Erastianism

[ih-ras-chuh-niz-uhm, -tee-uh-niz-]

noun

1. the doctrine, advocated by Thomas Erastus, of the supremacy of the state over the church in ecclesiastical matters.

Erastianism

/ ɪˈræstɪəˌnɪzəm /

noun

1. the theory that the state should have authority over the church in ecclesiastical matters

Other Word Forms

• Erastian noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Erastianism¹

First recorded in 1675–85; Erastian + -ism

Word History and Origins

Origin of Erastianism¹

C17: named after Thomas Erastus (1524–83), Swiss theologian to whom such views were attributed

Example Sentences

But whether the state might try to dominate religion itself — known in early political theory as Erastianism — was an important concern for Jefferson and Madison.

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What is known as “Erastianism” would be better connected with the name of Grotius.

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But the charge of Erastianism – the idea that the church is a wholly owned subsidiary of the state – remains the ultimate theological dirty word.

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This was the “square cap” so virulently denounced by the Puritans as a symbol of High Church Erastianism.

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They have received no reformation from those whose lives were a scandal to all Christian men: they are not mixed up with the Lutheran or Calvinistic heresy: nor has Erastianism eaten out their life.

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