Matthew Poole

Matthew Poole (c.1624 – October 12, 1679), also known by the Latin form of his surname, Polus, was an English Presbyterian theologian, biblical commentator, and nonconformist minister. He is best known for his monumental Latin work Synopsis Criticorum, a compilation of the observations and interpretations of earlier biblical scholars, and his English Annotations upon the Holy Bible. The latter became a widely used Protestant Bible commentary, although portions were completed by other ministers after his death.

Early life and education

Poole was born in York, England, probably in 1624, although the precise year is uncertain. He was the son of Francis Poole and Mary Topham, whose father was an alderman of York. The parish register records his baptism on December 6, 1626, at St. Cuthbert's Church.

On July 2, 1645, Poole entered Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he studied under John Worthington. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1649 and subsequently received his Master of Arts in 1652. In 1657 he was also incorporated as a Master of Arts at the University of Oxford during the visit of Richard Cromwell, then Chancellor of the university.

Presbyterian ministry

In 1649 Poole succeeded Anthony Tuckney as minister of St. Michael-le-Querne, a church in the City of London. The appointment was made under the Presbyterian system of church government established during the Commonwealth period. Poole was a committed Presbyterian who believed that church government should follow the principles established in Scripture.

His ministry was distinguished by his concern for theological orthodoxy and the proper training of ministers. In 1654 he published The Blasphemer Slain with the Sword of the Spirit, a defence of the deity of the Holy Spirit against the teachings of John Biddle, an English advocate of Unitarianism.

In 1658 Poole published A Model for the Maintaining of Students of Choice Abilities at the University, and Principally in Order to the Ministry. He proposed establishing a permanent fund to support promising students preparing for the ministry. The scheme attracted the support of several leading scholars, including John Worthington, Anthony Tuckney, John Arrowsmith, and Ralph Cudworth. Approximately £900 was raised before the project was brought to an end by the Restoration of the monarchy.

Poole also defended the principle that preaching should be undertaken by properly ordained ministers. His publication Quo Warranto; or, A Moderate Inquiry into the Warrantableness of the Preaching of Gifted and Unordained Persons (1658) opposed the practice of allowing unordained individuals to assume the public ministry.

Following the restoration of Charles II in 1660, Poole became increasingly concerned about the reintroduction of elaborate ceremonies and compulsory forms of worship in the Church of England. In a sermon delivered before the Lord Mayor of London on August 26, 1660, he argued for simplicity in public worship. He maintained that genuine Christian worship must be spiritual rather than merely ceremonial.

When the Act of Uniformity 1662 imposed the revised Anglican liturgy and required conformity to episcopal ordination, Poole resigned his position rather than accept the requirements. He was among the approximately 2,000 ministers who became known as the Great Ejection. Although he occasionally continued to preach, he did not establish another congregation and devoted much of his remaining life to biblical scholarship and writing.

Biblical scholarship

Synopsis Criticorum

Poole's most ambitious undertaking was the Synopsis Criticorum Aliorumque Sacrae Scripturae Interpretum, generally known as the Synopsis Criticorum. He began compiling the work in 1666, following the suggestion of William Lloyd, who later became Bishop of Worcester.

The Synopsis was an extensive digest of biblical interpretation, bringing together the observations of earlier commentators and scholars from different periods and theological traditions. It included material from ancient Jewish interpreters, Christian writers, Reformation scholars, and Roman Catholic commentators. Its purpose was to provide readers with a comprehensive survey of the existing scholarship on passages of Scripture rather than simply offering another individual commentary.

Poole's work required approximately ten years of concentrated study. The first volume appeared in 1669, and the undertaking was completed in five large folio volumes in 1676. Its publication attracted the support of prominent English and continental scholars, including several bishops and theologians.

The Synopsis became an important reference work for subsequent biblical scholarship. Its extensive collection of interpretations made it particularly valuable to theologians seeking to compare the conclusions of different commentators and examine the historical development of biblical exegesis.

Annotations upon the Holy Bible

While the Latin Synopsis was intended primarily for learned readers, Poole also recognised the need for a comprehensive commentary accessible to English-speaking Christians.

He therefore began composing Annotations upon the Holy Bible, in which he explained difficult passages, examined alternative readings, supplied parallel Scriptures, reconciled apparent contradictions, and addressed theological questions.

Unlike the Synopsis, which summarised the work of numerous earlier scholars, the English Annotations provided direct explanatory notes on the biblical text. It became one of the most widely circulated Protestant commentaries of its period.

Poole had completed his own annotations through Isaiah 58 when he died in 1679. His unfinished work was subsequently continued by a group of fellow Nonconformist ministers and published posthumously in two folio volumes, appearing in 1683 and 1685. The second volume explicitly identified itself as a continuation of Poole's work by other learned divines. Consequently, although the complete commentary is conventionally known by his name, not every section was written by Poole himself.

Other publications

Poole also wrote several works defending Protestant doctrine and opposing Roman Catholic teaching. Among these were:

• The Blasphemer Slain with the Sword of the Spirit (1654), defending the deity of the Holy Spirit against John Biddle.
• A Model for the Maintaining of Students of Choice Abilities at the University (1658), proposing financial assistance for students preparing for the ministry.
• Quo Warranto (1658), examining the authority of unordained persons to preach.
• Vox Clamantis in Deserto (1666), a Latin work addressing the ecclesiastical situation in England.
• The Nullity of the Romish Faith (1666), a polemical examination of Roman Catholic doctrine.
• A Dialogue between a Popish Priest and an English Protestant (1667), a discussion of the principal theological disagreements between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism.
• A Seasonable Apology for Religion (1673), based upon two sermons.

These works demonstrate that Poole's interests extended beyond biblical commentary into ecclesiastical government, Christian apologetics, theological controversy, and the education of future ministers.

Exile and death

During the Popish Plot hysteria of 1678, Titus Oates alleged that Poole was among those marked for assassination because of his publications attacking Roman Catholicism. Poole initially dismissed the allegation, but a reported threatening encounter while returning from a friend's house persuaded him that he might be in danger.

He consequently left England and settled in Amsterdam, where he joined the congregation of the English Presbyterian Church. He died there on October 12, 1679, and was buried in a vault beneath the church.

A suspicion that Poole had been poisoned circulated after his death, but no reliable evidence established this allegation. His death left his English biblical annotations unfinished, requiring the assistance of fellow ministers to bring the work to publication.

Legacy

Matthew Poole's principal contribution to Christian scholarship was his extensive collection and organisation of earlier biblical interpretation. His Latin Synopsis Criticorum provided an unusually broad survey of the work of previous Jewish and Christian commentators, while his English Annotations made biblical exposition accessible to a much wider readership.

His works continued to be reprinted for generations and became established reference materials among Protestant ministers, theologians, and students of Scripture. His name remains particularly associated with the tradition of Reformed biblical exposition and the study of historical Christian interpretation.