James Ussher - Knowledge

1294: – A Geographical and Historical Disquisition, touching the Asia properly so called; The Original of Bishops and Metropolitans briefly laid down; The Judgment of Doctor Rainoldes, touching the Original of Episcopacy, more largely confirmed out of Antiquity; Dissertatio non-de Ignati solum et Polycarpi scriptis, sed etiam de Apostolicis Constitutionibus et Canonibus Clementi Romano attributis (1644); Praefationes in Ignatium (1644); De Romanae Ecclesiae Symbolo vetere aliisque Fidei Formulis tum ab Occidentalibus tum ab Orientalibus in prima Catechesi et Baptismo proponi solitis (1647); De Macedonum et Asianorum Anno Solari Dissertatio (1648); De Graeca Septuaginta Interpretum Versione Syntagma, cum Libri Estherae editione Origenica et vetere Graeca altera; Epistola ad Ludovicum Capellum de variantibus Textus Hebraei Lectionibus; Epistola Gulielmi Eyre ad Usserium 916: 1043:

uncommented on for centuries: differences in tone, theology, and apparent anachronistic references to theological disputes and structures that did not exist during Ignatius's time. Additionally, medieval authors commenting on Ignatius did not appear to be reading the same letters of the Long Recension. Ussher researched and found a shorter set, usually called the Middle Recension, and argued that only the letters contained in it were authentically Ignatius's. The unknown compiler of the Long Recension edited Ignatius's work and included some of his own, and seems to have had

568:, was said to have been descended from one, Neville, who came over (to Ireland) with King John in the capacity of usher and had changed his name to that of his office. James was taught to read by two aunts who had been blind from infancy, to whom he ever afterward looked back with affection and respect. From eight to thirteen years of age he attended the school kept by Fullerton and Hamilton, private emissaries of James VI of Scotland, sent to keep up his influence in Ireland, in view of the prospect of his succeeding to the throne of England and Ireland." 294: 1060: 61: 982:, and when the latter was sentenced to death by Parliament, pleaded with the King not to allow the execution of the verdict: unlike some of his episcopal colleagues, he insisted that the King was absolutely bound in conscience by his promise to Strafford that whatever happened his life would be spared. The King did not take his advice, but clearly afterwards regretted not doing so, as is shown by his reference on the scaffold to Strafford's death as "that unjust sentence which I suffered to take effect". 1965: 952: 644: 350: 1993: 1175: 741: 939: – the antiquities of the British churches. It was an astonishing achievement in one respect – in gathering together so many previously unpublished manuscript sources. Ussher was very reluctant to arrive at firm judgements as to the sources' authenticity – hence his devotion of a whole chapter to the imaginative but invented stories of 1194:, Surrey. On 19 March, he felt a sharp pain in his side after supper and took to his bed. His symptoms seem to have been those of a severe internal haemorrhage. Two days later he died, aged 75. His last words were reported as: "O Lord, forgive me, especially my sins of omission". His body was embalmed and was to have been buried in Reigate, but at 860:. He had hoped that Laud would help to impose order on what was, Ussher accepted, a somewhat mismanaged institution. Laud did that, rewriting the charter and statutes to limit the authority of the fellows, and ensure that the appointment of the provost was under royal control. In 1634, he imposed on the college an Arminian provost, 1121:, which holds that the universe was created thousands of years ago (rather than billions). But while calculating the date of the Creation is today considered a fringe activity, in Ussher's time such a calculation was still regarded as an important task, one also attempted by many Post-Reformation scholars, such as 1132:

Ussher's chronology represented a considerable feat of scholarship: it demanded great depth of learning in what was then known of ancient history, including the rise of the Persians, Greeks and Romans, as well as expertise in the Bible, biblical languages, astronomy, ancient calendars and chronology.

