Introduction
Martin Luther was a student of law and philosophy prior to studying in the Augustinian monastery in 1505. His departure from the Roman Catholic Church contributed to the establishment of the Lutheran Church. Luther’s writings were primarily on Christian theology and philosophy. His writing brought reform to Christian natural law philosophy. Luther and his followers stressed the significance of God’s grace and faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, and they denied that any human effort was necessary for salvation (Webb 2004). Like Luther, Richard Hooker was a clergyman, philosopher, and theologian. He fashioned his unique Anglican theology when Roman Catholicism threatened the Church of England. His great work was Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity, where he defended the Holy Scriptures, church tradition, and human reason. His ideas on natural law are similar to Luther’s natural law philosophy (Voak 2003, 7-9). Both Luther and Hooker contributed to the early reformed Christian natural Law philosophy, and reformed Christian idea of Christian kingship. These Christian philosophers wanted justice and real Christian covenantal statesmanship throughout Europe (Chupp 2020).
Martin Luther’s Natural Law Philosophy
For Martin Luther, natural law is more than just Christian teaching, but rather an analysis of human nature. Because of the fall of humanity (Genesis 3:1-22, ESV), human reason is chaotic, and it should not always be trusted for recognizing either good or evil. Rather, Luther argues that people should depend on their natural impulses for this purpose. However, this is something, which all people have done throughout history, and they continue to do this today. For example, non-believers use similar strategies for moral consideration, which are similar sources for the natural law, which Christians employ. Luther’s ideas do not appear to include Christian ethics alone, but just principles, which are human actions fueled through natural cravings, and gratified through realistic provisions, imposed through governmental arrangements, creating and shaping the environments where all people can serve their neighbor while living in peace. Christian Theology and ethics for Luther operate in two dissimilar worlds (Pearson 2010). Luther fashions a new version of natural law morality, which is innate, rather than just reasonable, teleological, or ontological. His natural law philosophy appears different from the classical natural law tradition taught by Greek, Roman, and early Christian philosophers (Pearson 2010).
Luther developed a logical reform of Christian natural law and he applied this reform to the political environment in Europe. Luther clarified the association between the state and the church. After Luther’s work on church reform, the church’s responsibility and contribution to political subjects transformed radically. Leaders followed up with a stronger grasp of spiritual concepts and their domination over the church through the secular authority. The leadership orbited political subjects and the administration of the church. The leadership demanded their essential role in the church and their participation in policy creation for the state. In addition, church unity became the business of the day with the Church of England and the Monarchy. Richard Hooker adopted the philosophy of Martin Luther on religious reforms. Europe misused Saint Thomas Aquinas’ ideas on the religious responsibility to control political matters, which would ensure equality, justice, and sound policies. During this period, the Pope was a powerful leader and he had significant influence in the political world. The Pope abandon his role as a state advisor, and he became a strong political figure. Before this time, the Church’s purpose was to offer guidance on different matters (Kenny 2002, 193-196). However, during the medieval era, this role was no longer relevant or seriously considered which made the Christian religion responsible for civil wars. The Christians wage war against non-believers, such as Muslims, and they drove Muslims away from Christian territory, and from the places previously under Islamic control such as Jerusalem (Pearson 2010). Because of this history, Luther developed significant reforms, which appeared to return the church back to God’s ways. Luther argued that the church was primarily responsible for preparing people for God’s eternal kingdom. He believed the church should not occupy itself with nonspiritual worldwide subjects, which included power struggles. Luther’s ideas began to limit the Pope’s access to political authority. For Luther, Christian statesmen working in powerful positions should do to others what they would like to be done to them, which mirrors the words of Jesus (Matthew 7:12, ESV). Luther’s reforms originated from his desire for justice. He believed that the leadership within the Church and state were in violation of real justice, true statesmanship, and the covenantal relationship they had with the people. For some, justice is the accomplishment of genuine anticipation of the person under laws designed to assure him or her benefits promised to them. Justice attempts to merge the individual rights with the social good. Scholars related the concept of justice to dealings amongst human beings. Justice supports the concept of equality because it necessitates that people must reject bias against different members in society.
