Heaven Upon Earth: Joseph Mede (1586-1638) and the Legacy of Millenarianism

291 Pages·2006·5.22 MB·English

by  Jeffrey K. Jue

Heaven Upon Earth
ARCHIVES INTERNATIONALES D’HISTOIRE DES IDÉES
INTERNATIONAL ARCHIVES OF THE HISTORY OF IDEAS
194
Heaven Upon Earth
Joseph Mede (1586--1638) and the Legacy of Millenarianism
By
Jeffrey K. Jue
Founding Directors:
P. Dibon† (Paris) and R.H. Popkin† (Washington University, St. Louis & UCLA)
Director:
Sarah Hutton (Middlesex University, United Kingdom)
Associate-Directors:J.E. Force (Lexington); J.C. Laursen (Riverside)
Editorial Board: M.J.B. Allen (Los Angeles); J.R. Armogathe (Paris); A. Gabbey (New York);
T. Gregory (Rome); J. Henry (Edinburgh); J.D. North (Oxford); J. Popkin (Lexington);
G.A.J. Rogers (Keele); Th. Verbeek (Utrecht)
Heaven Upon Earth
Joseph Mede (1586--1638) and the
Legacy of Millenarianism
By
Jeffrey K. Jue
Westminster Theological Seminary, U.S.A.
AC.I.P. Catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN-10 1-4020-4292-2 (HB)
ISBN-13 978-1-4020-4292-8(HB)
ISBN-10 1-4020-4293-0 (e-book)
ISBN-13 978-1-4020-4293-5(e-book)
Published by Springer,
P.O. Box 17, 3300 AADordrecht, The Netherlands.
www.springer.com
Printed on acid-free paper
All Rights Reserved
© 2006 Springer
No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording
or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the exception
of any material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered
and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work.
Printed in the Netherlands.
Contents
Abbreviations viii
Acknowledgements ix
1. Introduction 1
i. The History of British Apocalyptic Thought 1
ii. Joseph Mede and English Millenarianism 4
iii. Leading Questions 5
2. Biography 7
i. Joseph Mede: A Biography 7
ii. Early Years (1586-1602) 7
iii. University Years (1602-1610) 9
iv. Fellow at Christ’s College (1610-1638) 11
v. The Scholar 12
vi. Correspondence 14
vii. Conclusion 16
PARTONE:JOSEPHMEDE IN CONTEXT
3. Crypto-Papists, Anti-Calvinists and the Antichrist 19
i. Millenarianism and the English Revolution 19
ii. Crypto-Papists 21
iii. Anti-Calvinists 25
iv. Antichrist 30
v.Conclusion 33
4. Joseph Mede and the Cambridge Platonists 37
i. Mede and the Cambridge Platonists 37
ii. Co-Residents in Cambridge 38
v
vi Contents
iii. The Platonic Mede? 40
iv. Theological Connections: Anti-Calvinists 44
v. Theological Connections: The Doctrine of Justification 52
vi. Theological Connections: Theologia Naturalis 58
vii.Conclusion 63
5. Protestant Irenicism and the Millennium: Mede and the 65
Hartlib Circle
i. Protestant Irenicism and the Millennium 65
ii. Dury, Hartlib and the Church of England 67
iii. The Leipzig Colloquy: The Standard for Irenicism 69
iv Dury, Hartlib and Mede on Protestant Unification 70
v. Irenicism and Millenarianism 77
vi.Conclusion 84
PARTTWO:THEROOTSOFMEDE’SAPOCALYPTICTHOUGHT
6. The Origins of theClavis Apocalyptica: A Millenarian Conversion 89
i. The Origins of theClavis Apocalyptica 89
ii. The Non-Millenarian Mede 91
iii. DatingThe Apostasy of the Latter Times and 95
Mede’s Conversion
iv. Synchronizing the Apocalypse: The Source for 100
Mede’s Conversion
v.Conclusion 106
7. Millenarians, The Church Fathers and Jewish Rabbis 109
i. Millenarians and the Church Fathers 109
ii. The Canonicity of the Apocalypse and Patristic Authority 110
iii. The First Resurrection 113
iv. The Nature of the Millennium 119
v. The Conflagration and the Renovation of the World 122
vi. The Millennium and the Day of Judgment 126
vii.Conclusion 136
Contents vii
PARTTHREE:THELEGACYOFJOSEPHMEDE
8. An English Millenarian Legacy 141
i. English Millenarianism 141
ii. Early Challenges to Millenarianism 144
iii. Challenges from Hugo Grotius, Henry Hammond 150
and Richard Baxter
iv. Henry More and the Apocalypse 156
v. Debating the Millennium: Thomas Beverley 163
and Richard Baxter
vi. Drue Cressner and the “New Way” 166
vii. Isaac Newton and William Whiston: A Continuing Legacy 169
viii. Conclusion: English Millenarianism Revised 173
9. Colonial North America: The Puritan Errand Revised 175
i. The Puritan Errand into the Wilderness 175
ii. The First Generation 177
iii. New England: Gog and Magog or New Jerusalem? 184
iv. The National Conversion of the Jews 190
v. Israel and Old Testament Hermeneutics 195
vi.Conclusion 208
10. The Continental Millenarian Tradition 211
i. The Continent 211
ii. Initial Contact: Ludovicus de Dieu and Daniel van Laren 212
iii. British Refugees: EnglishCongregationalists and 218
Scottish Presbyterians
iv. Anti-Millenarian Responses from the Dutch Universities 227
v. The Dutch Legacy 235
vi. Conclusion 242
