The Eirenicon and the ‘Primitive Episcopacy’ of James Ussher: An Irish Panacea For Britannia's Ailment
Abstract James Ussher, Primate of the Church of Ireland (as Archbishop of Armagh), arrived in England in the early 1640s, a time when the country was in political turmoil. Scots and significant sections of English society were campaigning for the abolition of the episcopacy. During this turmoil Ussher proposed a scheme of limited episcopacy that came to be known by the keyword: the Eirenicon. This scheme offered to keep the bishops but in a form that made them answerable to a team of Presbyters. The Eirenicon failed and Ussher embarked on a literary campaign that defended the divine institution of episcopacy. This move has long been regarded as a U-turn. This paper will argue that rather than there being a change of mind, the Eirenicon and the pro-episcopal writings of Ussher should be seen as a whole, offering a compromise form of ‘primitive episcopacy’.
Catholic and reformed. The Roman and Protestant Churches in English Protestant thought, 1600–1640 . By Anthony Milton. (Cambridge Studies in Early Modern British History.) Pp. xvi + 601. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. £50. 0 521 40141 0
Augustiniana', topped and tailed by an arguably Augustinian picture of human depravity and a distinctively Reformational doctrine of assurance of salvation. Later on (p. 152), the best known exponent of the indirect (as opposed to the direct) temporal power of the papacy, Robert Bellarmine, is somehow misunderstood or mistranslated so as to seem an opponent of that doctrine. But such criticisms must not detract from the author's impressive achievement. Martin Jones has put together not only a wide-ranging and stimulating introduction to the Counter-Reformation but also an excellent advertisement for the series in which it appears.
Randi Weingarten, the American Federation of Teachers, and the Challenges of Policy Leadership in a Hostile Environment
Randi Weingarten is the president of the most vocal and influential teachers’ union, the American Federation of Teachers. Since rising through the ranks to AFT president in just two years, Weingarten is now a major, if not the most prominent, nongovernmental player in national education policy. She has earned deep respect from many educational policy actors. Likewise, Weingarten elicits withering criticism from others. This fascinating profile explains why, in such a brief period, she has proved to be a fierce, fearless, and effective leader under extraordinarily difficult circumstances. Her experience offers invaluable lessons applicable for others working in similarly intense policy arenas.