Life

He was a native of Lancashire

Lancashire

Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...

, elected king's scholar of Brasenose College, Oxford

Brasenose College, Oxford

Brasenose College, originally Brazen Nose College , is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. As of 2006, it has an estimated financial endowment of £98m...

, in 1574, and matriculated there on 20 December 1577. He graduated B.A. in 1578–9, and M.A. in 1585. He took holy orders when B.A., and, according to Anthony Wood

Anthony Wood

Anthony Wood or Anthony à Wood was an English antiquary.-Early life:Anthony Wood was the fourth son of Thomas Wood , BCL of Oxford, where Anthony was born...

, ‘became a goodly divine’ and a noted preacher.

The Descensus controversy

In 1604 he wrote against Andrew Willet

Andrew Willet

Andrew Willet was an English clergyman and controversialist. A prolific writer, he is known for his anti-papal works. His views were Calvinist, conforming and non-separatist, and he appeared as a witness against Edward Dering before the Star-chamber...

. His purpose was to support the Augustinian

Augustine of Hippo

Augustine of Hippo , also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, St. Austin, St. Augoustinos, Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed, was Bishop of Hippo Regius . He was a Latin-speaking philosopher and theologian who lived in the Roman Africa Province...

 view of the article of faith respecting Christ's descent into hell, against the Calvinistic view of the Puritans, who stood out against the growing popularity of Jacobus Arminius

Jacobus Arminius

Jacobus Arminius , the Latinized name of the Dutch theologian Jakob Hermanszoon from the Protestant Reformation period, served from 1603 as professor in theology at the University of Leiden...

. At the suggestion of friends, Parkes wrote anonymously his Brief Answer to certain Objections against Christ's Descension into Hell, sent in writing by a Minister unto a Gentleman in the Country. This was answered by Willet in his Limbomastix, also published anonymously, in which his unknown opponent is styled a ‘Limbist,’ and is accused of sympathy with Cardinal Bellarmine.

In 1607 Parkes published under his own name An Apology of three Testimonies of Holy Scripture concerning the Article of our Creed, He descended into Hell. This consists of two books, of which the first is the Brief Answer revised and enlarged, while the second is A Rejoinder to a Reply made against the former book, lately published in a printed pamphlet, entitled Limbo-mastix. In the same year Willet produced his Loidoromastix, in which Parkes is roughly handled.