In 1957 Ernst Kantorowicz published a book that would be the guide for generations of scholars through the arcane mysteries of medieval political theology. In The King's Two Bodies , Kantorowicz traces the historical problem posed by the "King's two bodies"--the body politic and the body natural--back to the Middle Ages and demonstrates, by placing the concept in its proper setting of medieval thought and political theory, how the early-modern Western monarchies gradually began to develop a "political theology.? The king ...
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In 1957 Ernst Kantorowicz published a book that would be the guide for generations of scholars through the arcane mysteries of medieval political theology. In The King's Two Bodies , Kantorowicz traces the historical problem posed by the "King's two bodies"--the body politic and the body natural--back to the Middle Ages and demonstrates, by placing the concept in its proper setting of medieval thought and political theory, how the early-modern Western monarchies gradually began to develop a "political theology.? The king's natural body has physical attributes, suffers, and dies, naturally, as do all humans; but the king's other body, the spiritual body, transcends the earthly and serves as a symbol of his office as majesty with the divine right to rule. The notion of the two bodies allowed for the continuity of monarchy even when the monarch died, as summed up in the formulation "The king is dead. Long live the king." Bringing together liturgical works, images, and polemical material, The King's Two Bodies explores the long Christian past behind this "political theology." It provides a subtle history of how commonwealths developed symbolic means for establishing their sovereignty and, with such means, began to establish early forms of the nation-state. Kantorowicz fled Nazi Germany in 1938, after refusing to sign a Nazi loyalty oath, and settled in the United States. While teaching at the University of California, Berkeley, he once again refused to sign an oath of allegiance, this one designed to identify Communist Party sympathizers. He was dismissed as a result of the controversy and moved to the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, where he remained for the rest of his life, and where he wrote The King's Two Bodies .
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Add this copy of The King's Two Bodies: a Study of Medieval Political to cart. $52.98, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 1957 by Princeton University Press.
Add this copy of The King's Two Bodies: a Study in Mediaeval Political to cart. $66.16, good condition, Sold by Michael Knight, Bookseller rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Forest Grove, OR, UNITED STATES, published 1957 by Princeton University Press.
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Good. 1957 Princeton Press hardcover, solid and unmarked, exowner name inscribed, little cover wear, opening flyleaf torn. Fast Shipping-Safe and Secure Bubble Mailer!
Add this copy of The King's Two Bodies: a Study in Mediaeval Political to cart. $71.95, good condition, Sold by Book Forest rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from San Rafael, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1957 by Princeton University Press.
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Good. 1957, black cloth. Text block firm and clean, binding unblemished, boards straight, without highlights or underlining. Mild tanning to pages, mild shelf wear. Well packaged and promptly shipped from California. Partnered with Friends of the Library since 2010.
Add this copy of The King's Two Bodies: a Study in Mediaeval Political to cart. $132.04, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1957 by Princeton University Press.
