Of the Nature and Qualification of Religion in Reference to Civil Society

By Samuel Puffendorf

$16.80


Publication Date: September 2002

About this book

The bounds of church and state

Samuel Pufendorf’s Of the Nature and Qualification of Religion (published in Latin in 1687) is a major work on the separation of politics and religion. Written in response to the revocation of the Edict of Nantes by the French king Louis XIV, Pufendorf contests the right of the sovereign to control the religion of his subjects, because state and religion pursue wholly different ends. He concludes that, when rulers transgress their bounds, subjects have a right to defend their religion, even by the force of arms. Pufendorf’s ideas on natural law and toleration were highly influential in both Europe and the British Isles.


Hardback | 573 pages | 6×9 | Published September 2002 | ISBN 978-0-86597-370-1

If you are interested in a bulk order, we offer a 50% discount and $10 shipping for orders of 10+ books OR orders containing 5+ copies of a single book. We also offer a 60% discount and free shipping for orders with a gross retail value over $500. To place a bulk order, please contact [email protected].


Davenant and Liberty Fund Partnership

In 2024, the Davenant Institute partnered with Liberty Fund to highlight some of history’s greatest works of political theology. Forgotten today, these works by the likes of Samuel Pufendorf and Emer De Vattel have been hugely significant throughout the centuries. With Protestant political retrieval on the rise, it is the perfect time to rediscover these foundational texts, all sold at a generous discount of up to 40% via the Davenant bookstore.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ix

Introduction

1

Of the Nature and Qualification of Religion in Reference to Civil Society

141

Selected Bibliography

i43

Index

About the Author and Editor

Samuel Pufendorf (1632–1694) taught natural law and was court historian in both Germany and Sweden.

Simone Zurbuchen is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland.

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