Boyle Lectures

Not to be confused with Robert Boyle Lecture.

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.

The very first such lecture was given in 1692 by Richard Bentley, who turned to and received four letters from Isaac Newton. The first letter from Newton to Bentley begins

"Sir, When I wrote my Treatise about our System, I had an Eye upon such Principles as might work with considering Men, for the Belief of a Deity; nothing can rejoice me more than to find it useful for that Purpose." [1][2]

Their design, as expressed by the institutor, is to prove the truth of the Christian religion against infidels, without descending to any controversies among Christians; and to answer new difficulties, scruples, etc. Some lecturers targeted Christian Deism.[3] A learned theologian within the Bills of Mortality, was to be elected for a term, not exceeding three years, by Thomas Tenison (later Archbishop of Canterbury) , and three others.[4] To support the lectures, Boyle assigned the rent of his house in Crooked Lane. But the fund proving precarious, the salary was ill-paid. To remedy this, Archbishop Tenison procured a yearly stipend of 50 pounds, forever, to be paid quarterly, charged on a farm in the parish of Brill, Buckinghamshire.[5]

The Boyle lectures were revived in 2004 at St Mary-le-Bow church in the City of London by Dr Michael Byrne. They take place annually in February.

The Lectures

References

  1. ^ Scholars and Antiquaries (The Cambridge History of English and American Literature in 18 Volumes (1907–21))
  2. ^ "Notes on the Religious Orientation of Scientists" by Gerald Holton in Science Ponders Religion, Harlow Shapley, Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1960, p. 59
  3. ^ Franklin, Benjamin (1909–14). "112". His Autobiography. The Harvard Classics. 1. New York: P.F. Collier & Son. p. 1. ISBN 0837026385. http://www.bartleby.com/1/1/3.html. Retrieved 2010-11-01. 
  4. ^ a b Newton, Thomas (1808). Dissertations on the prophecies : which have remarkably been fulfilled and at this time are fulfilling in the world. 1. Berwick: Printed by W. Gracie for J. Rennison [etc.]. p. 257. http://www.archive.org/details/dissertationson01newt. Retrieved 1 November 2010. 
  5. ^  This article incorporates content from the 1728 Cyclopaedia, a publication in the public domain.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z J. H. Parker's Divinity Catalogue. Oxford. 1837. p. 39. ISBN 0524002983.  (titles might be trimmed)
  7. ^ Bentley, Richard (1976). Eight Boyle Lectures on Atheism. New York: Garland. ISBN 9780824017521. 
  8. ^ Separate first editions of lectures #2-8: Bentley, Richard (1692). Matter and Motion Cannot Think, Or A Confutation of Atheism from the Faculties of the Soul. London: T. Parkhurst and H. Mortlock. http://dewey.library.upenn.edu/sceti/printedbooksNew/index.cfm?textID=bentley1&PagePosition=1.  A Confutation of Atheism from the Structure and Origin of Humane Bodies. London. 1692. http://dewey.library.upenn.edu/sCETI/printedbooksNew/index.cfm?TextID=bentley2&PagePosition=1.  A Confutation of Atheism from the Origin and Frame of the World. London. 1693. http://dewey.library.upenn.edu/sceti/printedbooksNew/index.cfm?textID=bentley3&PagePosition=1.  The eight lectures, from 1735 edition, reprinted Alexander Dyce, ed (1838). The Works of Richard Bentley, Vol. 3. London: Francis Macpherson. http://www.archive.org/details/worksbentley03bentuoft.  First full edition, in html.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Burnet, Gilbert (fl. 1737), ed (2000). Boyle Lectures (1692-1732): A Defence of Natural and Revealed Religion, being an Abridgement of the Sermons preached at the Lectures founded by Robert Boyle. Philosophy and Christian Thought in Britain 1700-1900. Bristol: Thoemmes. ISBN 9781855068131. 
