Matthew Henry: The Bible, Prayer, and Piety: A Tercentenary Celebration

by Paul Middleton (Editor), Matthew A. Collins (Editor)

Overview

Three hundred years after his death, Matthew Henry (1662–1714) remains arguably the best known expositor of the Bible in English, due largely to his massive six-volume Exposition of the Old and New Testaments. However, Henry's famous commentary is by no means the only expression of his engagement with the Scriptures. His many sermons and works on Christian piety - including the still popular Method for Prayer - are saturated with his peculiarly practical approach to the Bible.

To mark the tercentenary of Henry's death, Matthew A. Collins and Paul Middleton have brought together notable historians, theologians, and biblical scholars to celebrate his life and legacy. Representing the first serious examination of Henry's body of work and approach to the Bible, Matthew Henry: The Bible, Prayer, and Piety opens a scholarly conversation about the place of Matthew Henry in the eighteenth-century nonconformist movement, his contribution to the interpretation of the Bible, and his continued legacy in evangelical piety.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780567670236
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	05/30/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	312
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Matthew A. Collins is Senior Lecturer in Hebrew Bible and Second Temple Judaism at the University of Chester, UK.

Paul Middleton is Senior Lecturer in New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of Chester, UK
Dr. Paul Middleton is Senior Lecturer in New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of Chester, UK.
Dr Matthew A. Collins is Senior Lecturer in Hebrew Bible and Second Temple Judaism at the University of Chester, UK.

Table of Contents

List of Figures
List of Contributors
List of Abbreviations
1. Introduction - Matthew A. Collins and Paul Middleton, University of Chester, United Kingdom
PART I. CONTEXT AND BIOGRAPHY
2. The Church and Nonconformity in Later Stuart England: The Wider World of Matthew Henry - Jeremy Gregory, University of Nottingham, United Kingdom
3. Matthew Henry: Minister and Preacher - David L. Wykes, Dr Williams's Library, United Kingdom
4. From Educated Underworld to the Queen's First Knight: The Henrys in Context - Clyde Binfield, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom
5. 'For the Church or the Stable': A Chester Consistory Court Case of 1693–94 - Peter Bamford, Chester Cathedral Library, United Kingdom
PART II. THE BIBLE
6. Matthew Henry's Commentary in Context: Reading Ecclesiastes - Stuart Weeks, Durham University, United Kingdom
7. Professors of Religion and their Strange Wives: Diluvian Discord in the Eyes of Matthew Henry - Matthew A. Collins, University of Chester, United Kingdom
8. 'Filling up the Full Measure of their Sins': Matthew Henry on the Destruction of the Jerusalem Temple - Paul Middleton, University of Chester, United Kingdom
9. Matthew Henry's Exposition of Joshua 7 in Socio-Legal and Sociological Perspective - David J. Chalcraft, Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom
10. Soul Prosperity: Reading Psalm 1 with Matthew Henry - George J. Brooke, University of Manchester, United Kingdom
11. The Making of Ministry: Matthew Henry on the Parable of the Faithful Steward (Matt 24:45–51) - Loveday Alexander, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom
PART III. PRAYER AND PIETY
12. Prayer and Providence: Matthew Henry and the Theology of the Everyday - Christine Helmer, Northwestern University, United States
13. 'The Expressing of Devout Affections of the Heart': Piety and the Affections in the Works of Matthew Henry - Michael A.L. Smith, University of Manchester, United Kingdom
14. Matthew Henry's Legacy in Prayer and Piety - Ligon Duncan, Reformed Theological Seminary, United States
PART IV. CATALOGUING THE WORKS OF MATTHEW HENRY
15. Matthew Henry: An Annotated Bibliography - Philip Alexander, University of Manchester, United Kingdom
Index of References
Index of Names

Editorial Reviews

"Although Matthew Henry's six-volume commentary on the Bible is one of the most comprehensive and influential works of its kind, much less is known of the life, ministry and other writings of its author. But here in this collection of scholarly essays we have a concerted effort by a multi-disciplinary team to assess Henry in his historical context. Impressive in its range and depth, this volume provides a unique set of perspectives on Henry's work." --David Fergusson, University of Edinburgh, UK

"Matthew Henry is one of the most influential and yet least studied figures from the Puritan tradition and Early Modern period. Despite his significant worldwide impact on the evangelical church over the centuries, mainly through his Exposition, there has been very little scholarly analysis of his theology and piety, and especially the connections between them and his historical and cultural context. This welcome volume begins to fill that vacuum and I hope it will entice further scholars to take Henry more seriously, leading to a better understanding of both him and his times." --David Murray, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, USA

From the Publisher