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John Locke’s Theology

OXFORD STUDIES IN HISTORICAL THEOLOGY

Series Editor

Richard A. Muller, Calvin Theological Seminary

Founding Editor

David C. Steinmetz †

Editorial Board

Robert C. Gregg, Stanford University

George M. Marsden, University of Notre Dame

Wayne A. Meeks, Yale University

Gerhard Sauter, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn

Susan E. Schreiner, University of Chicago

John Van Engen, University of Notre Dame

Robert L. Wilken, University of Virginia

THE UNACCOMMODATED CALVIN

Studies in the Foundation of a Theological Tradition

Richard A. Muller

THE CONFESSIONALIZATION OF HUMANISM IN REFORMATION GERMANY

Erika Rummell

THE PLEASURE OF DISCERNMENT

Marguerite de Navarre as Theologian

Carol Thysell

REFORMATION READINGS OF THE APOCALYPSE

Geneva, Zurich, and Wittenberg

Irena Backus

WRITING THE WRONGS

Women of the Old Testament among Biblical Commentators from Philo through the Reformation

John L. Thompson

THE HUNGRY ARE DYING

Beggars and Bishops in Roman Cappadocia

Susan R. Holman

RESCUE FOR THE DEAD

The Posthumous Salvation of NonChristians in Early Christianity

Jeffrey A. Trumbower

AFTER CALVIN

Studies in the Development of a Theological Tradition

Richard A. Muller

THE POVERTY OF RICHES

St. Francis of Assisi Reconsidered

Kenneth Baxter Wolf

REFORMING MARY

Changing Images of the Virgin Mary in Lutheran Sermons of the Sixteenth Century

Beth Kreitzer

TEACHING THE REFORMATION

Ministers and Their Message in Basel, 1529–1629

Amy Nelson Burnett

THE PASSIONS OF CHRIST IN HIGH-MEDIEVAL THOUGHT

An Essay on Christological Development

Kevin Madigan

GOD’S IRISHMEN

Theological Debates in Cromwellian

Ireland

Crawford Gribben

REFORMING SAINTS

Saint’s Lives and Their Authors in Germany, 1470–1530

David J. Collins

GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS

ON THE TRINITY AND THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD

In Your Light We Shall See Light

Christopher A. Beeley

THE JUDAIZING CALVIN

Sixteenth-Century Debates over the Messianic Psalms

G. Sujin Pak

THE DEATH OF SCRIPTURE AND THE RISE OF BIBLICAL STUDIES

Michael C. Legaspi

THE FILIOQUE

History of a Doctrinal Controversy

A. Edward Siecienski

ARE YOU ALONE WISE?

Debates about Certainty in the Early Modern Church

Susan E. Schreiner

EMPIRE OF SOULS

Robert Bellarmine and the Christian Commonwealth

Stefania Tutino

MARTIN BUCER’S DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION

Reformation Theology and Early Modern Irenicism

Brian Lugioyo

CHRISTIAN GRACE AND PAGAN VIRTUE

The Theological Foundation of Ambrose’s Ethics

J. Warren Smith

KARLSTADT AND THE ORIGINS OF THE EUCHARISTIC CONTROVERSY

A Study in the Circulation of Ideas

Amy Nelson Burnett

READING AUGUSTINE IN THE REFORMATION

The Flexibility of Intellectual Authority in Europe, 1500–1620

Arnoud S. Q. Visser

SHAPERS OF ENGLISH CALVINISM, 1660–1714

Variety, Persistence, and Transformation

Dewey D. Wallace, Jr.

THE BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION OF WILLIAM OF ALTON

Timothy Bellamah, OP MIRACLES AND THE PROTESTANT IMAGINATION

The Evangelical Wonder Book in Reformation Germany

Philip M. Soergel

THE REFORMATION OF SUFFERING

Pastoral Theology and Lay Piety in Late Medieval and Early Modern Germany

Ronald K. Rittgers

CHRIST MEETS ME EVERYWHERE

Augustine’s Early Figurative Exegesis

Michael Cameron

MYSTERY UNVEILED

The Crisis of the Trinity in Early Modern England

Paul C. H. Lim

GOING DUTCH IN THE MODERN AGE

Abraham Kuyper’s Struggle for a Free Church in the Netherlands

John Halsey Wood, Jr.

