Tolerance, Society, and Sovereignty: The Retreat from Pluralism in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

The Polish Brethren were fervent advocates of religious tolerance. Johann Crell's “Vindiciae pro Religionis Libertate” (1637) is prominent among their works, because of its far-reaching and progressive arguments for freedom of religion. This article outlines the historical and intellectual cont...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inRenaissance quarterly Vol. 76; no. 1; pp. 124 - 165
Main Author Quatrini, Francesco
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Cambridge Cambridge University Press 2023
Subjects
17th century
Brochures
Christianity
Crell, Johann (1590-1633)
Freedom of religion
Jewish people
Multiculturalism & pluralism
Peace
Politics
Religion
Religious organizations
Tolerance
England
Poland
United Kingdom > UK
Lithuania
Europe
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Summary:The Polish Brethren were fervent advocates of religious tolerance. Johann Crell's “Vindiciae pro Religionis Libertate” (1637) is prominent among their works, because of its far-reaching and progressive arguments for freedom of religion. This article outlines the historical and intellectual context of this pamphlet, and its reception in seventeenth-century Europe. Despite being familiar with a historical situation in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth where toleration was practiced on a societal level, Crell strongly argued that freedom of religion had to be enacted through a public law. Only in this way could freedom of religion be truly effective and guarantee safety for all citizens.
ISSN:0034-4338
1935-0236
DOI:10.1017/rqx.2022.434