The early career op Christopher Goodman and his place in the development of English protestant thought

Abstract

The career and thought of Christopher Goodman provides the backbone of this thesis. They are used to demonstrate the interaction between men and ideas in England during the middle years of the sixteenth century and so give a clearer picture of the development of English protestant thought. The study has set out to discover three things about Goodman and his book 'How Superior Powers Oght to be Obeyd(^1). The first is to explain his intention in writing the book; the second to describe its content] and the third to understand its impact in 1558.As a study of Goodman's book cannot be divorced from the study of its author, the biographical details of Goodman's life to I558 are investigated. They help to give the fullest possible picture of his intentions in writing the book. Detailed consideration Is given to his experiences in Edwardian Oxford at Brasenose College and Christ church and to his exile in Germany and Switzerland during the reign of Mary. To give an accurate description of the content and impact of Goodman's book it is necessary to establish its ideological context. This involves documenting the personnel, activities and ideas of the Christ Church Circle and of the Marian exiles, particularly those who comprised the English exile community in Geneva. Only if such a picture is pieced together is it possible to distinguish between the unusual and the commonplace in Goodman's thinking, and appreciate the revolutionary nature of his concept of a covenanted society, the people of God.