John Spenser (Jesuit)
Encyclopedia
John Spenser (1601–1671) was an English Jesuit theologian.
. He was converted to Catholicism while a student at Christ's College, Cambridge
, and entered the Society of Jesus in 1627. After having professed moral theology
at Liège
, 1642, and also having served the "Camp Mission", he returned to England. He took part, at Whitsuntide, 1657, in a conference, much spoken of at the time, with two Anglican divines, Dr. Peter Gunning
and Dr. John Pearson, afterward bishops. All the disputants, including Spenser's Catholic colleague, Dr. John Lenthall, M.D., were Cambridge men, and may have known one another. He died at Grafton
; at the time of his death he was chaplain to the Earl of Shrewsbury
.
Life
He was born in LincolnshireLincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
. He was converted to Catholicism while a student at Christ's College, Cambridge
Christ's College, Cambridge
Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.With a reputation for high academic standards, Christ's College averaged top place in the Tompkins Table from 1980-2000 . In 2011, Christ's was placed sixth.-College history:...
, and entered the Society of Jesus in 1627. After having professed moral theology
Moral theology
Moral theology is a systematic theological treatment of Christian ethics. It is usually taught on Divinity faculties as a part of the basic curriculum.- External links :*...
at Liège
Liège
Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
, 1642, and also having served the "Camp Mission", he returned to England. He took part, at Whitsuntide, 1657, in a conference, much spoken of at the time, with two Anglican divines, Dr. Peter Gunning
Peter Gunning
Peter Gunning was an English Royalist church leader, Bishop of Chichester and later of Ely.-Life:He was born at Hoo St Werburgh, in Kent, and educated at The King's School, Canterbury, and Clare College, Cambridge, where he became a fellow in 1633. Having taken orders, he advocated the Royalist...
and Dr. John Pearson, afterward bishops. All the disputants, including Spenser's Catholic colleague, Dr. John Lenthall, M.D., were Cambridge men, and may have known one another. He died at Grafton
Grafton
- Places :Australia* Grafton, New South WalesCanada* Grafton, New Brunswick* Grafton, OntarioEngland* Grafton, Cheshire* Grafton, Herefordshire* Grafton, North Yorkshire* Grafton, Oxfordshire* Grafton, Shropshire* Grafton, Wiltshire...
; at the time of his death he was chaplain to the Earl of Shrewsbury
Earl of Shrewsbury
Earl of Shrewsbury is a hereditary title of nobility created twice in the peerage of England.-First creation, 1074:The first creation occurred in 1074 for Roger de Montgomerie, one of William the Conqueror's principal counselors...
.
Works
An account of the conference was published in Paris, 1658, under the title, Schism Unmasked, probably by Spenser. He also wrote: [Thirty-Six] Questions propounded to the Doctors of the Reformed Religion (Paris, 1657); Scripture Mistaken (London, 1660); and other books which won him a high name as a controversialist.External links
Attribution The entry cites:-
- Henry FoleyHenry FoleyBrother Henry Foley, S.J., was an English Jesuit Roman Catholic church historian.-Biography:He was born at Astley in Worcestershire, England on 9 August 1811. His father was the Protestant curate in charge at Astley...
, Records of the English Province, S. J. (1884), II, 194; - Joseph GillowJoseph GillowJoseph Gillow was an English Roman Catholic antiquary and bio-bibliographer, "the Plutarch of the English Catholics"....
, Bibl. Dict. Eng. Cath., s. v.
- Henry Foley