Thomas Edwards (orientalist)

Thomas Edwards (1652–1721) was a Welsh divine and orientalist.

Life

Edwards was born at Llanllèchid, near Bangor, Carnarvonshire, in 1652. He was educated at St John's College, Cambridge, where he took the two degrees in arts, the B.A. in 1673, and the M.A. in 1677.[1][2] In the early part of his life he lived with Dr Edmund Castell, and in 1685 he was engaged by Dr John Fell, dean of Christ Church and bishop of Oxford, to assist in the impression of the New Testament in Coptic, almost finished by Dr Thomas Marshall. At the same time he became chaplain of Christ Church. He was presented to the rectory of Aldwinckle All Saints, Northamptonshire, in 1707, and died in 1721.

Works

Edwards left a Coptic lexicon ready for the press. He also published:

  • A Discourse against Extemporary Prayer, 8vo, London, 1703. Edmund Calamy referred to this book in support of his charge of apostasy against Theophilus Dorrington (Defence of Moderate Nonconformity, 1703, pt. i. p. 257).
  • Diocesan Episcopacy proved from Holy Scripture; with a letter to Mr. Edmund Calamy in the room of a dedicatory epistle, 8vo, London, 1705. (Edwards' reply to Calamy)
gollark: We do know how the world (the Earth, that is) was created. We don't know how the universe came into existence, but you have exactly the same issue with a god.
gollark: It might actually be worse in that case, because at least for the universe thing you can just lean on the anthropic principle - if things *had* gone differently such that we did not exist, we would not be here to complain about it.
gollark: I am saying that gods are also complicated so this doesn't answer anything.
gollark: For purposes only, you understand.
gollark: There are lots of *imaginable* and *claimed* gods, so I'm saying "gods".

References
  1. Cantab. Graduati, 1787,p, 128
  2. "Edwards, Thomas (EDWS669T)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1889). "Edwards, Thomas (1652-1721)". Dictionary of National Biography. 17. London: Smith, Elder & Co.

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