CALVIN’S COMPANY OF PASTORS

Pastoral Care and the Emerging Reformed Church, 1536–1609

Scott M. Manetsch

THE SOTERIOLOGY OF JAMES USSHER

The Act and Object of Saving Faith

Richard Snoddy HARTFORD PURITANISM

Thomas Hooker, Samuel Stone, and Their Terrifying God

Baird Tipson

AUGUSTINE, THE TRINITY, AND THE CHURCH

A Reading of the Anti-Donatist Sermons

Adam Ployd

AUGUSTINE’S EARLY THEOLOGY OF IMAGE

A Study in the Development of ProNicene Theology

Gerald Boersma

PATRON SAINT AND PROPHET

Jan Hus in the Bohemian and German Reformations

Phillip N. Haberkern

JOHN OWEN AND ENGLISH PURITANISM

Experiences of Defeat

Crawford Gribben

MORALITY AFTER CALVIN

Theodore Beza’s Christian Censor and Reformed Ethics

Kirk M. Summers

THE PAPACY AND THE ORTHODOX

A History of Reception and Rejection

A. Edward Siecienski

DEBATING PERSEVERANCE

The Augustinian Heritage in PostReformation England

Jay T. Collier

THE REFORMATION OF PROPHECY

Early Modern Interpretations of the Prophet & Old Testament Prophecy

G. Sujin Pak

ANTOINE DE CHANDIEU

The Silver Horn of Geneva’s Reformed Triumvirate

Theodore G. Van Raalte

ORTHODOX RADICALS

Baptist Identity in the English Revolution

Matthew C. Bingham

DIVINE PERFECTION AND HUMAN POTENTIALITY

The Trinitarian Anthropology of Hilary of Poitiers

Jarred A. Mercer

THE GERMAN AWAKENING

Protestant Renewal after the Enlightenment, 1815–1848

Andrew Kloes

THE REGENSBURG ARTICLE 5 ON JUSTIFICATION

Inconsistent Patchwork or Substance of True Doctrine?

Anthony N. S. Lane

AUGUSTINE ON THE WILL

A Theological Account

Han-luen Kantzer Komline

THE SYNOD OF PISTORIA AND VATICAN II

Jansenism and the Struggle for Catholic Reform

Shaun Blanchard

CATHOLICITY AND THE COVENANT OF WORKS

James Ussher and the Reformed Tradition

Harrison Perkins

THE COVENANT OF WORKS

The Origins, Development, and Reception of the Doctrine

J. V. Fesko

RINGLEADERS OF REDEMPTION

How Medieval Dance Became Sacred

Kathryn Dickason

REFUSING TO KISS THE SLIPPER

Opposition to Calvinism in the Francophone Reformation

Michael W. Bruening

FONT OF PARDON AND NEW LIFE

John Calvin and the Efficacy of Baptism

Lyle D. Bierma

THE FLESH OF THE WORD

The extra Calvinisticum from Zwingli to Early Orthodoxy

K.J. Drake

JOHN DAVENANT’S HYPOTHETICAL UNIVERSALISM

A Defense Of Catholic And Reformed Orthodoxy

Michael J. Lynch

RHETORICAL ECONOMY IN AUGUSTINE’S THEOLOGY

Brian Gronewoller

GRACE AND CONFORMITY

The Reformed Conformist Tradition and the Early Stuart Church of England

Stephen Hampton

MAKING ITALY ANGLICAN

Why the Book of Common Prayer Was Translated Into Italian

Stefano Villani

AUGUSINE ON MEMORY

Kevin G. Grove

UNITY AND CATHOLICITY IN CHRIST

The Ecclesiology of Francisco Suarez, S.J.

Eric J. DeMeuse

RETAINING THE OLD EPISCOPAL DIVINITY

John Edwards of Cambridge and Reformed Orthodoxy in the Later

Stuart Church

Jake Griesel

CALVINIST CONFORMITY IN POSTREFORMATION ENGLAND

The Theology and Career of Daniel Featley

Gregory A. Salazar

BEARDS, AZYMES, AND PURGATORY

The Other Issues that Divided East and West

A. Edward Siecienski

BISSCHOP’S BENCH

Contours of Arminian Conformity in the Church of England, c.1674–1742

Samuel David Fornecker

JOHN LOCKE’S THEOLOGY

An Ecumenical, Irenic, and Controversial Project

Jonathan S. Marko

John Locke’s Theology

An Ecumenical, Irenic, and Controversial Project

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Marko, Jonathan S., author.

Title: John Locke's theology : an ecumenical, irenic, and controversial project / Jonathan S. Marko.