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As the middle ground between King and Parliament vanished in 1641–1642, Ussher was forced, reluctantly, to choose between his Calvinist allies in parliament and his instinctive loyalty to the monarchy. Eventually, in January 1642 (having asked parliament's permission), he moved to Oxford, a royalist

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system, were initially designed to support a rapprochement between Charles and the parliamentarian leadership in 1641, but were rejected by the King. They did, however, have an afterlife, being published in England and Scotland well into the eighteenth century. In all, he wrote or edited five books

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In early 1641 Ussher developed a mediatory position on church government, which sought to bridge the gap between the Laudians, who believed in an episcopalian church hierarchy (bishops), and the Presbyterians, who wanted to abolish episcopacy entirely. His proposals, not published until 1656, after

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while doing his work on church hierarchy. They were scholarly achievements that modern experts largely concur with. In Ussher's time, the only collection of Ignatius's writing easily available was the Long Recension, a set of 16 epistles. Ussher closely examined it and found problems that had gone

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The religion of the papists is superstitious and idolatrous; their faith and doctrine erroneous and heretical; their church in respect of both, apostatical; to give them, therefore, a toleration, or to consent that they may freely exercise their religion, and profess their faith and doctrine, is a

797:, who arrived as the new Lord Deputy in Ireland in 1633, deflected the pressure for conformity by stating that firstly, the Church of Ireland itself would have to be properly resourced, and he set about its re-endowment. He settled the long-running primacy dispute between the sees of 575:

In the beginning of 1614 he married his cousin, Phoebe, daughter of his maternal unlce Dr Lucas Challanor. Webb tells how Phoebe had been enjoined by her fathers will, bequeathing her a considerable property, not to marry any other than Dr. Usher, "should he propose himself."

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and viewed with dismay the possibility that people he regarded as papists might achieve any sort of power. He called a secret meeting of the Irish bishops in his house in November 1626, the result being the "Judgement of the Arch-Bishops and Bishops of Ireland". This begins:

885:, argues that he was an effective and politically important bishop and archbishop. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography notes that he was reactive and sought conciliation rather than confrontation. The story that he successfully opposed attempts to reintroduce the 1342: – Annales veteris Testamenti concludes; Annalium Pars Posterior, in qua, praeter Maccabaicam et novi testamenti historiam, Imperii Romanorum Caesarum sub Caio Julio et Octaviano Ortus, rerumque in Asia et Aegypto Gestarum continetur Chronicon ... (1654) 932:, which sought to demonstrate how it differed from Rome and was, instead, much closer to the later Protestant church. This was to prove highly influential, establishing the idea that the Church of Ireland was the true successor of the early Celtic church. 1157:

version, which claims an unbroken history of careful transcription stretching back centuries – but his choice was confirmed for him, because it placed Creation exactly four thousand years before 4 BC, the generally accepted date for the

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in Armagh's favour. The two clashed on the subject of the theatre: Ussher had the usual Puritan antipathy to the stage, whereas Wentworth was a keen theatre-goer, and against Ussher's opposition, oversaw the foundation of Ireland's first theatre, the

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James's abilities, diligence, and loving disposition from youth are described as "attracting the esteem of all with whom he came in contact." He became one of the first and leading scholars of Trinity College, Dublin (opened 1593).

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However, Ussher also wrote extensively on theology, patristics and ecclesiastical history, and these subjects gradually displaced his anti-Catholic work. After Convocation in 1634, Ussher left Dublin for his episcopal residence at

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stronghold. Though Charles severely tested Ussher's loyalty by negotiating with the Catholic Irish, the Primate remained committed to the royal cause, though as the king's fortunes waned Ussher had to move on to

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Ussher's account of historical events for which he had multiple sources other than the Bible is usually in close agreement with modern accounts – for example, he placed the death of

1306: – Annales veteris Testamenti, a Prima Mundi Origine deducti, una cum Rerum Asiaticarum Aegypticarum Chronico, a temporis historici principio usque ad Maccabaicorum initia producto (1650) 778:

instructed the Irish Lords Justices on 3 May 1641 to publish the required Bills to enact the Graces. However, the law reforms were not properly implemented before the rebellion in late 1641.

