George Abbot (writer)

George Abbot (also George Abbott ; * 1604 in York , † February 21, 1649 in Caldecote , Warwickshire ) was an English author and politician.

Life

George Abbot, baptized in York on March 13, 1604, was the son of a father of the same name who died in November 1607. His mother, whose first name was Joan, was the daughter of Aleyn Penkeston. The latter, like Abbot's father, belonged to the lower upper class of York, but neither belonged to the class of the free. Abbot's paternal grandfather, also called George Abbot, was a yeoman ( yeoman ) near Pontefract . On his father's side, Abbot was related to the Pickering family. After the death of her husband, Abbot's mother married the English politician William Purefoy in 1609 , who was later to take part in the execution of King Charles I (early 1649) . As a result, the little Abbot grew up in Caldecote in the central English county of Warwickshire.

George Abbot probably did not attend university, but pursued self-taught studies in Caldecote. His stepfather, Purefoy, appointed the Puritan clergyman Richard Vines pastor of Caldecote in 1630, and he became Abbot's mentor. In April 1640 Abbot became the MP for Tamworth by King Charles summoned Parliament Short appointed. In the civil war that broke out two years later between supporters of Charles I and those of the English parliament , William Purefoy was an ardent supporter of the king's opponents, and on August 28, 1642 Abbot, alone with his mother and a few servants, had to leave his stepfather's estate in Caldecote around 18 Mounted soldiers defending Prince Ruprecht .

From October 2, 1645 Abbot acted for Tamworth as a member of the English House of Commons , but took only a small part in the parliamentary deliberations. He remained unmarried, fell ill in November 1646, retired to the country and died in Caldecote in 1649 at the age of 45. There he found his final resting place.

Writing activity

With his first publication, The Whole Booke of Job Paraphrased, or made easy for any to understand , lay theologian George Abbot provided a generally understandable introduction to the Old Testament book of Job in 1640 . His work Vindiciae sabbathi (1641) had a lasting influence on the controversy surrounding the Sabbatians . Abbot's last theological work, published posthumously in 1650, was entitled The Whole Book of Psalms Paraphrased .

literature

• Stephen K. Roberts: Abbott, George . In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB), Vol. 1 (2004), pp. 46f.
• Alexander Balloch Grosart : Abbot, George . In: Dictionary of National Biography (DNB), Vol. 1 (1885), pp. 20f. ( online ) (outdated research status).

Remarks

1. ↑ Stephen K. Roberts, ODNB, Vol. 1, p. 46.