Thomas Sherlock
Encyclopedia
Thomas Sherlock was a British
divine who served as a Church of England
bishop for 33 years. He is also noted in church history as an important contributor to Christian apologetics
.
and was born in London
. He was educated at Eton
and at St Catharine's College, Cambridge
, and in 1704 succeeded his father as Master of the Temple, where he was very popular.
Sherlock died in 1761, and is buried in the churchyard of All Saints Church, Fulham
, London.
. In 1715, he was appointed dean of Chichester.
He took a prominent part in the Bangorian controversy
against Benjamin Hoadly
. He himself became bishop of Bangor
in 1728; he was afterwards translated to Salisbury in 1734, and to London
in 1748. Sherlock was a capable administrator, and cultivated friendly relations with Dissenters
. In parliament he was of good service to his old schoolfellow Robert Walpole
.
He published against Anthony Collins
's deistic
Grounds of the Christian Religion a volume of sermons entitled The Use and Interest of Prophecy in the Several Ages of the World (1725); and in reply to Thomas Woolston
's Discourses on the Miracles he wrote a volume entitled The Tryal of the Witnesses of the Resurrection of Jesus (1729), which soon ran through fourteen editions. His Pastoral Letter (1750) on the late earthquakes had a circulation of many thousands, and four or five volumes of Sermons which he published in his later years (1754–1758) were also at one time highly esteemed.
A collected edition of his works, with a memoir, in 5 vols. 8vo, by JS Hughes, appeared in 1830.
Sherlock's Tryal of the Witnesses is generally understood by scholars such as Edward Carpenter, Colin Brown and William Lane Craig, to be a work that the Scottish philosopher David Hume
probably had read and to which Hume offered a counter viewpoint in his empiricist arguments against the possibility of miracles.
and John Warwick Montgomery
. His place in the history of apologetics has been classified by Ross Clifford
as belonging to the legal or juridical school of Christian apologetics.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
divine who served as a Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
bishop for 33 years. He is also noted in church history as an important contributor to Christian apologetics
Christian apologetics
Christian apologetics is a field of Christian theology that aims to present a rational basis for the Christian faith, defend the faith against objections, and expose the perceived flaws of other world views...
.
Life
He was the son of William SherlockWilliam Sherlock
Not to be confused with William Sherlock William Sherlock was an English church leader.-Life:He was born at Southwark, and was educated at St. Saviour's School and Eton, and then at Peterhouse, Cambridge. In 1669 he became rector of St George's, Botolph Lane, London, and in 1681 he was appointed a...
and was born in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He was educated at Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and at St Catharine's College, Cambridge
St Catharine's College, Cambridge
St. Catharine’s College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1473, the college is often referred to informally by the nickname "Catz".-History:...
, and in 1704 succeeded his father as Master of the Temple, where he was very popular.
Sherlock died in 1761, and is buried in the churchyard of All Saints Church, Fulham
All Saints Church, Fulham
All Saints Church, Fulham is an Anglican Church in Fulham, London sited close to the river Thames, beside the northern approach to Putney Bridge.-History:...
, London.
Career
In 1714 he became master of his old college at Cambridge and vice-chancellor of the university, whose privileges he defended against Richard BentleyRichard Bentley
Richard Bentley was an English classical scholar, critic, and theologian. He was Master of Trinity College, Cambridge....
. In 1715, he was appointed dean of Chichester.
He took a prominent part in the Bangorian controversy
Bangorian Controversy
The Bangorian Controversy was a theological argument within the Church of England in the early 18th century, with strong political overtones. The origins of the controversy lay in the 1716 posthumous publication of George Hickes's Constitution of the Catholic Church, and the Nature and...
against Benjamin Hoadly
Benjamin Hoadly
Benjamin Hoadly was an English clergyman, who was successively Bishop of Bangor, Hereford, Salisbury, and Winchester. He is best known as the initiator of the Bangorian Controversy.-Life:...
