Search

This article explores the possibility that Izaak Walton, the author of "The Compleat Angler," may have also written a political pamphlet titled "Certaine Reasons Why the Booke of Common-Prayer Being Corrected Shovld Continue." The essay presents evidence supporting Walton's authorship, including similarities in themes and references to his other known works. The pamphlet, published in 1641, defends the Book of Common Prayer and argues for the preservation of the Church of England. The article emphasizes the importance of including this pamphlet in Walton's body of work to gain a deeper understanding of his beliefs and writings. It examines the identity of 'I.W.' and suggests that it may refer to Izaak Walton, who sometimes used initials or pseudonyms during times of political turmoil. The article also discusses the publisher of the pamphlet and suggests that Walton may have sought publication elsewhere for reasons of anonymity or due to changes in his usual publisher's activities. The text identifies shared themes between the pamphlet and Walton's other works, such as a focus on peace and an irenic approach to Catholicism. It suggests that Walton may have been the author of the pamphlet based on shared initials, convictions, anonymity, and terminology. The article also explores Walton's early involvement in pamphlet wars and his favorable attitude towards Catholics. It highlights thematic consistencies in Walton's writings, including his emphasis on peace, concern with zeal, and admiration for King Solomon. The article concludes by discussing [Extracted from the article]

I. Jesus and the Church: The Foundation of the Church in the New Testament and Modern Theology The institutional framework of any church will be less influenced by academic theology than theologians might like, but this might say more about theologians than about churches. The latter ranges across New Testament images of Christ and the Church, concluding that the Church is fundamentally corporate. [Extracted from the article]

Izaak Walton first published his popular work The Compleat Angler in 1653. Charles I, the king of England, had been executed just four years earlier after almost a decade of civil war, and the king’s opponents had also abolished the Church of England. Long hailed as a primary inspiration for the modern conservation movement, most scholarship on the Angler has either ignored or muted the political context of Walton’s most famous book. However, the Angler is permeated with religious and political polemic. Revised multiple times before the author’s death, Walton amplified and extended his arguments in response to changes in law, politics, and religion. The present essay argues that when read alongside his other works and related literature published during these same years, the successive editions of Walton’s best seller emerge as one of the clearest, most consistent declarations of Anglican royalism in the mid-seventeenth century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]