Publication Type
Edited Book
Version
publishedVersion
Publication Date
1-2005
Abstract
In this defence of religious toleration, Bayle discusses the words attributed to Jesus Christ in Luke 14:23, “And the Lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be full.” Bayle contends that the word compel cannot mean “force.” From this perspective, he constructs his doctrine of toleration based on the singular importance of conscience. Bayle argues that if the orthodox have the right and duty to persecute, then every sect will persecute since every sect considers itself orthodox. The result will be mutual slaughter, something God cannot have intended.
Discipline
Ethics and Political Philosophy | Political Science
Research Areas
Political Science
ISBN
9780865974951
Citation
KILCULLEN, John and KUKATHAS, Chandran, "Pierre Bayle's philosophical commentary on the words of Jesus Christ: Compel them to come in" (2005). Research Collection School of Social Sciences. Paper 2975.
https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/2975
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/2975
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.