Par les thèmes centraux qui l’animent sans relâche – honneur, devoir, trahison, châtiment, vengeance, … –, le cycle de Guillaume d’Orange entretient avec le droit médiéval d’étroits rapports thématiques que les jongleurs n’ont cessé d’exploiter pour nourrir la trame narrative relatant les hauts faits de la famille de Narbonne. Nées dans un contexte historique, politique et social particulièrement dense, propice aux innovations en matière de réflexion éthico-juridique, les chansons du cycle de Guillaume imposaient de s’interroger sur la nature profonde de ces liens afin de mieux saisir ce qui constitue la représentation épique du juste et de l’injuste. Comme cette opposition n’apparaît jamais en ces termes dans notre corpus, notre souci premier fut d’adapter aux mentalités et aux préoccupations inhérentes au contexte de production du cycle de Guillaume les outils conceptuels qui allaient fonder notre démarche : plutôt que de rechercher les manifestations du juste et de l’injuste selon une opposition moderne en distinguant les obligations découlant du droit positif des devoirs imposés par la morale, nous avons choisi de nous intéresser à toutes les normes sociales dont la présence, plus ou moins implicite dans nos textes, impose toutefois à nos personnages épiques une impérieuse restriction d’action, tant dans la sphère privée que sur la scène publique. Au terme de notre parcours, il est apparu que les normes enjointes à la société épique du cycle de Guillaume d’Orange ne s’organisaient pas autour des deux pôles normatifs (terrestre et humain d’une part, spirituel et divin d’autre part) qui avaient constitué notre hypothèse de départ : c’est une hiérarchisation normative bien plus floue et bien plus relative – dont l’existence trouve sa source en outre dans l’épisode central du couronnement de Louis par Guillaume – qui régit la société de notre corpus et permet ainsi aux jongleurs des potentialités dramatiques aussi riches que nombreuses. / Through the central, ubiquitous themes that animate it – honor, duty, betrayal, retribution, vengeance – the cycle of William of Orange maintains close thematic links with medieval law, links that the jugglers never ceased to use in order to provide a narrative framework to relate the exploits of the Narbonne family. The songs of the cycle of William were born into an especially intricate historical, political, and social context conducive to innovations in ethical-juridical reflection, and so had to wrestle with the profound nature of these links in order to grasp more deeply the epic representation of the just and the unjust. Since this opposition never appears in our corpus in these terms, our first concern was to calibrate the conceptual tools intended to ground our method to the mentalities and preoccupations inherent in the context of the production of the cycle of William: rather than seeking the manifestations of the just and the unjust according to a modern opposition by distinguishing obligations that flow out of positive law from duties imposed by morality, we decided to concern ourselves with all the social norms whose presence, more or less implicit in our texts, nevertheless demands of our epic characters an urgent restriction of action, as much in the private sphere as in the public. At the end of our investigation it appeared that the norms enjoined upon the epic society of the cycle of William of Orange were not organized around the two normative poles which had constituted our initial hypothesis (terrestrial and human on the one hand, spiritual and divine on the other): itis a normative hierarchization much more fluid and relative – whose existence finds its source, moreover, in the central episode of the coronation of Louis by William – that reigns over the society of our corpus and that thus grants the jugglers dramatic possibilities as rich as they numerous.

This study examines ways in which supporters of William III and his opponents used literature to buttress their respective views of government in the wake of the Glorious Revolution. Understanding the polemical character of this art provides more insight both into the literature of the 1690s and into the modes of political debate in the period. As the English people moved from a primarily hereditary view of monarchy at the beginning of the seventeenth century to a more elective view of government in the eighteenth century, the Glorious Revolution proved to be a watershed event. Those favoring James II relied on patriarchal ideas to characterize the new regime as illegitimate, and supporters of the coregent asserted the priority of English and Biblical law to assert that the former king forfeited his right to rule. Chapter one examines three thinkers – Robert Filmer, John Milton, and John Locke – whose thought provides a context for opinions expressed in the years surrounding William of Orange’s ascension to the English throne. In chapter two, John Dryden’s response to James II’s abdication is explored. As the deposed Poet Laureate and a prominent voice supporting of the Stuart line, Dryden sheds light on ways in which Jacobites resisted the authority of the new regime through his response to the Glorious Revolution. Chapter three addresses the work of Thomas Shadwell, who succeeded Dryden as Laureate, and Matthew Prior, whose poetry Frances Mayhew Rippy characterizes as “unofficial laureate verse.” These poets rely on ideas similar to those expressed by Milton and Locke as they seek to validate the events of 1688-1689. The final chapter explores the appropriation of varied conceptions of government in pamphlets and manuscripts written in favor of James II and William III. Focusing on the polemical character of these works from the late 1680s and the 1690s enhances our understanding of the period’s literature and the prominent interaction of politics and writing.

This study presents a comparative approach between the time of the Belgic Confession and of the Korean Church under Japanese rule. Both the early Low Countries and Korea received Protestantism through martyrdom and persecution. During the sixteen century the Low Countries were under the Spanish rule. The Low Countries were deeply influenced by the Reformation. Many historians have noted that the people in the Low Countries suffered persecutions on the basis of their nationality and religious beliefs by the Roman Catholic Church and the Spanish government. The heroes of the Low Countries were William of Orange, the political leader of his native country, and Guido de Bres a religious leader. William of Orange, and his son, Maurice of Orange, accomplished their country’s political independence with outstanding leadership. Guido de Bres was a travelling preacher who preached the gospel in the Low Countries. He drafted the Belgic Confession. It is authorized as one of the most wonderful Reformed confessions. Korea received the gospel through the Western missionary R. J. Thmoas. Korea was under Japanese rule since the end of the nineteen century. Korean Christianity helped the Korean people when the Koreans were oppressed. From the late 1920s, the Japanese forced Koreans in Shinto Shrine Worship. Shinto Shrine Worship was the worship of the King of Japan. The Korean people could not accept Shinto Shrine Worship. Korean Christians judged Shinto Shrine Worship to be idol worship and opposed it. However, Korean Protestants abandoned their faith, due to the Japanese’ threat of military power. Some pastors resisted Shinto Shrine Worship. Pastor Joo Ki-Chul was a leader of the resistance and died for his faith. There are similarities and differences between the struggle of the Low Countries and Korea. Both the early Low Countries and early Korean Church produced spiritual martyrs like Guido de Bres and Joo Ki-Chul. They were martyrs, patriots and preachers. In both countries Christians faced horrible persecutions by the ruling tyrants. But while the Low Countries struggled for their independence to the end, most Korean Christians had to desert their faith in the face of continued pressure from the Japanese. In spite of this some Korean Christians remained strong till the bitter end. The Low Countries’ religious persecution came to an end, but North Korea’s Christians are still suffering under the communist regime. In spite of terrible persecution by the communist government, there are many Christians in underground churches who long for religious and political freedom. / Dissertation (MA(Theol))--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Church History and Church Policy / unrestricted