Robert South (1634-1716): An Introduction to his Life and Sermons

Description

Robert South (1634-1716) was one of the great Anglican writers and preachers of his age. A contemporary of Dryden and Locke, he faced the profound political and philosophical changes taking place at the beginning of the Enlightenment in England. With the interdependence of Church and State forcing a conjunction of religious and political issues, South's life and work as a preacher show him reacting to changes in civil and ecclesiastical polity over the course of his active public life. Gerard Reedy's book, the first major study of South, makes a strong case for the importance of his sermons, their complexity, beauty and wit, and their place in the history of post-Restoration English literature. Discussing sermons of South which deal with his theory of politics, language, the sacrament and mystery, Reedy reintroduces us to a lively and seminal master of prose, politics and theology in the late Stuart era.

"Reedy has done all students of English Renaissance literature and religious history a great service through his careful delineation of South's homiletic achievement. His volume is modest in size, but it demonstrates the importance of South's work and captures significant dimensions of his thought, surely prompting others to further study." John N. Wall, Theological Studies