Who among the following scholars argued that "God not only created Adam as the first man, he was also the first king of the earth and present kings being his successors?

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 4:

Sir Robert Filmer was a staunch advocate of the Divine Right of Kings, a political theory supporting absolute monarchy. His main work, *Patriarcha, or The Natural Power of Kings*, published posthumously, laid the foundation for this argument by drawing a parallel between the absolute authority of a father over his family and the absolute authority of a king over his state. Filmer argued that God originally granted dominion and kingship to Adam as the first man. This unique authority was then passed down through a patriarchal line of succession, making all subsequent monarchs the direct and legitimate successors to Adam. Therefore, present kings possess this divinely ordained power, and subjects owe them the same obedience that children owe their father.

The incorrect option is 1:
John Locke, in contrast to Filmer, is known as the father of liberalism and was a fierce opponent of the divine right of kings. His *First Treatise of Government* was written specifically to refute Filmer's *Patriarcha*. Locke argued that political authority derives from the consent of the governed, not from a hereditary grant to Adam. He believed that all individuals are born with natural rights, including life, liberty, and property, and that government is established to protect these rights through a social contract, which is fundamentally different from Filmer's patriarchal model.

The incorrect option is 2:
Friedrich Engels was a German philosopher, social scientist, and political theorist who, alongside Karl Marx, founded the theory of Marxism. His main focus was on historical materialism, class struggle, and advocating for a communist society. Engels's work, such as *The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State*, analyzed the evolution of political power and the state through economic and historical lenses, and he certainly did not support the theological and patriarchal concept of kingship inherited from Adam.

The incorrect option is 3:
R. M. MacIver (Robert Morrison MacIver) was a Scottish-American sociologist and political scientist of the 20th century. He made significant contributions to the understanding of society, community, and the state, particularly in his works like *The Modern State* and *Society: A Textbook of Sociology*. MacIver’s theories are focused on empirical political sociology, distinguishing between state, society, and association. His scholarly framework is modern and democratic, entirely unrelated to the 17th-century defense of the divine right of kings based on Adam's original authority.