An Elegant and Learned Discourse of the Light of Nature

by Nathaniel Culverwell, Robert A. Greene (Editor), Hugh R. MacCallum (Editor)

Overview

Composed in a period of religious and political upheaval, Culverwell's Discourse of the Light of Nature is an imaginative statement of the teachings of Christian humanism concerning the nature and limits of human reason and the related concepts of natural and divine law. The lengthy introduction to this new critical edition throws light on the evolution of English rationalism in the seventeenth century, and the annotation establishes for the first time the full range of Culverwell's sources – classical, medieval, and Renaissance – and enables the reader to appreciate his manner of citing authority and handling illustration.

(Department of English Studies and Texts 17)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442639614
Publisher:	University of Toronto Press
Publication date:	12/15/1971
Series:	Heritage
Pages:	276
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.62(d)

About the Author

Nathaniel Culverwell (1619-1651) was an English author and theologian, born in Middlesex. He was also a student and later a fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge. Robert A. Greene was a member of the faculty of the University of Toronto as a professor of English at University College. Hugh R. MacCallum (1928-2008) was a professor emeritus of English at the University of Toronto, University College.

Editorial Reviews

The republication of this impressive edition will encourage the ongoing study of Culverwell as a significant figure at the genesis of modern ethical thought. The University of Toronto Press volume (1971) is republished here with all its principal features bar the editors’ original Introduction. In recent times, Messrs. Greene and MacCallum’s scholarly Introduction has been roundly praised for being balanced, informative, and useful.

Jacqueline Broad
Monash University
The Scriblerian
2005

From the Publisher