Herbert Thorndike
Encyclopedia
Herbert Thorndike was an English academic and clergyman, known as an orientalist and Canon of Westminster Abbey
. He was an influential theological writer during the reigns of King Charles I and, after the Restoration, King Charles II. His work would be considered important in the 19th century by key members of the Oxford Movement
.
in Suffolk
. On 18 December 1613 he entered as a pensioner at Trinity College, Cambridge
, and was elected a scholar the following Easter. In January 1617 he proceeded B.A., in 1618 was elected a minor fellow, and in 1620 (on his admission to the degree of M.A.) a major fellow of the college. He was a committed scholar, also active as a college tutor, deputy public orator, and university preacher, and occasionally resided on his college living. His studies were on theology and oriental languages, and especially rabbinical literature. As a churchman, he was a moderate.
On 13 April 1636 he was installed by Bishop John Williams prebendary of Layton Ecclesia in Lincoln Cathedral
, just vacated by the death of his friend George Herbert
. In 1640 he resigned his stall on his preferment to the crown living of Claybrook, near Lutterworth
. In October 1640 he was appointed Hebrew lecturer to his college, and in June 1642 was transferred from Claybrook to the living of Barley, Hertfordshire
(also pro hac vice in the gift of the crown); while at Trinity he received, about the same time, the additional appointment of senior bursar.
In 1641 he published at the University Press his first tractate, Of the Government of Churches: a Discourse pointing at the Primitive Form, and in the following year Of Religious Assemblies, and the Publick Service of God. In September 1643, the mastership of Sidney Sussex College having fallen vacant, his friend Seth Ward
who was a fellow of there, in conjunction with a majority of the other fellows, sought to carry Thorndike's election as Master; but Oliver Cromwell
, who caused one of Thorndike's supporters to be arrested and taken away, managed the election of Richard Minshull
. In 1644 the disfavour into which Trinity College had fallen with the parliamentary party compelled Thorndike to retire from his living of Barley, which was sequestered to Henry Prime, a parishioner; in 1647 one Peter Smith was appointed minister, on whose death (August 1657) Nathanael Ball
succeeded. At nearly the same time a large number of the fellows of Trinity were ejected, and Thorndike deemed it prudent to withdraw from Cambridge. Until 1652 he had practical troubles, but was assisted by his college and by the liberality of John Scudamore, 1st Viscount Scudamore
, whose religious views were close to his own. His elder brother Francis, who had succeeded to the paternal estate in 1644, probably gave him substantial aid. His Right of the Church in a Christian State (1649) was printed in London, and a new enlarged edition of his two tractates was printed by the University Press, connected with the prescribed use of the Directory of Public Worship
.
Thorndike took an active part in the editing of Brian Walton's Polyglott, the Syriac portion of which was his special contribution, and he carried on a correspondence with James Ussher
, Walton, and Edward Pocock. From 1657 he collected materials for a new edition of Origen
, a project which was not carried out in his life-time (an edition appeared in Oford in 1685). He worked on his major work (in Latin), the Epilogue, and the advocacy of its theory that the Protestant Reformation
, as a durable settlement, was practicable only on the basis of a return to the discipline and teaching of the primitive catholic church. He did not include either the church of Rome or the Protestant churches abroad in his plan of reunion, his aim being chiefly to define the ground on which, as he held, the church of England could alone make good her own position. Clarendon and Isaac Barrow
criticised certain portions of the Epilogue severely.
With the Restoration, Thorndike was reinstated in his fellowship at Trinity and in his living of Barley (resigned in 1661). In July 1660 he published his Due Way of composing Differences, and on 20 March 1661 was appointed to assist at the Savoy Conference
, where he took a minor part but suffered a barb from Richard Baxter
. About the same time he was appointed a member of convocation, and in that capacity took a leading share in the revision of the prayerbook, then in progress; while in his tract entitled Just Weights and Measures (January 1662), designed to illustrate the practical application of the theory set forth in the Epilogue, he especially advocated as measures of church reform, the prevention of pluralities and the restoration of the discipline of penance
.
He fell ill, and moved back at the end of 1662 to Cambridge; he was absent during the plague of 1666. In June 1667 he again returned to Trinity, but his acceptance a few weeks later of the tithes of Trumpington
parish involved the surrender of his fellowship, and he accordingly retired to his canonry at Westminster, where he took up residence in the cloisters. In 1668 his brother John Thorndike
returned from his life of exile in New England
, where he had helped to found Ipswich, Massachusetts
, but only to die in the November of the same year. He was accompanied by his two daughters, Alice and Martha, who came to live with Herbert.