Description: New York, NY, United States of America : Oxford University Press, [2023] | Series: Oxford STU in historical theology series | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2022053518 (print) | LCCN 2022053519 (ebook) | ISBN 9780197650042 (hardback) | ISBN 9780197650066 (epub) Subjects: LCSH: Locke, John, 1632-1704. | Theology, Doctrinal. Classification: LCC B1298 .R4 M37 2023 (print) | LCC B1298 .R4 (ebook) | DDC 192—dc23/eng/20230302

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022053518

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022053519

DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780197650042.001.0001

Printed by Integrated Books International, United States of America

For

Craig Stevens Marko and Pamela Susann Marko, née Beahn

Proverbs 1:8–9

4.

5.

PART II: THE REASONABLENESS OF REVELATION

6.

PART III: PARALLELS IN LOCKE’S LARGER CORPUS

7. John Locke and the “Free Will” Controversies: Why “Of Power” Is

9. Can One Assent to The Doctrine of the Trinity According to

Preface

My fascination with John Locke and the thinkers of his era sprouted through two concurrent doctoral seminars at Calvin Theological Seminary in 2009, one led by Ronald J. Feenstra (“Prolegomena”) and the other led by Richard A. Muller (“17th-century Metaphysics”). These two loved doctors opened new vistas for us and trained us to be clear, careful, and charitable. My main fruits from the seminars were a paper on the categories of propositions promulgated by John Locke and John Toland and another on the Anthony Collins–Samuel Clarke debate on liberty and necessity. By the end of the term, I was hooked on this era, especially philosophical and theological thinkers coming from the British Isles. I went on to write my dissertation (later published), building upon the work I had already done on Locke and Toland. It proved to be a fine beachhead for further exploration of the Enlightenment.

This book is mostly the culmination of my research to date in Locke while joyfully teaching at Cornerstone University and through conference papers mostly delivered at the Evangelical Theological Society’s regional and national conferences. These two institutions have been crucial to the writing of my book. One provided me with a “due date” for drafts of chapters and venues in which to receive feedback, among many other benefits. The other gave me supportive colleagues, financial resources, insightful and fun students, and time. Cornerstone awarded me a full-semester sabbatical for this book in the fall of 2019. And its librarians, particularly Gina Bolger, consistently and quickly delivered works to me that were not part of our library’s holdings.

There are so many other people for whom I am grateful. I am thankful for the individuals in whose company I happily find myself on occasion who have given me theologically rich conversations and friendship: John Duff, Matthew Everhard, Benjamin Marko (brother), Drew McGinness, and Michael Wittmer, just to name a few. They all love the Lord and truth. The person to whom I owe the most gratitude in this group is Richard A. Muller. His best scholarly accomplishments might not be the great number of

brilliant articles, chapters, books, and series he has penned and edited, but rather the great number of scholars he has mentored and the camaraderie he has helped cultivate amongst his students. We are not only better scholars, but better people because of him.

I would also like to express gratitude for my families. There is of course my church family. They have been a constant source of friendship, support, and theological dialogue. Also, without the support of my wife, this book would never have been written. While I have cheered on or come alongside of her for the last seventeen years, she has done likewise for me but much better. I am thankful to my three daughters. They have brought me unforeseen joy. I dedicate this book to my parents, Craig Stevens Marko and Pamela Susann Marko, née Beahn, residing in my hometown, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. They taught me and my beloved siblings much. Two mindsets they instilled in us often come to mind when I think about our upbringing: the importance of valuing good company and how to persist.

I also need to thank the unknown reviewers, editors, and the many people who have had a hand in the completion of this book. The insights of the initial reviewers and Muller were invaluable. I count them as collaborators on this work. I learned so much from them along the way.

Gratitude is due to a few others as well. Without the work of the collaborators and collectors of the Post-Reformation Digital Library (PRDL), my work would have been greatly slowed. I visit it and recommend it often. I also want to thank the editors of the Journal of Markets and Morality (Acton Institute) (JMM) and Philosophy and Theology (Marquette University) (PT) for publishing some of my work on Locke and allowing me to publish greatly expanded and re-worked journal articles as chapters in this book: Chapter 3 (PT), Chapter 5 (JMM), and Chapter 7 (PT).

