Nathan Hood
Published: 21 January 2019
The essence of true Christianity is the reformation of the heart’: ‘the godly’s’ emotion in early seventeenth century Scotland, 1600-1640 circa’.
University of Edinburgh
The essence of true Christianity is the reformation of the heart’: ‘the godly’s’ emotion in early seventeenth century Scotland, 1600-1640 circa’.
The title quote was expounded by Robert Rollock, the first principal of the University of Edinburgh. It expresses his commitment to a Christianity which was affectionate, emotional and vibrant. This is in contrast to the popular stereotypes concerning Scottish Presbyterianism as dour, depressing and oppressive. While there has been a growing movement to study the history of emotion, there is a lacuna in the research regarding emotionality in a Scottish Protestant context. As a consequence, Nathan’s project aims to develop a model of the ways ‘the godly’, those hotter sort of protestants, thought and felt their emotions.
The first part deals with the understanding of emotion, tracing the faculty psychologies and taxonomies that Scottish Protestants used to comprehend their emotions. It also evaluates the way theologians contextualised the emotions within their theologies. The second part examines emotional patterns within the godly’s religious experience, analysing the feelings characteristic of conversion, faith and doubt. Through this philosophical, theological and historical study, a working model of early modern Scottish Protestant religious experience will be formed.
First published: 21 January 2019