The year 1670 saw the appearance of his Discourse of the Forbearance or Penalties which a due Reformation requires, and also of the first part of his De Ratione ac Jure finiendi Controversias Ecclesiae Disputatio, the restating the argument of the Epilogue and other works. In the spring of 1672 he was again ill, and he went to a place rented by the chapter at Chiswick
. He died there on 11 July 1672, at the age of seventy-four, and was interred in the east cloister of Westminster Abbey. His will gave the bulk of his property to church purposes, after making some provision for his two nieces and for his grandniece, Anne Alington.
in his Antidote to Idolatry. He countenanced the practice of prayers for the dead; and by Cardinal Newman he was regarded as the only writer of any authority in the English church who held the true theory of the Eucharist
.
Writings published during his lifetime were:
Thorndike's collected works were published in the Library of Anglo-Catholic Theology, in six volumes (1844–56), of which the last four were edited by Arthur West Haddan
, the first two by another hand. These volumes included, besides the works published in Thorndike's lifetime, the following pieces left by him in manuscript*
Dean and Canons of Westminster
The Dean and Canons of Westminster are the ecclesiastical body of Westminster Abbey, a collegiate church of the Church of England and royal peculiar in Westminster, England. They meet in Chapter and are also known as the Dean and Chapter of Westminster....
. He was an influential theological writer during the reigns of King Charles I and, after the Restoration, King Charles II. His work would be considered important in the 19th century by key members of the Oxford Movement
Oxford Movement
The Oxford Movement was a movement of High Church Anglicans, eventually developing into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose members were often associated with the University of Oxford, argued for the reinstatement of lost Christian traditions of faith and their inclusion into Anglican liturgy...
.
Life
He was the third son of Francis Thorndike, a Lincolnshire gentleman of good family, and Alice, his wife, daughter of Edward Colman, of a family resident at Burnt Ely Hale, and at WaldingfieldWaldingfield
Waldingfield may refer to:*Great Waldingfield, Suffolk, England*Little Waldingfield, Suffolk, England...
in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
. On 18 December 1613 he entered as a pensioner at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, and was elected a scholar the following Easter. In January 1617 he proceeded B.A., in 1618 was elected a minor fellow, and in 1620 (on his admission to the degree of M.A.) a major fellow of the college. He was a committed scholar, also active as a college tutor, deputy public orator, and university preacher, and occasionally resided on his college living. His studies were on theology and oriental languages, and especially rabbinical literature. As a churchman, he was a moderate.
On 13 April 1636 he was installed by Bishop John Williams prebendary of Layton Ecclesia in Lincoln Cathedral
Lincoln Cathedral
Lincoln Cathedral is a historic Anglican cathedral in Lincoln in England and seat of the Bishop of Lincoln in the Church of England. It was reputedly the tallest building in the world for 249 years . The central spire collapsed in 1549 and was not rebuilt...
, just vacated by the death of his friend George Herbert
George Herbert
George Herbert was a Welsh born English poet, orator and Anglican priest.Being born into an artistic and wealthy family, he received a good education that led to his holding prominent positions at Cambridge University and Parliament. As a student at Trinity College, Cambridge, Herbert excelled in...
. In 1640 he resigned his stall on his preferment to the crown living of Claybrook, near Lutterworth
Lutterworth
Lutterworth is a market town and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. The town is located in southern Leicestershire, north of Rugby, in Warwickshire and south of Leicester. It had a population of 8,293 in the 2001 UK census....
. In October 1640 he was appointed Hebrew lecturer to his college, and in June 1642 was transferred from Claybrook to the living of Barley, Hertfordshire
Barley, Hertfordshire
Barley is a village and civil parish in the district of North Hertfordshire, England. According to the 2001 census, it has a population of 659. The place-name refers to a lea or meadow and not to the grain-producing plant...
(also pro hac vice in the gift of the crown); while at Trinity he received, about the same time, the additional appointment of senior bursar.
In 1641 he published at the University Press his first tractate, Of the Government of Churches: a Discourse pointing at the Primitive Form, and in the following year Of Religious Assemblies, and the Publick Service of God. In September 1643, the mastership of Sidney Sussex College having fallen vacant, his friend Seth Ward
Seth Ward (bishop)
Seth Ward was an English mathematician, astronomer, and bishop.-Early life:He was born in Hertfordshire, and educated at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. in 1636 and M.A. in 1640, becoming a Fellow in that year...
who was a fellow of there, in conjunction with a majority of the other fellows, sought to carry Thorndike's election as Master; but Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
, who caused one of Thorndike's supporters to be arrested and taken away, managed the election of Richard Minshull
Richard Minshull
Richard Minshull or Minshall was an English academic, Master of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge from 1643.-Life:He was baptised in St Clement Danes, London. He matriculated at Sidney Sussex College in 1616, and graduated B.A. in 1620. He graduated M.A. in 1623; he received the higher degrees of...
