Henry Owen

Henry Owen

Henry Owen (* 1716 near Dolgellau , Merionethshire , † October 14, 1795 in Edmonton ) was an Anglican clergyman and theologian from Wales . Probably his most important contribution to biblical studies consists in the discussion of the time of writing and the form and type of arrangement of the four canonical Gospels . It is controversial whether his thoughts contributed to the development of the Griesbach hypothesis , Johann Jakob Griesbach's theory about the genesis of synoptics.

Life

Owen attended Jesus College in Oxford from 1736 . There he made his Bachelor ( BA ) and 1743 his Magister ( MA ) in 1739 , while at the same time he devoted himself to mathematical studies. After that, he focused on medical issues. He earned his bachelor's degree (1746) and doctorate (1753) and practiced as a doctor for three years. But according to his own statements, health considerations and personal inclination prompted him to devote himself entirely to academic studies and pastoral tasks.

1746 Owen was a deacon and priest in the Anglican Church ordained . His contemporaries recognized his erudition. From 1769 to 1771 he held the lectures named after Robert Boyle .

In 1760 Owen married Mary Butts, the daughter of an Anglican bishop. The couple had a son and four daughters.

Although neither Owen nor Griesbach mention a personal encounter, it is quite possible that the two were acquainted. Because Griesbach had visited England to complete his bachelor’s studies, and Owen’s groundbreaking work Observations on the Four Gospels is mentioned on a list of books in his estate .

Publications (selection)

• Harmonia Trigonometrica, or A short treatise on Trigonometry , 1748.
• The Intent and Propriety of the Scripture Miracles considered and explained , 1755.
• An Inquiry into the present State of the Septuagint Version of the Old Testament , 1769.
• Critica Sacra, or a short Introduction to Hebrew Criticism , 1777.
• Collatio codicis Cottoniani Geneseos cum editione Romana a Joanne Ernesto Grabe jam olim facta nunc demum summa cura edita from Henrico Owen, MD , 1778.
• A brief Account, historical and critical, of the Septuagint Version of the Old Testament , to which is added a Dissertation on the comparative Excellency of the Hebrew and Samaritan Pentateuch , London 1787.
• The Modes of Quotation used by the Evangelical Writers, explained and vindicated , London 1788/89.

literature

• Article in The General Biographical Dictionary , London 1815.
• The Dictionary of National Biography , Vol. 42, 1845.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Observations on the Four Gospels, tending chiefly to ascertain the time of their Publication, and to illustrate the form and manner of their Composition , T. Payne, London 1764.