APT 4 Puritan Theocrats

Covenant / Social contract based on “higher law”

• Adam and Eve, broken

• Abraham: agrees to worship in accordance with god, leaders will know scriptures

• Puritans made their covenant with god before America = Mayflower Compact 1620

• No community before

• Elected ministers (teachers), formally a community after compact

• Indicates independence from Britain, self-governance

• John Winthrop first gov of Massachusetts Bay Colony → shifting economy to gov

• Please human excess, even if not in accordance with god already determined→ stress obedience, human have flaws, require laws/external, laws made for ppl = find a law, not make it

• No one is above law and covenant

Religious qualifications for citizenship

• Citizenship charter1631

• Only church members can hold office, only male could speak and vote

• Freeholder: church members and own property

• Already different churches emerged (Quakers …)

• Non church members had to obey and pay taxes, could rent property

• Critics back in England, denying English brothers rights (ignored by puritans)

• Subdue godly: understand word of god, you were a community asset (second will become more important)

• 1690s freeholders who could vote become minority, non members/Puritans were tolerant of these structures

• New immigrants, mostly Protestants, coming in

• Revolts force changes to citizenship

State/civil enforcement of religious doctrine

• when you broke rel law = broke of public law

• Moral law should be translated to civil laws

• Blue laws = where you cannot sell alcohol, or sell on Sunday → religious element

• Puritans = gods instruments, officiants/elected/magistrates could rule over church and state affairs

• No big written law scriptures, bc you have bible

• Puritans courts were very medieval, testimonial hearings, no indicates

• God set ultimate judgement/punishment → old medieval practices (burning hot coals in hands → healed = innocent, burned = sin)

• Modifications: family of accused hired runner, accused in water, archer shot, runners had to collect arrow

Role of clergy (elders) in civil affairs

• elders hat power to exacumate members, give sentence, public confessions of faith/punishment

• Elders = judges, jury, police

• Elders heard from god, special agents

• Not necessarily bad/cold hearted, couldn’t tolerate sin → took work very serious, strong sense of duty

• High church discipline was everyone’s duty

• Used public shame a lot

• Grades of punishment (not talk to them, excluded for a period of time, leave community, death)

• Distinction between political and church affairs not always given, faith is what gave them unity