. He himself became bishop of Bangor
Bishop of Bangor
The Bishop of Bangor is the Ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of Bangor.The diocese covers the counties of Anglesey, most of Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire and a small part of Montgomeryshire...
in 1728; he was afterwards translated to Salisbury in 1734, and to London
Bishop of London
The Bishop of London is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers 458 km² of 17 boroughs of Greater London north of the River Thames and a small part of the County of Surrey...
in 1748. Sherlock was a capable administrator, and cultivated friendly relations with Dissenters
English Dissenters
English Dissenters were Christians who separated from the Church of England in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.They originally agitated for a wide reaching Protestant Reformation of the Established Church, and triumphed briefly under Oliver Cromwell....
. In parliament he was of good service to his old schoolfellow Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, KG, KB, PC , known before 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British statesman who is generally regarded as having been the first Prime Minister of Great Britain....
.
Writings
Anthony Collins
Anthony Collins , was an English philosopher, and a proponent of deism.-Life and Writings:...
's deistic
Deism
Deism in religious philosophy is the belief that reason and observation of the natural world, without the need for organized religion, can determine that the universe is the product of an all-powerful creator. According to deists, the creator does not intervene in human affairs or suspend the...
Grounds of the Christian Religion a volume of sermons entitled The Use and Interest of Prophecy in the Several Ages of the World (1725); and in reply to Thomas Woolston
Thomas Woolston
Thomas Woolston was an English theologian. Although he was often classed as a deist, his biographer William H...
's Discourses on the Miracles he wrote a volume entitled The Tryal of the Witnesses of the Resurrection of Jesus (1729), which soon ran through fourteen editions. His Pastoral Letter (1750) on the late earthquakes had a circulation of many thousands, and four or five volumes of Sermons which he published in his later years (1754–1758) were also at one time highly esteemed.
A collected edition of his works, with a memoir, in 5 vols. 8vo, by JS Hughes, appeared in 1830.
Sherlock's Tryal of the Witnesses is generally understood by scholars such as Edward Carpenter, Colin Brown and William Lane Craig, to be a work that the Scottish philosopher David Hume
David Hume
David Hume was a Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist, known especially for his philosophical empiricism and skepticism. He was one of the most important figures in the history of Western philosophy and the Scottish Enlightenment...
probably had read and to which Hume offered a counter viewpoint in his empiricist arguments against the possibility of miracles.
Apologetics
Since the Deist controversy Sherlock's argument for the evidences of the resurrection of Jesus Christ has continued to interest later Christian apologists such as William Lane CraigWilliam Lane Craig
William Lane Craig is an American analytic philosopher, philosophical theologian, and Christian apologist. He is known for his work on the philosophy of time and the philosophy of religion, specifically the existence of God and the defense of Christian theism...
and John Warwick Montgomery
John Warwick Montgomery
John Warwick Montgomery is a noted lawyer, professor, Lutheran theologian, and prolific author living in France. He was born October 18, 1931, in Warsaw, New York, United States. In 2007 he was named "Distinguished Research Professor of Philosophy and Christian Thought" at Patrick Henry College...
. His place in the history of apologetics has been classified by Ross Clifford
Ross Clifford
Ross Clifford is an Australian Baptist theologian, political commentator, radio personality and author. A former lawyer who later joined the ministry, Clifford became a campaigner on moral issues while a suburban Sydney pastor in the 1980s...
as belonging to the legal or juridical school of Christian apologetics.
Further reading
- Colin Brown, Miracles and the Critical Mind, (Exeter: Paternoster/Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1984). ISBN 0-8028-3590-2
- Edward Carpenter, Thomas Sherlock 1678-1761, (London: SPCK, 1936).
- Ross Clifford, John Warwick Montgomery's Legal Apologetic: An Apologetic for All Seasons, (Bonn: Verlag fur kultur und Wissenschaft, 2004). ISBN 3938116005
- William Lane Craig, The Historical Argument for the Rsurrection of Jesus During the Deist Controversy, (Lewiston & Queenston: Edwin Mellen Press, 1985). ISBN 0-88946-811-7