. In 1644 the disfavour into which Trinity College had fallen with the parliamentary party compelled Thorndike to retire from his living of Barley, which was sequestered to Henry Prime, a parishioner; in 1647 one Peter Smith was appointed minister, on whose death (August 1657) Nathanael Ball
Nathanael Ball
Nathanael Ball was an English clergyman, an assistant to Brian Walton in his London Polyglot Bible.-Life:He was born at Pitminster, near Taunton Dean, Somerset. He was educated at Merchant Taylors' School before entering King's College, Cambridge, where he had a name as a scholar.He also spoke...
succeeded. At nearly the same time a large number of the fellows of Trinity were ejected, and Thorndike deemed it prudent to withdraw from Cambridge. Until 1652 he had practical troubles, but was assisted by his college and by the liberality of John Scudamore, 1st Viscount Scudamore
John Scudamore, 1st Viscount Scudamore
John Scudamore, 1st Viscount Scudamore , diplomat and politician, was the eldest son of Sir James Scudamore of Holme Lacy, Herefordshire....
, whose religious views were close to his own. His elder brother Francis, who had succeeded to the paternal estate in 1644, probably gave him substantial aid. His Right of the Church in a Christian State (1649) was printed in London, and a new enlarged edition of his two tractates was printed by the University Press, connected with the prescribed use of the Directory of Public Worship
Directory of Public Worship
The Directory for Public Worship was a manual of directions for worship approved by an ordinance of Parliament early in 1645 to replace the Book of Common Prayer .-Origins:The movement against the Book of Common...
.
Thorndike took an active part in the editing of Brian Walton's Polyglott, the Syriac portion of which was his special contribution, and he carried on a correspondence with James Ussher
James Ussher
James Ussher was Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland between 1625–56...
, Walton, and Edward Pocock. From 1657 he collected materials for a new edition of Origen
Origen
Origen , or Origen Adamantius, 184/5–253/4, was an early Christian Alexandrian scholar and theologian, and one of the most distinguished writers of the early Church. As early as the fourth century, his orthodoxy was suspect, in part because he believed in the pre-existence of souls...
, a project which was not carried out in his life-time (an edition appeared in Oford in 1685). He worked on his major work (in Latin), the Epilogue, and the advocacy of its theory that the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
, as a durable settlement, was practicable only on the basis of a return to the discipline and teaching of the primitive catholic church. He did not include either the church of Rome or the Protestant churches abroad in his plan of reunion, his aim being chiefly to define the ground on which, as he held, the church of England could alone make good her own position. Clarendon and Isaac Barrow
Isaac Barrow
Isaac Barrow was an English Christian theologian, and mathematician who is generally given credit for his early role in the development of infinitesimal calculus; in particular, for the discovery of the fundamental theorem of calculus. His work centered on the properties of the tangent; Barrow was...
criticised certain portions of the Epilogue severely.
With the Restoration, Thorndike was reinstated in his fellowship at Trinity and in his living of Barley (resigned in 1661). In July 1660 he published his Due Way of composing Differences, and on 20 March 1661 was appointed to assist at the Savoy Conference
Savoy Conference
The Savoy Conference of 1661 was a significant liturgical discussion that took place, after the Restoration of Charles II, in an attempt to effect a reconciliation within the Church of England.-Proceedings:...
, where he took a minor part but suffered a barb from Richard Baxter
Richard Baxter
Richard Baxter was an English Puritan church leader, poet, hymn-writer, theologian, and controversialist. Dean Stanley called him "the chief of English Protestant Schoolmen". After some false starts, he made his reputation by his ministry at Kidderminster, and at around the same time began a long...
. About the same time he was appointed a member of convocation, and in that capacity took a leading share in the revision of the prayerbook, then in progress; while in his tract entitled Just Weights and Measures (January 1662), designed to illustrate the practical application of the theory set forth in the Epilogue, he especially advocated as measures of church reform, the prevention of pluralities and the restoration of the discipline of penance
Penance
Penance is repentance of sins as well as the proper name of the Roman Catholic, Orthodox Christian, and Anglican Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation/Confession. It also plays a part in non-sacramental confession among Lutherans and other Protestants...
.
