Scottish readings of Suárez in the first half of the seventeenth century: the debate between John Maxwell and Samuel Rutherford

Abstract

The overwhelming diffusion of Suárez’s political philosophy in seventeenth century Europe is confirmed by the debate held in 1644 between the Anglican bishop John Maxwell and the Presbyterian minister Samuel Rutherford on the legitimate origin of political power. In their treatises of political diametrically opposed sign, both frequently appeal to Suárez’s De legibus and the Defensio fidei, published thirty years before. Methodologically this paper has been elaborated by means of a comparative analysis of Suárez’s doctrines with those contained in Maxwell and Rutherford treatises, which are accessible thanks to the data base EEBO (Early English Books Online), at the University of Michigan, as well as the bibliographical repertoire, Internet archive, based in San Francisco.