Theological Origins of Modernity

hobbes’ fearful wisdom 247
requires theological doctrines that are commensurate with his political
imperatives. Th erefore, political science cannot leave the question of the
content of religious doctrine and practice to the private determination of
the citizens. His goal in the last chapters of De cive, in the second half of
the Leviathan, in his critique of White, in his debate with Bramhall, and
in his other works on religion is thus to spell out a theology for a Christian
commonwealth in which the commandments of church and state are
one and the same. As we will see, this theology is essentially Protestant,
largely Calvinist, and with a few exceptions compatible with Anglicanism
as spelled out in the Th irty-Nine Articles of 1563. 126
Th is subordination of theology to politics has led to the widespread
belief that Hobbes was irreligious. His belief that the civil sovereign
should also have ecclesiastical dominion, however, provides no grounds
for doubting his religiosity. Th e fact that he defends unpopular doctrines
at some danger to himself suggests that he did not do so insincerely or
in order to conceal his real views. Had he said nothing about religion, he
would certainly have put himself in less danger, and if he merely wanted to
camoufl age his atheism, there were many other more orthodox versions of
Christianity he could have used. 127 To believe that Hobbes was irreligious
is thus historically anachronistic and contradicted by his own actions. 128
One might more reasonably question his orthodoxy. By the standards
of his time, however, most of the doctrines and practices he espoused were
orthodox, and even those that were contestable were oft en better grounded
in Scripture than those he opposed. Hobbes’ version of Christianity is very
simple, requiring only that one to believe Jesus was the Christ. 129 Th is is
not quite as simple as it sounds, but it requires little beyond belief in the
Nicean Creed and thus in Hobbes’ view should be acceptable to most
Christians. 130 Disagreements within Christianity, as he saw it, did not arise
over basic tenets of faith but about practices derived from the pagans concerning
the power, profi t, or the honor of clerics. 131 Like many Reformers
Hobbes sought to purge Christianity of these accretions. He was particularly
concerned by the revival of paganism in the Catholic Church under
the infl uence of humanism. 132 Th is was one of the factors that produced
what he called the Kingdom of Darkness. Hobbes was also convinced that
the radical Reformation’s emphasis on private revelation and prophecy
was wrong-headed and dangerous to public peace. Both these forms of
Christianity were thus incompatible with good government. Th e former
produced endemic corruption and the latter civil war. 133 Hobbes rejected
both as false theology.
Since theology is concerned with matters that transcend our experience