The Soul Sleepers: Christian Mortalism from Wycliffe to PriestleyA new and thoroughly researched study of the rise and development of Christian Mortalism, also known as Conditional Immortality or Soul Sleep, in England during the Reformation and Post-Reformation periods. Dr Bryan Ball traces the origins of the belief in Continental Reformation thought, and then in the writings of Wycliffe and Tyndale, and its growth and development in the writings of many other advocates, including Hobbes, Overton, Milton, Locke, Edmund Law, John Biddle, Peter Peckard, Francis Blackburne, among many others, concluding with the views of Joseph Priestley. In the context of being a historical study, this book challenges the traditional doctrine of the soul's innate immortality. Having previously written on English eschatological thought, Dr Ball sets out to demonstrate here that this alternative view of man's essential nature and ultimate destiny was held across a wide theological spectrum in English thought for at least three centuries. While dealing with a subject that is at times difficult, the book has been intentionally written in a readable, accessible style, and will appeal to a much wider audience than the purely academic. The book provides important background information for the growing interest in the mortalist point of view in contemporary theological and historical circles. |
Contents
Abbreviations | 5 |
The Mortalist Works of Henry Layton | 197 |
Bibliography | 210 |
Copyright | |
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Common terms and phrases
Anabaptist Anglican appeared argued Articles asserted Baptist confessions believed biblical body breath Caffyn Calvin Cambridge Camillo Renato Christ Christian Doctrine Christian mortalism church concerning Confession of Faith contemporary Coward dead death defence Discourse divine Dodwell earlier earth Edwards eighteenth century England English mortalism English Reformation eschatology eternal torment existence Francis Blackburne Frith Froom future heaven hell heresy History Hobbes Hobbes's hope Human Soul Ibid immaterial immortal soul Jesus John Frith John Locke Joseph Priestley judgment kingdom last day later Leviathan Locke's Lollard Luther millenarianism Milton mortalist mortalist theology mortalist thought Mortalitie natural immortality Overton Oxford Paraphrase and Notes Peckard Peter Peckard philosophical Priestley psychopannychism psychopannychist published punishment purgatory radical Reasonableness of Christianity Religion resurrection revelation righteous saints Samuel Bold says Scripture Search after Souls Sermons seventeenth century Socinianism Socinus soul sleep soul's immortality Spirit Testament thnetopsychism thnetopsychist Thomas Thomas Hobbes traditional translated Treatise Tyndale Tyndale's William William Tyndale