Abstract
The challenge of developing a philosophy of social diversity and political pluralism confronts people throughout the world today at all stages of social, economic, and political development, whether from a Christian or any other standpoint. The words in the title of this chapter can be interpreted in many ways. My aim is to offer an historical-critical interpretation of their meaning in the West from the time of early Christianity to the present day.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
- 1.
Cranz [9].
- 2.
Ullmann [29, p. 17].
- 3.
- 4.
Ullmann, Political Thought, p. 41.
- 5.
O’Donovan and O’Donovan [22, p. 177].
- 6.
Ullmann, Political Thought, p. 47.
- 7.
For more on the two systems, see Ullmann, Political Thought, pp. 19–44.
- 8.
Berman [6, p. 206].
- 9.
O’Donovan and O’Donovan, Sourcebook, p. 232.
- 10.
Ibid.
- 11.
Huizinga [14, p. 247].
- 12.
Berman, Law and Revolution, p. 285.
- 13.
- 14.
- 15.
- 16.
For the best introduction to the work of Althusius see Witte [32, pp. 143–207]. See also, O’Donovan and O’Donovan, Sourcebook, pp. 757–770.
- 17.
- 18.
- 19.
- 20.
References
Aquinas, T. (1948). In Anton C. Pegis (Eds.), Introduction to Saint Thomas Aquinas. New York: Modern Library.
Aquinas, T. (1956). On the truth of the catholic faith: Creation (Bk. Two of the Summa Contra Gentiles) (trans. Anderson, James F.). Garden City, NY: Doubleday Image Books.
Augustine. (1958). In V. J. Bourke (Ed.), The city of God (Abridged ed.). Garden City, NY: Doubleday Image Books.
Augustine. (1997). The confessions (trans. Maria Boulding). New York: Vintage Books.
Augustine. (1962). In H. Paolucci (Ed.), The political writings of St. Augustine. Chicago: Henry Regnery.
Berman, H. J. (1983). Law and revolution: The formation of the Western legal tradition. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Colish, M. L. (1997) Medieval foundations of the western intellectual tradition, 400–1400. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Copleston, F. C. (1955). Aquinas. Baltimore: Penguin Books.
Cranz, F. E. (1972). The development of Augustine’s ideas on society before the donatist controversy. In R. A. Markus (Ed.), Augustine: A collection of critical essays (pp. 336–404). Garden City, NY: Doubleday Anchor Books.
Fox, R. L. (2015). Augustine: Conversions to confessions. New York: Basic Books.
Gay, P. (1966). The Enlightenment: An interpretation. New York: Random House Vintage Books.
Gay, P. (2008). Modernism: The lure of heresy. New York: W. W. Norton.
Hillerbrand, H. J. (2007). The division of Christendom: Christianity in the sixteenth century. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.
Huizinga, J. (1996). The Autumn of the middle ages (trans: Payton Rodney, J. & Mammitzsch, U.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996.
Kolakowski, L. (1990). Modernity on endless trial. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Locke, J. (1958). In I. Ramsey (Ed.), The reasonableness of Christianity. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
Locke, J. (1973). In T. I. Cook (Ed.), Two treatises of government. New York: Hafner Press.
Lutz, D. S. (1988). The origins of American Constitutionalism. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press.
MacCulloch, D. (2003). The reformation: A history. New York: Penguin Books.
McIlwain, C. H. (1940). Constitutionalism: Ancient and modern. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Neumann, F. L. (1986). The rule of law. Heidelberg: Berg Publishers.
O’Donovan, O., & J. L. O’Donovan (Eds.), From Irenaeus to Grotius: A sourcebook in christian political thought, 100–1625. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
Prestwich, M. (Ed.). (1985). International calvinism 1541–1715. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Skillen, J. W. (2005). The common good as political norm. In P. D. Miller & D. P. McCann (Eds.), In search of the common good (PP. 256–278). New York: T&T Clark.
Skillen, J. W. (2014). The good of politics: A biblical, historical, and contemporary introduction. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.
Skillen, J. W., & McCarthy, R. M. (Eds.). (1991). Political order and the plural structure of society. In J. Witte, Jr. (Ed.), Emory university studies in law and religion. Atlanta: Scholars Press.
Smith, G. (1955). A constitutional history of England. New York: Scribner’s.
Tierney, B. (1982). Religion, law, and the growth of constitutional thought, 1150–1650. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Ullmann, W. (1965). A history of political thought: The middle ages. New York: Penguin Books.
Voegelin, E. (1975). In J. H. Hallowell (Ed.), From enlightenment to revolution. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
Willey, B. (1935). The seventeenth century background. New York: Doubleday Anchor Books.
Witte, J. J. (2007). The reformation of rights: Law, religion, and human rights in early modern Calvinism . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Skillen, J.W. (2020). Social Justice, Political Science, and Christian Thought. In: Xie, Z., Kollontai, P., Kim, S. (eds) Human Dignity, Human Rights, and Social Justice. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-5081-2_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-5081-2_9
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-15-5080-5
Online ISBN: 978-981-15-5081-2
eBook Packages: Religion and PhilosophyPhilosophy and Religion (R0)