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Horne, Thomas Hartwell (1827). A Catalogue of the Library of the College of St. Margaret and St. Bernard: Commonly Called Queen's College, in the University of Cambridge. London: S. and R. Bentley. pp. 301–304. http://books.google.com/?id=SwwDAAAAYAAJ. 
  11. ^ Williams, J., Five Sermons at the Boyle Lectures
  12. ^ Williams, John (1695). [A collection of eight sermons preached in defense of the Christian religion, called the "Boyle lectures", 1694-1696].. London: Printed for Ric. Chitwell ... and Tho. Cockerill .... OCLC 26374055. 
  13. ^ Oliver, Ryan (December 2007). "Aliens and Atheists: The Plurality of Worlds and Natural Theology in Seventeenth-Century England". p. 66. http://digital.library.unt.edu/permalink/meta-dc-5134:1. Retrieved 2008-09-09 
  14. ^ The Encyclopædia Britannica. 13 (11th ed.). New York. 1911. p. 20. http://www.archive.org/details/EncyclopaediaBritannica1911HQDJVU 
  15. ^ a b c d e "St Mary le Bow Church, London - Boyle Lectures". http://www.stmarylebow.co.uk/?Boyle_Lecture. Retrieved 2008-09-04. 
  16. ^ Clarke, Samuel. A Discourse Concerning the Being and Attributes of God, the Obligations of Natural Religion, and the Truth and Certainty of the Christian Revelation, in opposition to Hobbes, Spinoza, the author of the Oracles of Reason, and other Deniers of Natural and Revealed Religion (1823 ed.). http://www.archive.org/details/discourseconcern1725clar. Retrieved 2008-09-06. 
  17. ^ a b "Clarke, Samuel". The Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). New York. 1911 
  18. ^ Derham, William (1720). Physico-Theology, or a Demonstration of the Being and Attributes of God from his Works of Creation (fifth ed.). London: W. and J. Innys. ISBN 0405103832. http://www.archive.org/details/physicotheologyo00derh. Retrieved 2008-11-02. 
  19. ^ Clarke, John (1720). An Enquiry into the Cause and Origin of Evil. London: James Knapton. http://www.archive.org/details/enquiryintocause00clar. Retrieved 2008-09-18. 
  20. ^ http://www.ilab.org/db/detail.php?booknr=350617182
  21. ^ Burnett, Thomas (1726). A Demonstration of True Religion, in a Chain of Consequences from certain and undeniable Principles; wherein the Necessity and Certainty of Natural and Revealed Religion, with the Nature and Reason of both are explained, and in particular the Authority of the Christian Revelation is established, not only from the Natures, and Reasons of things, but also from the Relation it bears to the Scriptures of the Old Testament. London: Arthur Betyesworth.  Vol. 1; Vol. 2
  22. ^ Biscoe, Richard (1840). The History of the Acts of the Holy Apostles, confirmed from other Authors, and considered as full Evidence for the Truth of Christianity. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0548702780. http://www.archive.org/details/historyoftheacts00biscuoft. Retrieved 2008-11-02. 
  23. ^ Twells, Leonard (1743). Twenty-four Sermons Preach'd at the Parish Church of St. Mary Le Bow: London, in the Years 1739, 1740, 1741, at the Lecture Founded by the Honourable Robert Boyle, Esq; and Eight Sermons Preach'd at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, in the Years 1738 Ad 1739, at the Lecture Founded by the Honoured Lady Moyer. To which are Added, A Visitation Sermon, A Sermon before the Religious Societies and a Charity Sermon. London. , Vol. 1; Vol. 2
  24. ^ Stebbing, Henry. Christianity justified upon the Scripture Foundation; being a Summery View of the Controversy between Christians and Deists. http://www.archive.org/details/christianityjust00steb. Retrieved 2008-11-02. 
  25. ^ Popkin, Richard Henry (1992). "Prognostics from Nostradamus to Hume". The Third Force in Seventeenth-century Thought. BRILL. p. 299. ISBN 9789004093249. 
