T&T Clark Handbook of John Owen

by John W. Tweeddale (Editor), Crawford Gribben (Editor)

Evaluating the writings of one of the most significant religious figures in early modern England, this volume summarizes Owen's life, explores his various intellectual, literary and political contexts, and considers his roles as a preacher, administrator, polemicist and theologian. It explores the importance of Owen, reviews the state of scholarship and suggests new avenues for research.

The first part of the volume offers brand-new assessments of Owen's intellectual formation, pastoral ministry, educational reform at Oxford, political connections in the Cromwellian revolution, support of nonconformity during the Restoration, interaction with the scientific revolution and understanding of philosophy. The second part of the volume considers Owen's prolific literary output. A cross-section of well-known and frequently neglected works are reviewed and situated in their historical and theological contexts.

The volume concludes by evaluating ways that Owen scholarship can benefit historians, theologians, biblical scholars, ministers and Christian readers.

600 pages, Hardcover

Published May 19, 2022

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Owen is one of my favorite early modern theologians and so I was very excited when this handbook came out. The book is divided into three parts: (1) context; (2) writings; and (3) today. Overall part (1) was useful for orientating the reader to Owen's context. Most interesting from my perspective was Gatiss's argument that Owen was essentially still an Anglican despite his congregationalist sympathies and the discussion of Owen's views of scientific reform in ch. 10. The second part was uneven. Some of the summaries of his writings had helpful commentary and discussion, whereas others were merely a summary of the book itself. A summary would be fine the reader unfamiliar with Owen's work, but it was a bit of a disappointment for someone, such as myself, who has read a number of his works. The third part (consisting of one chapter) was my favorite part as Kapic notes further work that needs to be done around Owen and offers helpful cautions as to the retrieval of him. Overall, despite some misgivings, this handbook will prove essential for Owenian scholarship.