William Perkins

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William Perkins

William Perkins (* 1558 in Marston-Jabbet in Parish Bulkington , Warwickshire , England , † October 22, 1602 in Cambridge ) was an English clergyman and Puritan theologian.

Life

Perkins studied at Christ's College (Cambridge) and obtained a bachelor's degree in 1581 and a master's degree in 1584 . In the same year he became a fellow at Christ's College and a preacher at Great St. Andrew's Church. He gave up his position as a fellow in 1595 after his marriage. He held the preaching office until his death. Although he came into conflict several times with high church superiors due to his puritanical attitude, he remained a loyal member of the Anglican Church and opposed all tendencies towards separatism.

Work and meaning

Perkins worked through his personal students (including William Ames , John Robinson ), but above all through his extensive theological literature. Many of his writings, some of which were written in English and some in Latin, have been translated, especially into Dutch and German. Because Perkins, following Petrus Ramus, defined theology as a “science of living blessed for ever”, his specialist theological publications are also mostly practical and pastoral. Much published posthumously, they had a long-lasting impact throughout the 17th century.

In his most influential work Armilla aurea, id est, Miranda series causarum et salutis & damnationis iuxta verbum Dei (1590; 1591 translated as A golden chaine, or the description of theologie: containing the order of the causes of saluation and damnation, according to Gods woord. A view of the order wherof, is to be seene in the table annexed ) Perkins defended the supralapsarian doctrine of predestination in its sharpest form, as it was advocated by Theodor Beza after Johannes Calvin . However, he was particularly interested in the certainty of salvation. That is why he renewed the Reformed doctrine of the "double covenant", which he first referred to with the terms foedus operum (Werkbund) and foedus gratiae : God concluded the Werkbund with all of humanity, but because no one can completely keep the moral law, he adds Covenant of grace added, in which the saving work of Christ is applied to the believers. In this context, Perkins set up a four-step scheme for the path of Christian life: the calling of the sinner goes hand in hand with union with Christ, followed by justification. The third stage is sanctification, in which the believers are supposed to prove themselves in the fight against temptations and to bring the fruits of their faith. The fourth stage is glorification after life. The step model had a great influence on Puritan theology and is still in the background of John Bunyan's pilgrimage to blessed eternity .

In his A salve for a sicke man, or, A treatise containing the nature, differences, and kindes of death: as also the right manner of dying well. And it may serue for spiritual instruction to 1. Mariners when they go to sea. 2. Shoulders when they go to battle. 3. Women when they trauell of child (1595) Perkins interprets death as punishment and redemption at the same time and gives advice on the correct preparation for death. Recommendations for practical life are also A case of conscience: the greatest did your thing; how a man may know whether he be the child of God or no (1592), which also contains a theological treatise on conscience . The book became a guide to Puritan ethics.

The homiletics was his signature propheticus, sive, De Sacra et vnica ratione concionandi tractatus (1592; 1607 translated as The arte of prophecying, or, A Treatise Concerning the sacred and onely true manner and method of preaching ) dedicated. Here he urged an edifying sermon with a focus on applying what has been heard in the Christian life.

Many of Perkins' main themes reappear in pietism , so that earlier research ( Heinrich Heppe , August Lang ) has referred to him as the "father of pietism". However, the influence is at most indirect. Perkins himself can be classified as an Orthodox Calvinist who, however, was particularly concerned about the right life.

Fonts (selection)

  • The Works of William Perkins , Volume 1, London 1625 ( PDF file ).
  • The Works of William Perkins , Volume 2, London 1631 ( PDF file ).
  • The Works of William Perkins , Volume 3, London 1631 ( PDF file ).
  • The Works of William Perkins . Edited and introduced by Ian Breward. Sutton Courtenay Press 1970.
  • Prophetica, sive, De sacra et vnica ratione concionandi tractatus. Cambridge 1592 ( digitized ).
    • The ability to speak prophetically . Translator: Wilhelm Schneider. 3L-Verlag, Waldems 2011, ISBN 978-3-935188-97-5 .

literature

  • Donald K. McKim: Ramism in William Perkins' theology . Lang, New York a.] 1987, ISBN 0-8204-0285-0 .
  • Erich Wenneker:  Perkins, William. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 8, Bautz, Herzberg 1994, ISBN 3-88309-053-0 , Sp. 192-196.
  • Michael McGiffert: The Perkinsian Moment of Federal Theology . In: Calvin Theological Journal 29/1 (1994), pp. 117-148.
  • Martin Sallmann : William Perkins. Puritans between Calvinism and Pietism . In: Theologians of the 17th and 18th centuries . Darmstadt 2003, pp. 88-105.
  • Martin Sallmann: Calvin, Calvinism and Puritanism. William Perkins' writings in Basel as an example . In: Marco Hofheinz, Wolfgang Lienemann, Martin Sallmann (eds.): Calvin's legacy. Contributions to the history of Johannes Calvin's impact (= Reformed Historical Theology 9). Göttingen 2011, pp. 240-256.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Armilla aurea (1590), quoted from Wilhelm H. Neuser : The beginnings of Pietism: Perkins and Amesius . In: Handbook of the history of dogmas and theology, 2nd ed. Carl Andresen (Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2nd edition 1998), p. 340.
personal data
SURNAME Perkins, William
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English Puritan theologian
DATE OF BIRTH 1558
PLACE OF BIRTH Bulkington , Warwickshire
DATE OF DEATH October 22, 1602
Place of death Cambridge