Life

He was the son of William Lowth, an apothecary, who was burnt out in the Great Fire of London

Great Fire of London

The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of the English city of London, from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666. The fire gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman City Wall...

, and was born in the parish of St Martin, Ludgate

St Martin, Ludgate

St Martin, Ludgate is an Anglican church on Ludgate Hill in the ward of Farringdon, in the City of London. St Martin Ludgate, also called St Martin within Ludgate, was rebuilt in 1677-84 by Sir Christopher Wren.-History:...

 on 3 September 1660. He was educated by his grandfather, the Rev. Simon Lowth, rector of Tilehurst

Tilehurst

Tilehurst is a suburb of the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. It is also, with different boundaries as described below, a civil parish in West Berkshire district.-History:...

, Berkshire

Berkshire

Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...

, and was admitted to Merchant Taylors' School

Merchant Taylors' School

There are three schools in England known as 'Merchant Taylors' School':*Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood, Founded 1561*Merchant Taylors' School, Crosby, Founded 1620*Merchant Taylors' Girls' School, Crosby, Founded 1888...

 on 11 September 1672. He was elected scholar of St John's College, Oxford

St John's College, Oxford

__FORCETOC__St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, one of the larger Oxford colleges with approximately 390 undergraduates, 200 postgraduates and over 100 academic staff. It was founded by Sir Thomas White, a merchant, in 1555, whose heart is buried in the chapel of...

, on 11 June 1675, and in due course became Fellow. He graduated B.A. in 1679, M.A. 1683, and B.D. 1688.

Early work brought him to the notice of Peter Mew

Peter Mew

Peter Mew is a British music audio engineer at Abbey Road Studios where he is now senior mastering engineer. He came to Abbey Road in 1965 as a tape operator and has since worked with many artists at the studio...

, bishop of Winchester

Bishop of Winchester

The Bishop of Winchester is the head of the Church of England diocese of Winchester, with his cathedra at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire.The bishop is one of five Church of England bishops to be among the Lords Spiritual regardless of their length of service. His diocese is one of the oldest and...

, who made him his chaplain, gave him a prebendal stall at Winchester on 8 October 1696, and presented him to the benefice of Buriton with Petersfield, Hampshire

Hampshire

Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...

, in 1699, which he held until his death. He died at Buriton on 17 May 1732, and was buried there.

Works

His first published work was a ‘Vindication of the Divine Authority of the Old and New Testaments,’ London, 1692, a defence of the inspiration of holy scripture against the attacks of Jean Le Clerc

Jean Leclerc (theologian)

Jean Le Clerc, also Johannes Clericus was a Swiss theologian and biblical scholar. He was famous for promoting exegesis, or critical interpretation of the Bible, and was a radical of his age...

. A second edition of the ‘Vindication,’ with a dissertation on the objections to the Pentateuch then current, was published in 1699. In 1708 he brought out ‘Directions for the profitable Study of Holy Scripture,’ a shortwork which went through many editions.

The work for which Lowth is best known is his ‘Commentary on the Prophets,’ originally published in separate portions between 1714 and 1725, and afterwards collected in a folio volume as a continuation of Bishop Simon Patrick

Simon Patrick

Simon Patrick was an English theologian and bishop.-Life:He was born at Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, on 8 September 1626, and attended Boston Grammar School. He entered Queens College, Cambridge, in 1644, and after taking orders in 1651 became successively chaplain to Sir Walter St. John and vicar...

's ‘Commentary on the Earlier Books of the Old Testament;’ it was frequently reprinted, together with the commentaries of Daniel Whitby

Daniel Whitby

Daniel Whitby was a controversial English theologian and biblical commentator. An Arminian priest in the Church of England, Whitby was known as strongly anti-Calvinistic and later gave evidence of strong Arian and Unitarian tendencies....

, Richard Arnald

Richard Arnald

Richard Arnald was a distinguished English clergyman and biblical scholar.-Life:He was a native of London, and received his education at Bishop Stortford School, whence he proceeded in 1714 to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge...

, and Moses Lowman

Moses Lowman

Moses Lowman was an English nonconformist minister, known as a Biblical commentator.-Life:Born in London, he became a student at the Middle Temple in 1697, but a year later abandoned law for divinity. On 17 September 1698 he entered the university of Leyden, and studied theology at Utrecht under...

 on the New Testament. Its tone is pious but cold; the exegesis is simple, direct, and brief. The commentary was praised by Bishop Richard Watson and by William Orme

William Orme (minister)

William Orme was a Scottish Congregational minister, known as a biographer of Richard Baxter and other nonconformist figures.-Life:...

.

The editions of Clemens Alexandrinus by John Potter, of Josephus by John Hudson, and of the early ecclesiastical historians by William Reading

William Reading

William Reading was an English clergyman and librarian of Sion College, known for his edition of early church historians.-Life:The son of a refiner of iron, he was born on 17 September 1674 at Swin in the parish of Wombourne, Staffordshire. He matriculated at University College, Oxford, on 1 June...

, were enriched with notes by Lowth, and other scholars received help from him. He was a correspondent of Edward Chandler

Edward Chandler (bishop)

Edward Chandler was an English bishop.-Life:He graduated M.A. from Emmanuel College, Cambridge in 1693. He became Bishop of Lichfield in 1717, and was Bishop of Durham from 1730 to 1750....

 during his controversy with Anthony Collins

Anthony Collins

Anthony Collins , was an English philosopher, and a proponent of deism.-Life and Writings:...

 the deist.

Family

He married Margaret, daughter of Robert Pitt of Blandford, Dorset

Dorset

Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...

. They had two sons, of whom the younger, was Robert Lowth

Robert Lowth

Robert Lowth FRS was a Bishop of the Church of England, Oxford Professor of Poetry and the author of one of the most influential textbooks of English grammar.-Life:...

, and three daughters.