Elizabeth Bathurst
Elizabeth Bathurst | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1655 |
| Died | 1685 |
| Notable work | Truth's Vindication (1679) |
| Theological work | |
| Tradition or movement | Quakerism |
Elizabeth Bathurst (1655-1685)[1] was an English Quaker preacher and theologian, and the author of one of the few early systematic accounts of Quaker beliefs.
Life
[edit]Bathurst was born in London, the eldest child of Charles Bathurst.[2] She and her siblings became Quakers in 1678. Soon after her conversion to Quakerism, she interrupted worship at Samuel Annesley's Presbyterian chapel in London, speaking against the doctrine of reprobation.[3] Later, she undertook several preaching tours, and was imprisoned at least once in the Marshalsea prison.
Bathurst was recognised during her lifetime by the Quaker community as a gifted preacher.[1] George Whitehead, who discussed her major work with her before its publication, commented on her "excellent gift, both of understanding, life and utterance".[4] She has been described by historian Sarah Apetrei as "by far the most theologically sophisticated" of the numerous women leaders among early Quakers.[3]
According to her father's account of her life, Bathurst suffered "great weakness of body" from infancy.[4]
Writings
[edit]Bathurst's major work was Truth's Vindication: Or, A Gentle Stroke to Wipe Off The Foul Aspersions, False Accusations and Misrepresentations, Cast Upon the People of God, call'd Quakers (first published 1679).[4] It explains and defends the distinctive Quaker account of salvation, focusing in particular on the universal offer of salvation and the infallible guidance of the Holy Spirit.[5] Truth's Vindication was reprinted six times by Quaker publishers[6] - notably in a posthumous (1691) edition by Tace Sowle, as her first project after she took over her father's publishing firm.[2]
She also wrote The Sayings of Women... in several places of the Scriptures, presenting a theological defence of women's authority to preach and teach.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Van Vleck Garman, Mary (2015). Angell, Stephen W.; Dandelion, Pink (eds.). Early Quakers and their Theological Thought 1647-1723. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 224–238.
- ^ a b "Elizabeth Bathurst: Overview". Orlando: Women's Writing in the British Isles from the Beginnings to the Present. Archived from the original on 2022-02-18. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
- ^ a b Apetrei, Sarah (2009). "The Universal Principle of Grace: Feminism and Anti-Calvinism in Two Seventeenth-Century Women Writers". Gender & History. 21: 130–146. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0424.2009.01538.x. S2CID 144139379.
- ^ a b c Bathurst, Elizabeth (1691). Truth Vindicated... London: Sowle Press.
- ^ Nakano, Yasuharo (2008). "Elizabeth Bathurst's Soteriology and a List of Corrections in Several Editions of her Works". Quaker Studies. 13: 89–102. doi:10.3828/quaker.13.1.89.
- ^ Mack, Phyllis (1992). Visionary Women: Ecstatic Prophecy in Seventeenth-Century England. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 312.
- ^ Bathurst, Elizabeth (1680). The sayings of women, which were spoken upon sundry occasions, in several places of the Scriptures. Sowle Press.
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