American, European, political, and theological histories intersect in this important new exploration of the founding of the United States. The Covenant Connection examines the way in which the Protestant Reformation and federal covenant theology, which lay at the foundation of Reformed Protestantism in its Calvinist version, played a major role in shaping the political life and ideas of the colonies of British North America and ultimately the new United States of America. Contributors to the volume look at the most critical facets of this connection over nearly three centuries, from the beginning of the Reformation in sixteenth-century Zurich to the declaration of American independence and the writing of the U.S. Constitution. Individual chapters show how federal theology led to a revival of Biblical republicanism in Reformation Europe; how it was applied and modified in countries such as Switzerland, the Netherlands, Scotland, and England; and how it was carried across the Atlantic by the early settlers of North Americamost particularly the Puritans but also other groups such as the Dutch and the Scottishto form the matrix for American constitutionalism, democratic republicanism, and federalism. As a collection, The Covenant Connection provides an irrefutable analysis of the profound biblical and Reformation influences on the founding of America.

chapter 1 Preface chapter 2 Introduction: From Biblical Covenant to Modern Federalism: The Federal Theology Bridge chapter 3 Covenant and Community in the Thought of Heinrich Bullinger chapter 4 Covenant and Federalism in the Politics of Althusius chapter 5 History, Humanity, and Federalism in the Theology and Ethics of Johannes Cocceius chapter 6 From Covenant of Grace to Tolerant Public Pluralism: The Dutch Calvinist Contribution chapter 7 Covenant Theology and the Development of Religious Liberty chapter 8 John Knox: The First of the Monarchomachs? chapter 9 The Covenant Concept in Scottish Theology and Politics chapter 10 Covenant, Crown, and Commons in Elizabethan Puritanism Literature chapter 11 Covenant Motifs in Seventeenth Century chapter 12 Covenant, Body Politic, and the Great Migration chapter 13 Liberty and Equality from a Communitarian Perspective chapter 14 Federalism and Covenant chapter 15 Covenant Language in Canada: Continuity and Change in Political Discourse chapter 16 The Covenant Traditions of Dutch Americans chapter 17 Appendix: Publications of the Covenant Workshops chapter 18 Index chapter 19 About the Contributors

The late Daniel J. Elazar was Director of the Center for the Study of Federalism at Temple University and Professor of Political Science, Temple University. He was also President of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs/Center for Jewish Studies.