Finally, I have a few comments on the structure of this book. Each chapter can stand on its own. I give a full bibliographical first reference of works used in each chapter, partly for this reason. But each chapter also has a complementary chapter. The final arrangement of the book has separated two companion chapters into different ends of the book. Chapters 3 (justification in The Reasonableness of Christianity [ROC]) and 4 (fundamental articles in ROC) are mutually supportive, as are Chapters 5 (special revelation in ROC) and 6 (miracles in ROC). Chapters 8 (the question of Locke’s use of “above reason”) and 9 (the question of Locke’s position on the Trinity) are also mutually reinforcing. But Chapters 2 (soteriology and theology in

Preface xix

Locke’s “non-theological” works) and 7 (free will in the Essay) nicely complement each other. But the foci of Chapter 2, its introduction of Locke’s body of writing, and its comparative simplicity make it the most fitting chapter with which to start Part I.

Jonathan S. Marko Cascade Township, MI

1 Introduction

The Problems of Understanding John Locke

Inconsistent Labeling

John Locke published The Reasonableness of Christianity (ROC) in 1695. It is a somewhat lengthy theological treatise that starts with explication of certain points of doctrine that was deemed heterodox by traditional Protestants. The bulk of the book contains a painstaking proof of what the fundamental articles of the Christian faith are and why. He does discuss miracles, morality, and other theological and philosophical topics. But, interestingly, it perhaps received more attention for what was not in it. Locke avoided making explicit references to standard Christian doctrines such as the doctrine of the Holy Trinity and the atonement. Theologian John Edwards lambasted Locke’s writings for being Socinian and this resulted in a protracted debate that pulled in others. Edwards attacked Locke in a number of works and the latter responded in kind. From this debate came two vindications of Locke’s theological treatise: the first, A Vindication of The Reasonableness of Christianity, was a shorter work; and A Second Vindication was a comparatively massive work that contains many cutting responses, clarifications of ROC, and reveals much of Locke’s theological programmatic intent of ROC. 1

1 John Locke, The Reasonableness of Christianity, as Delivered in the Scriptures, 2nd ed. (London: Printed for Awnsham and John Churchil, 1696); John Locke, A Vindication of the Reasonableness of Christianity, etc., From Mr. Edwards’s Reflections (London: Awnsham and John Churchil, 1695). This was published along with the 1696 second edition of ROC. John Locke, A Second Vindication of the Reasonableness of Christianity, etc. (London: A. and J. Churchil, 1697); John Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, ed. Peter H. Nidditch (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1979). Pertinent works from Edwards and Bold are as follows: John Edwards, Some Thoughts Concerning the Several Causes and Occasions of Atheism, Especially in the Present Age. With Some Brief Reflections on Socinianism: And on a Late Book Entituled The Reasonableness of Christianity as Deliver’d in the Scriptures (London: Printed for J. Robinson, 1695); John Edwards, Socinianism Unmask’d. A Discourse Shewing the Unreasonableness of a Late Writer’s Opinion Concerning the Necessity of Only One Article of Faith; and of His Other Assertions in His Late Book, Entituled, The Reasonableness of Christianity as Deliver’d in the Scriptures, and in His Vindication of It. With a Brief Reply to Another (Professed) Socinian Writer (London: Printed for J. Robinson, 1696); John Edwards, The Socinian Creed: or, A Brief Account of the Professed Tenents and Doctrines of the Foreign and

John Locke’s Theology. Jonathan S. Marko, Oxford University Press. © Oxford University Press 2023. DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780197650042.003.0001

Locke would soon have other issues. Bishop Edward Stillingfleet soon accused Locke not of heresy, but for unwittingly paving the way for the heterodox opinions promulgated in the infamous book, Christianity Not Mysterious, by John Toland. Locke’s works were again associated with Socinian thought. Even though Locke defended himself well in both controversies, getting the best of both of his interlocutors in the minds of many, he would never be rid of a dogged association with Socinianism. There is wisdom, then, in Locke’s comment to Stillingfleet amidst their debate: “It is an Observation, I have somewhere met with, That whoever is once got into the Inquisition, Guilty or not Guilty, seldom ever gets clear out again.”2 Yet, in the minds of some he did escape. Instead of being portrayed as heterodox, he is consistently portrayed as being “orthodox” (or at least relatively so) by scholars who focus upon the rise of natural religion or deism narrative. There he is routinely juxtaposed against John Toland who is portrayed as appropriating his epistemological fundamentals not into Socinianism, as was the original charge, but deism.

