thumb|right|200px|Matthew Poole, 1680 engraving by [[Robert White (engraver)|Robert White]]

Matthew Poole (1624–1679) was an English Nonconformist theologian and biblical commentator.

Life to 1662

He was born at York, the son of Francis Pole, but he spelled his name Poole, and in Latin Polus; his mother was a daughter of Alderman Toppins there. He was educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, from 1645, under John Worthington. Having graduated B.A. at the beginning of 1649, he succeeded Anthony Tuckney, in the sequestered rectory of St Michael le Querne, then in the fifth classis of the London province, under the parliamentary system of presbyterianism. This was his only preferment. He proceeded M.A. in 1652. On 14 July 1657 he was one of eleven Cambridge graduates incorporated M.A. at Oxford on occasion of the visit of Richard Cromwell as chancellor.

Poole also wrote English Annotations on the Holy Bible, completing the chapters as far as Isaiah 58 before his death in 1679. The rest of the Annotations were completed by friends and colleagues among his Nonconformist brethren. The first printing of the completed edition was in 1685 [1683?], 2 volumes folio, followed by editions in 1688, 1696 (with valuable chapter outlines added by the editors, Samuel Clark and Edward Veale), and the 4th and definitive edition in 1700, the basis of all others. The other authors, by Biblical book, were:

  • Isaiah 59-60 – John Jackson
  • Isaiah 61-66, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Gospels, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Revelation – Dr. John Collinges
  • Ezekiel, Minor Prophets – Henry Hurst
  • Daniel – William Cooper
  • Acts – Peter Vinke
  • Romans – Richard Mayo
  • Ephesians, James, 1 and 2 Peter – Edward Veale
  • 1 and 2 Thessalonians – Matthew Barker
  • Philippians, Colossians – Richard Adams
  • Hebrews – Obadiah Hughes
  • 1, 2 and 3 John – John Howe

Selected works

  • Poole, Matthew [originally 1673]; Harley, Thomas, [editor, 2009] A Seasonable Apology for the Christian Religion. Bloomington: iUniverse.
  • Poole, M., Commentary, published online by Bible Hub (the Online Parallel Bible Project).

References

Attribution

Further reading

  • Thomas Harley, Matthew Poole: His Life, His Times, His Contributions Along with His Argument Against The Infallibility of the Roman Catholic Church, 2009.