He fell ill, and moved back at the end of 1662 to Cambridge; he was absent during the plague of 1666. In June 1667 he again returned to Trinity, but his acceptance a few weeks later of the tithes of Trumpington
Trumpington
Trumpington may refer to:*Trumpington, Cambridgeshire, a suburb of the city of Cambridge, UK.*Trumpington, Maryland, a registered historic place in Maryland, U.S.*Jean Barker, Baroness Trumpington, a life peer of the United Kingdom...
parish involved the surrender of his fellowship, and he accordingly retired to his canonry at Westminster, where he took up residence in the cloisters. In 1668 his brother John Thorndike
John Thorndike
John Thorndike was one of the first founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.Thorndike was a farmer and cowherd from Great Carlton, Lincolnshire, England. He and his wife Elizabeth Stratton were among the emigrants who sailed to America on the Arbella in 1630. The Thorndikes settled in the area...
returned from his life of exile in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, where he had helped to found Ipswich, Massachusetts
Ipswich, Massachusetts
Ipswich is a coastal town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,987 at the 2000 census. Home to Willowdale State Forest and Sandy Point State Reservation, Ipswich includes the southern part of Plum Island...
, but only to die in the November of the same year. He was accompanied by his two daughters, Alice and Martha, who came to live with Herbert.
The year 1670 saw the appearance of his Discourse of the Forbearance or Penalties which a due Reformation requires, and also of the first part of his De Ratione ac Jure finiendi Controversias Ecclesiae Disputatio, the restating the argument of the Epilogue and other works. In the spring of 1672 he was again ill, and he went to a place rented by the chapter at Chiswick
Chiswick
Chiswick is a large suburb of west London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located on a meander of the River Thames, west of Charing Cross and is one of 35 major centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex, with...
. He died there on 11 July 1672, at the age of seventy-four, and was interred in the east cloister of Westminster Abbey. His will gave the bulk of his property to church purposes, after making some provision for his two nieces and for his grandniece, Anne Alington.
Works
Thorndike's position as a theologian was unusual and some of his views were challenged from his own side of the debates, in particular by Isaac Barrow in his posthumous tract on The Unity of the Church, and by Henry MoreHenry More
Henry More FRS was an English philosopher of the Cambridge Platonist school.-Biography:Henry was born at Grantham and was schooled at The King's School, Grantham and at Eton College...
in his Antidote to Idolatry. He countenanced the practice of prayers for the dead; and by Cardinal Newman he was regarded as the only writer of any authority in the English church who held the true theory of the Eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
.
Writings published during his lifetime were:
- 'Epitome Lexici Hebraici, Syriaci, Rabinici, et Arabici . . . cum Observationibus circa Linguam Hebream et Grecam,' &c., London, 1635.
- 'Of the Government of Churches,' Cambridge, 1641.
- 'Of Religious Assemblies and the Publick Service of God,' London, 1642 (printed by the university printer, Daniel, at Cambridge).
- 'A Discourse of the Right of the Church in a Christian State,' London, 1649, and by a different printer, London, 1670; also re-edited, with preface, by J. S. Brewer. London, 1841.
- 'A Letter concerning the Present State of Religion amongst us,' (without name or date), in 1656; with author's name, along with 'Just Weights and Measures,' London, 1662 and 1680.
- 'Variances in Syriaca Versione Veteris Testamenti Lectiones,' London, 1657.
- 'An Epilogue to the Tragedy of the Church of England,' London, 1659.
- 'The Due Way of composing the Differences on Foot,' London, 1660 (reprinted with 'Just Weights,' &c., 1662 and 1680).
- 'Just Weights and Measures,' &c., London, 1662.
- 'A Discourse of the Forbearance or the Penalties which a Due Reformation requires,' London, 1670.
- 'De Ratione ac Jure finiendi Controversias Ecclesiae Disputatio,' London, 1670.
Thorndike's collected works were published in the Library of Anglo-Catholic Theology, in six volumes (1844–56), of which the last four were edited by Arthur West Haddan
Arthur West Haddan
Arthur West Haddan was an English churchman and academic, of High Church Anglican views, now remembered as an ecclesiastical historian, particularly for Councils and Ecclesiastical Documents relating to Great Britain and Ireland, written with William Stubbs.-Life:He was born at Woodford, Essex on...
, the first two by another hand. These volumes included, besides the works published in Thorndike's lifetime, the following pieces left by him in manuscript*
- 'The True Principle of Comprehension.'
- 'The Plea of Weakness and Tender Consciences discussed.'
- 'The Reformation of the Church of England better than that of the Council of Trent.'
- 'Mr. Herbert Thorndike's Judgment of the Church of Rome.'
- 'The Church's Right to Tithes, as found in Scripture.'
- 'The Church's Power of Excommunication, as found in Scripture.'
- 'The Church's Legislative Power, as found in Scripture.'
- 'The Right of the Christian State in Church-matters, according to the Scriptures.'