A Short Historical View Of The Controversy Concerning An Intermediate State And The Separate Existence Of The Soul Between Death And The General Resurrection With Some Thoughts On The Use And Importance Of Theological Controversy

In this groundbreaking work, Francis Blackburne explores the theological controversy regarding the existence of the soul in the period between death and the General Resurrection. With careful scholarship and insightful analysis, he shows the importance of such debates for the study of theology as a whole. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

How did the penitentiary get its name? Why did the English impose long prison sentences? Did class and economic conflict really lie at the heart of their correctional system? In a groundbreaking study that challenges the assumptions of modern criminal justice scholarship, Laurie Throness answers many questions like these by exposing the deep theological roots of the judicial institutions of eighteenth-century Britain. The book offers a scholarly account of the passage of the Penitentiary Act of 1779, combining meticulous attention to detail with a sweeping theological overview of the century prior to the Act. But it is not just an intellectual history. It tells a fascinating story of a broader religious movement, and the people and beliefs that motivated them to create a new institution. The work is original because it relies so completely on original sources. It is mystical because it mingles heavenly with earthly justice. It is authoritative because of its explanatory power. Its anecdotes and insights, poetry and song, provide intriguing glimpses into another era strangely familiar to our own. Of special interest to social and legal historians, criminologists, and theologians, this work will also appeal to a wider audience of those who are interested in Christianity's impact on Western culture and institutions.

A supporter of the American rebellion and advocate of radical ideas on religion, philosophy, education, law, medicine, and politics, John Jebb (1736-1786) provides an ideal case to examine the nature of radicalism in 18th-century Britain. Jebb began his career as a clergyman and academic at Cambridge in the 1760s and died as a doctor and leading figure among political reformers in Enlightenment London. Profoundly influenced by David Hartley's attempt to combine a Christian theology of universal salvation with a materialist and determinist account of the mind, Jebb's philosophical and religious radicalism inspired him to work tirelessly for reform. This is the first modern extended study of his life. While at Cambridge, Jebb provoked strong conservative opposition to his religious views and proposals for academic reform. Increasingly marginalized in church and university, as a tide of loyalism swept the country in response to rebellion in America, Jebb resigned as a clergyman and moved to London to work as a doctor. As the American war dragged on with no end in sight, a popular movement urging political reform developed. Jebb became a leader of this movement and was instrumental in establishing a platform that called for universal suffrage and annual elections. British radicals would continue to campaign for this platform until the mid-19th century.