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tendencies. He published this Latin edition of the genuine Ignatian works in 1644. The only major difference between Ussher's stance and modern scholars is that Ussher thought that the

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had to be redrafted based on the English ones rather than replaced by them. Theologically, he was a Calvinist although on the matter of the atonement he was (somewhat privately) a

1014:, in whose houses he stayed from then on. He was deprived of the See of Carlisle by Parliament on 9 October 1646, as the English episcopacy was abolished for the duration of the 2197: 781:

During a four-year interregnum between Lord Deputies from 1629 on, there was an increase in efforts to impose religious conformity on Ireland. In 1633, Ussher wrote to the new

458:. Ussher's father, Arland Ussher, was a clerk in chancery who married Stanihurst's daughter, Margaret (by his first wife Anne Fitzsimon), who was reportedly a Roman Catholic. 3464: 967:, his reputation as a scholar and his moderate Calvinism meant that his opinion was sought by both King and Parliament. After Ussher lost his home and income through the 900:

Ussher certainly preferred to be a scholar when he could be. He engaged in extensive disputations with Roman Catholic theologians, and even as a student he challenged a

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between 1625 and 1656. He was a prolific Irish scholar and church leader, who today is most famous for his identification of the genuine letters of the church father,

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was completed in the year 3000 from creation, so that there were exactly 1,000 years from the temple to Jesus, who was thought to be the 'fulfilment' of the Temple.

1086: 912:. Ussher had an obsession with "Jesuits disguised as" Covenanters in Scotland, highwaymen when he was robbed, non-conformists in England, it was a remarkable list. 864:, whose theological views, and peremptory style of government, were antithetical to everything for which Ussher stood. By 1635, it was apparent that Ussher had lost 611:

in 1623 and an increasingly substantial scholar. A noted collector of Irish manuscripts, he made them available for research to fellow scholars such as his friend,

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James was born in the parish of St. Nicholas, Arland Ussher (1545-1598) and Margaret Ussher (nee Stanihurst) (1547-1601). It is recorded in Alfred Webb's,

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After his consecration in 1626, Ussher found himself in turbulent political times. Tension was rising between England and Spain, and to secure Ireland

3494: 3489: 3424: 3210: 1190:, discussing its accuracy as compared with the Hebrew text of the Old Testament. In 1656, he went to stay in the Countess of Peterborough's house in 332:

as "the entrance of the night preceding the 23rd day of October... the year before Christ 4004"; that is, around 6 pm on 22 October 4004 BC, per the

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The Judgement was not published until it was read out at the end of a series of sermons against the Graces given at Dublin in April 1627. Following

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by 1600 (though Bernard claims he did not gain his MA till 1601). In May 1602, he was ordained in the Trinity College Chapel as a deacon in the

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The Ethel M. Wood Lecture 1987. Delivered at the Senate House, University of London on 4 March 1987. London: University of London, 1987, p. 19

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From 1623 until 1626 he was again in England and was excused from his episcopal duties to study church history. He was nominated

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Abbott, William M. (1990). "James Ussher and "Ussherian" episcopacy, 1640–1656: the primate and his Reduction manuscript."