There are a few observations I would like to make about the above account that has pertinence to this present work. First, the application of labels like heterodox and orthodox (and even Socinian) all depend upon against whom Locke is being compared. This is perhaps not so surprising. Second, the context in which Locke wrote and thought was very contentious and complicated. It is convenient and somewhat efficient to discuss him in the context of the advancement of Socinianism or in the rise of deism or natural religion, but there is so much more going on during that period. England was rife with theological and philosophical controversy, not to mention similar trends in other spheres of life and thought. So, in this present book we will

English Socinians. Wherein Is Shew’d the Tendency of Them to Irreligion and Atheism. With Proper Antidotes Against Them (London: Printed for J. Robinson, 1697). Samuel Bold’s A Collection of Tracts, Publish’d in Vindication of Mr. Lock’s Reaosnableness of Christianity, as Deliver’d in the Scriptures, etc. (London: Printed for A. and J. Churchil, 1706) has the following relevant tracts: A Short Discourse of the True Knowledge of Christ Jesus (London: Printed for A. and J. Churchil, 1697); Some Passages in The Reasonableness of Christianity, etc. and Its Vindication. With Some Animadversions on Mr. Edwards’s Reflections on the Reasonableness of Christianity, and on His Book, Entituled, Socinianism Unmask’d (London: Printed for A. and J. Churchil, 1697); and A Reply to Mr. Edwards’s Brief Reflections on A Short Discourse of the True Knowledge of Christ Jesus, etc. To Which is Prefixed a Preface, Wherein Something Is Said Concerning Reason and Antiquity, in the Chief Controversies with the Socinians (London: Printed for A. and J. Churchil, 1697). For a nice collection of excerpts of contemporary works related to ROC: John Locke and Christianity: Contemporary Responses to The Reasonableness of Christianity, ed. and intro. Victor Nuovo (Bristol: Thoemmes Press, 1997).

2 John Locke, Mr. Locke’s Reply to the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of Worcester’s Answer to His Letter, Concerning Some Passages Relating to Mr. Locke’s Essay of Humane Understanding: In Late Discourse of His Lordships, In Vindication of the Trinity (London: Printed by H. Clark, for A. and J. Churchill, 1697), 107.

not only explore the theological and philosophical works of Locke, but also the controversies in which they were forged.

Overall Argument

The primary argument of this book is that John Locke’s intent for ROC was to describe and defend his version of the foundational or fundamental doctrines of Christianity during a very theologically and philosophically controversial time and not his own personal views. Locke desired to describe what makes one a Christian in the simplest and most irenic terms and to argue for the necessity of Scripture and the reasonableness of God’s means of conveying his messages. Both revelation and the promulgated redemption are eminently reasonable.

Locke’s theological writings, namely ROC and its two vindications, are an intentionally ecumenical and irenic project written amidst numerous complex theological and philosophical controversies. He argued for the simplicity of the Christian faith, to which the uneducated and the laborers could assent. The writings themselves were inadvertently controversial and regarded as suspect due in part to Locke’s refusal to assert more than he thought warranted or desired, his lack of accommodation to the theological terminology and paradigms of his day, a studious avoidance of metaphysical pronouncement, and his failure to realize that most readers will not make a distinction between his personal and programmatic positions. His lack of doctrinal specificity often incensed self-professed orthodox thinkers and nettled metaphysicians, who did not recognize or accept the aims of his program. And the project was personal or individually focused in the sense that through it he foisted the burden of understanding the Bible and arriving at theological convictions on the autonomous individual, including the uneducated, and dismissed basing one’s doctrinal opinions on so-called authorities as epistemologically illegitimate. This advancement of an individualized or personal orthodoxy and his accompanying theological framework for Christians to build upon was intended to refine the Reformation and counter certain Post-Reformation trends: adherence to his project would yield more and better Christians, less negative priestly influence and thus fewer unhelpful controversies and less sectarianism, and a thriving society. What is more, the claim of his intentional ecumenicity is bolstered by the ease of appropriation of his thoughts by orthodox and heterodox thinkers alike, a particular point not dealt with here, but demonstrated elsewhere by others. All

of this helps explain the difficulty scholarship has had in labeling Locke along the lines of more traditional Christian sects. Of course, there were certain theological positions and worldviews that he vigorously opposed, such as deism, enthusiasm, and antinomianism.

