Samuel Newman
Encyclopedia
Samuel Newman was a clergyman
in colonial Massachusetts
whose concordance of the Bible, published first in London
in 1643, far surpassed any previous work of its kind.
Newman was born in Banbury
, Oxfordshire
, England
, in 1602, son of Richard Newman. He graduated from Trinity College, Oxford
in 1620, took orders in the Church of England
. He was prosecuted for nonconformity and emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony
, probably in 1636.
After preaching nearly two years at Dorchester, he became pastor of the church at Weymouth
, where he remained until 1643. The following year he removed with part of his church to Seconet, in Plymouth Colony
. There they founded the town of Rehoboth
, which then embraced what is now Seekonk, Massachusetts
and Pawtucket, Rhode Island
. He died in Rehoboth on July 5, 1663.
Newman's famous Concordance was the third in English ever published and greatly superior to its two predecessors. The first edition was published in London in 1643, just before Newman's removal from Weymouth to Rehoboth. At Rehoboth, he revised and greatly improved it, using in the evening (according to Ezra Stiles
, a President of Yale
) pine knots instead of candles. The second edition was published at Cambridge
in 1662 and the concordance was usually known after that as the Cambridge Concordance. The concordance was reprinted at least as late as 1889, almost 250 years after it was first published.
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
in colonial Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
whose concordance of the Bible, published first in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1643, far surpassed any previous work of its kind.
Newman was born in Banbury
Banbury
Banbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, in 1602, son of Richard Newman. He graduated from Trinity College, Oxford
Trinity College, Oxford
The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope , or Trinity College for short, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It stands on Broad Street, next door to Balliol College and Blackwells bookshop,...
in 1620, took orders in the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. He was prosecuted for nonconformity and emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
, probably in 1636.
After preaching nearly two years at Dorchester, he became pastor of the church at Weymouth
Weymouth, Massachusetts
The Town of Weymouth is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, Weymouth had a total population of 53,743. Despite its city status, it is formally known as the Town of Weymouth...
, where he remained until 1643. The following year he removed with part of his church to Seconet, in Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony was an English colonial venture in North America from 1620 to 1691. The first settlement of the Plymouth Colony was at New Plymouth, a location previously surveyed and named by Captain John Smith. The settlement, which served as the capital of the colony, is today the modern town...
. There they founded the town of Rehoboth
Rehoboth, Massachusetts
Rehoboth is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,172 at the 2000 census.-History:It was incorporated in 1643 making it one of the earliest Massachusetts towns to be incorporated. The Rehoboth Carpenter Family is among the founding families...
, which then embraced what is now Seekonk, Massachusetts
Seekonk, Massachusetts
Seekonk is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, on the Massachusetts border. It was incorporated in 1812 from the western half of Rehoboth. The population was 13,722 at the 2010 census. Until 1862, the town of Seekonk also included what is now the City of East Providence, Rhode...
and Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Pawtucket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 71,148 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth largest city in the state.-History:...
. He died in Rehoboth on July 5, 1663.
Newman's famous Concordance was the third in English ever published and greatly superior to its two predecessors. The first edition was published in London in 1643, just before Newman's removal from Weymouth to Rehoboth. At Rehoboth, he revised and greatly improved it, using in the evening (according to Ezra Stiles
Ezra Stiles
Ezra Stiles was an American academic and educator, a Congregationalist minister, theologian and author. He was president of Yale College .-Early life:...
, a President of Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
) pine knots instead of candles. The second edition was published at Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
in 1662 and the concordance was usually known after that as the Cambridge Concordance. The concordance was reprinted at least as late as 1889, almost 250 years after it was first published.
List of editions and major printings
- A large and compleat concordance to the Bible in English according to the last translation : first collected by Clement Cotton and now much enlarged and amended for the good both of schollars and others, far exceeding the most perfect that ever was extant in our language, both in ground-work and building. London : Printed for Thomas Downes and James Young, 1643.
- A large and compleat concordance to the Bible in English : according to the last translation (a like work formerly performed by Clement Cotton) / by Samuel Newman now teacher at Rehoboth in New-England. Third Printing ("And now this third impression corrected and amended in many things formerly omitted for the good both of scholars and others for exceeding the most perfect that ever was extant in our language, both in ground-work and building"). London : Printed for Thomas Downes and Andrew Crook, 1658.
- A concordance to the Holy Scriptures : with the various readings both in text and margin : in a more exact method then [sic] hath hitherto been extant. 2nd ed. Cambridge, 1662.
- A Concordance to the Holy Scriptures : with the Various Readings both of Text and Margin, in a More Exact Method then [sic] hath Hitherto been Extant. 2nd ed. (subsequent printing). Cambridge, 1672.
- A concordance to the Holy Scriptures : with the various readings both of text and margin : in a more exact method than hath hitherto been extant. 3rd ed. Cambridge, 1682.
- A concordance to the Holy Scriptures : together with the books of the Apocrypha with the various readings both of text and margin : in a more exact method then [sic] hath hitherto been extant. 4th ed. Cambridge, 1698.
- 5th ed. London, 1720.
- Reprint of 2nd ed. London: John F Shaw & Co, 1889.
Sources
- Mather, CottonCotton MatherCotton Mather, FRS was a socially and politically influential New England Puritan minister, prolific author and pamphleteer; he is often remembered for his role in the Salem witch trials...
. Magnalia Christi AmericanaMagnalia Christi AmericanaMagnalia Christi Americana is a book published in 1702 by Cotton Mather . Its title is in Latin, but its subtitle is in English: The Ecclesiastical History of New England...
: or, the ecclesiastical history of New-England, from its first planting in the year 1620, unto the year of our Lord, 1698. London : printed for Thomas Parkhurst, 1702. - Savage, James. A genealogical dictionary of the first settlers of New England, showing three generations of those who came before May, 1692, on the basis of Farmer’s Register. Boston: Little, Brown and company, 1860-62.