compare thought of Marsilius against that of Bodin, for Marsilius actually had a profound dislike of absolutism (Copleston 310), however Marsilius¡¦ doctrine plays a crucial role in the foundations of divine right. Appalled by papal interference into secular affairs, Marsilius created an antipapal polemic, which attempts to destroy the papacy¡¦s claims on temporal power and places the state above the church in earthly affairs. Both the medieval and modern standpoints will then be compared with the ideas of Reformers. Like Marsilius, both Luther and William Tyndale begin their respective works with antipapal rhetoric. Luther¡¦s An Appeal to the Ruling Class of German Nationality as to the Amelioration of the State of Christendom (1520) attacks the ¡§three walls¡¨ he felt protected the pope¡¦s erroneous actions. In Secular Authority: To What Extent It Should Be Obeyed, Luther agrees with Marsilius¡¦ opinion that the pope had no coercive power or jurisdiction in earthly affairs, and identifies the king as God¡¦s representative on earth. Thus a good Christian has the duty to obey the king and not resist his orders. Tyndale¡¦s The Obedience of a Christian Man further developed Luther¡¦s political theory, in particular with the idea of obedience. Tyndale emphasizes the divine right to rule and that usurping a sovereign ruler is equivalent to usurping the will of God. In his eyes, disobedience breeds disobedience and the result of rebellion is chaos. While still based on theology, the political thinking of both Luther and Tyndale act as a bridge between merely attacks against the pope and the sophisticated political philosophies justified by history and civil law. In conclusion, Reformation writers were immeasurably useful in providing intellectual support for secular claims for supremacy, obedience and non-resistance, particularly in the ecclesiastical split between Henry VIII and Rome. The Reformation doctrine of obedience developed from the antipapal polemics of the medieval period and become a defining point in Early Modern political tracts. Obedience and non-resistance also enabled the claim of Divine Right to Rule by sixteenth and seventeenth century rulers.

Thesis (DTh (Systematic Theology and Ecclesiology))—University of Stellenbosch, 2008. / During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Stewart rulers of Scotland and England endeavoured to enforce Royal Absolutism on both countries. This included ecclesiastical pressure on the Scottish Presbyterians, giving rise to a movement known as the Covenanters. One identifying aspect was their fieldpreachings, or Conventicles, held in secret, frequently on the moors. As persecution increased, worshippers took weapons to these Conventicles for selfdefence in case of attack during the service. Royal efforts to impose Episcopalianism on Scotland intensified after the Restoration of 1660 and were met with resistance. In 1666 open revolt broke out in The Pentland Rising, which was put down with great severity after the Covenanters were defeated at Rullion Green. Open revolt broke out again in 1679, when some Covenanters defeated a small royalist force at Drumclog, but they were soundly defeated by the royal army at Bothwell Brig shortly afterwards. The Covenanters split into two factions, moderate and extreme; the extreme element becoming known as Cameronians after the martyred covenanting preacher Rev Richard Cameron, “The Lion of the Covenant.” The hypothesis researched was that; The development and actions of the Cameronian movement made a significant contribution to Freedom of Religion in Scotland. The hypothesis rests on whether Cameronian influence was significant, and to what degree. Subsequent to Bothwell Brig, the Covenanting movement virtually collapsed in Scotland. The leaders fled to Holland and the common people who remained were severely persecuted. But by early 1680, two covenanting ministers, Richard Cameron and Donald Cargill, had returned from Holland to preach in the fields against Erastian limitations on doctrine, worship, discipline, and church government. They were hunted down and killed, but their followers (now called Cameronians) formed their own ecclesiastical polity known as the United Societies. This was a presbyterial Church, separate but not sundered from the Church of Scotland (The Kirk), which had by now largely accepted a considerable degree of Erastianism. The Cameronians became a small but vociferous pressure group, not only persecuted, but denigrated by moderate Presbyterians. Throughout this period they ensured a considerable degree of freedom of religion for themselves, despite the ever intensifying persecution. Their stance was vindicated at the Glorious Revolution of 1688/9, one outcome being the raising of both a guard, and a regiment, of Cameronians, both of which enabled a period of comparative calm and safety to prevail, thus allowing Parliament and the General Assembly to finalise the Revolution Settlement for both Church and State, without any external threat from Jacobitism. The Cameronian clergy then became reconciled with the Kirk in 1690, and brought two-thirds of the United Societies with them, thus ending their period of isolation, and once more presenting a (virtually) united Presbyterian front to the world. Rev Alexander Shields was critical to both the formation of the regiment and reconciliation with the Kirk. The thesis demonstrates that the Cameronians made four significant contributions to freedom of religion in Scotland. Firstly, they made a significant contribution to freedom of religion by their struggle to protect the right to retain their own freedom of doctrine, worship, discipline and church government, resisting every effort to remove these by force. In 1690 they secured these freedoms. Secondly by their new-found military effectiveness, they secured a climate of comparative peace and stability in the latter half of 1689 and 1690, during which both Parliament and General Assembly were able to carry through vital legislation for Church and State, without any external threat. Thirdly, through the reconciliation of their clergy with the Kirk, the Cameronians were catalytic in the establishment of a [virtually] united Presbyterian front in Scotland,1 thereby ensuring that the Kirk was strong enough to accept the existence of other denominations without feeling unduly threatened. Fourthly, Rev Alexander Shields stands out as catalytic in the achievement of the Second and Third significant contributions. It can be argued that his behaviour, in itself, was a significant contribution to Freedom of Religion.