The Word of God and the Words of Man: Books II and III of Richard Hooker's Laws: A Modernization

by Richard Hooker, Bradford Littlejohn (Editor), Brian Marr (Editor)

Richard Hooker’s Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity is one of the great landmarks of Protestant theological literature, and indeed of English literature generally. However, on account of its difficult and archaic style, it is scarcely read today. The time has come to translate it into modern English so that Hooker may teach a new generation of churchmen and Christian leaders about law, reason, Scripture, church, and politics.

In this third volume of an ongoing translation project by the Davenant Institute, we present Books II-III of Hooker’s Laws, comprising Hooker’s treatment of Scripture’s authority in relation to the authority of reason and human law. Hooker contends that although Scripture does not change, human affairs do, and so our application of Scripture to changing human societies (including the Church) requires the use of reason, prudence, and historical awareness. Scripture is our highest authority, but not the only authority that regulates human life. Perhaps more than any other part of the Laws, Hooker’s careful analysis of the relationship between the Word of God and the words of man remains intensely relevant to Christians today struggling to uphold the authority of the Bible without distorting it.

Genres: Theology

174 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 30, 2018

About the author

Richard Hooker (March 1554 – 3 November 1600) was an Anglican priest and an influential theologian. Hooker's emphases on reason, tolerance and the value of tradition considerably influenced the development of Anglicanism. He was the co-founder (with Thomas Cranmer and Matthew Parker) of Anglican theological thought. Hooker's great Elizabethan guide to Church Government and Discipline is both a masterpiece of English prose and one of the bulwarks of the Established Church in England. Hooker projected eight books for the great work. The first four books of Ecclesiastical Polity appeared in 1593, Book V in 1597. Hooker died in 1600 at the age of forty-six and the remaining three books were completed, though not revised, before his death. The manuscripts fell into careless or unscrupulous hands and were not published until long afterwards (1648 to 1662), and then only in mutilated form. Samuel Pepys makes mention of Hooker's Polity three times in his Diary, first in 1661, "Mr. Chetwind fell commending of 'Hooker's Ecclesiastical Polity,' as the best book, and the only one that made him a Christian, which puts me upon the buying of it, which I will do shortly." In 1667 Pepys bought the new edition that had been printed in 1666, the first to include the life of Hooker by Izaak Walton.

Reviews

[Brian]

Hey, I'm biased, but this is the most important part of Richard Hooker's work. Anyone interested in applying the Bible to anything should read it. Anyone interested in Christian politics should read it. Anyone interested in the relationship between commands and gospel in the Christian life should read it. Which is another way of saying, "Reader, I want you."

[Jacob Aitken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richard Hooker’s aim in these two books can be seen as a pair of concentric circles. In the outer circle he refutes the claim that we have to have a Scriptural proof for every action. On one level this claim is absurd and it is hard to imagine that his opponents took it seriously. Perhaps, though, his opponents mean something like, “You must have a Scriptural justification for every ethical and doctrinal stance.” Having refuted the first position, his inner circle is an attack upon the Regulative Principle of Worship.

The larger context, though, is Hooker’s defense and presentation of natural law. While Scripture is sufficient unto salvation, Hooker warns us not to epistemologically push Scripture “beyond what the truth will bear” (Hooker 4). To mix metaphors, you can’t force Scripture to be a Platonic database from which you can download a response to every issue in life.

Book II mainly deals with sectarian claims that you have to have a Scriptural command for each individual action, not simply in the church, but for all of life. This is extreme and, quite frankly, absurd. I won’t spend much time on Hooker’s rebuttals. He draws an example from David’s life. David had no divine command to build the temple. True, Nathan told him he couldn't’ do it, but he commended his intent.

Technical terminology:
Perfect: a perfect action is one that lacks nothing necessary to the end for which it was instituted (42).

Book III

The Church of Christ is his spiritual body, which cannot be perceived by the senses (III.1.1). The visible church is one. Wickedness in the church does not cancel the church. This is what we tell to critics when they ask “Where was your church before Luther?” It was in the same place the Israelites were in when they were worshiping idols. The only change in our church was when it went from being idolatrous to more godly.

The visible church is more of a society than an assembly. Assemblies only last for the duration to which men are called to it.

Hooker rebuts the RPW along the following lines: Either Scripture puts down a church polity in part or in whole. The latter is simply false, for there is no NT equivalent for the book of Leviticus. If they say “taken from Scripture” from its parts, then they are no different from Anglicans.

Furthermore, a “general command” necessarily excludes particular cases. If we chose any particular, we would be violating the general command (78).

Hooker then examines the grammar of the argument: a thing ‘commanded’ in the word is not the same as ‘grounded’ in the word. The former is positive, the latter negative.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

This updated language version of Hooker's Laws is easy to read without being oversimplified, and effectively conveys an argument that, over 400 years later, is still relevant and compelling. A must read for those trying to understand the history of the Western Church and/or wrestling through understanding the reasoning behind various forms of church government. Spoiler alert: he may skewer your favorite arguments.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hooker is very clear and balanced, here he is answering he biblicists who argue that all of the details of the Christian life and church polity must be specified in scripture. There is no space for derivation and reasoning on particulars.

[Elwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was assigned reading for me. It was a bit opaque for me (especially as I was rushing to meet a deadline) but I appreciated his commendation of reason as necessary component of interpretation of scripture.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

C'mon, Cartwright!

[Jeremy Counts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book on the role and extent of general and special revelation.