Richard Hooker’s Natural Law Philosophy
Richard Hooker’s ideas on the church and government were similar to those of Martin Luther. He argued that the Elizabethan government required crucial reforms. In his work, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Polity, he revealed the changes required for the church and the government. These changes would restrain the Elizabethan dictatorial leadership (Hill 1993, 4-5). Theological recognition in civil authority would achieve control of the dictatorship. Hooker believes that the endeavor would be effective and he refers to the Jacobean Church when the government recognized that Christian natural laws offered superior guidance for governance. Hooker argues that the Holy Scriptures can reveal natural law wisdom to leaders. By studying God’s word, leaders will discover the light of nature, and they would be more capable of separating good from evil and right from wrong (Marshall 2020). Hooker did not believe that secular authority alone could properly safeguard the people’s interests without Christian influence. He contends that it is impossible for people who lack God’s Grace to comprehend the requirements for offering equality or justice. He argues that when God gives knowledge to leaders, then they would identify evil, embrace good, and participate more in moral and just leadership. Both Hooker and Luther believed that God’s Grace is the reason why people avoid dictatorship. For these Christian philosophers, all governments, which fail to identify the doctrines of Christian natural law ethics, will suffer from weak leadership, catastrophes, and eventual failure. (Voak 2003, 95-95)
Luther, Hooker, and Aquinas Differing Concepts of Natural Law, and Christian Kingship
Luther’s philosophy on Christian kingship differed from Aquinas’ thinking. For example, Luther agreed with Aquinas’ teaching that there were two different kingdoms, the material human kingdom and God’s spiritual Kingdom, which he believes Jesus Christ governed (Alfsvåg 2016). Both Luther and Aquinas’ two kingdoms remind some scholars of Saint Augustine’s two cities, which are God’s Heavenly City and humankind’s Earthly City. However, in contrasting with Aquinas who affirmed God’s dominant Kingdom, Luther stressed the separation of the two kingdoms, while revealing the significance of each kingdom. Luther believed that believers should fulfill God’s spiritual Kingdom internally, while fulfilling the material human kingdom externally. Luther’s ideas mirrors Jesus’ teaching to his followers about obeying secular laws to maintain law and order. For example, Jesus taught his followers to “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Mark 12:17, ESV). Luther believes that Christians should obey some of the laws of human government.
In his work, Temporal Authority: To What Extent It Should Be Obeyed, Luther revealed his two-kingdom philosophy (Charles 2019). For Luther, people belong to either God’s Kingdom or humankind’s kingdom. He taught that believers are part of two kingdoms, God’s eternal Kingdom, and humankind’s temporal kingdom. He believes that Christians are bound through covenantal statesmanship to both kingdoms. However, unlike Aquinas who taught that God influence the kingdom of humanity, Luther believes that Christian should exclude Jesus from the worldly kingdom of humanity (Charles 2019). Luther believes that Jesus ruled through his word, while secular leadership governed through laws.
Hooker and Luther believed that because God created all things, then humankind working with God could determine good over evil. God created human beings to rely on their natural reasoning powers. However, because of the fall (Genesis 3:1-22, ESV), some people fail to comply with natural law principles (Torrance 1999). Similar to Luther, Hooker did not believe Aquinas’ ideas concerning natural law having authority over positive law. Rather, he believed that both natural law and positive law are significant partly because people sometimes build positive laws on natural law standards. Concerning Christian kingship, both Hooker and Luther believed in the division of the spiritual and material kingdoms (Torrance 1999). Hooker argues that true Christians belong to God’s spiritual kingdom as long as they seek excellence through obeying the natural law ethics (Torrance 1999). In addition, Hooker hypothesized in his work, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Polity, that because the Holy Scriptures command leadership and authority, then as part of Christian kingship, people should accept positive law, which is for justice (Finnis 2011). Hooker’s philosophy is different from some of Luther’s ideas because of Hooker’s belief in Royal supremacy. Hooker believed that catholic orders corrupted the English Church (Braybrooke 2001). He considered that natural laws and the Holy Scriptures should be the primary rule, which oversees all human behaviors.
Luther, Hooker, and Aquinas Similar Conceptions of Natural Law Philosophy
Luther and Hooker embraced the doctrine of universal truth, which is part of the natural law philosophy. Similar to Aquinas, Luther and Hooker believed that because God created humankind with nature in the beginning (Genesis 1; 2; ESV), then human beings are designed with natural law principles, which aids people in determining what is right and what is wrong(Hill 2016). In addition, the natural law guides people’s understanding of what is real justice. All three Christian philosophers believe that natural law is consistent with God’s principles for all of humanity. They believed that God gave humanity His Word through the Holy Scriptures for guidance toward natural law principles. However, for Luther and Hooker, non-believers will make decisions that are inconsistent with natural law principles. The outcome of these decisions will result in the creation of positive law to ensure that there is justice and that people will avoid evil and pursue good. For these Christian philosophers, there is positive law and natural law. They see positive laws as commands from an authority figure with the power to enforce the laws. They believe that positive law lowers the status of law to non-enforceable directions. For them, the natural law represents binding obligations emerging from a moral sphere deep within the Christian philosophical tradition, while positive law is merely an effect. Therefore, they all believe that natural law is superior to positive law.
Conclusion
Both Luther and Hooker sought to uphold Christian covenantal statesmanship to conserve the spiritual objectives of the Western Christian tradition, which include preparing believers for their eternal existence with the Lord Jesus Christ (Chupp 2020). These philosophers believed that Christians should end their relationship with the Roman Pope and the Catholic Church and they should return to the original apostolic spiritual tradition of the first century CE, which would purify the Church from its medieval corruptions.
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