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The Apostolic Fathers: Revised Texts with Introductions, Notes, Dissertations and Translations. S. Ignatius, S. Polycarp

505:(and possibly priest on the same day, while Martin Gorst says that he became a priest on 20 December 1601) by his uncle 3394: 3092: 2868: 2687: 1947: 1573: 959:, Ussher's reputation as a scholar and moderate Calvinism meant that his opinion was sought by both King and Parliament 293: 3147: 1757: 894: 727: 517: 433: 135: 687: 393: 3273: 3196: 2893: 2202: 2112: 1960: 1924: 1465: 544:, Luke Challoner, and published his first work. In 1615, he was closely involved with the drawing up of the first 3444: 1883: 1048: 971:

of 1641, Parliament voted him a pension of £400 while the King awarded him the income and property of the vacant

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early in 1647, and despite his royalist loyalties was protected by his friends in Parliament. He watched the

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his death, as The Reduction of Episcopacy, proposed a compromise where bishops operated in a Presbyterian

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In 1640, Ussher left Ireland for England for what turned out to be the last time. In the years before the

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was also inauthentic; most modern scholars believe it to be a genuine production of Ignatius, however.

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Ussher now concentrated on his research and writing and returned to the study of chronology and the

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The title page of "Immanuel, or the Mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God," authored in 1643.

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from the roof of the Countess of Peterborough's home in London but fainted before the axe fell.

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on 9 January 1594, at the age of thirteen (not an unusual age at the time). He had received his

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In 1639, he published the most substantial history of Christianity in Britain to that date,

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James Ussher's reported last words were "O Lord forgive me, especially my sins of omission"

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offered Irish Catholics a series of concessions, including religious toleration, known as

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O'Sullivan, W. S. (1968). "Review of R. B. Knox, James Ussher Archbishop of Armagh",

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in 1615 and vice-provost in 1616. In 1613, he married Phoebe, daughter of a previous

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were adopted as well as the Irish articles, not instead of them, and that the Irish

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Forgery and Counterforgery: The Use of Literary Deceit in Early Christian Polemics

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James Ussher: Theology, History, and Politics in early-modern Ireland and England

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is frequently misquoted as being 9 a.m., noon or 9 p.m. on 23 October. See the

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King, Peter (July 1968). "The Episcopate during the Civil Wars, 1642–1649".

528:. He became Professor of Theological Controversies at Trinity College and a 3238: 3157: 3077: 3037: 2934: 2929: 2823: 2568: 2495: 2335: 2237: 2172: 2147: 1978: 1390: – letters (in English) (incl. first to Richard Stanihurst, his uncle) 1126: 853: 786: 756:, in exchange for money for the upkeep of the army. Ussher was a convinced 506: 243: 3167: 3142: 3082: 2152: 1872: 1782: 1745: 1378: – Tractatus de Controversiis Pontificiis; Praelectiones Theologicae 940: 826: 814: 253: 1010:

In June 1646, he returned to London under the protection of his friend,

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to have been nightfall on 22 October 4004 BC. (Other scholars, such as

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He and Phoebe's only child was Elizabeth Ussher (1619–93), who married

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in 44 BC. Ussher's last biblical co-ordinate was the Babylonian king

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Despite their occasional differences, he remained a loyal friend to

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1619 Ussher travelled to England, where he remained for two years.

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The Soteriology of James Ussher: The Act and Object of Saving Faith

1270: – Brittanicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates; caput I–XIII (1639) 925: 1630:

Leerssen, J. (1982–1983). "Archbishop Ussher and Gaelic culture",

481:, he entered Dublin Free School and then the newly founded (1591) 1191: 1094:, published in 1654. In this work, he calculated the date of the 1000: 996: 987: 740: 525: 217: 1106:, calculated their own dates for the Creation.) The time of the 1174: 901: 802: 798: 630:, who had succeeded Ussher's uncle Henry twelve years earlier. 466: 447: 221: 199: 19:"Ussher" and "James Usher" redirect here. For the surname, see 1146: 1081: 1044: 875: 1246: – An Answer to a Challenge made by a Jesuit in Ireland 1907:. Vol. 27 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 817:

and Wentworth and Laud's desire for conformity between the

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on 17 April and was buried in the chapel of St Erasmus in

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Annales veteris testamenti, a prima mundi origine deducti

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and the creation of a Christian episcopate in Britain.

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William M. Abbott, Associate Professor of History at

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Regius Professors of Divinity (University of Dublin)

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