The True Ancient Roman Catholike. Being an Apology or Counterproofe against Doctor Bishops Reproofe of the Defence of the Reformed Catholike. The First Part. Wherein the Name of Catholikes is vindicated from Popish Abuse, and thence is herein the Name of Catholikes is vindicated from Popish Abuse, and thence is shewed that the Faith of the Church of Rome as now it is, is not the Catholike Faith

London: William Stansby for Ambrose Garbrand, 1611. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. [20], 402, [1] pages, including final errata leaf. 4to (183 x 143mm). Signatures: [par.](8); A(2); B(4); C-2C(8); 2D(6) [B3 mis-signed A3]. Contemporary limp vellum; (contents somewhat browned, paper slightly brittle, light marginal dampstaining). Extensive old inscriptions on front free endpaper citing passage about Dr. Abbot.

Robert Abbot’s doctrine on the name of the Catholic Church therein assessing Rome’s status in the early history of the religion. First edition of Abbot’s The True Ancient Roman Catholike, discussing the ideas of communion and equality as central concepts in the Catholic Church and the Church of Rome, a branch of the main root, in reply to William Bishop. The second part was published the same year. Brother to George, Archbishop of Canterbury, professor of Divinity, and a staunch Calvinist, Robert Abbot’s writings were mainly against the Roman Catholic Church. While it was generally assumed that “catholicity” implied purity of doctrine this remained to be a complex polemic position. Abbot’s work attempted to argue that “Catholic” denotes universality and therefore cannot apply to Rome as a particular church. He noted that Rome’s use of the term has led “Catholic” to become a name of curse and shame, and this would eventually lead even educated lay members to suspect the term as implying popery. References to Rome being a member of the Catholic Church were therefore highly ambiguous. Assertions that the Roman Church was merely a member, a branch of the Catholic Church, were not intended to suggest that she really shared the same identity with other churches. The negative implication gave way that Rome was not herself the Catholic Church. ESTC locates two copies at the Folger, and the General Theological Seminary, Harvard, Huntington, and Union Theological Seminary Libraries, much more frequent in UK institutions. Rarely found on market. STC 54.