Richard Hooker: Prophet of Anglicanism

Richard Hooker (1554-1600) is arguably the closest counterpart in the English Reformation to Luther and Calvin. The premier theologian of the Church of England, he is famed for his prophetic apologia of what would later be called "Anglicanism" in his "Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity". To this day, Hooker's advocacy of a tolerant, inclusive, moderate, even pragmatic middle way between fundamentalist Protestantism and the more rigid expressions of Roman Catholicism is a hallmark of Anglican and Episcopal churches. Here, the story of Hooker's life is woven into a narrative that incorporates the well-known events and famous persons of the Elizabethan era.