Reliquiæ Baxterianæ: or, Mr. Richard Baxter’s Narrative of the Most Memorable Passages of his Life and Times
Creator
Date
1696
Identifier
de Beer Ec 1696 B
Type
Publisher
London: Printed for T. Parkhurst [and three others]
Abstract
History is often written by the winners, but unfortunately the Puritan pastor and author Richard Baxter (1615-1691) was always on the losing side. Baxter was involved in negotiations for a religious settlement during the 1650s and 1660s, a time when England was faced with a constitutional and religious upheaval. He wrote notes to explain what went wrong in 17th century England: who was to blame and specifically that it was not him. He was adamant about this for posterity’s sake. He wrote: ‘only in faithfulness Historically to relate things as indeed they were’ (see §49 in Sylvester's Baxterianae). Matthew Sylvester (c.1636-1708) was Baxter’s literary executor, and he compiled Baxter’s autobiographical narrative of some 645,000 words. Reliquiae Baxterianae challenged the prevailing view that the Puritans were to blame for England’s Civil War. I am part of a team of editors who are now preparing a critical edition of Reliquiae Baxterianae. While I cannot miss the element of self-justification, Baxter’s account of 17th century England is one that historians should take very seriously indeed. Baxter claims that he and his colleagues should not be blamed; I think he is basically right.
(Chosen by Associate Professor Tim Cooper, Department of Theology and Religion, Otago)
(Chosen by Associate Professor Tim Cooper, Department of Theology and Religion, Otago)
Files
Citation
Matthew Sylvester, “Reliquiæ Baxterianæ: or, Mr. Richard Baxter’s Narrative of the Most Memorable Passages of his Life and Times,” ourheritage.ac.nz | OUR Heritage, accessed November 6, 2024, https://otago.ourheritage.ac.nz/items/show/9926.