11. Conclusion: Revising British Millenarianism 245
Bibliography 251
Index 277
Abbreviations
The Apostasy The Apostasy of the Latter Times(1641)
BL British Library
CCL Christ’s College Library
Clavis Clavis Apocalyptica
DNB Dictionary of National Biography, 63 vols.
(1885-1900)
HP Hartlib Papers
The Key The Key to the Revelation (1643)
NIV New International Version of the Bible
STCC Short Title Catalogue of Books Printed in England,
Scotland and Ireland 1475-1640, 3 vols.(1976-91,
2ndedition)
WCF Westminster Confession of Faith
Works The works of the pious and profoundly-learned
Joseph Mede(1677,4thedition)
viii
Acknowledgements
The completion of this book would have been impossible without the
encouragement and assistance of many people. I have benefited from the support
of numerous institutions, scholars, friends, and family. It is my sincere privilege
to take this opportunity to acknowledge their contribution.
This study of Joseph Mede’s millenarianism began as a doctoral dissertation
at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, under the supervision of Professor
Howard B. Hotson and Dr. Carl R. Trueman, and examined by Dr. Willem van
Asselt and Dr. William G. Naphy. I owe my greatest intellectual debt to my
doctoral supervisors. They generously shared their time and expertise. Professor
Hotson’s insightful comments and suggestions have made this ultimately a better
book. Dr. Trueman’s friendship and example are constant reminders of the true
purpose for studying the history of eschatology.
Research on which this book is based was conducted in various libraries
including: the Rare Books and Special Collections Library at the University of
Aberdeen, the Rare Books room at the Cambridge University Library, Christ’s
College Old Library at Cambridge University, the National Library of Scotland,
the British Library, The Institute of Reformation History at the University of
Geneva, University Library of Utrecht, the Huntington Library in San Marino,
and the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington D.C. I appreciate the helpful
library staffs for their tireless efforts in retrieving vital sixteenth and
seventeenth-century books and manuscripts.
Over the course of research and writing, many scholars provided assistance
on various historical and theological topics. I wish to thank Professor David
F. Wright, Dr. W. Ian P. Hazlett, Dr. Willem van Asselt, Professor Alan Ford,
Professor Jane Ohlmeyer, Professor Allan I. Macinnes, Professor Irena Backus,
Professor Richard A. Muller, Professor W. R. Godfrey, The Rev. James T.
Dennison, Jr., and Dr. Paul Chang-Ha Lim.
After leaving Scotland I returned to the States and began teaching at
Reformed Theological Seminary, Washington D.C., and later Westminster
Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. Westminster Seminary provided a
wonderful environment for completing the final revisions. Many colleagues
offered stimulating suggestions and advice. I am grateful to Dr. Richard B.
Gaffin Jr., Dr. William Edgar, Dr. Carl R. Trueman, Dr. K. Scott Oliphint, and
Dr. Lane G. Tipton.
I alsowish to thank the Directors and Boardof theInternational Archives of
the History of Ideasfor accepting this book in their series. Additionally, Maja de
Keijzer and Andrea Janga were helpful during the editing process.
ix
x Acknowledgements
My deepest gratitude belongs to my family. They are a constant source of
joy and strength. It is an added benefit to have relatives residing near major
research institutions and libraries. The hospitality of Amy and Stephen Lee,
Jennifer Lin, and Stephanie Chang allowed me to complete my research in
comfortable surroundings. Moreover Joyce Jue and Stephanie and Steven Chang
never failed to offer words of encouragement at the most apropos moments. My
wife, Jane, joined me during the final stages of this project. Her love is an
inestimable delight which makes the publication of this monograph that much
more enjoyable. She believes in my abilities, while always reminding me that
there are things more important than scholarly achievements. It is a blessing to
walk with her to the heavenly city.
Finally, I would like to thank my parents for their unconditional financial,
emotional and spiritual support. Their care and concern have sustained me
throughout this project. They have given above and beyond any standard of
parental obligation. I owe them a debt that I can never repay. Truly their reward
will be great in the age to come. Fittingly, ittis to them that I dedicate this book.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:3
J.K.J.
New York
August 2005