Henry Owen
Encyclopedia
The Reverend Dr. Henry Owen (1716 – 14 October 1795) was a Welsh
theologian and Biblical scholar. Perhaps his most significant contribution to biblical scholarship is his discussion of the date of publication and the form and manner of the composition of the four canonical gospel accounts. It is arguable whether his thoughts on the subject contributed to the development of Johann Jakob Griesbach
's Synoptic Gospel
hypothesis.
Owen was born in 1716 near Dolgellau
, Merionethshire
(Gwynedd
), and died on 14 October 1795 at Edmonton. He entered Jesus College
, Oxford, in 1736, where he took his degrees in arts (BA 1739, MA 1743), while also devoting himself to mathematical studies, before concentrating on medical studies (MB 1746, MD 1753).
He practised medicine for three years; but, by his own admittance considerations of health and inclination then caused him to dedicate himself fully to his academic studies and pastoral work, having been ordained deacon and priest in the Anglican Church in 1746. Contemporaries acknowledged his learning; and from 1769 to 1771 he was Boyle Lecturer
. In 1760 he married Mary Butts, daughter of an Anglican bishop. He had a son and five daughters with her.
Whilst neither of them seems to mention a meeting in their writings, it is conceivable that Owen had been personally known to J. J. Griesbach
. For the latter had visited England upon completion of his undergraduate studies; and, according to an extant list of books, his estate contained a copy of Owen's seminal work, Observations on the Four Gospels, tending chiefly to ascertain the time of their Publication, and to illustrate the form and manner of their Composition (1764).
Among Owen's other publications are:
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
theologian and Biblical scholar. Perhaps his most significant contribution to biblical scholarship is his discussion of the date of publication and the form and manner of the composition of the four canonical gospel accounts. It is arguable whether his thoughts on the subject contributed to the development of Johann Jakob Griesbach
Johann Jakob Griesbach
Johann Jakob Griesbach , German biblical textual critic, was born at Butzbach, a small town in the state of Hesse, where his father, Konrad Kaspar , was pastor...
's Synoptic Gospel
Synoptic Gospels
The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the Synoptic Gospels because they include many of the same stories, often in the same sequence, and sometimes exactly the same wording. This degree of parallelism in content, narrative arrangement, language, and sentence structures can only be...
hypothesis.
Owen was born in 1716 near Dolgellau
Dolgellau
Dolgellau is a market town in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, lying on the River Wnion, a tributary of the River Mawddach. It was the county town of the former county of Merionethshire .-History and economy:...
, Merionethshire
Merionethshire
Merionethshire is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, a vice county and a former administrative county.The administrative county of Merioneth, created under the Local Government Act 1888, was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972 on April 1, 1974...
(Gwynedd
Gwynedd
Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
), and died on 14 October 1795 at Edmonton. He entered Jesus College
Jesus College, Oxford
Jesus College is one of the colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship Street, Cornmarket Street and Market Street...
, Oxford, in 1736, where he took his degrees in arts (BA 1739, MA 1743), while also devoting himself to mathematical studies, before concentrating on medical studies (MB 1746, MD 1753).
He practised medicine for three years; but, by his own admittance considerations of health and inclination then caused him to dedicate himself fully to his academic studies and pastoral work, having been ordained deacon and priest in the Anglican Church in 1746. Contemporaries acknowledged his learning; and from 1769 to 1771 he was Boyle Lecturer
Boyle Lectures
The Boyle Lectures were named after Robert Boyle, a prominent English/Irish natural philosopher of the 17th century. Boyle endowed a series of lectures in his will, which were designed as a forum where prominent academics could discuss the existence of God....
. In 1760 he married Mary Butts, daughter of an Anglican bishop. He had a son and five daughters with her.
Whilst neither of them seems to mention a meeting in their writings, it is conceivable that Owen had been personally known to J. J. Griesbach
Johann Jakob Griesbach
Johann Jakob Griesbach , German biblical textual critic, was born at Butzbach, a small town in the state of Hesse, where his father, Konrad Kaspar , was pastor...
. For the latter had visited England upon completion of his undergraduate studies; and, according to an extant list of books, his estate contained a copy of Owen's seminal work, Observations on the Four Gospels, tending chiefly to ascertain the time of their Publication, and to illustrate the form and manner of their Composition (1764).
Among Owen's other publications are:
- Harmonia Trigonometrica, or A short treatise on Trigonometry (1748);
- The Intent and Propriety of the Scripture Miracles considered and explained (1755);
- An Enquiry into the present State of the Septuagint Version of the Old Testament (1769);
- Critica Sacra, or a short Introduction to Hebrew Criticism (1777);
- Collatio codicis Cottoniani Geneseos cum editione Romana a Joanne Ernesto Grabe jam olim facta nunc demum summa cura edita ab Henrico Owen, M.D. (1778);
- A brief Account, historical and critical, of the Septuagint Version of the Old Testament, to which is added a Dissertation on the comparative Excellency of the Hebrew and Samaritan Pentateuch (1787);
- The Modes of Quotation used by the Evangelical Writers, explained and vindicated (1789).