Richard Hooker on Anglican Faith and Worship: Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity: Book V

by Richard Hooker; Philip B. Secor

Publisher:

SPCK

, 2003

Overview

Richard Hooker (1554-1600) is the premier theologian of the Anglican religious tradition. Portions of his great apologia for Anglicanism, Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity—still required reading in most Anglican seminaries—has been seminal for most Anglican theologians since the early seventeenth century. Unfortunately, Hooker’s defining ideas about the Church, the sacraments, Holy Scripture, the incarnation, prayer, worship, the Trinity, church polity, and virtually every aspect of Anglican faith and worship are no longer accessible to most Christians. His writing style is too cumbersome for most modern readers to untangle. This is especially so of the most important of all of his religious writings: book five of the Polity. To remedy this problem, and make Hooker’s timeless wisdom once again available to Christians inside the Anglican family and without, Dr. Secor has rendered Hooker’s difficult prose in book five into contemporary English, continuing the process of translation begun in his acclaimed, The Sermons of Richard Hooker: A Modern Edition.

Key Features

• Explores Richard Hooker’s defining ideas about the Church
• Presents Hooker’s difficult prose into contemporary English
• Discusses topics such as the sacraments, Holy Scripture, and the incarnation

Contents

Top Highlights

“Sacraments are powerful instruments of God for eternal life.” (Page 188)

“We especially have reservations about four of their general propositions: (1) that in forms of public worship every properly reformed church should avoid conformity with the Church of Rome; (2) that the church that was the first to be truly reformed (Calvin’s church in Geneva) should be the pattern for all other reformed churches that came afterwards; (3) that proper public religious observance may not utilize any rites that were not expressly commanded by God (in Scripture) and are therefore abusive devises that lead to superstition; (4) that in all forms of worship the glory of God and the edification and spiritual well-being of His people is to be sought, and nothing should be done in worship that is performed in an indecent or disorderly manner.” (Page 25)

“There is, therefore, good reason why we should be slow to change the ancient and long-approved religious customs and rites of our venerable predecessors unless there is some very urgent necessity to do so. The love of old things argues for their conservation, whereas shallowness and lack of experience will probably lead only to innovation for its own sake even before the new thing is tried (St Basil, c. 330–79, Bp of Caesarea, De Spiritu Sancto, ch. 7).” (Page 29)

“Since there is no union of God with man without Christ as intermediary between the two, it seems necessary that we now consider how God is in Christ, how Christ is in us, and how the Sacraments serve to make us partakers of Christ (Tertullian, c. 160–c. 225, De Trinitate, ch. 23). In other matters we may be briefer but the importance of this topic requires lengthier explanation.” (Page 188)

Product Details

• Title: Richard Hooker on Anglican Faith and Worship: Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity: Book V
• Authors: Richard Hooker, Philip B. Secor
• Edition: A Modern Edition
• Publisher: SPCK
• Print Publication Date: 2003
• Logos Release Date: 2013
• Pages: 413
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Church of England › Doctrines--Early works to 1800; Anglican Communion › Doctrines--Early works to 1800; Church and state › Great Britain--Early works to 1800; Church polity › Early works to 1800; Ecclesiastical law › Early works to 1800
• Resource ID: LLS:RICHHOOKSECOR
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-02-12T05:25:56Z

About Philip B. Secor

Philip B. Secor is one of the foremost experts on the writings of Richard Hooker. His is also the author of Richard Hooker: Prophet of Anglicanism and Richard Hooker and the Via Media.