The Presbytery of St Andrews, 1586-1605 : a study and annotated edition of the register of the minutes of the Presbytery of St Andrews, Vol. 1
Abstract
The purposes of this work are to examine the development and
functions of the church court which came to be known as the presbytery
during the late sixteenth century and during the early seventeenth century
in Scotland, as well as providing a more readily accessible primary source
for further studies within the area.
The development of a presbyterian polity in Scotland during the
sixteenth century is attested to by the surviving records of its kirk
sessions, presbyteries, synods and general assemblies. This study is
concerned primarily with the record of the St. Andrews presbytery; it was
among the first established, and its importance as the presbytery of which
Andrew Melville was a member and in which he had significant influence
marks it as a church court of unusual interest and marks its records as a
valuable source for the study of the development of presbyteries.
The introduction surveys the historical background and the evolution
of church courts along with the extant records of the earliest presbyteries.
Specific attention is given to the St. Andrews record and its condition,
history and characteristics.
Further analysis of the responsibilities of the presbytery is included
along with comparisons to other contemporary records and the relationships
between the presbytery and other ecclesiastical judicatories, as well as the
effects of changing political circumstances.
Textual notes are supplied as is a complete index of subjects,
persons, and places.
Type
Thesis, PhD Doctor of Philosophy
Rights
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