Scholarship

Problematic Tendencies

There are a few trends that are present in many works on Locke that have been counterproductive to understanding his writings. First, there are far too many compartmentalized approaches. Locke was not simply an epistemologist, or political scientist, or a theologian, etc. He was a polymath, and a rather systematic one. As I will note in the next chapter, even his major “nontheological” works have strands of theological thought in them. As a case in point, his A Letter Concerning Toleration is arguably just as much a theological work as it is a political one. Thus, approaching one of his works attempting to isolate one of Locke’s mental spheres makes one’s reading of him liable to distortion. Second, the theological context of Locke’s works is far more complex than most realize. For instance, Calvinism and Arminianism, terms frequently used in recent Locke scholarship, do not describe two monoliths at odds. Not only do these terms reference varied theological movements, but there are also other traditions engaged in Locke’s conversation, notably the Lutherans and Anabaptists. Third, there has been a lack of appreciation that Locke’s theology in ROC is more programmatic than it was personal. He says as much in ROC, but there are some reasons many conflate the two. As I will argue, there are important differences between understanding Locke’s ROC as programmatic as opposed to being personal. In what follows, I am less interested in trying to decipher Locke’s personal views than in understanding his theological program, its implications, and to some degree how it ties in to or is adumbrated in other Lockean works.

On the Ecumenical Intent of ROC

In the main, I will be interacting with scholarship that focuses on ROC, what Locke intended to do with it, and why it is notably different in certain

respects from his Essay, etc. There is no perfect way in which to divide them, but there are certain patterns of argument into which scholars have frequently fallen pertaining to Locke’s professed ecumenical and irenic intent for ROC and the authority of Scripture advanced therein. First, there is what I will call the surreptitious group. This is a significant group of scholars, like Leo Strauss, Michael S. Rabieh, and Steven Forde, who read Locke as religiously surreptitious (because corrosive). They think that such characteristics such as inconsistencies between the Essay and ROC or a seeming meager defense of miracles is evidence that Locke appeals to the Bible (exoterically) while simultaneously trying to undercut its authority (esoterically). His claims of irenicism and ecumenism are, thus, wholly feigned. There is a small and related group, consisting at least of Nicholas Jolley and Michael Ayers— who focus on the Essay who think Locke is undercutting Christianity but do not emphasize an attempt on Locke’s part to hide it.3 The next group, the sectarian group, find his ecumenical claims insincere or Locke to be rather obtuse in making them and read ROC as being religiously sectarian. While earlier this group tended to frame him and ROC as Socinian (as John Edwards did) some more recent thinkers have described both as Arminian.4 There are some well-noted scholars in this group, such as Victor Nuovo, John Marshall, and Stephen D. Snobelen, to name a few.

The other group of scholars that stand in contrast to those named immediately above, I will call the sincere group. They tend to read Locke’s claims

3 The following are notable examples of those who read Locke as being religiously surreptitious: Steven Forde, “Natural Law, Theology, and Morality in Locke,” American Journal of Political Science 45, no. 2 (April 2001): 396–409 [ref. pp. 407–8]; Leo Strauss, Natural Right and History (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1953); Leo Strauss, Persecution and the Art of Writing (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1952; Reprint, 1988); Michael S. Rabieh, “The Reasonableness of Locke, or the Questionableness of Christianity,” Journal of Politics 53, no. 4 (November 1991): 933–57; Jonathan Donald Conrad, “Locke’s Use of the Bible in: The Two Treatises, The Reasonableness of Christianity, and A Letter Concerning Toleration” (Ph.D. diss., Northern Illinois University, 2004); David Foster, “The Bible and Natural Freedom in John Locke’s Political Thought,” in Piety and Humanity, ed. Douglas Kries (Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield, 1997), 181–212. Foster’s earlier claims are in the same vein as Conrad’s. He concludes his essay with the suggestion that Locke rejects “crucial elements of the biblical teaching on God, property, and the family.” See also: Nicholas Jolley, “Locke on Faith and Reason,” in The Cambridge Companion to Locke’s “Essay Concerning Human Understanding”, ed. Lex Newman (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007), 436–55; Michael Ayers, Locke Volume 1: Epistemology (New York: Routledge, 1991), 122.

4 Maurice Cranston, John Locke: A Biography (New York: The MacMillan Company); John Marshall, “Locke, Socinianism, ‘Socinianism’, and Unitarianism,” in English Philosophy in the Age of Locke, ed. M. A. Stewart (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2000), 111–82; Victor Nuovo, “Locke’s Theology, 1694–1704,” in English Philosophy in the Age of Locke, ed. M. A. Stewart (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2000), 183–216; Victor Nuovo, Christianity, Antiquity, and Enlightenment: Interpretations of Locke (New York: Springer, 2011); Stephen D. Snobelen, “Socinianism, Heresy and John Locke’s Reasonableness of Christianity,” Enlightenment and Dissent 20 (2001), 88–125; Dewey Wallace, “Socinianism, Justification by Faith, and the Sources of John Locke’s The Reasonableness

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