  26. ^ Owen, Henry (1773). The Intent and Propriety of the Scripture Miracles considered and explained. London. ISBN 1104311631.  Vol. 1; Vol. 2
  27. ^ Williamson, James (1783). An Argument for the Christian Religion, drawn from a Comparison of Revelation with the Natural Operations of the Mind. P. Elmsly. http://www.archive.org/details/argumentforchris00will. Retrieved 2008-11-03. 
  28. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Hunt, John. Religious Thought in England in the Nineteenth Century. pp. 38, 338–342. ISBN 9781421265452. 
  29. ^ Humphry, William (1858). Eight discourses on the miracles : preached in the parish church of St. Martin in the Fields in the year 1857 : at the lecture founded by the Hon. Robert Boyle. London: John W. Parker. OCLC 52633386. 
  30. ^ "The Christian observer". The Christian observer (London: Hatchard and Co.) 60: 696–710. September 1861. http://books.google.com/?id=COIRAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA696. 
  31. ^ Garbett, Edward (1861). The Bible and its critics: an enquiry into the objective reality of revealed truths ___ being the Boyle lectures for MDCCCLXI. London: Seeley and Griffiths. http://books.google.com/?id=hW8rAAAAYAAJ. 
  32. ^ New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Vol. I: Aachen - Basilians | Christian Classics Ethereal Library
  33. ^ Leathes, Stanley (1868). The Witness of the Old Testament to Christ. London, Oxford and Cambridge: Rivingtons. http://books.google.com/?id=nosEAAAAQAAJ. Retrieved 2009-10-04. 
  34. ^ Leathes, Stanley (1869). The Witness of St. Paul to Christ. London, Oxford and Cambridge: Rivingtons. ISBN 0837097134. http://www.archive.org/details/witnessofstpault00leat. Retrieved 2009-10-04. 
  35. ^ Leathes, Stanley (1870). The Witness of St. John to Christ. London, Oxford and Cambridge: Rivingtons. ISBN 0837056624. http://www.archive.org/details/witnessofstjohnt00leat. Retrieved 2009-10-04. 
  36. ^ Wace, Henry (1882). Christianity and Morality Or the Correspondence of the Gospel with the Moral Nature of Man (Fifth ed.). London: Pickering. ISBN 0790504103. http://www.archive.org/details/christianitymora00waceuoft. 
  37. ^ a b New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Vol. I: Aachen - Basilians | Christian Classics Ethereal Library
  38. ^ Maclear, George Frederick (1883). The Evidential Value of the Holy Eucharist. London: Macmillan and Co. http://www.archive.org/details/evidentialvalue01maclgoog. Retrieved 2008-11-02. 
  39. ^ Curteis, George Herbert (1885). The Scientific Obstacles to Christian Belief. London: Macmillan and Co. http://www.archive.org/stream/scientificobstac00curt. Retrieved 2008-11-02. 
  40. ^ Bonney, T. G. (1891). Old Truths in Modern Lights, with Other Sermons. New York: James Pott and Co. ISBN 0837024129. http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008623990. 
  41. ^ Bonney, T. G. (1892). Christian Doctrines and Modern Thought. London: Longmans, Green and Co. http://www.archive.org/details/christiandoctri01bonngoog. 
  42. ^ Newbolt, William Charles Edmund (1896). The Gospel of Experience Or the Witness of Human Life to the Truth of Revelation. London, New York and Bombay: Longmans, Green & Co.. http://www.archive.org/details/thegospelofexper00newbuoft. 
  43. ^ Knowling, Richard John (1905). The Testimony of St. Paul to Christ Viewed in Some of its Aspects. London: Hodder and Stoughton. http://www.archive.org/details/thetestimonyofsx00knowuoft. 
  44. ^ Schaff, P. & Herzog J. J. , New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Volume VI, Innocents - Liudger, p. 360-1 | Christian Classics Ethereal Library
  45. ^ Macdonald, A (1938). God, creation and revelation. London: John Heritage the Unicorn Press. OCLC 21108337. 

External links