Lex, Rex
E536545
Lex, Rex is a 1644 political treatise by Scottish theologian Samuel Rutherford that argues for limited government, the rule of law, and the conditional authority of kings based on covenantal principles.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Lex, Rex canonical | 1 |
Statements (44)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf | political treatise ⓘ |
| addressesIssue |
legitimacy of resistance to tyranny
ⓘ
limits of obedience to rulers ⓘ relationship between church and state ⓘ |
| arguesThat |
magistrates are bound by covenant to God and people
ⓘ
subjects may lawfully resist tyrannical rulers within limits ⓘ |
| author | Samuel Rutherford NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| bannedBy | authorities after the Restoration of Charles II ⓘ |
| centralClaim |
civil authority is derived from God through the people
ⓘ
law is above the king ⓘ |
| contrastsWith | “Rex, Lex” (King is Law) ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin | Scotland ⓘ |
| dedicatedTo | the Covenanters cause ⓘ |
| genre |
political philosophy
ⓘ
theology ⓘ |
| historicalContext |
English Civil War era
ⓘ
Wars of the Three Kingdoms NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| influenced |
Presbyterian resistance theory
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
later Reformed political thought ⓘ |
| influencedBy |
John Calvin
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Reformed covenant theology ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| legacy |
early articulation of constitutionalist ideas
ⓘ
important work in Protestant resistance literature ⓘ |
| mainSubject |
covenantal theology
ⓘ
limited government ⓘ political authority ⓘ resistance to tyranny ⓘ rule of law ⓘ |
| opposesConcept |
absolute monarchy
ⓘ
divine right of kings (unlimited) ⓘ |
| placeOfPublication |
London, England
ⓘ
surface form:
London
|
| publicationYear | 1644 ⓘ |
| religiousContext | Presbyterianism ⓘ |
| religiousMovementContext | Scottish Covenanters NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| religiousPerspective | Christian ⓘ |
| structure | question-and-answer format ⓘ |
| supportsConcept |
conditional authority of kings
ⓘ
covenantal basis of political authority ⓘ popular sovereignty under God ⓘ |
| theologicalTradition | Reformed theology ⓘ |
| titleMeaning | “Law is King” ⓘ |
| usesSource |
Bible
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
natural law reasoning ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.