Matthew Poole

Background

Matthew Poole was born at York in 1624. He was the son of Francis Pole, but he spelled his name Poole, and in Latin Polus, his mother was a daughter of Alderman Toppins there.

Education

He was educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge.

Career

From 1649 till the passing of the Act of Uniformity (1662), Poole held the rectory of St Michael le Querne, London. Subsequent troubles led to his withdrawal to Holland, and he died at Amsterdam in 1679.

The work with which his name is principally associated is the Synopsis criticorum biblicorum (5 vols. fol. , 1669 - 1676), in which he summarizes the views of one hundred and fifty biblical critics. He also wrote English Annotations on the Holy Bible, a work which was completed by several of his Nonconformist brethren, and published in 2 vols. in 1683.

Achievements

• His Synopsis Criticorum (5 volumes) is a monument of Biblical learning which has served many generations of students.

Works

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• book

  • A Commentary on the Holy Bible

    (Perhaps the only true rival to Matthew Henry! Charles Spu...)

  • A Dialogue Between a Catholic Priest and a Protestant: Wherein the Principal Points and Arguments of Both Religions Are Truly Proposed and Fully Examined

Connections

Father:

Francis Pole