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Christianity and Republicanism: From St. Cyprian to Rousseau

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

Antony Black*
Affiliation:
University of Dundee

Abstract

Contrary to a prevailing wisdom, the Christian ethos was at least as sympathetic to republicanism as it was to monarchy, especially to the primacy of the public welfare but also to corporate decision making. This can be seen in the early church, especially in the writings of St. Cyprian, in the medieval civic-communal movement, in conciliar constitutionalism, and in political Calvinism. Significant aspects of Rousseau's thought may be seen as a restatement of a Christian political dynamic.

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Articles
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 1997

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