Integrating her extensive knowledge of sixteenth and seventeenth century literature, Judy Sproxton examines the expression of a recurring theme in history, that of the tension between religious faith and political and militant action. Violence and Religion offers a detailed and fascinating study of the writings of some of the major figures of the time including Calvin, D'Aubigne Cromwell, Winstanley and the poet Andrew Marvell. Looking at texts written during two periods of major political upheaval and civil unrest in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, she explores the division between their understanding of the self-interest of humanity and the will of God.

Challenges to secular authority and relative justifications are recurring themes throughout European history. This book examines the rise of this challenge as it developed during the Reformation with special reference to the social and political upheavals of the French Civil Wars and the English Revolution. The diverse writings of varied influential thinkers and political actors, including Calvin d'Aubigne and Marvell, are considered in the light of contemporary events, and the similarities between their religious interpretations are compared. Each of these writers presents a direct response to what was regarded as a spiritual challenge. Through close textual analysis of these writings the author reconstructs the philosophical terms of one of the major concerns of the period.