Lex, Rex
Lex, Rex is a book by the Scottish Presbyterian minister
high treason, but his death intervened before the charge could be tried.[citation needed] Lex, Rex itself was burned in Edinburgh (the Scottish capital) and St. Andrews (where Rutherford had been principal of the university) and in 1683 Oxford University included it in what ended up being the last official book-burning in England.[citation needed
]
The attack on absolutism, the defence of the rule of law and the emphasis on the importance of the covenant made Lex, Rex a precursor to the social contract idea, and helped pave the way for the political theory of John Locke. However, Rutherford's views on Church-State relations and his opposition to religious toleration were not shared by Locke.
See also
- Alexander Shields
- Lex animata (law individualised in a prince)
- Natural law
- Rule of law
- Rule of man
External links
- Forsythe, Max A, "Discussion of the implications of Lex Rex as the foundation of a civilized government", Tulip, The Institute for Principled Policy, archived from the original on 2008-09-17.
- Rutherford, Samuel, Lex, Rex [The Law & the Prince] (full text), Constitution.
- ———, Lex, Rex [The Law & the Prince] (PDF) (full text), Portagepub.
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