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Secondary sourceBook1658

The Catching of Leviathan, or the Great Whale

John Bramhall · 1658

A 1658 attack by Bishop John Bramhall on Hobbes's book Leviathan, accusing it of undermining morality and the church.

This 1658 attack on Hobbes's Leviathan shows the religious controversy his philosophy provoked during his lifetime.

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Front cover of a dark blue cloth-bound book with a blue spine and a library label reading 'University of St. Michael's College' with a barcode. The cover has a blind-stamped border and no visible title.
John Bramhall, The Catching of Leviathan, or the Great Whale, 1658.

About this source

What it is

This is a written work by Bishop John Bramhall, published in 1658 as part of his Castigation of Hobbes' Animadversions, with an attached piece called 'The Catching of Leviathan, the Great Whale'. It responds directly to Thomas Hobbes's philosophy.

Why it matters

Bramhall's attack shows the religious and political backlash Hobbes faced during his own lifetime. Critics like Bramhall accused Hobbes's ideas, especially in Leviathan, of threatening traditional morality and the authority of the church, revealing how controversial and divisive his thought was among his contemporaries.

Look closer

  • Why might a bishop feel threatened by a work of political philosophy?
  • What does the title 'Catching the Leviathan' suggest about how Bramhall saw Hobbes's ideas?
  • What does this controversy tell us about the relationship between religion and philosophy in the 1600s?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Thomas Hobbes on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Engraved title page of Hobbes's Leviathan: a giant crowned figure made of many tiny people holds a sword and crozier over a landscape of hills and a city. Below, a central banner bears the title and author's name, flanked by vignettes of castle, church, crown, mitre, cannon, weapons, battle, and a council.Book

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Engraved frontispiece of the 1642 Paris edition of Hobbes's De Cive. Top panel shows a crowded scene of figures in clouds and a fiery landscape with a winged angel and a group of people. Bottom panel has a central banner titled Elementorum Philosophiae Sectio Tertia De Cive with Latin text, flanked by a crowned female figure holding scales labeled Imperium and a figure with a bow and spear labeled Libertas, with a landscape and the word Religio across the middle.Book

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De Cive

Thomas Hobbes · 1642

Line engraving portrait of Thomas Hobbes, a man with long wavy hair, a large white collar, and dark robes, shown in an oval frame inscribed with his name in Latin. Below is a Latin inscription and the printer's line 'London, Printed for Will. Crooke'.Painting

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Portrait of Thomas Hobbes, Line Engraving

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The Elements of Law

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Engraved title page reading 'The Workes of Homer Engl: by T: Hobbes', with a bust of Homer above, two armoured warriors with spears flanking the title, and an oval portrait of Hobbes below. Imprint reads London, printed for W. Crooke, 1677.Artifact

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Title Page of The Workes of Homer, Translated by Thomas Hobbes

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