"In considering found that the papists did not deny him to be come in the flesh, nor we did not deny him - who then was antichrist? Was the Turk antichrist only?"
About this Quote
Anne Hutchinson, a crucial figure in the Antinomian Debate of the Massachusetts Bay Nest throughout the 1630s, utilizes this quote to challenge the prevailing spiritual teachings of her time. Her rhetorical questioning probes deeply into the nature of spiritual authority and the identity of the antichrist according to Christian theology.
Initially, let's look into the context. Hutchinson resided in a period controlled by Puritan theology, which determined the Pope and the Catholic Church-- described here as "papists"-- as prospective figures of the antichrist due to their perceived corruption and variance from what the Puritans saw as real Christianity. However, Hutchinson starts her inquiry by mentioning that even the Catholics did not reject the version of Christ--"did not deny him to be can be found in the flesh". This suggests that on this essential theological point, there was no argument in between the Catholics and the Puritans.
Hutchinson then concerns, "who then was antichrist?" This part of the quote exposes her important engagement with simplified labels and accusations tossed versus religious groups. She is basically questioning the authenticity of labeling the Catholics or any other group as the antichrist, explaining a shared belief in the essential tenet of Christianity.
By posturing the concern, "Was the Turk antichrist only?" Hutchinson references the common use of "Turk" as a bad term for Muslims throughout that age. This reflects another element of her argument: if neither Catholics nor Protestants reject Christ's incarnation, then who genuinely embodies the antichrist? It suggests that the figure of the antichrist can not be so narrowly specified or conveniently attributed to those outdoors one's religious group-- in this case, Muslims.
Hutchinson's quote is a powerful example of her theological and philosophical inquiry, challenging the rigid and frequently hypocritical dynamics of spiritual labeling. Her questioning exposes religious intolerance and welcomes a more profound self-questioning about what true Christian belief entails, highlighting the risks of self-righteousness and the complexity of religious identity.