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On rereading The king's two bodies
Journal article   Peer reviewed

On rereading The king's two bodies

Richard Hyland
American Journal of Comparative Law, Vol.66(2), pp.458-473
06/22/2018

Abstract

Government & Law Legal History German history Stefan George Law
According to Tudor legal thinkers, the king had two bodies, a natural body and the body politic. The first is subject to the consequences of age and disease, the second is the government and management of political affairs. This article follows Ernst Kantorowicz's exploration of this duality through theology and jurisprudence. It traces the double concept to the circle of the German poet Stefan George. Ultimately, Kantorowicz wanted to distinguish between the elevated values of a political tradition and the particular flaws of the existing government. Grasping this duality makes it possible to think more clearly about court decisions today.
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https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcl/avx039View
Version of Record (VoR) The American journal of comparative law
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