Woodhead, Abraham
Woodhead, Abraham
Born at Almonbury, Yorkshire, about March, 1609; died at Hoxton, Middlesex, 4 May, 1678. This voluminous controversial writer was educated at University College, Oxford, entering in 1624, becoming fellow in 1633, and proctor in 1641. While travelling abroad in 1645 he began to think of joining the Catholic Church, but the exact date of his reception is not known. Ejected from his fellowship in 1648, he became tutor to the young Duke of Buckingham, and then lived with the Earl of Essex and other friends till 1654, when he and some other Catholics purchased a house at Hoxton, where they lived a community life, occupying themselves in devotion and study. In 1660 his fellowship was restored, but after a brief residence in Oxford he returned tothe more congenial surroundings at Hoxton, where, assured of the income of his fellowship, he lived till his death occupied in literary labours. His friend Hearne the antiquarian declared him to be “one of the greatest men that ever this nation produced”. Among his numerous books the chief original works were “Ancient Church Government”, 5 parts (1662-85); “Guide in Controversies” (1667), and a long appendix thereto (1675); four theological works against Stillingfleet; “Life of Christ” (1685); “Motives to Holy Living” (1688); “Discourse on the Eucharist” (1688); “On Images and Idolatry” (1689), and an incomplete treatise on Antichrist (1689). He also translated the “Life of St. Teresa” and St. Augustine’s “Confessions”, and paraphrased the Epistles of St. Paul (with Walker and Allestree) and the Apocalypse. A large collection of his unpublished manuscripts, with autograph letters and writings relating to him, which was formed in the eighteenth century by Cuthbert Constable, is now in the possession of Sir Thomas Brooke, F.S.A., of Armitage Bridge, Huddersfield.
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BERINGTON, Life of Abraham Woodhead, prefixed to part III of his Ancient Church Government (1736); NICHOLSON, Few particulars relating to Mr. Woodhead’s life and works, in MS., but used by COOPER in Dict. Nat. Biog., who also gives a complete list of the works: BROOKE, Catalogue of books and MSS. collected by Thomas Brooke (1891); DODD, Church History, III (Brussels vere Wolverhampton, 1742); WOOD, Athenae Oxonienses (London, 1813-20), Catholic Miscellany (1825); GILLOW in Bibl. Dict. Eng. Cath., with complete list of works.
EDWIN BURTON Transcribed by Michael T. Barrett Dedicated to the memory of Abraham Woodhead
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XVCopyright © 1912 by Robert Appleton CompanyOnline Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. KnightNihil Obstat, October 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., CensorImprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York
Fuente: Catholic Encyclopedia
Woodhead, Abraham
all English clergyman, and subsequently a Roman Catholic controversial writer, was born at Meltham, Yorkshire, in 1608. He was educated in University College, Oxford, of which he became fellow in 1633, and soon after entered into holy orders. In 1641 he was proctor at Oxford, and about this time travelled on the Continent as tutor to some, young gentlemen of distinction. While at Rome he became a secret convert to the Catholic religion. In 1648 he was deprived of his fellowship for absence, but was reinstated at the Restoration in 1660. Finding it impossible to conform, however, he obtained leave to travel with an allowance of 20, on which he lived in concealment, teaching Roman Catholic pupils and writing controversial books, at Hoxton, near London, until his death, May 4, 1678. He was considered one of the ablest controversial writers, on the popish side, of his time, and his abilities and candor have been commended by some Protestant writers. Among his publications we note, Brief Account of Ancient Church Government (1662): Guide in Controversies, in IV Discourses (1666): Dr. Stillingfleet’s Principles (1671): Life of St. Tereza, from the Spanish (eod.): Paraphrase of the Apocalypse (1682): Two Discourses Concerning the Adoration of our Blessed Savior in the Eucharist (1687): Of Faith Necessary to Salvation, etc. (1688): A Compendious Discourse on the Eucharist, etc. (eod.): Motives to Holy Living (eod.): Cattholick Theses (1689): and Concerning Images and Idolatry (eod.).