Abstract
This paper investigates the conviction amongst zealous English Protestants, living between 1660 and 1701, that Quakerism constituted a form of blasphemy. Through an analysis of the accusation of blasphemy in anti-Quaker polemic it develops a cultural history of blasphemy as representation, illuminating a spiritual critique of Quakerism as enthusiastic antitrinitarianism and a sense of blasphemy commensurate with Thomistic theology. In so doing, this paper provides an insight into the contemporary theological anxiety that Quakerism was fundamentally wicked and anti-Christian.
Keywords
anti-Quaker, theology, blasphemy, antitrinitarianism, enthusiasm, polemic
How to Cite
Manning, D., (2009) “Accusations of Blasphemy in English Anti-Quaker Polemic, C. 1660–1701*”, Quaker Studies 14(1), 27–56. doi: https://doi.org/10.3828/quaker.14.1.27
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