The Development of Thomas Hobbes' Religious-Politico Thought

• Author / Creator

  Weber, Greg D.

• There are two trends in recent Hobbesian scholarship: one which identifies the development of Hobbes’ political philosophy in order to derive a greater appreciation for his overall goals in his masterwork, Leviathan, and another which seeks to bring the religious Parts III and IV of Leviathan into the context of the main goals of the overall work. I bring these two trends together, arguing that Hobbes’ religious thought grows from the position in The Elements of Law that good Christian obedience only involves obedience to the laws of nature to the idea first presented in Leviathan that Christian sovereigns are uniquely obliged to God to prepare citizens for entry into the kingdom of God to come according to the specific teachings of Christian doctrine.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Hobbes, Thomas,--1588-1679.--De cive
  • Hobbes, Thomas,--1588-1679.--Leviathan
  • Hobbes, Thomas,--1588-1679.--Human nature
  • Religion and politics--History--17th century
  • Political science--History--17th century

• Graduation date

  Fall 2010

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Arts

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R38K7V

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.