 Joseph Hall was born in 1574 of puritan parents. He received his B. A.
and M. A. degrees from Emmanuel College, where he was noted for
exceptional scholarship, and was made a teaching fellow. He first gained a
reputation as a writer of satirical poetry. In 1601 he was ordained in the
Church of England. He pastored a church at Waltham, and in 1618 was
appointed by the king to the Synod of Dort because of his great knowledge
of Calvinism.
Joseph Hall ran a middle ground theologically. He was too soft on the
Romanists to be appreciated by the Puritans, and too soft on the
Puritans to be appreciated by William Laud and the Church of England. He wrote
a piece entitled No Peace With Rome, which said that the Church of
England should speak out against the errors of the Roman Church, but would
not bring himself to say that it was no longer a true church. He was
appointed Bishop of Norwich (where he would be succeeded by Edward
Reynolds). He is most known for his Contemplations on the Historical Passages
of the Old and New Testaments, which was reprinted in 1995 by Soli Deo
Gloria, but has sold out and is now out of print. |
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