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4 - Reason, Revelation, and Revolution

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 December 2022

Kody W. Cooper  and
Justin Buckley Dyer
Kody W. Cooper
Affiliation:
University of Tennessee, Chattanooga
Justin Buckley Dyer
Affiliation:
University of Texas, Austin
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Summary

Was the American revolutionary argument justifiable on classical, Christian natural-law and just war principles?This question is not merely of quaint historical interest but also has been the subject of scholarly discussion in recent years on the basis of Thomistic natural-law and just war principles. Moreover, there has been renewed scholarly interest in the debate between the patriots and the loyalists over whether resistance could be justified on biblical grounds.In this chapter, we argue that the American revolution was justifiable on the grounds of Thomistic jurisprudence.We then turn to reconsider the case for revolution in light of Christian Scripture with particular attention to how Romans 13 was interpreted in the Christian tradition and in the American colonies.

Keywords

Just war theoryAmerican RevolutionBiblenatural law
Type
Chapter
Information
The Classical and Christian Origins of American Politics
Political Theology, Natural Law, and the American Founding
 , pp. 99 - 121
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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