Protestant Reformers’ Mirror of Princes – Constitution and Government in the Protestant Thinking

Abstract

The article gives an overview on the Protestant thoughts about governance in different time periods. First, the elements of the state concept of the Protestant, especially Reformed theology will be present, based on Luther’s and Kalvin’s ideas. Then, an early Hungarian author’s work is elaborated from the 16th century: János Pataki Füsüs described the ideal king’s image in his book dedicated to Gábor Bethlen, Prince of Transylvania, being the first Hungarian-language work on state theory. Finally, as from the period of modernity, the author reiterates the work of a practicing Reformed statesman, the modern-critic Dutch Prime Minister, Abraham Kuyper.
A common idea in the authors is that the main task of the state in all ages is to enforce or at least give effect to the teaching of the Bible, which is based on universal love. Thus, the public good sought by the state extends not only to Christians but to the whole mankind. For a believer, the state and government form is a secondary issue, it is more important to obey God’s law.