William Stukeley: Difference between revisions

His idea that the druids once formed a monotheistic priesthood akin to those of modern Christians also owed an influence from older sources.{{sfn|Piggott|1985|p=103}} [[Michael Drayton]]'s 1612 poem ''[[Poly-Olbion]]'' had for instance portrayed them as wise, monotheistic sages and philosophers.{{sfn|Piggott|1985|p=103}}

 

 

The idea that Britain was God's chosen nation was a recurrent idea in Stukeley's thought.{{sfn|Haycock|2002|pp=120–121}} He thought that Britons should emulate the ancient Romans.{{sfn|Haycock|2002|p=120}} Stukeley believed that God had created the Roman Empire to prepare for the arrival of Jesus and to assist in the spread of Christianity throughout Europe.{{sfn|Haycock|2002|p=119}} In this, he believed that the ancient Romans had replaced the Jews as God's [[chosen people]].{{sfn|Haycock|2002|p=120}} In his view, the Roman Empire collapsed because its inhabitants had corrupted Christianity with what he called "superstitious fopperys" and that this perverted mixture survived as the [[Roman Catholic Church]].{{sfn|Haycock|2002|p=120}} Like many English people of his time, he believed that the [[Church of England]], which had split from the Roman Catholic Church during the 16th-century [[English Reformation]], had gained special favour from God; in Stukeley's words, it represented "the main support of religion now upon the face of the earth".{{sfn|Haycock|2002|p=115}} Haycock noted that "a leading theme in Stukeley's antiquarian work" was "the resurrection of British history as an archetype for world history, and of Britain as a country historically fit to lead the world into the future".{{sfn|Haycock|2002|pp=112–113}} He criticised Britons who favoured archaeological remains encountered abroad during the Grand Tour, claiming that they were neglecting their own national heritage and adopting continental habits and vices such as effeminacy.{{sfn|Haycock|2002|p=111}}