John Locke, the early Lockeans, and priestcraft

• Published in: Intellectual history review Vol. 28; no. 1; pp. 125 - 144
• Main Author: Goldie, Mark
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Routledge 02.01.2018; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: 17th century; anti-clericalism; Christianity; Church of England; civil religion; Clergy; ecclesiology; English literature; Locke; Locke, John (1632-1704); priestcraft; Reasonableness of Christianity; Religious history; sacred history

The term "priestcraft" became fashionable in the 1690s. This essay explores its use among the anti-clericals in John Locke's circle and examines the critique of priestcraft in his own Reasonableness of Christianity (1695). The commentaries and church histories, in correspondence and p...