The True Law Of Kingship

This debate was of such intensity that James VI, the first king to rule over Scotland and England, wrote his own book on the subject: 'The True Lawe of Free Monarchies'.

16th century people were supposed to fear God and honour the King. But what was the king entitled to command? And what if his orders contradicted God's law? In this study the author examines these questions by focusing on 16th century Scotland.

"Figgis sets his analysis in Europe beginning from the early Middle Ages, with how nobles would often elect fellows to act as king (lord of lords), and who were bound to the customary laws of the land. Through a series of theocratic power struggles originating in the Holy Roman Empire, and the transformation of being a king of a people to being king over a land, and the eventual resolution of those power struggles (in England), Figgis gives a thorough account of the development of Divine Right as it came to be stated by James VI. You will find a thoroughly researched work which traces step-by-step the evolution of DROK, taking the time to demonstrate the nuances of moral laws and adherence to them which are counterintuitive to modern interpretations of pre-modern ideas (such as resisting a king who has contradicted God's law, in order to serve that king), and its different expression and application by Catholics, Protestants and Presbyterians. The in-depth account of DROK will give you an excellent picture of the historical and political landscape occurring right at the birth of humanity into modernity. The book is a vital companion to anyone studying ideas of sovereignty, power, political doctrines, theocracy, or the events and ideas which led up to the execution of Charles I; referencing Marsilius of Padua, Jean Bodin, Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. Likewise, Figgis' work is vital for wider reference towards other philosophical works which were themselves discussing DROK (such as Hegel's Philosophy of Right), or of political responses to ideas of sovereignty, such as the school of Karl Marx (Including Giovanni Gentile, Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler); utilitarians; or the post-modernists (Agamben) and post-structuralists (Michel Foucault and Jacques Derrida)" --Amazon.com

King James is well known as the most prolific writer of all the Stuart monarchs, publishing works on numerous topics and issues. These works were widely read, not only in Scotland and England but also on the Continent, where they appeared in several translations. In this book, Dr Stilma looks both at the domestic and international context to James's writings, using as a case study a set of Dutch translations which includes his religious meditations, his epic poem The Battle of Lepanto, his treatise on witchcraft Daemonologie and his manual on kingship Basilikon Doron. The book provides an examination of James's writings within their original Scottish context, particularly their political implications and their role in his management of his religio-political reputation both at home and abroad. The second half of each chapter is concerned with contemporary interpretations of these works by James's readers. The Dutch translations are presented as a case study of an ultra-protestant and anti-Spanish reading from which James emerges as a potential leader of protestant Europe; a reputation he initially courted, then distanced himself from after his accession to the English throne in 1603. In so doing this book greatly adds to our appreciation of James as an author, providing an exploration of his works as politically expedient statements, which were sometimes ambiguous enough to allow diverging - and occasionally unwelcome - interpretations. It is one of the few studies of James to offer a sustained critical reading of these texts, together with an exploration of the national and international context in which they were published and read. As such this book contributes to the understanding not only of James's works as political tools, but also of the preoccupations of publishers and translators, and the interpretative spaces in the works they were making available to an international audience.

An indispensable resource for students and scholars, The Oxford Handbook of the Psalms features a diverse array of essays that treat the Psalms from a variety of perspectives. Classical scholarship and approaches as well as contextual interpretations and practices are well represented. The coverage is uniquely wide ranging.